https://www.scmp.com/rss/324753/feed The latest breaking news and stories on the United States (US), a country in North America known as a federal republic, and the world’s largest economy. Also covering US-China relations, plus commentary and updates on US economy, politics, society, healthcare, military and crime. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Reuters Reuters The Trump administration and Anthropic’s CEO on Friday discussed working together for the first time since a dispute earlier this year between the Pentagon and the artificial intelligence firm over how that company’s models should be used. The meeting between CEO Dario Amodei and White House staff, which took place amid growing ‌fears the AI start-up’s latest model will supercharge cyberattacks, suggests the two sides might be on a path to rebuilding trust. The Trump administration, central... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350546/white-house-and-anthropic-ceo-discuss-working-together-amid-mythos-ai-fears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350546/white-house-and-anthropic-ceo-discuss-working-together-amid-mythos-ai-fears?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 23:17:51 +0000 Xiaofei Xu,He Huifeng Xiaofei Xu,He Huifeng With domestic profits narrowing and production capacity expanding, China’s firms are continuing to widen their overseas footprints in search of new, more lucrative markets. In this series, we examine China Inc.’s next phase of “going global” and the complex, challenging international environment its companies have chosen to enter. When Lawrence Wong decided to set up a toy factory in Vietnam last year, he had a clear plan: 600 square metres (6,458 sq ft) of floor space at the start of 2026, with... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350477/chinese-manufacturers-recalibrate-overseas-expansion-plans-wake-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350477/chinese-manufacturers-recalibrate-overseas-expansion-plans-wake-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 22:00:09 +0000 Reuters Reuters Congress passed a short extension to a high-profile surveillance law on Friday after failing to secure the long-term reauthorisation pushed by US President Donald Trump. The brief pause comes after a late-night attempt to reauthorise the law for ‌five years failed in the House. It sets up another round of wrangling over whether and how to reform what is known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows the National Security Agency to surveil foreigners using data... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350544/us-congress-extends-controversial-surveillance-law-10-days?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350544/us-congress-extends-controversial-surveillance-law-10-days?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 18:27:55 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse France and Britain said on Friday that they would lead a multinational mission to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, while emphasising the force would be entirely defensive and only deployed once lasting peace in the region was agreed. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the force was being set up as they co-chaired international talks in Paris focused on ensuring free-flowing trade through the critical shipping corridor. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3350543/iran-war-france-and-uk-lead-defensive-force-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3350543/iran-war-france-and-uk-lead-defensive-force-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 17:35:55 +0000 Reuters Reuters Pope Leo called on Cameroonians on Friday to reject violence and be generous with their neighbours during an event billed as the biggest of his four-nation Africa tour, with roughly 120,000 people flocking to a mass he led in the port city of Douala. Amid heavy security, some believers had made their way on Thursday to the city’s Japoma ‌Stadium, venue of the mass, and slept overnight outside on mats to hear Friday’s address from the pontiff, who has become outspoken on war and inequality and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3350542/pope-urges-cameroon-reject-violence-mass-draws-120000-people?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3350542/pope-urges-cameroon-reject-violence-mass-draws-120000-people?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 17:15:32 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Friday urged the United States and Iran to guard against any provocations by Israel and use their current ceasefire to push for lasting peace. “We must not allow weapons to again replace words,” he told the fifth Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey. “Let it not be forgotten, the shortest path to peace is dialogue and diplomacy. Peace is not a one-winged bird.” His remarks came as Washington and Tehran weighed the next steps after a temporary halt in fighting,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350539/turkeys-erdogan-urges-iran-us-use-ceasefire-push-lasting-peace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350539/turkeys-erdogan-urges-iran-us-use-ceasefire-push-lasting-peace?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 15:16:46 +0000 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu China’s leading LED chipmaker and its Malaysian partner have abandoned their US$239 million cash offer to purchase Dutch technology company Lumileds Holding after opposition from US authorities, marking the latest setback for Chinese tech investment overseas following the high-profile Nexperia saga. Sanan Optoelectronics, listed in Shanghai, said in a disclosure announcement on Friday that despite multiple rounds of discussions, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS)... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3350520/chinese-led-chipmakers-purchase-dutch-firm-collapses-after-us-opposition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3350520/chinese-led-chipmakers-purchase-dutch-firm-collapses-after-us-opposition?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 14:30:07 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier In an apparent sign that Tehran blinked first in the blockade showdown between Iran and the US, the two sides announced on Friday that the Strait of Hormuz was open and operational after nearly seven weeks that have seen hundreds of ships blocked and sent energy prices soaring worldwide. “IRAN HAS JUST ANNOUNCED THAT THE STRAIT OF IRAN IS FULLY OPEN AND READY FOR FULL PASSAGE. THANK YOU!,” US President Donald Trump said on social media, using an unofficial name for the strategic... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3350530/iran-us-say-strait-hormuz-fully-open-commercial-vessels?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3350530/iran-us-say-strait-hormuz-fully-open-commercial-vessels?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 13:51:26 +0000 Daniel Ren Daniel Ren Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) has proposed halving the cash settlement cycle for share trading as part of efforts to enhance market efficiency and liquidity. The city’s bourse operator said in a consultation paper on Friday that it aimed to implement a “T+1” system – under which trades are settled one day after the transaction – in the fourth quarter of 2027, replacing the existing “T+2” cycle. If adopted, the shortened cycle would apply to equities, exchange-traded products,... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3350526/hkex-proposes-halving-share-settlement-cycle-bid-boost-hong-kongs-financial-profile?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3350526/hkex-proposes-halving-share-settlement-cycle-bid-boost-hong-kongs-financial-profile?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 13:51:01 +0000 He Huifeng He Huifeng Some exporters at the Canton Fair in Guangzhou report a modest return of orders to China from Southeast Asia, as energy-market volatility linked to the US-Israeli war in Iran prompts some Western buyers to prioritise supply chain stability. The shift is visible in buyer patterns on the exhibition floor, where the number from Europe and the United States appears to have recovered from last year’s levels, according to Chinese exporters, with more inquiries for home appliances, new energy products... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3350446/iran-war-energy-shock-threatens-southeast-asias-supply-chains-win-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3350446/iran-war-energy-shock-threatens-southeast-asias-supply-chains-win-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 13:30:08 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou The US appears to be intensifying its war efforts with an economic squeeze to force Iran to cave in before further talks, but Chinese observers say the strategy could backfire on the US economy. The US continued to exert pressure on Iran on Friday even as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that the Strait of Hormuz was completely open for commercial vessels. “In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is declared... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350514/why-us-threats-tighten-economic-vice-iran-might-prolong-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350514/why-us-threats-tighten-economic-vice-iran-might-prolong-war?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 13:26:27 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain A temporary ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon unveiled by US President Donald Trump on Thursday was the final turn in the diplomatic maze leading to a breakthrough in Pakistan-mediated peace talks between Washington and Tehran, analysts say. Arranged by Pakistan with help from Saudi Arabia, the 10-day cessation of hostilities in Lebanon was a key Iranian condition for a second and potentially conclusive round of talks in Islamabad on a date yet to be set. Marathon talks between high-powered... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350522/lebanon-becomes-key-iran-us-peace-talks-amid-fears-israels-hegemony?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350522/lebanon-becomes-key-iran-us-peace-talks-amid-fears-israels-hegemony?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 13:00:07 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The arrest of fugitive former congressman Zaldy Co has revived a long-stalled Philippine corruption investigation and sharpened political pressure on President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, whom the wanted lawmaker has accused of personally benefiting from a multibillion-peso kickback scheme tied to flood control projects. Observers called Co’s arrest a “notable step towards accountability” in a case that had stalled after the collapse of the commission set up to investigate it. Co resigned from the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3350513/arrest-philippine-ex-lawmaker-zaldy-co-missing-puzzle-piece-flood-control-probe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3350513/arrest-philippine-ex-lawmaker-zaldy-co-missing-puzzle-piece-flood-control-probe?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 12:30:12 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Even before Donald Trump returned to the White House, Vietnam’s military planners were already busy preparing for a possible second invasion by the United States and its allies. In the “Second US Invasion Plan”, secretly issued in August 2024, the Vietnamese military rejected playing any part in America’s China containment strategy in the Asia-Pacific. Rather, it sees the US promotion of “freedom and democracy” as a cynical ploy to maintain hegemony in the region. The document, released in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3350254/vietnam-and-china-are-now-perfectly-aligned?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3350254/vietnam-and-china-are-now-perfectly-aligned?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 12:30:07 +0000 Ng Kang-chung Ng Kang-chung Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways and its budget arm carried more passengers in March than a year ago, despite the impact of the US-Israel war against Iran. Cathay Group also said on Friday that it aimed to restore all flights after June. The company earlier announced it was cutting the number of Cathay Pacific flights by 2 per cent and HK Express services by 6 per cent between mid-May and the end of June. The group attributed the passenger growth to a spate of mega-events in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3350510/cathay-pacific-hk-express-passenger-counts-despite-impact-mideast-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3350510/cathay-pacific-hk-express-passenger-counts-despite-impact-mideast-war?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 12:00:19 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Friday that the war in Iran had laid bare the urgency of long-delayed UN reforms, arguing that the world body must be strengthened if multilateral diplomacy is to help restore global peace and security. “We have been talking about that for a long time, but only talking happens,” Tokayev told the fifth Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey. “Everybody is feeling the impact of the Iran war and everybody is suffering.” At the three-day summit ending... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350505/un-reforms-cant-wait-any-longer-kazakhstans-tokayev-says-amid-fragile-iran-truce?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350505/un-reforms-cant-wait-any-longer-kazakhstans-tokayev-says-amid-fragile-iran-truce?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:43:43 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is usually seen in carefully choreographed meetings with presidents, kings and regional leaders in Putrajaya. So it was striking to see him instead riding through the city on a casual live stream with Sneako, the controversial 27-year-old American streamer and Muslim convert whose appeal to mainly young male audiences has made him an unlikely cultural figure. For more than an hour on Friday, the live stream gave Anwar a rare chance to sell Malaysia, his... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3350501/malaysias-anwar-chats-us-muslim-streamer-it-populist-move?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3350501/malaysias-anwar-chats-us-muslim-streamer-it-populist-move?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:21:23 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng For pet food container seller Chen Junbin, customs used to be a major bottleneck when shipping from Shenzhen in southern China to his customers in the US. “In the past, we had to handle all the paperwork and coordinate with multiple logistics suppliers ourselves; a single [customs] inspection could delay our shipment by a week,” said Chen, founder of Shenzhen Lightning Technology. As one of the first sellers to test Amazon’s Global Warehousing and Distribution (GWD) facility, the US giant’s new... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3350409/how-amazon-uses-closer-china-supply-ties-counter-tariffs-shein-and-temu?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3350409/how-amazon-uses-closer-china-supply-ties-counter-tariffs-shein-and-temu?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:00:09 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Asian airlines are cutting flights, raising fares and reshuffling networks as the Iran war sends jet fuel prices soaring, leaving carriers across the region scrambling to protect their margins and preserve key routes. The shock has hit Asia especially hard because many economies depend heavily on fuel flows from the Middle East, according to aviation analysts, and some regional carriers are less protected from sudden price spikes than their counterparts in Europe or the US. “The impact has been... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3350497/asian-airlines-face-major-headwind-jet-fuel-costs-forcing-flight-changes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3350497/asian-airlines-face-major-headwind-jet-fuel-costs-forcing-flight-changes?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 10:49:33 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said on a recent podcast that if Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek optimised its new models on chips from Huawei Technologies, it would be “a horrible outcome” for the US. If “future AI models are optimised in a very different way than the American tech stack”, and as “AI diffuses out into the rest of the world” with Chinese standards and technology, China “will become superior to” the US, Huang said on the Dwarkesh Podcast on Wednesday. The conversation... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3350460/nvidias-jensen-huang-warns-huawei-chips-deepseek-ai-models-would-be-horrible-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3350460/nvidias-jensen-huang-warns-huawei-chips-deepseek-ai-models-would-be-horrible-us?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 10:00:14 +0000 Sumnima Kandangwa Sumnima Kandangwa The Apple TV dramedy Your Friends & Neighbors, starring and executive produced by Jon Hamm, returned with a second season on April 3 – and its third season has already been renewed. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Apple TV (@appletv) Hamm portrays Andrew Coop, a divorced former hedge fund manager who starts stealing from his wealthy neighbours to maintain his lavish lifestyle after getting fired from his job. The show’s second season sees the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3350442/meet-aimee-carrero-who-stars-apple-tvs-your-friends-neighbors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3350442/meet-aimee-carrero-who-stars-apple-tvs-your-friends-neighbors?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 10:00:12 +0000 Mia Nurmamat Mia Nurmamat Property tycoon Pan Shiyi issued a rare critique of China’s real estate sector, describing its development model as a “Ponzi scheme” and urging the industry to restore integrity and better protect homebuyers, just days after a fraud trial saw a guilty plea from the founder of China Evergrande – the US$300 billion debt juggernaut whose 2021 collapse triggered a systemic property meltdown. Writing from the United States on Thursday via his personal WeChat account, Pan reflected on the trajectory... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350448/tycoon-pan-shiyi-slams-china-property-ponzi-evergrande-boss-pleads-guilty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350448/tycoon-pan-shiyi-slams-china-property-ponzi-evergrande-boss-pleads-guilty?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 09:00:22 +0000 Raymond Ma,Neil Denslow Raymond Ma,Neil Denslow The China-US trade war bubbled away this week, even as the Strait of Hormuz shutdown dominated global headlines. The US is finalising a multinational agreement on trade and critical minerals to break China’s grip on vital resources, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told lawmakers on Thursday. He also sought a higher budget to support more trade investigations, and suggested potential action to pare US farmers’ reliance on Chinese orders. “We’re not just going to lay down and let the... https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350432/us-china-tensions-simmer-economy-outperforms-auto-china-begins?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350432/us-china-tensions-simmer-economy-outperforms-auto-china-begins?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 09:00:12 +0000 Zhang Shidong Zhang Shidong Chinese billionaire investor Duan Yongping touted Pop Mart International Group as a long-term investment and hinted that he may have already started building bullish bets, further validating his confidence in companies that are grappling with growth concerns. Duan, dubbed China’s Warren Buffett by some investors, recently said on social media that the toymaker had great growth potential to achieve its globalisation goal and that the barriers built by the company were enough to fend off... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3350454/chinas-warren-buffett-calls-pop-mart-long-term-buy-hints-labubu-maker-stake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3350454/chinas-warren-buffett-calls-pop-mart-long-term-buy-hints-labubu-maker-stake?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 09:00:10 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi South Korea’s combat-proven, interoperable and geopolitically accessible surface-to-air missiles could hinder China’s efforts to sell its own defence systems to the Middle East, analysts have suggested. The US-Israel war on Iran has been marked by tit-for-tat missile and drone attacks across the Persian Gulf states, driving a surge in demand for surface-to-air missiles to defend against incoming Iranian aerial threats. According to a study by the Foreign Policy Research Institute, a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3350414/will-south-koreas-goldilocks-missile-dent-chinas-middle-east-arms-ambitions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3350414/will-south-koreas-goldilocks-missile-dent-chinas-middle-east-arms-ambitions?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 09:00:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced mounting pressure to quit on Friday over his appointment of Peter Mandelson as envoy to Washington, after it emerged the veteran politician had failed security vetting. The affair has haunted Starmer for months amid growing anger over Mandelson’s 2024 nomination to the top diplomatic post despite his close ties to late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson, a long-time insider with Starmer’s ruling Labour Party, has held multiple ministerial posts since... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350451/uks-starmer-faces-calls-resign-mandelson-scandal-reignites?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350451/uks-starmer-faces-calls-resign-mandelson-scandal-reignites?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 08:36:42 +0000 David Dodwell David Dodwell Earlier this week I stumbled on a fascinating piece of research led by geography professor Becky Loo at the University of Hong Kong and soon to be published in the Nature Cities journal. Fascinating not just because of its scale – an analysis of 200,000 household travel surveys covering Boston, Chicago, London, Sao Paulo and Hong Kong – but because of its focus on daily mobility and social mixing. Its key finding? That people aged over 66 have more encounters with a broader cross-section of... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3350402/debunking-myth-lonely-isolated-hong-kong-retiree?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3350402/debunking-myth-lonely-isolated-hong-kong-retiree?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 08:30:08 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham,Xiaofei Xu Finbarr Bermingham,Xiaofei Xu France and Britain are pulling together a coalition of more than 30 nations on Friday for a Parisian summit aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Neither the United States nor Israel or Iran have been invited to the first major European push to influence a war that was launched six weeks ago by a US-Israeli bombardment on Iran. Europe insists it is not a party to the war, but as energy prices soar and munitions get diverted from Ukraine it is already paying the price. China is among the Asian... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350404/why-europe-testing-third-way-hormuz-without-us-israel-and-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350404/why-europe-testing-third-way-hormuz-without-us-israel-and-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 04:24:07 +0000 SCMP 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. 3 satellites to track all? Chinese radar images confirm US military fears Last month, China released a series of undated radar images of the Towa Maru. It marked the first time ever that a geosynchronous orbit (GEO) synthetic aperture... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3350385/chinas-3-satellite-surveillance-network-hong-kongs-inflation-surge-scmps-7-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3350385/chinas-3-satellite-surveillance-network-hong-kongs-inflation-surge-scmps-7-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 04:12:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said Thursday that while Cuba does not want military aggression from the United States, his country is prepared to fight should it happen. Diaz-Canel spoke during a rally that drew hundreds of people to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the declaration of the Cuban Revolution’s socialist essence. “The moment is extremely challenging and calls upon us once again, as on April 16, 1961, to be ready to confront serious threats, including military aggression. We do... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3350396/cubas-president-says-island-does-not-wish-us-aggression-ready-fight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3350396/cubas-president-says-island-does-not-wish-us-aggression-ready-fight?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 03:35:53 +0000 Mia Nurmamat Mia Nurmamat China’s food supply could be vulnerable to global price spikes triggered by extreme weather or global conflict, as international bodies warn the US-Israel war on Iran is worsening food insecurity worldwide. The country has sufficient staple grain supplies, but Beijing said the nation’s food sector still faced structural challenges, including a weak processing industry and a lack of high-quality crop varieties in some areas. These weaknesses could pose problems for China if global food markets... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350320/china-warns-food-security-risks-iran-war-threatens-global-supplies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350320/china-warns-food-security-risks-iran-war-threatens-global-supplies?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 02:00:23 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow In China’s hyper-competitive and lucrative tech industry, releasing cutting-edge artificial intelligence models for free may seem counter-intuitive – but it has become a core business strategy. At the University of Hong Kong last November, Alibaba Group Holding chairman Joe Tsai was asked why the tech giant open-sourced its AI models. Addressing a room full of students, Tsai said he believed open-source AI would bring global benefits by lowering costs, making it a natural fit for talent- and... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3350340/chinas-ai-firms-scaled-open-source-models-next-phase-may-be-different?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3350340/chinas-ai-firms-scaled-open-source-models-next-phase-may-be-different?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 01:00:17 +0000 Shi Huang Shi Huang When it comes to hotel rooms, “luxury” does not necessarily mean clean and hygienic. A number of studies have shown that light switches and television remote controls are among the objects with the highest levels of bacterial contamination, while toilets and bathroom sinks also contain high levels of microbial organisms. A 2012 survey in the United States – which is still cited by the travel industry 14 years later – found that 81 per cent of US hotel samples tested positive for surface faecal... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3349626/how-shanghai-reduces-faecal-bacteria-presence-hotels-less-1?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3349626/how-shanghai-reduces-faecal-bacteria-presence-hotels-less-1?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 01:00:10 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong As the war on Iran continues to command global attention, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has stepped up his appearances at military events, using drills and missile tests to project confidence at home and defiance abroad. His heightened visibility suggests that Kim feels more secure in his country’s nuclear deterrence as Washington’s focus is pulled in several directions, analysts say. Kim has cast himself as increasingly assertive and is distancing himself from the symbolic rituals observed by... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350305/north-koreas-kim-ramps-show-force-us-war-iran-raises-stakes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350305/north-koreas-kim-ramps-show-force-us-war-iran-raises-stakes?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:00:13 +0000 Reuters Reuters The International Monetary Fund and ⁠the World Bank said on ⁠Thursday they had resumed dealings with Venezuela, which had been paused since 2019. The move paves the way for a full IMF assessment of Venezuela’s economy for the first time in some 20 years and could eventually unlock billions of dollars in ‌funding via frozen special drawing rights. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said in a statement that the Fund, guided by the views of a majority of its members, was now dealing with... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3350384/imf-says-it-restoring-relations-venezuela?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3350384/imf-says-it-restoring-relations-venezuela?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 23:50:14 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier China has crafted markets, mechanisms and incentives as the world’s largest buyer of commodities in a bid to free itself from its dependence on the US dollar, but the biggest threat to Washington’s global dollar dominance may well be Washington itself, witnesses said in testimony on Thursday before a key advisory committee to the US Congress. Economic sanctions and access to US-led global banking systems are a powerful US tool that can be used to great effect, said experts before the US-China... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3350382/why-biggest-threat-us-global-dollar-dominance-may-well-be-washington-itself?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/economy-trade-business/article/3350382/why-biggest-threat-us-global-dollar-dominance-may-well-be-washington-itself?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 23:42:50 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin At a congressional hearing on Capitol Hill on Thursday, lawmakers and experts accused China of buying “what they can” and stealing “what they cannot” in the global artificial intelligence (AI) race, while warning the United States’ immigration and research policies could be hindering innovation necessary to stay ahead. “The pattern is clear. China is dependent on our tech stack to continue their AI development. China is willing to buy what they can, and steal what they cannot, to advance their... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350380/china-willing-buy-or-steal-us-tech-get-ahead-ai-race-congress-told?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350380/china-willing-buy-or-steal-us-tech-get-ahead-ai-race-congress-told?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 22:26:36 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick A senior US lawmaker called on Peru’s next government to reclaim the Chinese-controlled port of Chancay, describing the deepwater facility as a direct military threat to the western hemisphere. Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, said during a hearing on Thursday that Washington would help Peru wrest the megaport from Chinese hands. “The new Peruvian government, which will be elected next June, must take it back, that... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3350379/us-will-help-peru-take-back-chancay-port-china-congress-chair-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3350379/us-will-help-peru-take-back-chancay-port-china-congress-chair-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 21:59:21 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan In a defiant display of “America first” brinkmanship, Washington’s top trade negotiator on Thursday sought additional funding to support US President Donald Trump’s new trade wars, insisting the administration will not be held hostage by Beijing’s retaliatory tactics ahead of a high-stakes leaders’ summit next month. With Trump set to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping on May 14-15, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer used the agency’s budget hearing to draw a hard line: the US is doubling down... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3350377/greer-pushes-funds-escalate-trumps-trade-fight-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3350377/greer-pushes-funds-escalate-trumps-trade-fight-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 21:28:58 +0000 Reuters Reuters Britain’s top foreign ministry official will leave his post after Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper lost confidence in him, a source said on Thursday, following a row over the security vetting of Peter Mandelson. The disclosure of the vetting failure has intensified pressure on Starmer over his appointment of Mandelson, Britain’s former US ‌ambassador, who is under police investigation for allegedly leaking government documents to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350376/epstein-row-uks-starmer-faces-calls-resign-over-report-mandelson-failed-vetting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350376/epstein-row-uks-starmer-faces-calls-resign-over-report-mandelson-failed-vetting?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 18:33:45 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon appeared to be holding on Friday, a breakthrough that could provide critical relief to Washington’s strained temporary truce with Tehran Announcing the ceasefire, which came into effect at 5pm EST Thursday (5am Friday Hong Kong time), US President Donald Trump said it followed what he described as “excellent conversations” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. “These two Leaders have agreed that in order... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3350372/israel-and-lebanon-agree-10-day-ceasefire-us-pushes-broader-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3350372/israel-and-lebanon-agree-10-day-ceasefire-us-pushes-broader-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:32:37 +0000 Connor Mycroft Connor Mycroft Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu has met European Union representatives to discuss opportunities for cooperation, with the chief executive saying both sides highlighted a shared belief in multilateralism amid increasing tensions and market turmoil. Ambassador Harvey Rouse, head of the EU Office in Hong Kong, called for both sides to work together, describing the 27-member bloc as a “very dependable partner in an increasingly volatile world”. Local officials attending the lunch meeting on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3350369/hong-kong-leader-john-lee-eu-officials-meet-discuss-trade-cooperation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3350369/hong-kong-leader-john-lee-eu-officials-meet-discuss-trade-cooperation?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 15:19:17 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado Teresa Elena Frontado China has assured the United States that it will not supply weapons to Iran during the current ceasefire in the Middle East conflict, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday, as Washington stepped up pressure on Tehran to agree to a broader peace deal brokered by Pakistan. Speaking at a Pentagon briefing, Hegseth said Beijing had conveyed the assurance directly, amid heightened concerns in Washington about external support for Iran during the fragile pause in fighting. “Trump has a... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3350365/us-says-china-pledged-not-arm-iran-during-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3350365/us-says-china-pledged-not-arm-iran-during-ceasefire?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 14:42:45 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi,Alcott Wei Seong Hyeon Choi,Alcott Wei Japan’s most extensive participation to date in a counter-landing and missile defence exercise in the Philippines signals its “priorities” in deterring Beijing in a Taiwan contingency, according to analysts. Japan’s Joint Staff announced on Tuesday that its Self-Defence Forces (SDF) would deploy about 1,400 personnel, multiple warships and aircraft, as well as Type 88 anti-ship missile systems for the Balikatan exercise, an annual large-scale joint military drill between the Philippines and the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3350344/what-does-japans-role-us-philippine-military-drill-mean-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3350344/what-does-japans-role-us-philippine-military-drill-mean-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 14:00:14 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering US-China relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Trump-Xi summit shaped by uncertainty, not strategy: experts The lead-up for the consequential Trump-Xi summit has been compressed and rather disjointed given the Middle East war and Trump’s preference for making last-minute decisions based on his “gut”. One source told the South China... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3350227/trump-xi-summit-worries-tariffs-tested-diaspora-drama-7-us-china-relations-reads?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3350227/trump-xi-summit-worries-tariffs-tested-diaspora-drama-7-us-china-relations-reads?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 14:00:11 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang A wave of companies, from the start-up launched by artificial intelligence “godmother” Li Fei-Fei to the largest Chinese tech firms, are racing to introduce their latest approaches to world models – an emerging field aimed at extending AI beyond language processing to learning from and comprehending physical reality. Alibaba Group Holding on Thursday unveiled Happy Oyster, which it called an open-ended world model designed for real-time and “flowy” virtual world creation and interaction,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3350351/chinese-tech-giants-ai-godmother-li-fei-fei-race-seize-edge-world-models?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3350351/chinese-tech-giants-ai-godmother-li-fei-fei-race-seize-edge-world-models?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:00:14 +0000 Kandy Wong Kandy Wong Trade tensions between the US and China have made companies around the world less keen to invest in either country, with the United States almost twice as unpopular, according to a new report from Allianz Trade. The report, based on an annual survey by the Paris-based international insurance company, said US-China decoupling had not materialised, but investment intention towards China had dropped “significantly” to 24 per cent of survey respondents, down from 53 per cent a year ago. The survey... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350343/trade-tensions-make-rest-world-less-keen-invest-us-and-china-survey-finds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350343/trade-tensions-make-rest-world-less-keen-invest-us-and-china-survey-finds?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:00:11 +0000 Reuters Reuters Pope Leo blasted leaders who spend billions on wars and said the world was “being ravaged by a handful of tyrants”, in unusually forceful remarks in Cameroon on Thursday after US President Donald Trump attacked him again on social media. Leo, the first US pope, also decried leaders who used religious language to justify wars and urged a “decisive change of course” in a meeting in the biggest city ‌in Cameroon’s anglophone regions, where a simmering conflict going back nearly a decade has left... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3350355/cameroon-pope-leo-assails-tyrants-ravaging-world-amid-trump-row?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3350355/cameroon-pope-leo-assails-tyrants-ravaging-world-amid-trump-row?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:50:09 +0000 Neeta Lal Neeta Lal The quiet conclusion of US and Iranian backchannel engagements in Islamabad left more than diplomatic ambiguity. It crystallised a striking image: a financially strained, politically volatile Pakistan briefly positioning itself as a facilitator in one of the world’s most combustible rivalries. Substantive or symbolic, the episode underscores a deeper churn in West Asian geopolitics – one in which agility trumps credibility. Pakistan’s role was not incidental. Islamabad offered itself as a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3350023/why-india-rankled-pakistan-playing-mediator-us-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3350023/why-india-rankled-pakistan-playing-mediator-us-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:30:09 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow US artificial intelligence start-up Anthropic’s move to introduce real-name identity verification has triggered alarm in China, raising the prospect that access to its tools could be cut off entirely and prompting black-market vendors to scramble for workarounds. The shift highlights the strong demand for Anthropic’s Claude models in China, despite an official ban that also covers Hong Kong and Macau. The company said the restrictions were necessary for national security reasons amid... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3350321/black-market-workarounds-claude-scale-anthropic-tightens-id-checks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3350321/black-market-workarounds-claude-scale-anthropic-tightens-id-checks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:00:10 +0000