https://www.scmp.com/rss/111599/feed The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were both created at the 1944 Bretton Woods Conference. The World Bank’s mandate is to lend to developing countries to fund capital programs to alleviate poverty. The IMF, an organisation of almost 200 countries, helps alleviate problems among member countries. Since the onset of the global financial crisis in 2008, the IMF has taken part in rescues of countries such as Greece. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Sylvia Ma Sylvia Ma A leading Chinese state media outlet has run back-to-back front-page editorials over the past two days pushing back against claims that China’s economy is losing steam and that the global economy is experiencing a “China shock 2.0”. “Looking across the globe, China’s growth target stands out as second to none,” the state-run Economic Daily wrote in a Thursday editorial, noting that the country’s goal of achieving 4.5 to 5 per cent growth in 2026 was far higher than the 2.6 per cent global growth... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3348787/china-shock-20-false-narrative-born-western-anxiety-chinese-media?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3348787/china-shock-20-false-narrative-born-western-anxiety-chinese-media?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 07:55:43 +0000 Anthony Rowley Anthony Rowley The law of unintended consequences, a theory popularised by American sociologist Robert K Merton, has rarely been more applicable to any situation than to US President Donald Trump’s war with Iran. Those consequences will be far greater than generally imagined. Their impact will fall heavily on Asia, the world’s most energy-import-dependent region and will almost certainly hurt US ally Japan more than it will the US’ main rival, China. Indeed, China may even emerge from the crisis with an... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3348014/asia-worst-effects-trumps-war-iran-are-yet-come?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3348014/asia-worst-effects-trumps-war-iran-are-yet-come?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Mar 2026 08:30:08 +0000 Ji Siqi Ji Siqi China has sufficient capacity to absorb external shocks from the Iran war and meet its annual economic growth target, a prominent economist said, while adding it was also preparing for the possibility that Washington might renege on trade deals. Justin Lin Yifu, dean of the Institute of New Structural Economics at Peking University and a former chief economist at the World Bank, said on Thursday that no country could be spared from the economic impacts of the conflict in the Middle East, which... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3348154/chinas-economy-big-enough-absorb-iran-war-shocks-says-justin-lin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3348154/chinas-economy-big-enough-absorb-iran-war-shocks-says-justin-lin?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 12:00:12 +0000 Bibek Bhandari Bibek Bhandari Nepal’s prime minister-in-waiting came to power on a promise of change. Now he faces the monumental challenge of taking on a system weighed down by corruption and poor governance while meeting the towering expectations of the millions who backed him and his anti-establishment party. Balendra Shah – a rapper, engineer and former mayor of Kathmandu popularly known as Balen – handily defeated former prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli in the election on March 5, with his Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP)... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3346981/nepal-voted-change-can-its-rapper-engineer-pm-deliver?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3346981/nepal-voted-change-can-its-rapper-engineer-pm-deliver?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 05:40:30 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse For years India’s economy was driven by its vast services sector that saw millions of people working away in low-cost back offices providing consultancy for predominantly Western companies. But over the past decade they have given way to centres that allow firms to tap top-tier talent and technology, where white-collar staff perform tasks ranging from IT and data analytics to innovation and design. Today, these centres are the shiniest parts of India’s red-hot economy but not everyone has been... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3345855/boom-times-indias-economy-opportunities-remain-uneven?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3345855/boom-times-indias-economy-opportunities-remain-uneven?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Mar 2026 05:15:07 +0000 Mandy Zuo Mandy Zuo Ahead of China’s annual legislative meetings – typically a window into Beijing’s top-level policy agenda – this is the third entry in a series examining the complex economic recalibration driving China’s growth philosophy and its wide-ranging implications for local governments, financial investors and private enterprises. In China’s eastern province of Zhejiang, a sprawling laboratory for Beijing’s “common prosperity” campaign to reduce income inequality, statistics suggest success: between 2021... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3344302/how-china-could-narrow-tech-hubs-income-gap-and-avoid-silicon-valleys-fate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3344302/how-china-could-narrow-tech-hubs-income-gap-and-avoid-silicon-valleys-fate?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 02:00:12 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Early in 2021, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw and held talks with both General Min Aung Hlaing, the chief of the armed forces, and Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto leader of the civilian government. The meeting was a chance for China to voice support for Myanmar’s “national conditions” development path and signal China’s long-term pragmatic approach to ties with its southwestern neighbour, irrespective of who was in power. That strategy, however, came under... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343830/5-years-and-1-election-later-why-chinas-myanmar-dilemma-still-isnt-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343830/5-years-and-1-election-later-why-chinas-myanmar-dilemma-still-isnt-over?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Feb 2026 22:00:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that he and US President Donald Trump agreed that the next session of trilateral talks in March on a war settlement should lead to a meeting of the countries’ leaders. Zelensky, speaking after a phone conversation with Trump, said the three-sided talks with Russia and the United States would take place early next month. US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner also took part in the ‌phone call. “We expect this meeting to create an... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3344656/zelensky-speaks-trump-says-talks-should-lead-leaders-meeting-russia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3344656/zelensky-speaks-trump-says-talks-should-lead-leaders-meeting-russia?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 21:44:30 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, unleashing the deadliest war in Europe since World War II. As the conflict reaches its four-year mark, here’s a look at the state of the conflict and some of the consequences for both countries. Destruction The war has resulted in widespread destruction in Ukraine. Entire cities in Ukraine’s east and south, among them Bakhmut, Toretsk and Vovchansk, have been reduced to rubble by fighting. The World Health Organization has... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344429/where-ukraine-and-russia-stand-war-enters-fifth-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344429/where-ukraine-and-russia-stand-war-enters-fifth-year?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 06:49:25 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Cambodia is scrambling to shore up an economy battered by months of border conflict with Thailand, as shuttered crossings choke trade and hundreds of thousands of migrant workers return home to fewer jobs and lower pay. Prime Minister Hun Manet is travelling to the United States and Europe this week seeking to diversify markets and secure new investment, part of a broader effort to reduce Cambodia’s reliance on Thailand after the fighting forced supply chains to be diverted and slashed... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3343805/cambodia-seeks-economic-reset-after-thailand-border-war-batters-trade-and-remittances?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3343805/cambodia-seeks-economic-reset-after-thailand-border-war-batters-trade-and-remittances?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 07:00:14 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Allegations of irregularities in Thailand’s election – including vote-buying, uncounted ballots and tallies greater than the names on electoral lists – have gathered momentum, increasing the pressure on polling authorities to hold recounts. Protests across the country have been aimed squarely at the Election Commission (EC). While any potential recounts are unlikely to change the overall result of Sunday’s election, they threaten to slow the formation of a new government. Sunday’s vote saw... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343185/vote-recount-calls-grow-thailand-amid-claims-election-irregularities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343185/vote-recount-calls-grow-thailand-amid-claims-election-irregularities?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 09:30:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Hanadi Abu Zant has not been able to pay rent on her flat in the occupied West Bank for nearly a year after losing her permit to work inside Israel. When her landlord calls the police on her, she hides in a mosque. “My biggest fear is being kicked out of my home. Where will we sleep, on the street?” she said, wiping tears from her cheeks. She is among some 100,000 Palestinians whose work permits were revoked after Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack ignited the war in the Gaza Strip. Confined to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343076/how-israeli-restrictions-are-starving-palestinian-families-occupied-west-bank?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343076/how-israeli-restrictions-are-starving-palestinian-families-occupied-west-bank?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Feb 2026 10:13:05 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Key allies reacted coolly on Monday to US President Donald Trump’s invite to pay US$1 billion for a permanent spot on his “Board of Peace” for resolving international conflicts, with analysts likening it to a pay-to-play version of the UN Security Council. The White House has asked various world leaders to sit on the board, chaired by Trump himself, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Hungarian premier Viktor Orban and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The board’s charter, seen by... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3340480/allies-tepid-trumps-board-peace-invited-leaders-wondering-how-it-will-work?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3340480/allies-tepid-trumps-board-peace-invited-leaders-wondering-how-it-will-work?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 22:16:21 +0000 Massoud Amin Massoud Amin In 1900, most people lived without electricity, antibiotics or universal education. Today, life expectancy is decades longer, literacy and access to medicine are near universal in many regions, and hundreds of millions have entered the global middle class. This progress was built through science, industry, public health, education and the hard work of ordinary people who believed tomorrow could be better. The question now is whether humanity can achieve a still more audacious goal: a world in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3340384/poverty-rates-have-plunged-can-we-all-live-swiss-2100?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3340384/poverty-rates-have-plunged-can-we-all-live-swiss-2100?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 21:30:10 +0000 Anthony Rowley Anthony Rowley Amid the rising chorus of criticism of US President Donald Trump and his administration’s egregious policy actions, the voices of multilateral institutions have been sadly muted. These internationally owned and supposedly independent bodies appear to be running scared of losing their access to US funding, but the greater risk for them is a loss of credibility if they continue with this cautious approach. By contrast, the heads of a dozen or so central banks have summoned sufficient courage to... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3340012/key-voices-missing-chorus-criticism-trumps-destructive-actions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3340012/key-voices-missing-chorus-criticism-trumps-destructive-actions?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jan 2026 08:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump on Friday gave a key role in post-war Gaza to former British prime minister Tony Blair and appointed a US officer to lead a nascent security force. Trump named members of a board to help supervise Gaza that was dominated by Americans, as he promotes a controversial vision of economic development in a territory that lies in rubble after two-plus years of relentless Israeli bombardment. The step came after a Palestinian committee of technocrats meant to govern Gaza held... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3340233/trump-names-blair-and-rubio-gaza-board-peace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3340233/trump-names-blair-and-rubio-gaza-board-peace?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jan 2026 23:36:30 +0000 Resty Woro Yuniar Resty Woro Yuniar For Indonesia, much of the past year was more a marathon than a sprint, with Southeast Asia’s largest economy recording steady growth despite global headwinds, a tighter budget and mounting pressure on jobs and household spending at home. Now, Jakarta sees 2026 as the right time to pick up speed, setting its sights on an annual economic expansion of no less than 6 per cent. Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa insists the target is attainable through improved policy coordination and stronger... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3339414/indonesia-eyes-6-growth-2026-despite-jobs-time-bomb?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3339414/indonesia-eyes-6-growth-2026-despite-jobs-time-bomb?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Jan 2026 00:00:12 +0000 Olga Wong Olga Wong Hong Kong authorities have questioned a World Bank report giving the city lower grades for business readiness, saying outdated data has led to unfair comparisons. The Digital Policy Office said early on Tuesday that Hong Kong remained among the top 20 for “operational efficiency” and in the second quintile for “regulatory framework” and “public services” in the World Bank Group’s “Business Ready 2025 Report”. “Some of the report’s assessment results, such as those for ‘international trade’,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3338102/hong-kong-authorities-question-world-banks-unfair-business-ready-grades?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3338102/hong-kong-authorities-question-world-banks-unfair-business-ready-grades?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 04:18:07 +0000 Anthony Rowley Anthony Rowley Only one thing matches the excitement, bordering on hysteria, about artificial intelligence having the potential to transform just about every aspect of our lives – and that is the exuberance AI has generated in stock markets. Yet both phenomena are coming under increasing scrutiny as we enter the new year. Some question the extent to which AI can in fact substitute for human intelligence across business and society while others challenge the technology on environmental and ethical grounds. Yet... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3337761/can-ai-deliver-economic-goods-and-high-returns-dont-count-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3337761/can-ai-deliver-economic-goods-and-high-returns-dont-count-it?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Dec 2025 08:30:08 +0000 Albert Bakhtizin Albert Bakhtizin As 2025 draws to a close, it marks an important milestone in the reconfiguration of the global economic system. Every century is defined not only by changes in technological leadership and shifts in global power, but also by the restructuring of the global financial system. The 20th century was the century of the US dollar, but with the arrival of the 21st century, the contours of the global macroeconomic system have begun to change. A recent International Monetary Fund study, “Playing with... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3337132/forget-us-dollar-watch-water-and-energy-resources-instead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3337132/forget-us-dollar-watch-water-and-energy-resources-instead?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Dec 2025 01:30:08 +0000 Anthony Rowley Anthony Rowley People love to hate governments, and they loathe having to pay taxes. However, from now on, we’ll have to embrace more state intervention and the need for higher taxes or else legislate a more dirigiste system of directing personal savings into investment that isn’t so dependent on markets. This can be either done preemptively or in response to the next financial crisis. It goes without saying that the former course of action is surely preferable to the trauma that will be experienced in the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3336062/climate-change-health-global-problems-need-investors-step?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3336062/climate-change-health-global-problems-need-investors-step?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Dec 2025 08:30:08 +0000 Themis Qi Themis Qi Hong Kong’s initial public offering (IPO) market is on track to maintain its status as the world’s top fundraising venue next year, underpinned by a pipeline of mega deals and the return of US capital, according to UBS. The Swiss investment bank expects more than HK$300 billion (US$38.5 billion) to be raised from 150 to 200 IPOs in 2026, surpassing the roughly HK$270 billion raised this year, which vaulted the city back to No 1 globally. UBS also forecast that the city’s benchmark Hang Seng... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3336091/hong-kong-set-keep-its-ipo-crown-2026-mega-deals-and-return-us-capital-ubs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3336091/hong-kong-set-keep-its-ipo-crown-2026-mega-deals-and-return-us-capital-ubs?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 12:00:10 +0000 Mia Nurmamat Mia Nurmamat A prominent Chinese economist said the country can sustain annual economic growth of 5 to 6 per cent over the next decade and stabilise relations with the United States by the middle of the century, as it seizes opportunities from the fourth industrial revolution. Justin Lin Yifu, dean of the Institute of New Structural Economics at Peking University and a former chief economist at the World Bank, said China could achieve breakthroughs in US technology “choke points” within five years and raise... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3336036/china-can-sustain-5-6-gdp-growth-through-2035-economist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3336036/china-can-sustain-5-6-gdp-growth-through-2035-economist?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 08:00:08 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo The late president of Namibia Hage Geingob once lectured Norbert Lammert, the former president of the German parliament, about China’s pragmatic foreign aid and business approaches in contrast to Western arrogance and dominance, in a video clip that went viral. “Every time a Westerner comes, it’s all about the Chinese,” he said. “Why does it become your problem, heh! It looks like it’s more a European problem than our problem. You feel sorry for us? We will handle our own country …” Germany, of... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3333863/how-china-goes-toe-toe-west-and-softly-softly-rest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3333863/how-china-goes-toe-toe-west-and-softly-softly-rest?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Nov 2025 14:15:56 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage The G20 summit in Johannesburg delivered major wins for African countries on debt, climate and critical minerals processing, but the progress was undercut by an unprecedented US boycott. The United States will host the event next year when it takes over the rotating Group of 20 presidency. But when the summit ended on Sunday, there was no US leader present for the ceremonial handover. With the US a no-show, China and its allies drove the consensus on a Global South agenda that has dominated G20... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333852/g20-south-africa-summit-sees-china-allies-drive-agenda-us-stays-away?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333852/g20-south-africa-summit-sees-china-allies-drive-agenda-us-stays-away?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Nov 2025 14:00:11 +0000 Andrew Sheng Andrew Sheng In 2004, Joshua Cooper Ramo, now co-CEO of Kissinger Associates, coined the term “Beijing Consensus” as an alternative to the Washington Consensus, the neoliberal framework of economic policies devised in the 1980s by the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and US Treasury. China had just joined the World Trade Organization and, within the country, there was considerable scepticism that a Beijing Consensus existed. Come 2007, and as the global financial crisis broke out – first with the US... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3333564/rise-beijing-led-global-south-consensus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3333564/rise-beijing-led-global-south-consensus?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Across Southeast Asia, millions of young people are launching start-ups and driving rapid digitalisation, with new unicorns emerging in a sign that the region is becoming a global force in entrepreneurship, according to former Indonesian president Joko Widodo. Speaking at the closing of the Bloomberg New Economy Forum on Friday, Widodo said the next unicorn – meaning a privately held start-up valued at more than US$1 billion – might emerge not from Silicon Valley or Shenzhen but from Jakarta,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3333728/widodo-hails-southeast-asias-rise-global-force-entrepreneurship?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3333728/widodo-hails-southeast-asias-rise-global-force-entrepreneurship?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 11:17:19 +0000 Anthony Rowley Anthony Rowley Is the famed Asian economic miracle that endured for decades from the 1950s onwards giving way to a “doom loop” of ageing populations, consequent fiscal strains, falling output, declining consumption and sagging economic growth? Will the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) compensate for these trends or simply add to unemployment in the region? Some development experts are beginning to acknowledge that while some of these issues have been examined in depth individually, their collective... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3331798/why-asias-old-plan-dodge-middle-income-trap-wont-work-any-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3331798/why-asias-old-plan-dodge-middle-income-trap-wont-work-any-more?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Nov 2025 12:30:09 +0000 Donald Low,Thomas Lam Chun-kai Donald Low,Thomas Lam Chun-kai Thailand is often hailed as a poster child for the “China plus one” strategy, its industrial estates filled with new factories and its policymakers touting investment in electric vehicles and electronics. Thanks to its established industrial infrastructure, a domestic market of nearly 100 million people and its well-integrated presence in global automotive and electronics supply chains, Thailand is naturally positioned to attract advanced manufacturing firms seeking diversification away from... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3331987/thailands-china-plus-one-successes-mask-middle-income-quagmire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3331987/thailands-china-plus-one-successes-mask-middle-income-quagmire?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Nov 2025 04:00:14 +0000 Alessandro Arduino Alessandro Arduino Early this month, Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani is expected in Beijing for what both sides have billed as a “reset” in relations. The move reflects a wider trend across the Middle East, where governments wary of Western conditionality are increasingly seeking what they view as less encumbered partnerships with China. The winds of realpolitik are sweeping from the Middle East to Central and South Asia, bringing “hard resets” across entire regions. India’s quiet pivot towards the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3331122/what-syrias-post-war-pivot-china-tells-us-about-new-world-order?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3331122/what-syrias-post-war-pivot-china-tells-us-about-new-world-order?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Nov 2025 05:30:07 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji In East Timor’s presidential palace in the capital Dili, President Jose Ramos-Horta leans back in his chair, radiating a calm demeanour ahead of a momentous occasion in his country’s young history. “We are in the last few hours before joining Asean,” he told This Week in Asia. “Looking back, it has been a 23-year journey since independence was proclaimed … and when I look at where we were then compared to now, it is like heaven and hell.” On Sunday in Kuala Lumpur, East Timor is set to formally... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330133/hell-asean-east-timors-president-talks-growth-china-and-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330133/hell-asean-east-timors-president-talks-growth-china-and-future?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Oct 2025 08:19:16 +0000 Frank Tang Frank Tang China is in talks with Japan and South Korea – both US allies – about a possible trilateral currency swap to bolster the region’s financial safety net and deepen economic cooperation amid US President Donald Trump’s trade war, according to a source familiar with the issue. Pan Gongsheng, governor of the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), touched on the issue with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, Rhee Chang-yong and Kazuo Ueda, on the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank annual meetings in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/money-wealth/article/3329849/china-eyes-3-way-currency-swap-japan-and-south-korea-amid-trumps-tariff-war-source?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/money-wealth/article/3329849/china-eyes-3-way-currency-swap-japan-and-south-korea-amid-trumps-tariff-war-source?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Oct 2025 16:23:46 +0000 Resty Woro Yuniar Resty Woro Yuniar Indonesia’s plan to join the Brics-led New Development Bank (NDB) and fulfil a payment requirement for membership has spurred a debate on whether the move is feasible given the country’s strained finances to fund President Prabowo Subianto’s priority projects. Earlier this year, Prabowo announced that Indonesia was planning to join the NDB “to boost the national development transformation” after he met the bank’s chairwoman, Dilma Rousseff, in Jakarta. “The Indonesian government has decided to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3329132/will-indonesias-plan-join-brics-bank-lead-heavier-debt-burden?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3329132/will-indonesias-plan-join-brics-bank-lead-heavier-debt-burden?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Oct 2025 10:45:32 +0000 Connor Mycroft Connor Mycroft Hong Kong’s finance chief has called on American businesses to invest in the city as he began his latest visit to the US, even as global concerns grow over the possible re-escalation of the US-China trade war. The government on Wednesday said that Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po arrived in New York the previous day and attended the annual gala dinner of the National Committee on United States-China Relations (NCUSCR), a non-profit organisation that promotes understanding between the two... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3329071/invest-and-expand-hong-kong-paul-chan-tells-us-businesses-despite-trade-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3329071/invest-and-expand-hong-kong-paul-chan-tells-us-businesses-despite-trade-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Oct 2025 04:58:05 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press On Monday, the fragile ceasefire in Gaza led to freedom for Israeli hostages and the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. It was the culmination of a long and tortuous process - but it may, in the end, have been the easier part. The coming weeks, months and years would require more than just rebuilding from the devastation that has left much of Gaza in ruins. Key details of the peace plan may remain unsettled. Granular details would need to be negotiated to keep the plan moving... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3328906/true-test-gaza-peace-begins-after-momentous-ceasefire-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3328906/true-test-gaza-peace-begins-after-momentous-ceasefire-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Oct 2025 04:43:37 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Wall Street stocks rebounded on Monday from steep pre-weekend falls as US President Donald Trump softened his posture on China following earlier threats of large tariffs. European stock markets made modest gains while Asia’s leading stock markets began the week in the red as they caught up with Wall Street’s sharp losses on Friday. Gold reached a fresh record high thanks to its status as a safe-haven investment. “Things have calmed down almost as dramatically as the flare up on Friday when... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3328876/wall-street-stocks-bounce-trump-softens-posture-china-after-tariff-threats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3328876/wall-street-stocks-bounce-trump-softens-posture-china-after-tariff-threats?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Oct 2025 22:40:17 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump hailed a “tremendous day for the Middle East” as he and regional leaders signed a declaration meant to cement a ceasefire in Gaza, hours after Israel and Hamas exchanged hostages and prisoners. Trump made a lightning visit to Israel, where he lauded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an address to parliament, before flying to Egypt for a Gaza summit where he and the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey signed the declaration on Monday as guarantors to the ceasefire... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3328871/trump-hails-tremendous-day-middle-east-leaders-sign-gaza-declaration?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3328871/trump-hails-tremendous-day-middle-east-leaders-sign-gaza-declaration?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Oct 2025 18:39:36 +0000 Connor Mycroft Connor Mycroft Hong Kong’s finance chief will attend the annual meetings of the IMF and the World Bank in Washington for the first time since 2019, despite a dramatic re-escalation of trade tensions between the United States and China. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Sunday that in addition to the two meetings, which he will attend as part of China’s delegation, he would join other events to promote the city’s strengths and development efforts while also addressing “topics of concern”. In a weekly... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3328684/hong-kongs-paul-chan-attend-imf-world-bank-meetings-washington?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3328684/hong-kongs-paul-chan-attend-imf-world-bank-meetings-washington?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Oct 2025 06:40:23 +0000 Moritz Kraemer Moritz Kraemer For developing nations, the storm clouds of deglobalisation and climate change grow darker by the day. These challenges demand an increasingly prominent role for the state, not only as a buffer against the economic shocks that disproportionately harm the most vulnerable but also as an architect of resilience. Governments in poorer countries must fund vast investments in infrastructure, sustainable energy, healthcare and education to inject dynamism into their economies. But the unresolved... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3328125/developing-economies-face-tough-reforms-global-aid-and-credit-shrink?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3328125/developing-economies-face-tough-reforms-global-aid-and-credit-shrink?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Oct 2025 08:30:07 +0000 Kandy Wong Kandy Wong While Kazakhstan is cooperating closely with China on the digitalisation of trade, a government official from the Central Asian country said this week that more infrastructure investment is needed – including along the Middle Corridor trade route – for it to realise its aim of becoming a bridge between Asia and Europe. Exporters turned to the Middle Corridor – which connects China and Europe via Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey – as an alternative to the northern route of the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3328371/kazakh-official-urges-investment-help-country-connect-china-and-europe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3328371/kazakh-official-urges-investment-help-country-connect-china-and-europe?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Oct 2025 13:00:15 +0000 Ng Kang-chung Ng Kang-chung A former top diplomat from Singapore has warned of a flood of fake information in the era of artificial intelligence and called for the protection of integrity in education, as he was conferred an honorary doctoral degree in Hong Kong. Professor Kishore Mahbubani, a renowned specialist in geopolitics and past president of the United Nations Security Council, issued the call to action on Friday as he received the award from the Education University of Hong Kong. He was among six distinguished... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3327052/kishore-mahbubani-lauded-hong-kong-warns-ai-fake-news-flood?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3327052/kishore-mahbubani-lauded-hong-kong-warns-ai-fake-news-flood?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Sep 2025 15:02:20 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick The Trump administration pressed Argentina on Wednesday to dismantle its currency swap arrangement with China, tying future financial support to President Javier Milei’s willingness to distance his government from Beijing during a week of high-stakes diplomacy at the United Nations General Assembly. The demand, first reported by the local newspaper Clarin and confirmed by the Post on Thursday, was delivered in meetings between the two delegations in New York, where senior US officials made clear... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3326895/trump-administration-ties-argentina-support-rollback-china-credit-line?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3326895/trump-administration-ties-argentina-support-rollback-china-credit-line?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Sep 2025 17:42:03 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick China endorsed Brazil’s $125 billion Tropical Forests Forever Facility at a sideline event in New York on Tuesday, lending weight to a flagship fund that rewards nations for preserving tropical forests and injecting fresh momentum into one of the main initiatives set to debut at COP30 in Belem this November. The TFFF, devised by Brazil with support from the World Bank and international partners, will invest in low-risk assets and channel part of the returns to tropical countries at up to $4 per... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3326605/china-backs-brazils-us125-billion-fund-protect-tropical-forests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3326605/china-backs-brazils-us125-billion-fund-protect-tropical-forests?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Sep 2025 21:35:22 +0000 Hadi Azmi,Aidan Jones Hadi Azmi,Aidan Jones Storms uprooted trees and ripped roofs across Malaysia’s capital of Kuala Lumpur on Monday night, as forecasters warned of a potentially dangerous collision between the seasonal monsoon and La Nina climate phenomenon that could dump more rain over the coming weeks. The northeast monsoon brings heavy rains and strong winds to Malaysia all the way through March, while La Nina – a Pacific Ocean climate pattern – amplifies rainfall, compounding the power of storms that hit the region. The... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3326548/la-nina-monsoon-brew-perfect-storm-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3326548/la-nina-monsoon-brew-perfect-storm-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Sep 2025 09:03:01 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Nepal’s new leader vowed on Sunday to follow protesters’ demands to “end corruption” as she began work as interim prime minister after “Gen Z” youth demonstrations ousted her predecessor. Sushila Karki, the 73-year-old former chief justice, has been tasked with restoring order and addressing protesters’ demands for a corruption-free future ahead of elections in six months. Protests began on Monday, sparked by a ban on social media, which quickly escalated, with parliament and key government... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3325499/nepals-new-pm-karki-vows-end-corruption-follow-protesters-demands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3325499/nepals-new-pm-karki-vows-end-corruption-follow-protesters-demands?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Sep 2025 11:43:57 +0000 SCMP SCMP Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China’s export growth slows in August under shadow of trade war uncertainty China’s exports continued to rise in August, though at a slower pace, with the near-term outlook clouded as global markets watch to see whether the world’s two largest economies can reach a lasting and durable trade deal. 2. Oxford’s Ian Goldin on the biggest challenges for China’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3324784/chinas-export-growth-slows-lebron-james-writes-peoples-daily-scmp-daily-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3324784/chinas-export-growth-slows-lebron-james-writes-peoples-daily-scmp-daily-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Sep 2025 13:20:07 +0000 Anand Mathai,Bloomberg Anand Mathai,Bloomberg Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto removed Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati from her post, risking renewed financial turmoil for Southeast Asia’s biggest economy following days of violent protests against his administration. Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, who has served as chairman of the Deposit Insurance Corporation since 2020, was sworn in as the new finance minister by Prabowo late on Monday. Rumours that Prabowo could replace Sri Mulyani led the benchmark stock index to pare early gains to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3324759/indonesia-removes-finance-minister-sri-mulyani-after-protests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3324759/indonesia-removes-finance-minister-sri-mulyani-after-protests?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Sep 2025 09:51:29 +0000 Anthony Rowley Anthony Rowley This time, it was not America’s Franklin D. Roosevelt, Britain’s Winston Churchill and the Soviet Union’s Joseph Stalin meeting in the Crimean city of Yalta to carve up a defeated Germany and reshape the post-war European order. Instead, it was China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and India’s Narendra Modi at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the Chinese city of Tianjin to consider the implications of a new and non-US-dominated global order. It was a historic occasion... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3324344/shanghai-spirit-new-world-order-needs-be-matched-west?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3324344/shanghai-spirit-new-world-order-needs-be-matched-west?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Sep 2025 08:30:08 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage Kenya’s plan to convert its US dollar-denominated Chinese debt to yuan is a “win-win”, as it is expected to reduce interest payments for the African nation while advancing China’s goal of increasing the global use of its currency, according to analysts. The deal would be precedent-setting and could establish a new rule book for future debt restructuring and possibly cut reliance on the US dollar. In late August, Kenya’s Treasury announced that talks with the Export-Import Bank of China were at... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324321/kenyas-plan-switch-debt-payments-china-us-dollars-yuan-win-win?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324321/kenyas-plan-switch-debt-payments-china-us-dollars-yuan-win-win?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Sep 2025 08:00:09 +0000 AbdulWahed Jalal Nori AbdulWahed Jalal Nori President Xi Jinping’s renewed call for a new global security and economic order that places the Global South at its core is more than rhetorical positioning against the United States. It signals a paradigm shift in the architecture of world politics. Speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin on Monday, Xi called on nations to “oppose hegemonism and power politics” and instead “practise true multilateralism”. The message was unmistakable: the dominance of the US... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3324164/chinas-vision-true-multilateralism-resonates-muslim-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3324164/chinas-vision-true-multilateralism-resonates-muslim-world?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Sep 2025 21:30:07 +0000