https://www.scmp.com/rss/326866/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com SCMP SCMP We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. ‘Cancelling orders’ in China: Hormuz oil crisis hits transport and manufacturing 2. ‘A big deal’: military drills show Tokyo’s growing focus on deterring China 3. UAE pulls US$3.5 billion from Pakistan after Iran war mediation 4. Why has China mapped out a third new county in Xinjiang on its... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3349833/hormuz-oil-crisis-hits-china-family-dentists-5-weekend-reads-you-missed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3349833/hormuz-oil-crisis-hits-china-family-dentists-5-weekend-reads-you-missed?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 04:12:07 +0000 Ling Xin Ling Xin Scientists in Xinjiang have created the world’s first crystal that can produce the ultraviolet light needed for future thorium nuclear clocks, which could one day guide submarines and deep-space probes without GPS. The fluorinated borate compound could push laser light to a record 145.2 nanometres (nm) – a wavelength short enough to meet a key requirement for these ultra-precise, portable clocks being developed in the United States, China and elsewhere, the team reported in Advanced Materials in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3349477/chinese-crystal-paves-way-gps-free-thorium-clock-navigation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3349477/chinese-crystal-paves-way-gps-free-thorium-clock-navigation?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 14:00:09 +0000 Meredith Chen Meredith Chen China has established a third new county in its Xinjiang region, this time along vital transport routes linking the country to South and Central Asia. Analysts said the move underscored Beijing’s focus on governance and security along its far-flung western borders. Sitting in southwestern Xinjiang near the Karakoram Range, Cenling county is a linchpin for China’s frontier security and regional development. Its strategic value stems from its proximity to the borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349558/china-has-mapped-out-third-new-county-xinjiang-why?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349558/china-has-mapped-out-third-new-county-xinjiang-why?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 02:00:12 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng China’s “desert wheat farms” have survived repeated sandstorms and continue to grow following an initial trial in the country’s largest desert, as part of an ongoing effort to combat desertification and unlock the land’s potential for strengthening national food security. Two years ago, on the fringes of the Taklamakan Desert in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, China launched an unprecedented project to plant wheat in sand. The first harvest, covering 400 hectares (988 acres) on the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3349579/two-years-china-proves-its-desert-wheat-farms-are-not-hoax?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3349579/two-years-china-proves-its-desert-wheat-farms-are-not-hoax?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 05:09:48 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng For marketing manager Wang Yuan, who sells electric heavy-duty cargo trucks in the rugged landscapes of Xinjiang in western China, business is riding a new and powerful wave. The commercial vehicle company he works for is a major player in the domestic market. The lion’s share of its electric heavy trucks are destined for coal-rich provinces including Shanxi and Inner Mongolia, apart from Xinjiang itself. In Xinjiang alone, according to Wang, sales across all brands reached around 16,700 units... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3348742/chinas-electric-truck-revolution-powerful-painkiller-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3348742/chinas-electric-truck-revolution-powerful-painkiller-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 07:00:08 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham Major powers are closely watching Hungary’s election next week – a vote seen as a referendum on Europe’s right and crucial for Chinese interests in the EU. Recent polls show self-styled “illiberal democrat” Viktor Orban’s Fidesz trailing challenger Peter Magyar’s Tisza Party by between 19 and 23 points among likely voters ahead of an election on Sunday that has been described as “Europe’s most consequential”. For China, Russia and the United States under President Donald Trump, an Orban defeat... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349109/orban-brink-could-hungarys-election-dent-chinas-influence-europe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3349109/orban-brink-could-hungarys-election-dent-chinas-influence-europe?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 04:00:08 +0000 Wilson Fok Wilson Fok In 2024, the inaugural Chinese Wine Awards took place in Macau. The event was the first of its kind in the city, showcasing wines produced in China judged by a panel of international experts and critics. The awards have since expanded in scale, featuring a larger panel of judges, and this year included activation events in Beijing leading up to the judging sessions and award ceremony. Macau is the ideal spot for such an event: not only famous as a Unesco City of Gastronomy, but also for its... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/100-top-tables/topics/100-top-tables-cities-gastronomy/article/3348625/chinese-wine-awards-elevate-ao-yun-and-other-labels-world-stage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/100-top-tables/topics/100-top-tables-cities-gastronomy/article/3348625/chinese-wine-awards-elevate-ao-yun-and-other-labels-world-stage?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Apr 2026 00:00:12 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang Ma Xingrui, a member of China’s Politburo and the former Communist Party boss of Xinjiang, is being investigated by the anti-corruption watchdog, state news agency Xinhua reported on Friday. He is the third member of the ruling party’s elite political body to come under investigation in the current term that began in 2022, a situation unseen in decades. He Weidong, former vice-chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC), is also being investigated and was expelled from the party... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3348968/ma-xingrui-third-politburo-member-investigated-chinas-anti-corruption-bodies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3348968/ma-xingrui-third-politburo-member-investigated-chinas-anti-corruption-bodies?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 10:05:08 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela China is doubling down on mega chemical plants to secure the “industrial gold” needed for its green technology and to scale the coal-based production of chemicals whose global supply is stalled by conflict in the Middle East. On March 20, construction began on the world’s largest coal-to-ethylene glycol project in Xinjiang’s Turpan prefecture, which is expected to produce 2.4 million tonnes per year, according to state news agency Xinhua. China’s first 100,000-tonne/year solution process-based... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3348522/china-doubles-down-chemical-plant-expansion-tech-breakthrough-amid-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3348522/china-doubles-down-chemical-plant-expansion-tech-breakthrough-amid-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 04:00:09 +0000 Xinlu Liang Xinlu Liang A former top official of Guangdong province, widely seen as a “right-hand man” of former provincial governor Ma Xingrui, is under investigation for corruption. The investigation into Guo Yonghang, Communist Party secretary for Guangzhou from June 2023 until December, deepens the uncertainties about the fate of Ma, who was abruptly removed as Xinjiang’s party secretary in July and has since vanished from public life. Guo was named vice-chairman of the Guangdong provincial committee of the Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3348206/china-puts-ma-xingrui-protege-guo-yonghang-under-investigation-corruption?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3348206/china-puts-ma-xingrui-protege-guo-yonghang-under-investigation-corruption?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Mar 2026 01:00:13 +0000 He Huifeng He Huifeng Meltwater from snow-capped mountains is fostering an emerging trout-farming industry thousands of kilometres from the sea in western China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. The region, famous for its cotton, is on track to become China’s top trout producer as it ramps up efforts to diversify its agricultural base following criticism of labour practices in the cotton sector that led to import bans overseas. In 2018, in response to rising domestic demand for Atlantic salmon and limited local... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3347727/how-salmon-raised-landlocked-xinjiang-netting-fans-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3347727/how-salmon-raised-landlocked-xinjiang-netting-fans-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 02:00:08 +0000 Emily Hung Emily Hung Tickets from Hong Kong to many mainland Chinese destinations connected by cross-border high-speed rail services are nearly sold out for the first two days of the five-day holiday over Easter and the Ching Ming Festival. The mainland cities have become an alternative for travellers, with the escalating war in the Middle East triggering a global oil crisis and significantly disrupting airspace, prompting airlines to increase ticket prices and fuel surcharges. Steven Huen Kwok-chuen, executive... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3347502/high-speed-rail-tickets-selling-fast-hongkongers-opt-short-haul-trips-amid-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3347502/high-speed-rail-tickets-selling-fast-hongkongers-opt-short-haul-trips-amid-war?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 14:27:36 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial To many unfamiliar with Chinese civilisation and history, China seems defined by uniformity rather than diversity. But the truth is that the nation is home to 56 officially recognised ethnic groups spanning vast geographic, social and economic areas. The recent passage of a new national law seeking to promote unity and progress among ethnic groups is a sensible step. With a preamble and more than 60 articles across seven chapters, the Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress codifies President... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3346967/chinas-ethnic-unity-law-can-foster-shared-sense-belonging?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3346967/chinas-ethnic-unity-law-can-foster-shared-sense-belonging?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 23:15:08 +0000 Zhu Wenqian Zhu Wenqian Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways plans to hire 3,000 employees globally this year, including pilots and flight attendants, to support its growth plan, with the airline expressing strong confidence in its future expansion potential. The carrier launched its global recruitment drive in Beijing on Saturday as part of efforts to attract more talent from mainland China to support its future development plans, including promoting inbound tourism. Currently, the company has more than... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3346613/beijing-first-stop-cathay-launches-global-drive-hire-3000-workers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/transport/article/3346613/beijing-first-stop-cathay-launches-global-drive-hire-3000-workers?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 11:52:05 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to visit China with President Donald Trump later this month after appearing to show little interest in previous invitations from Beijing, the South China Morning Post has learned. According to sources, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly on the matter, Rubio had been invited to visit but had not been receptive until recently. Rubio’s attendance could smooth over some of the problems surrounding... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346383/sanctioned-rubio-take-part-trumps-china-trip-despite-previous-missed-opportunities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3346383/sanctioned-rubio-take-part-trumps-china-trip-despite-previous-missed-opportunities?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 22:00:14 +0000 Xinlu Liang Xinlu Liang China has passed a new law on ethnic unity, creating a legal framework that analysts say is designed to counter Western ideological influence and provide a statutory mandate for assimilating the country’s minority groups. The Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress was formally endorsed by the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s top legislature, at the end of the annual “two sessions” on Thursday. The law was adopted by a near-unanimous vote of 2,756 in favour, with just three against... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3346348/china-codifies-ethnic-assimilation-new-unity-law-it-counters-west?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3346348/china-codifies-ethnic-assimilation-new-unity-law-it-counters-west?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 13:04:06 +0000 Edith Lin,Matthew Cheng Edith Lin,Matthew Cheng Hong Kong should step up education on Chinese history and culture while highlighting security threats to cultivate public awareness about the need to defend the country, experts have said, as the nation’s legislature is set to pass a law promoting ethnic unity. The expert’s comments came ahead of the closing session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) on Thursday, which is due to pass the Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress. The law aims to forge a strong “sense of community for... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3346246/how-will-hong-kong-follow-mainland-chinas-ethnic-unity-promotion-law?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3346246/how-will-hong-kong-follow-mainland-chinas-ethnic-unity-promotion-law?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:30:08 +0000 Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen China should build an underground network across its western region to protect key energy and defence facilities, securing long-term reserves while boosting national security and crisis resilience, energy experts have said. Zhang Shishu, chief technical expert at Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina), a state-owned energy and infrastructure giant, called for critical facilities to be embedded deep beneath the Earth’s surface at a safer, less detectable level. In an article for the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3345859/china-urged-build-underground-great-wall-defence-crisis-hit-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3345859/china-urged-build-underground-great-wall-defence-crisis-hit-world?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Mar 2026 08:00:14 +0000 Meredith Chen Meredith Chen Despite US-led sanctions, Xinjiang’s textile industry expanded last year to create tens of thousands of jobs, a senior official said, pledging stronger support for companies affected by the restrictions. Wang Kuiran, secretary general of the far western Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region government, said yarn output rose more than 20 per cent in 2025. According to Wang, fabric production increased 36 per cent year on year and the sector – a key target of Western sanctions – created 46,800 new jobs... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3345813/46800-jobs-xinjiang-official-says-textile-industry-growing-despite-us-sanctions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3345813/46800-jobs-xinjiang-official-says-textile-industry-growing-despite-us-sanctions?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Mar 2026 09:42:23 +0000 Cao Li Cao Li China’s major sportswear makers have shrugged off soft consumer spending and a warm winter, according to analysts. Retail sales in China’s sportswear sector picked up in the first two months of 2026 and beat expectations, helped by fresh policy support and Chinese New Year demand, analysts said. Separately, Chinese households also tuned into the Winter Olympics, where domestic sportswear giants Li Ning and Anta had high visibility. “We are turning more positive on the China sportswear industry... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3345011/warm-winter-no-match-chinas-sportswear-sector-posts-surprise-growth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3345011/warm-winter-no-match-chinas-sportswear-sector-posts-surprise-growth?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 10:00:18 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen Human rights cannot be used to “whitewash hegemony”, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has told the UN, warning against any single country acting as a “human rights teacher”. Wang delivered his remarks via video link to a high-level meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council held in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday. “No country is qualified to act as the self-appointed ‘teacher of human rights’. No model of human rights should be proclaimed as ‘the sole prescription’,” a Chinese foreign... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344431/china-versus-west-wang-yi-tells-un-no-country-human-rights-teacher?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344431/china-versus-west-wang-yi-tells-un-no-country-human-rights-teacher?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 08:00:21 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The United States on Monday accused China of dramatically swelling its nuclear arsenal and doubled down on claims that Beijing had conducted secret nuclear tests, demanding again it be part of any future arms control treaty. Washington said the lapsing earlier this month of New Start – the last treaty between top nuclear powers the United States and Russia – presented the possibility of striking a “better agreement” including Beijing. Christopher Yeaw, the US assistant secretary of state for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344385/china-has-massively-expanded-its-nuclear-arsenal-claims-us-state-department?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344385/china-has-massively-expanded-its-nuclear-arsenal-claims-us-state-department?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 20:48:21 +0000 Genevieve Donnellon-May Genevieve Donnellon-May Central Asia’s water insecurity may seem a distant concern. But its rivers underpin Eurasian trade corridors, sustain global food markets and power regional energy systems. As water stress worsens, this is no longer just an environmental issue but a strategic threat across Eurasia – demanding urgent attention in Beijing, Brussels and beyond. Central Asia is warming twice as fast as the global average, accelerating glacier retreat in mountain ranges that act as natural reservoirs. As a result,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3341896/why-china-and-europe-should-care-about-central-asias-water-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3341896/why-china-and-europe-should-care-about-central-asias-water-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Zhang Tong Zhang Tong The shortest wavelength of a laser beam generated from a crystal has been realised in a laboratory at the Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, according to a new paper. At 158.9 nanometres (nm), it leads to all-solid-state lasers with the highest output energy recorded. The all-solid-state solution offers a desktop-scale size, lower cost, easier maintenance and performance equal to room-sized laser systems, such as those based on gas plasma and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3342103/chinas-first-kind-abf-crystal-creates-most-energised-solid-state-laser-beam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3342103/chinas-first-kind-abf-crystal-creates-most-energised-solid-state-laser-beam?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 13:00:13 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham Beijing has lifted sanctions on British peers and lawmakers, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said, following his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. “This has been a cause of concern in parliament and for parliamentarians for some time and that is why I raised it on this visit,” Starmer told ITV News in Shanghai. “And the response from the Chinese is that the restrictions no longer apply and President Xi has told me that that means that all parliamentarians are welcome to visit,” he... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3341900/uk-says-china-lifts-sanctions-british-lawmakers-after-starmer-xi-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3341900/uk-says-china-lifts-sanctions-british-lawmakers-after-starmer-xi-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jan 2026 17:17:50 +0000 Shi Huang Shi Huang Chinese scientists are planting high-value alternative “rubber trees” in the Gobi Desert. China is the world’s largest consumer and importer of natural rubber, mainly to support its massive car sector. Consumption last year is expected to have exceeded 7 million tonnes, over 85 per cent of it imported. However, the unique Chinese medicinal plant Duzhong (scientific name Eucommia ulmoides) may help to resolve this dependency. While its bark is a valued material in traditional Chinese medicine... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3341641/it-flourishing-chinas-man-made-forest-gobi-produces-good-rubber-military-use?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3341641/it-flourishing-chinas-man-made-forest-gobi-produces-good-rubber-military-use?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jan 2026 11:00:11 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press An immigration judge on Wednesday granted asylum to a Chinese national who he said had a “well-founded fear” of persecution if sent back to China after exposing human rights abuses there. Guan Heng, 38, applied for asylum after arriving in the US illegally in 2021. He has been in custody since being swept up in an immigration enforcement operation in August as part of a mass deportation campaign by the Trump administration. The Department of Homeland Security initially sought to deport Guan to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341605/chinese-national-guan-heng-who-filmed-xinjiang-facilities-granted-us-asylum?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341605/chinese-national-guan-heng-who-filmed-xinjiang-facilities-granted-us-asylum?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jan 2026 23:53:24 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun From ice castles in Harbin to ski resorts in Xinjiang and glaciers in Sichuan, China’s ice and snow destinations are seeing a sharp rise in foreign arrivals as the winter weather deepens, with visa rules easing and strong Southeast Asian demand driving triple-digit growth in inbound travel. Inbound bookings to China’s winter destinations have climbed close to 100 per cent year on year this season, with growth in Hebei province, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and the Inner Mongolia... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3339834/foreigners-flock-chinas-ice-and-snow-attractions-130-inbound-tourism-spike?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3339834/foreigners-flock-chinas-ice-and-snow-attractions-130-inbound-tourism-spike?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jan 2026 08:00:12 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Monday’s fatal blast at a Chinese restaurant in Kabul has underscored the grave security threat China is facing, not just in Afghanistan but also in wider Central Asia. One potential area of vulnerability is Tajikistan, Central Asia’s poorest country, which has a weak military and a long border with Afghanistan. On the same day as the Kabul bombing, the Chinese embassy in Tajikistan issued a travel warning, telling its citizens and companies to boost security and evacuate from the border region... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341049/why-are-tensions-along-afghan-tajikistan-border-such-headache-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341049/why-are-tensions-along-afghan-tajikistan-border-such-headache-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jan 2026 02:00:23 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu More Chinese travellers are pivoting from mass-market sightseeing to bespoke adventures to ring in the new year, fuelling a surge in demand for pet-friendly itineraries and winter excursions as service consumption defies a broader economic gloom. “Tailored travel is gaining traction,” online travel platform Fliggy said in a December 23 statement, citing a shift towards immersive “experiences that go beyond sightseeing”, favouring more memorable moments and personalisation. In particular,... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3338357/chinas-service-sector-shines-holidaymakers-embrace-pet-travel-and-bespoke-adventures?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3338357/chinas-service-sector-shines-holidaymakers-embrace-pet-travel-and-bespoke-adventures?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jan 2026 06:00:22 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Smoke from charcoal grills hangs over rows of food stalls as vendors at a Kuala Lumpur mall skewer lamb and pull long strands of noodles by hand, with the smell of cumin and chilli filling the evening air. At an outdoor area of 1 Utama Shopping Mall, dishes from China’s Muslim heartlands – Lanzhou beef noodles, Xinjiang lamb skewers, hand-grabbed lamb and others – are drawing steady crowds at a Chinese Muslim food festival, now in its third year. The growing popularity of the festival is a sign... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3338263/muslim-businesses-china-target-malaysia-global-halal-gateway?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3338263/muslim-businesses-china-target-malaysia-global-halal-gateway?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Dec 2025 06:14:36 +0000 Xinlu Liang Xinlu Liang China has unveiled new legislation to promote ethnic unity and the use of standard Chinese, warning of legal penalties for those who obstruct the use of the national language and linking its approach with national security policy. A draft Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress underwent its second review by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), the country’s top legislative body, last week and will be open for public consultation until January 25. Meanwhile, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3338136/china-unveils-new-ethnic-unity-and-language-laws-national-security-perspective?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3338136/china-unveils-new-ethnic-unity-and-language-laws-national-security-perspective?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 08:00:08 +0000 Xinlu Liang Xinlu Liang The world’s longest expressway tunnel has opened to traffic in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, capping five years of construction on a project designed to increase China’s links with Central Asia. The 22.13km (13.75-mile) Tianshan Shengli Tunnel, the centrepiece of the Urumqi-Yuli Expressway, officially opened on Friday, creating a 20-minute drive through the Tianshan Mountains that divide northern and southern Xinjiang. The tunnel halves the travel time between the regional capital Urumqi... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3337815/chinas-mega-expressway-tunnel-opens-xinjiang-halves-north-south-travel-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3337815/chinas-mega-expressway-tunnel-opens-xinjiang-halves-north-south-travel-time?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Dec 2025 11:00:11 +0000 Elizabeth Cheung Elizabeth Cheung A Hongkonger was killed in an avalanche at a popular skiing destination in northwestern mainland China last week, the Post has learned, with city authorities offering support to the victim’s family. A source on Tuesday said the victim, whose death was announced by tourism authorities in Kanas, northern Xinjiang, was a Hong Kong resident. In a reply to the Post, Hong Kong’s Immigration Department said that a request for assistance had been received. The Hong Kong government’s office in Beijing... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3337542/avalanche-ski-resort-northern-xinjiang-kills-hongkonger?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3337542/avalanche-ski-resort-northern-xinjiang-kills-hongkonger?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Dec 2025 14:49:06 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela China’s recent breakthroughs in fracking technology have the potential to usher in a new shale revolution that could solidify the country’s energy security and reshape the international oil order. That would see China join the United States, whose shale boom earlier this century enabled it to become the largest crude oil producer in the world. This fundamentally altered the international oil market, with significant impact on oil exporters, particularly members of the Organisation of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3335949/should-opec-worry-china-joins-us-shale-oil-revolution-deep-fracking-breakthrough?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3335949/should-opec-worry-china-joins-us-shale-oil-revolution-deep-fracking-breakthrough?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 04:00:10 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han A bipartisan commission focused on the rule of law and human rights in China is recommending that the US Congress scale up immersion programmes for Mandarin and other languages spoken on the mainland in American high schools and universities. The recommendation, made as part of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China’s (CECC) annual report, comes as Washington has scaled back funding for cultural exchange programmes since the start of US President Donald Trump’s second administration. It... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3335974/us-commission-wants-more-mandarin-language-courses-congress-looks-curb-beijing-sway?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3335974/us-commission-wants-more-mandarin-language-courses-congress-looks-curb-beijing-sway?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Dec 2025 22:46:52 +0000 Dannie Peng Dannie Peng China is building the world’s highest unmanned mine at a forbidding altitude of 5,600 metres (18,372 feet), higher than the world’s highest known inhabited settlement. At the Huoshaoyun lead-zinc mine in Hotan county, Xinjiang, domestically developed unmanned mining trucks have successfully completed ore loading and transport testing, according to the state-owned Science and Technology Daily. These machines can operate round the clock, eliminating the risk to workers of exposure to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3335307/china-trials-unmanned-trucks-worlds-highest-mine-5600-metres-sea-level?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3335307/china-trials-unmanned-trucks-worlds-highest-mine-5600-metres-sea-level?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 02:00:17 +0000 Alice Li Alice Li Northern regions across China are introducing “snow breaks” this winter as part of broader efforts to stimulate domestic tourism and spending amid deflationary pressures. Northeastern Jilin province is the latest to announce the initiative, with plans to give primary and secondary school pupils a short holiday from Wednesday to Sunday. The additional days off will not shorten the traditional winter and summer holidays, the local government said. Government agencies, enterprises and public... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3334792/china-turns-school-snow-breaks-warm-winter-tourism-industry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3334792/china-turns-school-snow-breaks-warm-winter-tourism-industry?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Dec 2025 03:00:11 +0000 William Zheng William Zheng Another senior official in Xinjiang has been placed under investigation amid Beijing’s vow to resolutely “eradicate the soil for corruption”. Chen Weijun, executive vice-chairman of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, was “under disciplinary review and supervisory investigation” for suspected “serious violations of discipline and law”, China’s top anti-graft agency said on Sunday, referencing a euphemism for corruption. The announcement from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI)... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3334793/no-soil-corruption-chen-weijun-joins-list-senior-xinjiang-officials-investigated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3334793/no-soil-corruption-chen-weijun-joins-list-senior-xinjiang-officials-investigated?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Dec 2025 11:25:10 +0000 Zhao Ziwen Zhao Ziwen China pledged to “actively consider” helping Syria with post-war reconstruction when its new foreign minister visited Beijing earlier this month. But analysts said the two sides needed to first overcome the major hurdle of militant groups linked to China’s Xinjiang region integrated into the Syrian armed forces. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani on November 17 that the two sides should gradually resume exchanges, adding that Beijing would consider helping... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3334559/why-xinjiang-casts-long-shadow-over-china-and-syrias-efforts-build-better-relations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3334559/why-xinjiang-casts-long-shadow-over-china-and-syrias-efforts-build-better-relations?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Nov 2025 04:00:15 +0000 Shi Jiangtao Shi Jiangtao Authorities in mainland China have launched a nationwide campaign to eliminate fire hazards in high-rise buildings, days after Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades tore through a residential complex – claiming at least 128 lives. The Work Safety Committee of the State Council, China’s cabinet, announced the sweeping drive in a notice on Saturday, according to state media. The notice pledged to “identify and rectify” fire risks across high-rise residential and public-use buildings, from tower... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3334624/beijing-launches-nationwide-fire-safety-drive-wake-deadly-hong-kong-inferno?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3334624/beijing-launches-nationwide-fire-safety-drive-wake-deadly-hong-kong-inferno?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Nov 2025 12:00:59 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang With the world’s biggest high-speed rail network already established, China now plans a more balanced, integrated and intelligent transport system over the next five years, prioritising efficiency and smart technology over sheer scale. Beijing will move away from large-scale expansion to optimising new projects and upgrading existing assets, Minister of Transport Liu Wei said at a recent symposium on the 15th five-year plan attended by local transport officials, according to an official... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3334370/china-targets-smarter-more-efficient-transport-infrastructure-next-5-year-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3334370/china-targets-smarter-more-efficient-transport-infrastructure-next-5-year-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Nov 2025 03:00:10 +0000 Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele In north-central China’s Ningxia Hui autonomous region – where desert mountains frame ancient mausoleums and Islamic culture shapes daily life for the Hui Muslim community – a new Indonesian feature film has transformed the landscape into a stage for cultural diplomacy. The production, Assalamualaikum Beijing 2: Lost in Ningxia, blends Chinese settings with Indonesian storytelling in a way that analysts said signals a more deliberate effort by Jakarta and Beijing to use filmmaking as a tool for... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3334333/indonesia-scripts-soft-power-diplomacy-push-film-shot-chinas-ningxia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3334333/indonesia-scripts-soft-power-diplomacy-push-film-shot-chinas-ningxia?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Nov 2025 07:12:19 +0000 He Huifeng He Huifeng The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) has launched a clean surgical cabin for its C909 narrowbody jet – an innovation the manufacturer touts as the first of its kind, and one that could expand access to complex medical procedures in the country's most remote and underserved regions. The upgrade advances the airborne hospital concept from in-flight diagnosis to genuine surgical capability, broadening the jet’s commercial applications, according to official media. The cabin is a... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3334082/chinas-comac-debuts-c909-surgical-cabin-expand-flying-hospitals-remote-regions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3334082/chinas-comac-debuts-c909-surgical-cabin-expand-flying-hospitals-remote-regions?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Nov 2025 09:00:31 +0000 Reuters Reuters Bitcoin mining is quietly staging a comeback in China despite being banned four years ago, as individual and corporate miners exploit cheap electricity and a data-centre boom in some energy-rich provinces, according to miners and industry data. China had been the world’s biggest crypto mining country until Beijing banned all cryptocurrency trading and mining in 2021, citing threats to the country’s financial stability and energy conservation. After its global bitcoin mining market share slumped... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3334015/bitcoin-mining-china-rebounds-defying-2021-ban?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3334015/bitcoin-mining-china-rebounds-defying-2021-ban?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Nov 2025 01:55:59 +0000 Zhao Ziwen Zhao Ziwen China will “actively consider” helping Syria’s post-war reconstruction, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, as he called for the two countries to get relations back on track. Wang made the comments in a meeting on Monday with his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani, who was making his first trip to Beijing since the downfall of Bashar al-Assad last year. Wang also urged the new government to act against Uygur militant groups that have been linked to the fight against Assad. At Beijing’s request,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333127/china-looks-get-relations-syria-back-track-after-assads-downfall?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333127/china-looks-get-relations-syria-back-track-after-assads-downfall?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Nov 2025 13:19:54 +0000 Reuters Reuters Morgan Stanley’s underwriting of Zijin Gold International’s Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO) placed it and its US investors at risk of regulatory, financial and reputational harm, a US House of Representatives committee told the bank on Thursday. Zijin Gold is a subsidiary of Zijin Mining Group, a global mining company based in China that is on a US government list of companies whose imports are banned over alleged human rights abuses involving Uygurs. In September, Morgan Stanley... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3332720/morgan-stanley-faces-us-scrutiny-over-zijin-golds-hong-kong-ipo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3332720/morgan-stanley-faces-us-scrutiny-over-zijin-golds-hong-kong-ipo?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Nov 2025 01:36:33 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo So this is how the Chinese commit genocide and crimes against humanity, according to much of the Anglo-American media and academia, which have valiantly resisted Beijing’s attempt to censor them in their home countries. According to a new BBC report, tourism is booming in Xinjiang. The ground zero of alleged Chinese genocide last year welcomed 300 million visitors, more than double the number in 2018. “Beijing has pumped in billions of dollars to develop infrastructure, help produce TV dramas... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3332121/china-committing-genocide-promoting-tourism-and-development?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3332121/china-committing-genocide-promoting-tourism-and-development?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Nov 2025 16:47:11 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu In 2021, when most of his peers were settling into retirement, 64-year-old Li Ming chose a different path. The law professor – already retired from a leading Beijing university – boarded a six-hour flight from the bustling capital to Tumxuk, a small city deep in western Xinjiang. Li has remained there since, teaching multiple courses to hundreds of students at a local university as part of China’s Silver Age Teaching Programme – a sweeping state policy that mobilises a growing pool of retired... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3331086/how-chinas-retired-teachers-are-helping-bridge-urban-rural-education-divide?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3331086/how-chinas-retired-teachers-are-helping-bridge-urban-rural-education-divide?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Nov 2025 06:00:15 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu The witch hat can be seen everywhere, from Halloween costumes to Hollywood films. But what many may not know is that a particular group of “witches” in northwestern China have, for decades, haunted historians and anthropologists with questions relating to the origins of the headgear and early human migration. The discovery of well-preserved mummies in the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang shook the archaeological world in the early 20th century, and significant investigations since the 1990s have... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3330142/secrets-chinas-ancient-tarim-mummies-witch-hats-early-human-migration?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3330142/secrets-chinas-ancient-tarim-mummies-witch-hats-early-human-migration?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Oct 2025 11:15:08 +0000