https://www.scmp.com/rss/328050/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Forest fires raging through Laos, Myanmar and Thailand have smothered large areas in dangerous smoke, leaving overstretched firefighters battling blazes and smog-choked communities looking to the skies for rain and their governments to fix a scourge that worsens each year. Dry season fires have brought a public health crisis to northern Thailand, including Chiang Mai, as well as much of Laos and eastern Myanmar, as parched bush provides tinderbox conditions for wildfires. Some fires are also due... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3350730/worst-ive-seen-forest-fires-rage-across-thailand-mekong-region?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3350730/worst-ive-seen-forest-fires-rage-across-thailand-mekong-region?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2026 09:36:19 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times Buying illegal drugs has become as easy as ordering a pizza in South Korea – especially for teens and young adults who have grown up in the digital age – as drug trafficking has increasingly moved online. On platforms like Telegram and the dark web, users familiar with drug-related slang can easily locate dealers. Consumers simply place an order, pay with bitcoin, and, once the transaction is complete, receive a message with instructions on where to collect their purchase. Pickup locations are... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3349615/south-korean-youth-hooked-easy-access-drugs-online?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3349615/south-korean-youth-hooked-easy-access-drugs-online?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 05:17:22 +0000 Mia Nurmamat Mia Nurmamat China has completed one of Southeast Asia’s largest solar power projects in Laos, at a time when regional economies are stepping up efforts to reduce reliance on fossil fuels amid global energy disruptions in the Persian Gulf. The initial phase of the 1 gigawatt (GW) solar project was officially connected to the grid on Tuesday, becoming the country’s first large-scale mountainous photovoltaic installation. Located in northern Laos, the installation is expected to generate about 1.65 billion... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3349382/china-backed-solar-project-powers-laos-amid-iran-war-energy-shock?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3349382/china-backed-solar-project-powers-laos-amid-iran-war-energy-shock?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:12 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou The compound is modern with air conditioning in every room. Inside are a medical clinic, massage parlour, and Vietnamese barbecue, Chinese hotpot and halal eateries – a full range of conveniences. Yet the residents are gone – and they appear to have fled in haste. Clothes still hang out to dry, while the stench of rotting food lingers. Located in a secluded area in Kampot province near Cambodia’s border with Vietnam, the site is believed to be a telecoms scam centre. Cambodian authorities said... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348930/game-whack-mole-how-could-scam-industry-bring-china-and-us-together?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348930/game-whack-mole-how-could-scam-industry-bring-china-and-us-together?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 22:00:10 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Asean’s neutrality in the Iran conflict is key to granting access to the coveted Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran likely seeking to win global opinion amid its war with the United States and Israel. Amid boiling tensions in the Gulf, Iran has wielded its control of the strategic channel to choke global oil supplies, especially to the US and its allies. Many countries – including those from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – have turned to diplomatic efforts to secure safe passage for... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3348759/why-asean-neutrality-iran-war-key-unlocking-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3348759/why-asean-neutrality-iran-war-key-unlocking-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 05:41:08 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week 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. Trump’s ‘wind-up doll’? Japan’s PM faces backlash over White House fawning Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is facing accusations of diplomatic sycophancy after White House footage showed her giggling at a portrait of an autopen – placed by US President Donald... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3348465/japan-pms-fawning-sparks-backlash-philippines-work-life-balance-fails-7-asia-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3348465/japan-pms-fawning-sparks-backlash-philippines-work-life-balance-fails-7-asia-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 04:12:07 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Young, naive and now sleeping rough on a plastic sheet outside their embassy in Phnom Penh, Indonesians Abdul* and Hafiz* are among the expendable human resources of Southeast Asia’s scam trade. After a year-long tumble through Cambodia’s vortex of scams, they were cast out onto a pavement – penniless and without passports – waiting for the embassy to issue new travel documents and a plane ticket home. “Our Chinese boss stole all of our passports,” said Abdul, 20, gesturing to a dozen or so of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3348190/cambodias-scam-crackdown-deadline-looms-criminal-gangs-flee?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3348190/cambodias-scam-crackdown-deadline-looms-criminal-gangs-flee?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2026 02:00:10 +0000 Joseph Sipalan,Ushar Daniele Joseph Sipalan,Ushar Daniele For a few weeks after the bombs started falling on Iran, Southeast Asian governments told their people not to worry. Emergency funds would cushion the blow. Subsidies would hold. Prices would stabilise. A month on, with oil well above US$100 a barrel, long queues for fuel forming at petrol stations across the region and Thailand restarting coal plants it had mothballed years ago, the reassurances have worn thin. Against this backdrop, an old question has resurfaced with fresh urgency: why does a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3348186/iran-war-energy-shock-revives-aseans-power-grid-plans-its-way-go?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3348186/iran-war-energy-shock-revives-aseans-power-grid-plans-its-way-go?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Mar 2026 00:00:13 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Daniel Gech looks at prices on a board at a Sokimex petrol station in Phnom Penh and winces. Four weeks into the war in the Middle East, the ripple effects of a faraway conflict are beginning to threaten the Cambodian teenager’s ability to earn and learn. The 16-year-old uses his moped to travel between his home and school, and for his work in the evening. It now costs him an extra US$2 a day to fill up his tank – or US$14 a week – and the price is rising, a significant surge in a country where... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3347608/why-southeast-asian-nations-are-vulnerable-fuel-crisis-iran-war-rages?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3347608/why-southeast-asian-nations-are-vulnerable-fuel-crisis-iran-war-rages?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 11:14:21 +0000 Frank Chen Frank Chen China’s leading planemaker is seeking to replicate the C909 regional airliner’s success in Laos, drawing on the experience as it steps up its sales pitch in Southeast Asia – a vital step in its effort to eventually rival Boeing and Airbus. The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) has ambitious plans in the region and beyond and is laying the groundwork through technical adjustments and regulatory adaptations, according to a company document seen by the South China Morning Post. To... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3346906/china-adapts-c909-jet-operations-laos-blueprint-southeast-asia-and-beyond?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3346906/china-adapts-c909-jet-operations-laos-blueprint-southeast-asia-and-beyond?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 02:00:14 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A US federal appeal court allowed the Trump administration on Monday to temporarily resume summarily deporting undocumented migrants to countries that are not their own. The US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, in a 2-1 vote, lifted a block on the so-called third-country deportations that had been imposed by a lower court. District Judge Brian Murphy ruled last month that third-country deportations were unlawful but put his ruling on hold to allow the government time to file an appeal. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346805/trump-administration-can-resume-third-country-deportations-appeal-court-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346805/trump-administration-can-resume-third-country-deportations-appeal-court-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 19:35:10 +0000 Reuters,Bloomberg Reuters,Bloomberg Asean should position itself as a safe haven for investment amid worsening global volatility, the host country said as the region’s economic ministers kicked off their meeting in Manila on Friday. “Let us ensure that Asean remains a region where investment is met with certainty and where cooperation creates genuine opportunity for our people,” Philippine Trade Secretary Cristina Roque said in her opening speech. Energy and financial markets worldwide have been upended with the Iran war in its... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3346445/philippines-urges-asean-be-global-investment-safe-haven-middle-east-war-rages?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3346445/philippines-urges-asean-be-global-investment-safe-haven-middle-east-war-rages?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 04:28:30 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo The United States has imposed sanctions on two companies and six individuals for their roles in operations that used information technology workers in foreign countries to raise money for North Korea. The Treasury Department said the schemes, orchestrated by the North Korean government, had systematically defrauded US businesses and generated revenue to fund North Korea’s weapons programmes, including nearly US$800 million in 2024. The department also accused workers associated with North Korea... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3346426/us-sanctions-2-firms-6-individuals-funding-north-korean-weapons?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3346426/us-sanctions-2-firms-6-individuals-funding-north-korean-weapons?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 01:35:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Meta disabled more than 150,000 accounts and Thai police arrested 21 people in a sweeping international crackdown on Southeast Asian criminal scam centres that targeted people around the world, the social media giant said on Wednesday. The operation was led by Thailand’s Royal Thai Police Anti-Cyber Scam Centre alongside the FBI and the US Justice Department’s Scam Centre Strike Force, with Meta investigators acting on intelligence shared in real time by law enforcement. Online scam networks –... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3346280/meta-disables-150000-accounts-global-sting-southeast-asian-scam-centres?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3346280/meta-disables-150000-accounts-global-sting-southeast-asian-scam-centres?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 01:12:19 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand’s state-backed energy giant PTT will freeze pump prices for 15 days as war in the Middle East disrupts oil and gas shipments through the crucial Strait of Hormuz, spurring panic buying and some fuel rationing across parts of the Mekong region. Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar are heavily reliant on Middle Eastern oil and gas, whose flows have been choked since the weekend after the US and Israel attacked Iran. Tehran retaliated by striking tankers and energy facilities across the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3345373/thailands-ptt-freeze-pump-prices-iran-attacks-spur-panic-buying-mekong-area?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3345373/thailands-ptt-freeze-pump-prices-iran-attacks-spur-panic-buying-mekong-area?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 06:43:32 +0000 Frank Chen,Ralph Jennings Frank Chen,Ralph Jennings China’s leading planemaker is redoubling its efforts to boost the international profile of its home-grown jets in 2026, injecting a sizeable amount of capital into a subsidiary carrier as it attempts to widen its planes’ coverage area and attract more overseas buyers. The state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), manufacturer of the C909 regional airliner and the company’s flagship narrowbody C919, recently infused 634 million yuan (US$91.76 million) into C909 launch customer... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3344157/chinas-c909-jet-gets-international-uplift-funding-adoptive-airline?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3344157/chinas-c909-jet-gets-international-uplift-funding-adoptive-airline?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 03:00:09 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings Chinese railway giants look set to scout Eurasia in the years ahead to build high-speed train lines as the domestic market matures and some countries are more prepared than others for capital-intensive yet transformative ventures, analysts said. Inspired by China-invested projects such as the 142km (88-mile) Jakarta-Bandung high-speed line in Indonesia and the partly finished 350km (217-mile) Budapest-Belgrade railway, Chinese construction and engineering firms are expected to expand their... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3344149/rail-ahead-high-speed-lines-saturate-china-how-far-can-their-global-reach-extend?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3344149/rail-ahead-high-speed-lines-saturate-china-how-far-can-their-global-reach-extend?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 08:00:12 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The UN human rights agency on Friday called on governments to clamp down on scam centres, which have mushroomed in Southeast Asia and where hundreds of thousands of people have been trafficked into forced labour. The agency released a report documenting torture, sexual abuse, forced abortions, food deprivation, solitary confinement and other abuses. “The litany of abuse is staggering and at the same time heartbreaking,” UN Human Rights high commissioner Volker Turk said, calling on governments... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3344166/water-prisons-torture-un-urges-crackdown-brutal-southeast-asia-scam-centres?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3344166/water-prisons-torture-un-urges-crackdown-brutal-southeast-asia-scam-centres?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Feb 2026 11:29:07 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Human trafficking syndicates operating across Southeast Asia are increasingly laundering their profits through cryptocurrency, a shift that reflects how swiftly these networks are scaling up and exploiting the ease of moving funds across borders, according to findings by a US blockchain analysis firm. Crypto transactions linked to suspected trafficking operations surged 85 per cent in 2025 to hundreds of millions of dollars, Chainalysis said in its 2026 crypto crime report, which tracked illicit... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3343325/more-southeast-asian-human-trafficking-gangs-use-crypto-move-illegal-funds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3343325/more-southeast-asian-human-trafficking-gangs-use-crypto-move-illegal-funds?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 13:00:09 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk Australia has summoned the Laotian ambassador to protest against what a victim’s family described as an “absolute injustice” after 10 people linked to a deadly methanol poisoning case received suspended sentences and fines equivalent to US$130. The case stems from a fatal incident in the riverside town of Vang Vieng, a popular tourist destination in Laos, in November 2024. Melbourne teenagers Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles, both 19, died after drinking methanol-tainted alcohol at Nana... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3343154/australia-demands-answers-laos-over-methanol-poisoning-injustice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3343154/australia-demands-answers-laos-over-methanol-poisoning-injustice?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 05:20:48 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones The tattoo on his arm reads “buc Lao” (Laos boy) but Kham Paneboun is not a Laotian citizen. In fact, he’s not really from anywhere. In February last year, US Homeland Security detained him for a felony committed as a teenager, revoked his work permit and – after decades of legal residence – deported him to Laos, a country he had never set foot in. Kham, 43, was torn from his wife and four children, aged three to 12, who remain in Texas – a family now paying for a “bad mistake” he made in his... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3342712/southeast-asian-refugees-cast-out-trumps-us-face-exile-unknown-lands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3342712/southeast-asian-refugees-cast-out-trumps-us-face-exile-unknown-lands?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Feb 2026 00:00:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters In a Cambodian compound with rooms designed to look like Singaporean and Australian police offices, papers were strewn across desks and floors: the detritus of a fraud factory abandoned in haste. Among the documents were profiles of a 73-year-old Japanese retiree, complete with his phone number and bank account balance, and an American woman who disclosed that she was a victim of domestic abuse. Nearby were scripts to commit love scams and impersonate police, as well as a room set up to resemble... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342740/cambodian-scam-victims-details-found-inside-compound-reveal-reach-cyber-gangs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3342740/cambodian-scam-victims-details-found-inside-compound-reveal-reach-cyber-gangs?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Feb 2026 00:52:04 +0000 Ralph Jennings,Frank Chen Ralph Jennings,Frank Chen The maker of China’s expanding family of civilian aircraft has announced new orders for a regional jet and secured a crucial “brain” for its ambitious C929 widebody jet, coinciding with the Singapore Airshow. The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) said on Tuesday that it signed a letter of intent for cooperation with Aviage Systems for the C929’s core avionics processing system, according to a Yicai news report. Avionics refer to an aircraft’s electronic systems, including... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3342392/new-brainer-chinas-c929-widebody-lands-partner-power-next-gen-flight-mind?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3342392/new-brainer-chinas-c929-widebody-lands-partner-power-next-gen-flight-mind?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 13:16:39 +0000 Jeoffrey Maitem Jeoffrey Maitem The first documented case of a Filipino man who died fighting alongside Russian forces in the Ukraine war has raised concerns in the Philippines over coerced recruitment and sparked calls for compensation from Moscow. In a report released on Monday, Ukraine’s intelligence operations identified the body of John Patrick, a Filipino national, among Russian troops killed near the village of Novoselivka in the Donetsk region, marking the first such report of its kind. Kyiv officials said Patrick’s... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3341541/death-filipino-russia-ukraine-war-sparks-fears-forced-recruitment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3341541/death-filipino-russia-ukraine-war-sparks-fears-forced-recruitment?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jan 2026 08:55:57 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Dozens of South Koreans allegedly involved in online scams in Cambodia were returned to South Korea on Friday to face investigations in what was the largest group repatriation of Korean criminal suspects from abroad. The 73 South Korean suspects allegedly scammed fellow Koreans out of 48.6 billion won (US$33 million), according to a South Korean government statement. Upon arrival in South Korea’s Incheon Airport aboard a chartered plane, the suspects – 65 men and eight women – were sent to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3341017/73-south-koreans-repatriated-cambodia-face-probe-over-online-scams-involvement?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3341017/73-south-koreans-repatriated-cambodia-face-probe-over-online-scams-involvement?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jan 2026 09:50:08 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The inclusion of four Southeast Asian nations in the United States’ 75-country visa suspension has thrown up questions over Washington’s foreign policy approach, including its interest in the region. Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand are among countries affected by the indefinite suspension, set to take effect on January 21, as the Donald Trump administration continues to roll out punitive measures to drastically restrict immigration. The list, released by the US Department of State on... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3340225/what-trumps-visa-pause-means-southeast-asia-and-us-regional-priorities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3340225/what-trumps-visa-pause-means-southeast-asia-and-us-regional-priorities?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jan 2026 06:00:17 +0000 Reuters Reuters Cambodia’s arrest of alleged scam centre kingpin Chen Zhi and his extradition to China is “not the end” of ‍the Southeast Asian nation’s battle to stamp out transborder crimes, its foreign minister said. Last week’s surprise arrest of Chinese-born Chen is a key step in an until now fragmented international campaign targeting sophisticated scam networks in Southeast Asia run by criminal gangs, swindling victims worldwide out of billions of dollars. The extradition of Chen, sanctioned by ⁠several... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3339902/cambodia-says-chen-zhis-extradition-china-not-end-scam-centre-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3339902/cambodia-says-chen-zhis-extradition-china-not-end-scam-centre-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 11:38:02 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow The United States’ dramatic abduction of Venezuela’s former leader Nicolas Maduro at the weekend has sent shock waves across Asia, where analysts say authoritarian rulers, already deeply wary of Washington’s erratic behaviour, are likely to draw closer to Moscow and Beijing. US special forces stormed Maduro’s home in Caracas early on Saturday morning, seizing him and his wife before flying them to the US, where both face federal charges of narcoterrorism and drug trafficking. Washington has long... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338994/maduro-effect-us-raid-accelerates-asias-drift-away-washington?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338994/maduro-effect-us-raid-accelerates-asias-drift-away-washington?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Jan 2026 04:22:54 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Nearly 70 per cent of Japanese want the law to be changed to permit an empress, with observers suggesting that the recent emergence of Princess Aiko on the international stage is fanning a groundswell of support for her to become a future monarch. A poll by the conservative Yomiuri Shimbun published last Sunday showed that 69 per cent of respondents favoured revisions to the Imperial Household Law to allow a woman to assume the Chrysanthemum Throne, with a further 24 per cent undecided on the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3337076/more-japanese-favour-having-empress-princess-aikos-public-appeal-rises?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3337076/more-japanese-favour-having-empress-princess-aikos-public-appeal-rises?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Dec 2025 03:00:14 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan In a wide-ranging, two-hour year-end briefing on Friday, Washington’s top diplomat Marco Rubio offered pragmatic remarks on China, signalling a tonal shift in the administration’s approach towards Beijing amid broader “America first” priorities for 2026. While detailing a recalibration of US foreign policy, Rubio’s comments on China marked a notable evolution from both his own legislative history and the rhetoric of the previous administration. Rubio, the US secretary of state who also serves as... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3337142/rubio-swaps-hawk-diplomat-year-end-pivot-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3337142/rubio-swaps-hawk-diplomat-year-end-pivot-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 22:52:58 +0000 SCMP SCMP Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. As trade deficit mounts, is EU offering China what it wants to buy? Facing an ever-increasing trade deficit with China, Europe has limited options to balance the situation in the short term even though it still holds an edge in key sectors including pharmaceuticals, machinery and components, analysts said. 2. China FM Wang Yi reaffirms Beijing’s backing for... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3336946/chinas-youth-unemployment-rate-eases-new-rival-durian-fray-scmp-daily-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3336946/chinas-youth-unemployment-rate-eases-new-rival-durian-fray-scmp-daily-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 13:15:08 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings Laos has received approval to begin exporting fresh durians to China, becoming the latest Southeast Asian nation to vie for a slice of the vast Chinese market for the tropical fruit. China’s General Administration of Customs said on its website that Laos was given clearance to begin exports from this past Friday as long as its shipments met phytosanitary standards. Laos could emerge as a challenger in China’s increasingly crowded durian market, as it benefits from cheap labour, logistical... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3336771/laos-cleared-export-fresh-durians-china-malaysia-thailand-face-new-rival?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3336771/laos-cleared-export-fresh-durians-china-malaysia-thailand-face-new-rival?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 01:00:14 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Trump administration announced on Tuesday that it was expanding travel restrictions to an additional 20 countries and the Palestinian Authority, doubling the number of nations affected by sweeping limits announced earlier this year on who can travel and emigrate to the US. The Trump administration included five more countries as well as people travelling on documents issued by the Palestinian Authority to the list of countries facing a full ban on travel to the US and imposed new limits on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3336687/trump-expands-us-travel-ban-and-restrictions-include-another-20-countries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3336687/trump-expands-us-travel-ban-and-restrictions-include-another-20-countries?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Dec 2025 23:49:56 +0000 Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele As the holiday season approaches in the United States, the rush for Christmas gifts is straining manufacturers thousands of kilometres away in Southeast Asia, where supply chain shocks triggered by US tariffs are hitting exports of everything from mittens and headphones to toys. Manufacturers have spent much of the past year trying to adapt to the tariffs, which have driven up production and logistics costs while also disrupting delivery schedules. Now, the seasonal demand spike has only served... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3336255/trumps-tariffs-southeast-asia-put-us-christmas-gifts-risk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3336255/trumps-tariffs-southeast-asia-put-us-christmas-gifts-risk?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 00:00:14 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan’s ability to communicate effectively in English has dropped to its lowest level in more than a decade, according to a global ranking that paints a worrying picture for a nation that prides itself on being an economic and educational powerhouse. The latest survey by Swiss education company EF Education First places Japan 96th out of 123 nations, relegating it to the lowest of five proficiency tiers – “very low” – and behind Laos, Bhutan, Turkmenistan and Vietnam. China ranks 86th, while the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3336024/japans-english-skills-crash-record-low-behind-laos-and-vietnam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3336024/japans-english-skills-crash-record-low-behind-laos-and-vietnam?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 00:00:13 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim China has promised no-strings-attached aid to Latin American and Caribbean countries as it positions itself as a key voice of the Global South and seeks to expand its influence in a region also actively courted by the United States. In an updated policy framework for deeper economic cooperation with the region, Beijing highlighted what it described as a “significant shift in the international balance of power”, with the Global South gaining greater influence. The strategy paper, the third of its... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335901/china-pledges-aid-latin-america-caribbean-no-political-conditions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3335901/china-pledges-aid-latin-america-caribbean-no-political-conditions?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Dec 2025 15:00:14 +0000 Igor Patrick,Robert Delaney Igor Patrick,Robert Delaney Lawmakers from both parties are warning that Chinese criminal groups have helped build what officials call a “Silk Road of crime”, a global network that launders Latin American cartel profits and supplies the chemicals used to make fentanyl bound for the United States. At a Senate hearing on Tuesday, members of the Caucus on International Narcotics Control said Chinese money brokers and Latin American cartels have merged their operations into a system that blurs the line between trade and... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3335821/us-senators-warn-china-cartel-links-forming-global-silk-road-crime?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3335821/us-senators-warn-china-cartel-links-forming-global-silk-road-crime?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Dec 2025 23:21:36 +0000 Aidan Jones,Don Pathan Aidan Jones,Don Pathan Taking a short cut through Pattaya’s “Scammer Alley”, a neon maze of bars, hotpot restaurants and 24-hour Korean barbecue joints, taxi driver May shakes her head. The money washing around this Thai resort is so thick with fraud that even her own bank account has been frozen. “They pay with QR codes linked to mule accounts,” she said, referring to bank accounts legally registered under Thai names but secretly controlled by the foreign cybercriminals who have turned this part of Southeast Asia... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3335392/southeast-asias-billion-dollar-scam-industry-refuses-die-everyone-gets-cut?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3335392/southeast-asias-billion-dollar-scam-industry-refuses-die-everyone-gets-cut?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 00:00:13 +0000 Mia Nurmamat Mia Nurmamat With their 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. The “Made in China” label has evolved considerably in recent decades. Mostly found affixed to low-cost goods of relative simplicity in China’s early years as a... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3333074/chinas-companies-become-industry-leaders-where-world-are-they-going?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3333074/chinas-companies-become-industry-leaders-where-world-are-they-going?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Dec 2025 07:52:55 +0000 Reuters Reuters The Trump administration on Tuesday said it paused all immigration applications, including green card and US citizenship processing, filed by immigrants from 19 non-European countries, citing concerns over national security and public safety. The pause applies to people from 19 countries that were already subjected to a partial travel ban in June, placing further restrictions on immigration – a core feature of US President Donald Trump’s political platform. The list of countries includes... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334983/us-pauses-all-immigration-applications-19-countries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334983/us-pauses-all-immigration-applications-19-countries?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 02:16:14 +0000 Danielle Popov Danielle Popov Alibaba Group Holding’s logistics arm, Cainiao, has expanded its parcel delivery service to eight African countries – including Morocco, Ghana and Nigeria – as it races to give Chinese e-commerce merchants a cheaper, more reliable way to reach the fast-growing continent. The company planned to extend the service to South Africa and Egypt by the end of December, Cainiao said in a statement over the weekend. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post. Cainiao said underdeveloped logistics... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3333972/alibabas-cainiao-expands-small-parcel-service-africa-demand-china-goods-surges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3333972/alibabas-cainiao-expands-small-parcel-service-africa-demand-china-goods-surges?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2025 11:04:20 +0000 Reuters Reuters For most of her life, 59-year-old farmer Tip Kamlue has irrigated her fields in northern Thailand with the waters of the Kok River, which flows down from neighbouring Myanmar before joining with the Mekong River that cuts through Southeast Asia. But since April, after authorities warned residents to stop using the Kok’s water because of concerns over contamination, Tip has been using groundwater to grow pumpkins, garlic, sweetcorn and okra. “It’s like half of me has died,” Tip said, standing by... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3333884/southeast-asias-rivers-people-risk-amid-myanmar-mining-surge-study?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3333884/southeast-asias-rivers-people-risk-amid-myanmar-mining-surge-study?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2025 03:06:43 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US Federal Aviation Administration warned major airlines on Friday of a “potentially hazardous situation” when flying over Venezuela and urged them to exercise caution. The FAA notice cited the “worsening security situation and heightened military activity in or around Venezuela” and said threats could pose risks for aircraft at all altitudes. There has been a massive American military build-up in the region in recent months, including the US Navy’s largest aircraft carrier, at least eight... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3333773/us-aviation-agency-warns-airlines-flying-over-venezuela-potential-hazards?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3333773/us-aviation-agency-warns-airlines-flying-over-venezuela-potential-hazards?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Nov 2025 03:52:02 +0000 Kolette Lim Kolette Lim As countries and economies around the world scramble for a slice of the growing artificial intelligence pie, Southeast Asia is also aiming to usher in a new dawn of higher productivity, fuelled by more investment and research opportunities in the technology. But tech experts warn that a deepening economic and tech divide is looming as nations in the region adopt AI at a different pace. On Wednesday, Google DeepMind announced the opening of a research lab in Singapore, focused on researching and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3333690/why-aseans-ai-ambition-may-lead-widening-economic-and-tech-divide?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3333690/why-aseans-ai-ambition-may-lead-widening-economic-and-tech-divide?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 09:15:29 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen China has accused the United States of trying to undermine its relations with Greece after US ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle urged Athens to sell the Chinese-operated port of Piraeus. Guilfoyle called the presence of China’s state-owned shipping giant Cosco at the port in the south of Greece “unfortunate”, in an interview last week with Greek broadcaster Antenna TV. “But I think there are ways around it, that something could be worked out, whether you pursue a path of enhancing output in other... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333506/china-accuses-us-undermining-ties-greece-envoys-piraeus-port-remarks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333506/china-accuses-us-undermining-ties-greece-envoys-piraeus-port-remarks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2025 06:06:37 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Brazil has cleared a Chinese navy hospital ship to dock in Rio de Janeiro in January, ending a months-long review that drew quiet pushback inside the country’s military, according to local media. The approval, dated November 13 and published Tuesday in the government’s official gazette, allows the Ark Silk Road to remain in Rio from January 8 to January 15 next year. The 178 metre (584 feet) vessel operates under China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy. Records show a United States ship will... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3333320/brazil-oks-china-naval-visit-while-us-research-ship-plans-call-nearby?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3333320/brazil-oks-china-naval-visit-while-us-research-ship-plans-call-nearby?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 21:00:19 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Singapore has recorded its largest-ever seizure of rhinoceros horns after discovering 20 pieces worth S$1.13 million (US$867,000) in an air cargo shipment labelled “furniture fittings”, transshipped from South Africa to Laos through the city state’s Changi Airport. The smuggled parts, totalling 35.7kg (78.8lbs) in weight, were detected in four cargo batches bound for Vientiane and seized on November 8, Singapore’s National Parks Board (NParks) and air cargo handler SATS said on Tuesday. This... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3333248/singapore-seizes-20-rhinoceros-horns-worth-us867000-largest-ever-smuggling-haul?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3333248/singapore-seizes-20-rhinoceros-horns-worth-us867000-largest-ever-smuggling-haul?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 08:01:46 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran A US-led crackdown on online scams may hand Southeast Asia an opportunity to combat the scourge, analysts say, as Washington and Beijing find common purpose in dismantling criminal networks that exploit lax governance and human trafficking. The United States launched its “Scam Centre Strike Force” last week to counter cryptocurrency fraud linked to Southeast Asia, estimating that such crimes defraud Americans of nearly US$10 billion a year. Many of these schemes, dubbed “pig butchering” scams,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333072/what-us-anti-scam-strike-force-means-southeast-asias-cybercrime-fight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333072/what-us-anti-scam-strike-force-means-southeast-asias-cybercrime-fight?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Nov 2025 07:08:47 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service The United States is launching a major new military and surveillance campaign in the Western Hemisphere, deploying an unprecedented mix of robotic air and sea vessels to counter Latin American drug-trafficking cartels. Called Operation Southern Spear, the initiative was formally announced on Thursday night by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who said through his X account that the mission followed a direct order from US President Donald Trump. “President Trump ordered action - and the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3332740/us-launches-operation-southern-spear-deploying-robotic-fleet-target-cartels?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3332740/us-launches-operation-southern-spear-deploying-robotic-fleet-target-cartels?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Nov 2025 03:55:30 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen The US and China are ramping up crackdowns on cryptocurrency-related cross-border crimes with a flurry of actions against the suspected ringleaders of scam networks operating in Southeast Asia. In recent years, the border areas between Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia have become hubs for online fraud operations, in which syndicates either trick or coerce their targeted victims to invest in bogus schemes and transfer money via bitcoin, ether or stablecoins before these are processed through... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3332675/us-chinese-authorities-ramp-actions-against-transnational-syndicates-running-crypto-scams?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3332675/us-chinese-authorities-ramp-actions-against-transnational-syndicates-running-crypto-scams?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Nov 2025 14:00:20 +0000