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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. Why have China’s arms imports plummeted 72% over the past 5 years?
Beijing’s arms imports have nose-dived by nearly three-quarters over the past five years, as it has replaced overseas weapons purchases with domestic technology, according to a Swedish think tank report.
2. Hong Kong couple’s HK$50,000 exit from Dubai after ‘biggest blunder’
As hundreds of Hongkongers stranded in the Middle East scramble for air tickets home with the US-Israel war on Iran entering its 10th day, a local couple spent nearly HK$50,000 (US$6,395) on a direct flight back after repeated failed booking attempts and a cancellation blunder caused by mental exhaustion.
3. Chinese firm claims it intercepted B-2 radio signal during US strike on Iran

A private company in China providing intelligence-gathering services to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) claims to have intercepted radio signals from American stealth bombers that struck Iran on March 1 as part of the US-Israel military action.
4. As US missiles leave South Korea, the Philippines asks: are we next?

The United States has begun pulling missile-defence systems from South Korea to feed its war with Iran, prompting fresh questions in the Philippines about Washington’s military commitments to the Asia-Pacific.
5. China’s award-winning mathematician Wan Daqing leaves California for Chongqing
For mathematical genius Wan Daqing, life is no longer a competition between China and the United States. Instead, he has encountered the rivalry of universities within China seeking to appoint him.
6. China can’t buy Elon Musk’s theory on space-based AI centres: experts

China should not follow SpaceX in launching artificial intelligence data centres into orbit, but instead focus on more practical near-term space-based computing, a senior researcher has said.
7. Left-behind Chinese girl’s US$120 farewell gift to migrant parents touches hearts

A little girl from central China has touched millions of hearts online with a handwritten farewell message and money for her parents as they left for work. In the letter, 10-year-old Xinyu expressed her sorrow, writing: “I have cried many times in my room because I do not want you to leave, but I understand you are working hard for our family.”


China doubts Musk’s Starship future; ex-TSMC chip prodigy returns: SCMP’s 7 highlights

Consort Wan’s dark story, the good and bad with GLP-1s: 7 Lifestyle highlights

Xpeng’s driverless cabs; Tesla launches FSD in China; Nio slams price wars: 7 EV reads

Singha beer dynasty scandal, Malaysia’s sunken missile deal: 7 Asia highlights

SCMP Highlights

China’s arms imports plummet, Hong Kong couple’s HK$50,000 Dubai exit: SCMP’s 7 highlights

China’s share of global arms imports is waning as it uses more of its own technology. Photo: VCG via Getty Images

A United States Air Force B-2 stealth strategic bomber. Photo: Handout

Patriot missile launchers are seen deployed at a US military base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on Sunday. Photo: Yonhap/AFP

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is aiming to have a constellation of up to a million satellites operating as orbital data centres. Pictured is the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9. File photo: SpaceX/TNS

A 10-year-old girl in China has moved many people online with a farewell note to her migrant worker parents, offering them US$120 of her lai see money to treat themselves. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin

Iran war highlights US defence gaps; mathematician returns to China: 7 science highlights

Missile debris falls after Israeli air defence systems launched interceptor missiles over Tel Aviv, Israel on Sunday. Photo: Xinhua


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

Jiang Jianfeng says the decision to return to his home country is a “natural choice”. Photo: Handout

Duan Baoyan theorises that microwave beams from outer space could “alter regional atmospheric circulation and change a typhoon’s intensity and path”. Photo: Shutterstock

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


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

Viral Hong Kong eatery in Canada; actor Michael Tse’s resilience: 7 Lifestyle highlights

A photo of Hong Kong during the mid-20th century, colourised by OldHKinColour. The team behind the popular Instagram account uses artificial intelligence to bring such photos to life, but some say this “distorts” history. Photo: OldHKinColour

Anna Peng with her parents at their eatery Great Fountain Fast Food, a Hong Kong-style Chinese restaurant in Scarborough, in Canada’s Ontario province. Photo: Great Fountain Fast Food


Michael Tse (front) as Laughing Gor in a still from the film Turning Point (2009), a prequel to the TV series E.U. Photo: Intercontinental Film Distributors (HK) 

Angong Niuhuang Wan is among the most prized traditional Chinese medicine formulas and costs an eye-watering amount. But do the pills actually help prevent and treat strokes, and can they be harmful? Photo: Shandong Hongjitang Pharmaceutical Group

Ru Yuan’s signature braised pork belly and seasonal vegetables with soy sauce. At the restaurant in Hangzhou, China, chef Ru Yuan takes classic Zhejiang dishes and elevates them for modern diners. Photo: Ru Yuan

News

World

From missile concerns in the Philippines to China’s rejection of Musk’s space-AI plan, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting


From missile concerns in the Philippines to China’s rejection of Musk’s space-AI plan, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.


China’s arms imports plummet, Hong Kong couple’s HK$50,000 Dubai exit: 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 missile concerns in the Philippines to China’s rejection of Musk’s space-AI plan, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting

1. Why have China’s arms imports plummeted 72% over the past 5 years?

From missile concerns in the Philippines to China’s rejection of Musk’s space-AI plan, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting