https://www.scmp.com/rss/325532/feed Latest news, features and opinion on ethnic Chinese people overseas, including students studying abroad, the Chinese diaspora and the experiences of immigrants in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia and Britain and regions such as Southeast Asia. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu For many people of the Asian diaspora, food provides a tangible link to heritage that can sometimes feel distant. Soy sauce is one of the best examples. While familiar red-capped, mass-produced bottles of soy sauce dominate supermarket shelves, a small community of artisans is choosing to make the condiment in different, slower ways. Ramona Lee – also known as “The Soy Sauce Lady” – and Mike Fung of Cinwaan Soy Sauce are hand-crafting the liquid gold in rainy Sweden and sun-drenched Australia,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3351073/soy-sauce-artisans-making-chinese-condiment-dash-attitude?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3351073/soy-sauce-artisans-making-chinese-condiment-dash-attitude?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:45:07 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin The US visa system rolls out the “red carpet” for spies and aids China’s alleged efforts to steal American innovation, senators charged at a congressional hearing on Wednesday, as Washington and Beijing intensify competition for dominance in artificial intelligence and advanced technologies. Through its permissive legal channels, the US is “inviting, welcoming, come on in with the red carpet rolled out” people who steal military and commercial secrets, Republican Senator Ashley Moody of Florida... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351062/us-visa-system-rolls-out-red-carpet-chinese-spies-congressional-hearing-told?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351062/us-visa-system-rolls-out-red-carpet-chinese-spies-congressional-hearing-told?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 22:37:28 +0000 Enid Tsui Enid Tsui There was never any doubt that Nawapooh Sae-tang, the grandson of the late Bangkok-born artist Tang Chang, would inherit the family business of protecting and promoting his legacy. “My father had told me from a young age that as his eldest son, I would have to be involved in the running of the estate,” he says ahead of the May 1 opening of the Tang Chang Private Museum in Nakhon Pathom, an hour outside the Thai capital. It might not have been his choice, but Nawapooh has blossomed into a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3350850/new-tang-chang-art-museum-thailand-preserves-thai-chinese-art-rebels-remarkable-legacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3350850/new-tang-chang-art-museum-thailand-preserves-thai-chinese-art-rebels-remarkable-legacy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 23:15:10 +0000 Hilton Yip Hilton Yip When I was growing up in the Caribbean, I knew three things about my identity: I am ethnic Chinese, I was born in Hong Kong and I have Hakka heritage. Who are the Hakkas, some of you might be wondering. They are a Han Chinese subgroup originally from China’s central plains, who migrated further and further south – to Jiangxi province, then Guangdong and Fujian – centuries ago, during turbulent periods in Chinese history. They also moved to provinces including Hunan and Guangxi, and as far west... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3350156/growing-hakka-around-language-few-dared-speak-publicly?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3350156/growing-hakka-around-language-few-dared-speak-publicly?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 01:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Scores of Chinese women were brought to Germany without valid residency permits for sex work across the country, prosecutors in Frankfurt alleged on Friday. Five suspects are accused of organised smuggling of foreigners for their roles in operating the prostitution ring over the past three years, according to prosecutors. Prostitution is legal in Germany but is strictly regulated. A 43-year-old Chinese man and a 35-year-old Chinese woman allegedly ran the illegal business, using a network of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350540/scores-chinese-women-smuggled-germany-massive-prostitution-ring-prosecutors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350540/scores-chinese-women-smuggled-germany-massive-prostitution-ring-prosecutors?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 15:46:01 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A German court on Tuesday sentenced a 28-year-old Chinese student to 11 years and three months in jail for repeatedly drugging and raping his girlfriend and filming the abuse. In a case reminiscent of that of France’s Gisele Pelicot, the Munich court said the defendant, named only as Zhongyi J., had assaulted his girlfriend while she was unconscious at least seven times. Zhongyi J. filmed the abuse each time and stored the videos on a hard drive, the court said. In one case, the assault lasted... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350093/germany-jails-chinese-student-pelicot-rape-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3350093/germany-jails-chinese-student-pelicot-rape-case?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:46:59 +0000 The Star The Star Malaysian immigration officers have raided two massage parlours suspected of offering sexual services to clients, detaining 21 foreign workers and a local man believed to be the manager of the premises. The raids in Johor, which began at around 3pm on Thursday, targeted outlets that publicly advertised standard massage services from 80 ringgit (US$20) an hour. “The businesses were believed to be involved in immoral activities and employed foreigners without valid documents,” Johor immigration... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3349727/malaysia-detains-masseuses-china-offering-extra-services?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3349727/malaysia-detains-masseuses-china-offering-extra-services?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 05:08:18 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin Six years ago, Chinese-American playwright Alex Lin was pursuing a career in tech, doing what she called “the stable thing” and promising herself she’d write when there was more time. The pandemic gave her that time – and with it the chance to change lanes. Success came relatively quickly. In the past year alone, she premiered not one but two plays off-Broadway in New York City and landed on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, which highlights people who are making a significant impact in their... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3349568/chinese-american-playwright-alex-lin-channels-family-tensions-breakout-new-york-works?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3349568/chinese-american-playwright-alex-lin-channels-family-tensions-breakout-new-york-works?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 18:03:24 +0000 Oliver Giles Oliver Giles Winnie Wong, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, was on holiday in the summer of 2019 when she received the kind of call historians dream of. “I started screaming,” Wong says, laughing. “My family was like, ‘What?’” On the line was fellow historian Jordan Goodman, who had just visited the Canterbury Cathedral Archives & Library in England. There, he had discovered a trove of documents belonging to John Bradby Blake, an English botanist who worked for the East India Company in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3348746/extraordinary-tale-chinese-british-collaboration-revealed-new-exhibition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3348746/extraordinary-tale-chinese-british-collaboration-revealed-new-exhibition?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 07:15:08 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service The bomb placed outside a US Air Force Base visitors centre in Florida last month was built inside two 2-litre cherry Pepsi bottles, according to federal prosecutors. Alen Zheng, 20, of Land O’Lakes, is accused of planting the bomb and lighting the fuse at the base on March 10. He drove the explosive to MacDill Air Force Base in the boot of his Mercedes SUV, according to a document filed by prosecutors Friday. The bomb did not detonate. US Attorney Gregory Kehoe has said it had the “potential to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349057/bomb-allegedly-left-us-base-alen-zheng-was-built-inside-2-pepsi-bottles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349057/bomb-allegedly-left-us-base-alen-zheng-was-built-inside-2-pepsi-bottles?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 23:32:24 +0000 Lijia Zhang Lijia Zhang While enjoying a foot massage in Buenos Aires’ Chinatown, I chatted with my masseuse, a Fujianese woman in her late 50s surnamed Wang. Her life, it seemed to me, mirrored that of many recent Chinese immigrants to Argentina. She eats exclusively Chinese food, her friends are fellow Chinese and she still speaks mostly Chinese. While it is not unusual for migrants anywhere to gravitate towards their own community, the tendency appears particularly strong among the Chinese. China’s presence in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3348870/chinese-overseas-need-not-keep-ourselves-i-certainly-dont?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3348870/chinese-overseas-need-not-keep-ourselves-i-certainly-dont?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 01:30:12 +0000 The Star The Star Fourteen Chinese nationals and a Malaysian man have been detained by the immigration department for various offences in Kuala Lumpur. In the first case, three Chinese nationals were detained for using fake passes as supporting documents to obtain entry visas to the United States. Immigration director general Zakaria Shaaban said the arrests were made following intelligence gathering and an enforcement operation conducted on Wednesday. “A team from the enforcement division detained one man and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348931/3-chinese-nationals-arrested-malaysia-over-fake-us-visa-passes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348931/3-chinese-nationals-arrested-malaysia-over-fake-us-visa-passes?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 07:48:22 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin China has emerged as a focal point in the debate over US birthright citizenship, as the nation’s Supreme Court appeared sceptical of oral arguments on Wednesday in a landmark case driven by President Donald Trump’s push to restrict the practice. Birthright citizenship “has spawned a sprawling industry of birth tourism”, said Solicitor General D. John Sauer, Trump’s top litigator, in his opening remarks before the highest court in the country. “Uncounted thousands of foreigners from potentially... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348722/china-targeted-birthright-citizenship-debate-supreme-court-justices-sceptical?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348722/china-targeted-birthright-citizenship-debate-supreme-court-justices-sceptical?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 21:21:48 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan A federal judge has revoked the US citizenship of a naturalised married couple from China after their 2021 convictions for stealing sensitive medical trade secrets and sharing them with China, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) announced on Tuesday. On March 30, federal Judge James E. Simmons Jr. of California’s Southern District ordered the denaturalisation of Li Chen and Yu Zhou, ruling their crimes showed a lack of the “good moral character” required for American citizenship. Chen and Zhou... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348592/couple-convicted-stealing-trade-secrets-china-loses-us-citizenship?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348592/couple-convicted-stealing-trade-secrets-china-loses-us-citizenship?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 21:58:41 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin The US Supreme Court will hear arguments on Wednesday on birthright citizenship, with Chinese nationals at the centre of disputed claims of abuse amplified by US President Donald Trump’s immigration campaign. “Birthright Citizenship is not about rich people from China, and the rest of the World, who want their children, and hundreds of thousands more, FOR PAY, to ridiculously become citizens of the United States of America. It is about the BABIES OF SLAVES!” Trump wrote on social media on... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3348460/born-usa-china-targeted-americas-birthright-citizenship-fight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3348460/born-usa-china-targeted-americas-birthright-citizenship-fight?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 21:55:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Henry Lee, the famed forensic scientist who helped bring modern crime scene investigation into the public spotlight through his involvement in high-profile cases like the O.J. Simpson murder trial, has died. He was 87. Lee “passed away peacefully” on Friday at his home in Henderson, Nevada, following a brief illness, according to a statement from his family and the University of New Haven, where he taught for more than 50 years. Lee rose to fame after his testimony in Simpson’s 1995 trial, in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348221/henry-lee-forensic-scientist-who-testified-oj-simpson-trial-dies-87?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348221/henry-lee-forensic-scientist-who-testified-oj-simpson-trial-dies-87?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 23:46:24 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A man who fled to China and his sister have been charged after an explosive device was left outside a gate at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa this month. Their mother was detained for deportation, having overstayed her visa, a federal prosecutor said on Thursday. Alen Zheng, 20, and Ann Mary Zheng, 27, were charged Wednesday in separate federal indictments. The sister was arrested upon her return from China, where she flew with her brother after the threat. Both have US citizenship, US Attorney... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348056/siblings-who-fled-china-charged-over-bomb-planted-outside-us-air-force-base?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348056/siblings-who-fled-china-charged-over-bomb-planted-outside-us-air-force-base?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 19:47:20 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk A Chinese national accused of raping and strangling a woman during a violent home invasion appeared in a New Zealand court on Wednesday to face charges, seven months after he was extradited from Singapore. Zhang Xuesong reportedly fled to China following the alleged March 2024 Auckland break-in, complicating efforts to arrest him as no extradition treaty exists between the two countries. The 41-year-old subsequently visited Singapore, where he was returned to New Zealand last September. Zhang,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3347853/man-extradited-singapore-new-zealand-faces-rape-home-invasion-charges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3347853/man-extradited-singapore-new-zealand-faces-rape-home-invasion-charges?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 08:40:19 +0000 Xiong Yang Xiong Yang Most of us have fielded the question: “So where are you from?” To say I’m not a fan of this question would be an understatement, considering how my response – “I’m Chinese” – is often met with palpable disappointment. Unfortunately, I don’t have a rare nationality, like Bruneian, nor am I a fun Korean. But before I can spiral into an identity crisis, my appetite always anchors me in the comfort of being Chinese. My Chineseness surfaced in embodied and reassuring ways when I first moved overseas... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3346533/new-york-chinese-doesnt-begin-capture-our-many-tastes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3346533/new-york-chinese-doesnt-begin-capture-our-many-tastes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 01:30:08 +0000 Wee Kek Koon Wee Kek Koon I recently enjoyed a delicious dinner at a restaurant in Kuala Lumpur that specialised in Hakka cuisine. Hakka restaurants have long existed in the city and elsewhere in Malaysia, but anecdotal evidence suggests their numbers have been growing rapidly in recent years. Less widely known than Cantonese and several other Chinese regional cuisines, Hakka food may be enjoying its moment in the sun, at least in Malaysia, where the Hakka population numbers around 1.25 million. They form the largest... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3347186/how-hakka-spread-china-and-beyond-their-cuisine-reflecting-hard-lives?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3347186/how-hakka-spread-china-and-beyond-their-cuisine-reflecting-hard-lives?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 00:15:09 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The Chinese founder of the massive router maker facing national security probes by the Trump administration has applied for an expedited visa under the Trump Gold Card programme, according to people familiar with the matter. California-based TP-Link Systems told the federal agencies scrutinising its operations that founder and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Chao had applied for permanent residency under the programme, the people said. Successful Gold Card applicants must give a US$1 million... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347222/tp-links-chinese-founder-jeffrey-chao-seeks-us1-million-trump-gold-card-visa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347222/tp-links-chinese-founder-jeffrey-chao-seeks-us1-million-trump-gold-card-visa?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 17:59:25 +0000 Enoch Yiu Enoch Yiu Hong Kong’s Insurance Authority aims to increase transparency and the available range of medical insurance products to address rising costs, while also reviewing regulations with an eye towards attracting more international life-insurance buyers. “We would like to see the insurance companies introduce more medical insurance products that are more accessible and affordable for the general public, with sales practices that are fair to consumers,” said Clement Lau Chung-kin, the authority’s... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3346649/hong-kong-regulator-sets-comprehensive-review-medical-insurance-costs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3346649/hong-kong-regulator-sets-comprehensive-review-medical-insurance-costs?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 01:00:12 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Hands knotted by a lifetime of hard work, Supon Haochareon says Thai farmers in his position do not get to retire. Instead, the 81-year-old and his wife Lamduan, 74, must tend more than 300 trees in Samut Sakhon, an hour west of Bangkok, agonising each year as prices slump and their coconuts grow smaller in the withering heat. This month brought the lowest prices on record: two baht (six US cents) per coconut – less than a stick of chewing gum – virtually wiping out all profit from their... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3346531/inside-coconut-cartel-how-chinese-money-squeezes-thai-farmers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3346531/inside-coconut-cartel-how-chinese-money-squeezes-thai-farmers?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Mar 2026 02:30:08 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu Chinese firms should prioritise regional political stability when they make overseas investment decisions, as mounting geopolitical tensions and currency fluctuations increase the risks of doing business abroad, a prominent Chinese entrepreneur has warned. “The current unrest in the Middle East, fluctuations of the US dollar and international complexities serve as a reminder for firms expanding abroad: we must go to locations that offer relative stability,” said Liu Yonghao, founder and chairman... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346370/chinese-firms-should-focus-investing-politically-stable-regions-entrepreneur?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346370/chinese-firms-should-focus-investing-politically-stable-regions-entrepreneur?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 14:00:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters A man was arrested with more ⁠than 2,200 live ⁠garden ants in his ⁠luggage at Nairobi’s main airport this week amid a rise in cases of smuggling of the insects in Kenya. Chinese national Zhang Kequn, 27, was arrested at Jomo Kenyatta ‌International Airport on Tuesday while he was trying to leave the country, court filings on Thursday showed. Immigration officials flagged a “stop order” on Zhang’s passport after he evaded arrest in Kenya last year. Ant aficionados pay large sums to ⁠maintain... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3346382/ant-smuggling-rises-kenya-chinese-national-caught-2238-insects-airport?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3346382/ant-smuggling-rises-kenya-chinese-national-caught-2238-insects-airport?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 11:15:10 +0000 Bernice Chan Bernice Chan When the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada, launched its Cantonese language programme in 2015, it was geared towards heritage speakers – second- or third-generation Chinese-Canadians who wanted to learn how to speak to their parents and grandparents in their mother tongue. By the following year, lecturer Raymond Pai, the director of the programme, observed that a third of the students were native Mandarin speakers. “Vancouver is linguistically diverse, and many students... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3346190/why-canadian-universitys-cantonese-language-course-85-cent-mandarin-speakers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3346190/why-canadian-universitys-cantonese-language-course-85-cent-mandarin-speakers?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 23:15:10 +0000 Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen Nearly five decades ago, in 1978, a dozen or so professors from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) were on a mission to visit their American counterparts as well as research institutes and factories across the United States. The visit, said to be personally approved by then Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, was designed to forge academic ties and led to sister-school agreements with four prestigious US universities, including the University of Michigan (UM). It was a pivotal moment in academic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345807/us-universities-retreat-china-partnerships-who-filling-academic-void?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345807/us-universities-retreat-china-partnerships-who-filling-academic-void?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Mar 2026 22:00:11 +0000 Bernard Chan Bernard Chan Athletes of Asian heritage have come to the fore at this month’s Winter Olympics. They broke records, reshaped perceptions and inspired millions worldwide. Yet in the United States, the conversation around two of the most successful athletes, Eileen Gu, the freestyle skier representing China, and Team USA figure skater Alysa Liu, has too often drifted from their incredible achievements to questions of identity, loyalty and partisan point-scoring. This speaks volumes about the anxieties of a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3345433/let-achievements-eileen-gu-and-alysa-liu-speak-themselves?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3345433/let-achievements-eileen-gu-and-alysa-liu-speak-themselves?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Mar 2026 01:30:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A New York businesswoman was sentenced on Friday to nine years in federal prison over a financial scheme that ripped off more than US$30 million from foreign investors and funnelled some of the stolen money into American political campaigns, including a fundraiser for US President Donald Trump. Sherry Xue Li was also ordered to forfeit US$31.5 million, as well as property at three locations, and to make restitution to her victims. The 54-year-old Oyster Bay resident, who has been detained since... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344944/sherry-xue-jailed-funnelling-chinese-investor-funds-trump-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344944/sherry-xue-jailed-funnelling-chinese-investor-funds-trump-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Feb 2026 22:03:17 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Beijing intervened and helped get charges dropped against three Chinese scientists at the University of Michigan who were accused of helping a colleague smuggle biological materials into the US, defence lawyers said. The materials turned out to be mostly tiny, transparent worms – nothing dangerous – though US officials last year hailed the arrests as a victory for national security. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the government must be vigilant when foreign nationals try to “advance a malicious... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344673/us-drops-charges-against-chinese-scientists-smuggling-worms-after-diplomatic-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344673/us-drops-charges-against-chinese-scientists-smuggling-worms-after-diplomatic-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 03:07:19 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A packed bus on its way to Nepal’s capital drove off a mountain highway in Nepal early on Monday, killing 19 people including Chinese and British nationals and leaving another 25 wounded. There were dozens of people on board the bus, which was heading from the resort city of Pokhara to Kathmandu when it drove off the Prithvi highway after midnight, police said. The bus rolled down a mountain slope and landed on the banks of the Trishuli River near Benighat, about 80km (50 miles) west of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3344305/bus-plunges-nepal-mountain-highway-17-dead-chinese-national-missing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3344305/bus-plunges-nepal-mountain-highway-17-dead-chinese-national-missing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 05:56:01 +0000 Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele Yik Wai Chee doesn’t think of himself as a believer. The 33-year-old senior executive at a Malaysia-based AI company is the kind of person who deals in data and decision-making frameworks, not destiny. Yet for years, he has consulted bazi, the ancient Chinese system of elemental forecasting, as a kind of strategic gut check on his life. “For me, it is just a long-term ‘luck check’ to see if there are general strategies I can adapt to get through some life challenges,” he said. “If it doesn’t... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3344153/ancient-chinese-astrology-gets-gen-z-rebrand-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3344153/ancient-chinese-astrology-gets-gen-z-rebrand-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2026 03:00:15 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A tour bus carrying Chinese tourists plunged through the ice on Russia’s Lake Baikal, killing eight people, officials said. One of the Chinese tourists managed to escape from the bus, which was crossing the frozen lake on Friday, Irkutsk regional Governor Igor Kobzev wrote in a Telegram post on Saturday. He said the dead included seven Chinese tourists and the driver. The bus plunged into a three-metre-wide (10-foot-wide) ice crevasse, Russia’s Emergencies Ministry reported. The lake is 18... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3344231/bus-chinese-tourists-crashes-through-ice-russias-lake-baikal-killing-8?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3344231/bus-chinese-tourists-crashes-through-ice-russias-lake-baikal-killing-8?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 17:53:15 +0000 Christopher St. Cavish Christopher St. Cavish The records are clear and complete: about 300 years ago, a Huang clan from just across the Tan River got the idea to start their own village here, tucked into one of the river’s curves with Baizu mountain at its back. Hiring a feng shui master from Jiangxi province to lay it out, they built grey brick houses in a tight grid, with dragon-back or phoenix-crest ridges, surrounded by dense bamboo groves. Acres of fruit orchards were planted outside the village and a fish pond dug in front. A few... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3342496/how-taishan-learned-absorb-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/travel/article/3342496/how-taishan-learned-absorb-world?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 03:00:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Taiwan-born chef George Chen, whose family immigrated to Los Angeles, in the US state of California, in 1967, remembers vividly how his classmates would look at his school lunch of braised pork and Chinese sauerkraut between two pieces of bread. “‘Oh, God, what are you eating? That’s gross,’” Chen recalls during a recent busy lunch hour at his San Francisco restaurant and bar, China Live, on the edge of the oldest Chinatown in North America. “And now everybody wants the braised pork and Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3343911/chinese-food-make-it-fine-dining-us-chefs-push-back-against-takeaway-stereotypes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3343911/chinese-food-make-it-fine-dining-us-chefs-push-back-against-takeaway-stereotypes?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Feb 2026 04:45:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A man who fatally beat four sleeping men on the streets of New York’s Chinatown was convicted of first-degree murder on Thursday, with a jury rejecting his insanity defence in the 2019 rampage. Randy Santos’ lawyers had conceded that he pummelled the defenceless victims – Chuen Kok, Anthony Manson, Florencio Moran and Nazario Vasquez Villegas – with a metal bar and meant to kill them. But Santos’ lawyers contended that he was too mentally ill to be held criminally responsible. They said he was... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344050/us-man-found-guilty-beating-4-death-chinatown-including-hk-migrant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344050/us-man-found-guilty-beating-4-death-chinatown-including-hk-migrant?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 20:41:56 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Peru’s Congress voted on Tuesday to remove President Jose Jeri from office following a series of undisclosed late-night meetings at a Chinese restaurant with a Chinese state contractor, setting off a political scandal dubbed “Chifagate”, a reference to the country’s Chinese-Peruvian fusion cuisine. Lawmakers voted 75-24, with three abstentions, to censure Jeri over the unregistered encounters with businessman Zhihua Yang, whose companies have supplied the state and who owns the restaurant and a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343850/peru-removes-president-jose-jeri-chifagate-scandal-tied-chinese-contractor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343850/peru-removes-president-jose-jeri-chifagate-scandal-tied-chinese-contractor?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 20:09:22 +0000 Chang Zi Qian Chang Zi Qian If the world assumes Chinese to be a monolith, then Chinese New Year brings a curious paradox. This is the festive season that ostensibly brings all Chinese people together, yet I have found it is also when our cultural deviations are most sharply magnified. In Singapore, the celebration has always been joyous and largely predictable. Then I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and suddenly, thanks to my mainland Chinese friends, the festival took on new meaning and my festive experience began to... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3343511/great-lunar-new-year-divide-and-how-i-bridged-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3343511/great-lunar-new-year-divide-and-how-i-bridged-it?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 01:30:09 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Brazilian prosecutors and police launched an extensive crackdown on a Chinese electronics distribution network accused of laundering more than one billion reais (US$190 million) over seven months through a system allegedly related to one of Latin America’s most powerful crime syndicates. The Primeiro Comando da Capital, or PCC, syndicate allegedly sold imported consumer electronics throughout Brazil via a Chinese e-commerce platform called “Knup Brasil”, including mobile phone chargers,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3343545/brazil-breaks-china-linked-us190m-money-laundering-ring-tied-top-crime-syndicate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3343545/brazil-breaks-china-linked-us190m-money-laundering-ring-tied-top-crime-syndicate?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Feb 2026 18:32:56 +0000 The Star The Star A stricter control measure is being enforced on Chinese nationals to curb any abuse of the visa-free facility under the Malaysia-China mutual visa exemption agreement, according to Home Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. Saifuddin explained that while Chinese nationals are permitted visa-free entry for up to 30 days per visit, they are subject to a cumulative stay limit of 90 days within any 180-day window. “The provisions under this agreement do not grant continuous 90-day visa-free... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3343261/malaysia-enforces-stricter-controls-china-visa-free-entry-curb-abuse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3343261/malaysia-enforces-stricter-controls-china-visa-free-entry-curb-abuse?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 04:24:47 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A California man has been sentenced to four years in prison for acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese government while working as a campaign adviser for a local politician. Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 65, was sentenced on Monday in federal court in Los Angeles after pleading guilty last year in a deal with prosecutors. Under the agreement, Sun acknowledged acting as a foreign agent on behalf of the People’s Republic of China from 2022 to 2024 without notifying the US attorney general as required by... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343115/yaoning-sun-gets-4-years-prison-acting-beijings-agent-california-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343115/yaoning-sun-gets-4-years-prison-acting-beijings-agent-california-election?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Feb 2026 19:14:31 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun For those in China’s cross-border trade business, a sweeping tax crackdown is beginning to be felt. Heightened scrutiny of unreported overseas income is reshaping cost structures, squeezing margins and forcing exporters to rethink how they operate across borders. “It has taken a real bite out of profits,” said Henry Huang, a Zhejiang-based exporter who now faces higher taxes yet little room to pass on costs to price-sensitive customers in the United States and Europe. “It’s hitting everyone in... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3342697/china-intensifies-offshore-tax-hunt-exporters-struggle-compliance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3342697/china-intensifies-offshore-tax-hunt-exporters-struggle-compliance?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Feb 2026 02:00:14 +0000 Victoria Chan Victoria Chan You can hear it before you see it: the chaos and clatter of shuffling tiles, the rhythmic tap-tap as miniature walls rise, followed by calls of victory erupting across the table. For Connor Wan Cing-tsuen, this isn’t just a game but the heartbeat of his culture and an echo of a childhood spent watching relatives play. Now, he’s determined to pass it on to future generations. Once seen as a pastime for aunties and uncles, millennials and Gen Z in Asia and across the Chinese diaspora are... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3342450/how-mahjong-keeps-finding-new-tables-one-tile-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3342450/how-mahjong-keeps-finding-new-tables-one-tile-time?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 04:00:14 +0000 Reuters Reuters Two Chinese nationals suspected of trying to intercept satellite communications from ‌a base in an Airbnb rental property in southwestern France have been placed ‍under formal investigation, the Paris public prosecutor’s office said on Thursday. Police were first alerted last week when locals noticed that a roughly two-metre (6.6-foot) wide satellite dish being installed at the property in Gironde, which coincided with an internet outage, the office ⁠said. The two Chinese nationals, and two... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342564/2-chinese-nationals-suspected-spying-french-airbnb-placed-under-investigation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342564/2-chinese-nationals-suspected-spying-french-airbnb-placed-under-investigation?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Feb 2026 16:51:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters Four people, including two Chinese nationals, have been arrested in France on suspicion of spying ‌for China and were brought before an investigative judge, the Paris public prosecutor’s office ‍said on Wednesday. The cybercrime division of the Paris public prosecutor’s office has opened a judicial investigation into the affair, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement. This followed the discovery that two Chinese nationals had entered French territory with the ⁠aim of capturing satellite... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342431/france-arrests-4-people-suspected-spying-starlink-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342431/france-arrests-4-people-suspected-spying-starlink-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 20:28:17 +0000 dpa dpa A Chinese student accused of having drugged and raped his girlfriend numerous times while filming her went on trial in Germany on Monday, in the latest case that recalls the plight of French woman Gisele Pelicot. Prosecutors believe that it was only due to coincidence that the Chinese woman did not die during the ordeal and have charged the 27-year-old defendant with seven counts of attempted murder, grievous bodily harm and aggravated rape, alongside other offences. The defendant did not... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342149/chinese-student-trial-germany-raping-sedated-partner-echoing-pelicot-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342149/chinese-student-trial-germany-raping-sedated-partner-echoing-pelicot-case?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 16:00:14 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun Defying a tight domestic job market, a record wave of overseas graduates is flooding back to China, eager to snatch up opportunities in its fast-growing tech and advanced manufacturing sectors. The influx, up 12 per cent in 2025 to an eight-year high, signals “determined confidence” among globally trained talent, according to findings by job-recruitment platform Zhaopin. And the robustness of this homecoming trend, at 2.25 times the 2018 level, points to a “sustained trend” in domestic... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342123/more-overseas-chinese-grads-return-brain-gain-powers-future-home-grown-frontiers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342123/more-overseas-chinese-grads-return-brain-gain-powers-future-home-grown-frontiers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 15:00:15 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang China is looking to escalate measures against cybercriminals operating inside and outside its borders by banning convicted citizens from leaving the country, even after they have completed their sentences. The draft Cybercrime Prevention and Control Law bill comes as China doubles down on working with Southeast Asian countries to crack down on cross-border online fraud. The bill, which aims to impose an exit ban on Chinese people found guilty of cross-border online crimes for up to three years... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3342128/china-moves-boost-cybercrime-penalties-adding-exit-ban-after-sentences?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3342128/china-moves-boost-cybercrime-penalties-adding-exit-ban-after-sentences?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 11:34:58 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu As dwindling domestic profits push more Chinese firms onto the global stage, industry titans – forerunners who know what such a shift entails – are offering crucial advice for navigating challenges abroad. “The most important thing is to become a local company,” said Zhu Lei, chief marketing officer for air conditioner giant Gree Electric Appliances, which was among the first Chinese companies to enter the Latin American market. The advice comes as Chinese firms are expected to ramp up their... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3341852/new-rules-expansion-chinese-firms-urged-go-local-they-chase-sales-abroad?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3341852/new-rules-expansion-chinese-firms-urged-go-local-they-chase-sales-abroad?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 13:00:12 +0000 Wang Xiangwei Wang Xiangwei US President Donald Trump is bringing back the law of the jungle to the world as he systematically dismantles the post-war rules-based international order built and forged by the United States and its allies. His speech last month at Davos, Switzerland, contained a blunt message: the US was done “keeping the whole world afloat”, where “everybody took advantage of the United States”. Trump is unabashed about what he wants. He flexed American muscle and ignored international norms by abducting... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3341790/beijing-must-be-clear-eyed-about-its-national-interests-abroad?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3341790/beijing-must-be-clear-eyed-about-its-national-interests-abroad?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 12:30:10 +0000