appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

liveArticle

appConfig

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sectionsV2

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

json

SCMP

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. ‘We couldn’t reach them’: Chinese firms’ Iran business in limbo after strikes
Rising tensions in the Middle East following attacks on Iran are having an impact on the trade corridors and investment plans of Chinese exporters and investors, who had seen Iran and the broader region as crucial growth markets.
2. China eyes US$23.9 billion in global seaports despite Panama Canal loss: study
Though a Hong Kong operator has lost control of the Panama Canal, one of the world’s most pivotal waterways for merchant ships, researchers said this week that Chinese state institutions have funded hundreds of other seaports around the world.
3. 75% cost cut: China unveils world’s first fixed-wing drone made of bamboo fibre

Chinese researchers have developed a drone with wings made from bamboo, making it 20 per cent lighter and considerably cheaper than a carbon fibre device, according to state news agency Xinhua.
4. Iran attack a ‘wake-up call’ for China on electronic warfare and intelligence
The US and Israel’s air strikes against Iran, supported by electronic and cyber capabilities, serve as a “wake-up call” for China’s intelligence strategy and its military’s approach to deploying advanced technologies in modern warfare, analysts say.
5. Why US strikes on Iran just made North Korea less likely to play ball
Kim Jong-un will have seen the footage. A supreme leader of nearly 37 years, killed alongside members of his own family. Citizens celebrating in the streets. Rivals already angling for a role in the political transition.
6. Hong Kong’s new cash-for-residency scheme draws US$12 billion in first 2 years

Hong Kong’s cash-for-residency scheme has attracted about HK$95 billion (US$12 billion) from more than 1,700 investors over the past two years, with around two-thirds of the approved capital channelled into authorised funds and equities, the latest figures from InvestHK show.
7. She married 2 men at once in Thailand – and her mother is fine with it

When Dujduan Ketsaro wed two men in a single ceremony in northeastern Thailand on Saturday, she was ready for the attention. The three-way wedding, reported by Thai newspaper Khaosod, brought together Dujduan and two Austrian partners: Roman, a retired police officer she had lived with for five years and Macky, a police officer and Roman’s best friend who had come to Thailand on holiday.


Shanghai’s changing expats, Hong Kong trail sign fallout: SCMP’s 7 highlights

Exhibition on gardens of China, Europe; art director’s top spots: 7 Lifestyle highlights

China builds world’s first ‘coal battery’, war on Alzheimer’s: 7 science highlights

UAE’s Opec exit, why Japan shared Mogami warship design with India: 7 Asia highlights

SCMP Highlights

China’s US$24 billion seaport push; war on Iran as ‘wake-up call’: SCMP’s 7 highlights

Dujduan Ketsaro with her two grooms, Roman and Macky. Photo: Facebook

Smoke rises in central Tehran after an Israeli attack in Iran. Photo: EPA


The bamboo-based unmanned aerial vehicle’s maiden flight took place in February, researchers said. Photo: Xinhua

More than 1,700 investors have completed their commitments and received formal approval from the Immigration Department. Photo: Jelly Tse

Outlook for Iran leadership, Philippines investigates Epstein ties: 7 Asia highlights

Screenshots from a viral video posted by an social media user on Wednesday showing her daughter being shoved while attempting to take a photo at Tokyo’s iconic Shibuya Crossing. Photo: Instagram/peipeilin527

Smoke rises following an explosion in Tehran on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un delivers a speech on Sunday. Photo: KCNA/KNS/AFP

Screenshots from a viral video posted by a social media user on Wednesday showing her daughter being shoved while attempting to take a photo at Tokyo’s iconic Shibuya Crossing. Photo: Instagram/peipeilin527

A Philippine Navy AW159 Wildcat helicopter is secured on the helipad of the BRP Jose Rizal, a Philippine frigate, during a maritime cooperative activity in the South China Sea last year. Photo: AFP

Shiite Muslims mourn Khamenei’s death in Srinagar, India-run Kashmir, on Sunday. Photo: EPA

The late ex-finance minister Daim Zainuddin at a court in Kuala Lumpur before being charged with failing to declare assets, on January 29, 2024. He died later that year. Photo: EPA-EFE

Call centre agents working in Manila’s Makati financial district wait for calls from their US clients. Photo: Reuters

Trump’s Iran attack, EU ‘too slow’, China-India relations: 7 global relations reads

Smoke rises over Tehran, Iran, on Sunday. Israel and the US launched strikes on the country on Saturday. Photo: WANA via Reuters

Photo: WANA via Reuters

Photo: Handout

Photo: The Canadian Press via AP

Photo: AFP / US Department of Defence

Photo: AFP

Photo: dpa

Chinese tourists flock to Seoul, child shoved in Tokyo crossing: SCMP’s 7 highlights

Visitors wear traditional Korean attire in Seoul on February 17. South Korea saw a sharp influx of Chinese tourists during the Lunar New Year holiday period that ended on Monday. Photo: EPA-EFE

The American aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford docks at the Greek island of Crete on Tuesday. Photo: AFP


Visitors wear traditional Korean attire in Seoul on February 17. South Korea saw a sharp influx of Chinese tourists during the Lunar New Year holiday period that ended on Monday. Photo: EPA

Financial Secretary Paul Chan delivers his budget at Legislative Council in Admiralty. Photo: Eugene Lee

Screenshots from a viral video posted by an social media user on Wednesday showing her daughter being shoved while attempting to take a photo at Tokyo’s iconic Shibuya Crossing. Photo: Instagram / peipeilin527

A Chinese influencer with 12 million followers has been slammed for live-streaming his wife’s childbirth. He has been accused of profiting from privacy. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/Douyin

News

World

From a woman marrying two men in Thailand to a bamboo-fibre drone, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting


From a woman marrying two men in Thailand to a bamboo-fibre drone, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.


China’s US$24 billion seaport push; war on Iran as ‘wake-up call’: SCMP’s 7 highlights

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From a woman marrying two men in Thailand to a bamboo-fibre drone, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting

1. ‘We couldn’t reach them’: Chinese firms’ Iran business in limbo after strikes

From a woman marrying two men in Thailand to a bamboo-fibre drone, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting