https://www.scmp.com/rss/330072/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Her father is in custody at The Hague, her alliance with President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has collapsed into bitter rivalry and she is fighting to halt impeachment proceedings before the Supreme Court. Despite all of that, Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio is still, by a distance, the early favourite to be the country’s next president. A new survey by Manila-based pollster WR Numero found 36 per cent of Filipinos would vote for Duterte-Carpio if the 2028 election were held today – a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3349553/sara-duterte-leads-early-2028-philippine-presidential-poll-rivals-struggle-unite?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3349553/sara-duterte-leads-early-2028-philippine-presidential-poll-rivals-struggle-unite?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 04:00:13 +0000 Danny Mok,Theodora Yu Danny Mok,Theodora Yu Hong Kong food safety authorities have ordered an immediate halt to the sale of oysters from a French brand, after suspected gastroenteritis cases emerged in the Netherlands, which some catering industry operators said weakened consumer confidence and added to the woes of the already struggling sector. The Centre for Food Safety on Wednesday also ordered the trade to suspend imports of raw oysters from the French brand Josephine that were produced and packed between March 5 and 25. Chris Chung,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3349442/hong-kong-halts-raw-oyster-sales-french-brand-over-possible-gastroenteritis-link?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3349442/hong-kong-halts-raw-oyster-sales-french-brand-over-possible-gastroenteritis-link?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:33:07 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao The latest bill proposed by US lawmakers to further restrict China’s access to advanced chipmaking equipment marks a fresh escalation in Washington’s efforts to throttle the country’s semiconductor ambitions, as it seeks to bring allies such as the Netherlands and Japan into closer alignment on export controls, analysts said. Introduced last week by Republican Representative Michael Baumgartner, the Multilateral Alignment of Technology Controls in Hardware (Match) Act aims to close “critical... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3349413/washington-pushes-allies-match-tougher-china-chip-curbs-under-new-bill?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3349413/washington-pushes-allies-match-tougher-china-chip-curbs-under-new-bill?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 12:02:26 +0000 Aisyah Llewellyn Aisyah Llewellyn Bali’s reputation as a carefree tropical escape has been shaken by a string of brutal crimes, including the kidnapping and dismemberment of a Ukrainian man and the fatal stabbing of a Dutch visitor. The cases – some involving foreign suspects and bearing the hallmarks of organised or premeditated violence – have fuelled growing alarm, prompting residents and visitors to the Indonesian holiday island to ask: Is Bali becoming a stage for international crime? Observers say the cases do not indicate... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3348805/bali-rocked-spate-murder-cases-indonesian-island-more-dangerous-now?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3348805/bali-rocked-spate-murder-cases-indonesian-island-more-dangerous-now?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 10:30:07 +0000 Reuters Reuters France suspects a pro-Iranian group known as HAYI to be behind a foiled attack on Bank of America’s Paris offices, its anti-terrorism prosecutor said on Wednesday, while stressing the link has not yet been formally established. HAYI, which stands for Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya, or ‌Movement of the Companions of the Right Hand of Islam, had posted a video on social media on March 23 targeting Jewish interests and communities in France and Europe, the prosecutor’s office said in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348711/france-suspects-link-pro-iranian-group-foiled-paris-bomb-plot?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348711/france-suspects-link-pro-iranian-group-foiled-paris-bomb-plot?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 14:30:19 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A Scottish crime boss is to be deported to Spain on Wednesday after he was arrested on the Indonesian resort island of Bali in connection with large-scale drug trafficking and money laundering, authorities said. The 45-year-old, identified as Steven Lyons, was taken into custody by immigration officers at Ngurah Rai International Airport on Saturday on arrival from Singapore, Untung Widiyatmoko, head of Indonesia’s branch of Interpol, said on Tuesday. The immigration system had flagged him as... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348595/scottish-man-linked-gang-arrested-indonesias-bali-after-interpol-issues-red-alert?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348595/scottish-man-linked-gang-arrested-indonesias-bali-after-interpol-issues-red-alert?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 01:08:04 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham European governments breathed a sigh of relief in October when the US and China sealed a fragile trade truce that paused more sweeping Chinese rare earth restrictions and papered over a Sino-Dutch row over chipmaker Nexperia. Now, however, the European Union is being urged to come up with a battle plan should the ceasefire fail or expire. A spike in superpower tensions could expose the EU to Chinese export controls, potentially pulverising its military support for Ukraine, its own efforts to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348494/europe-urged-learn-fight-itself-case-us-china-truce-collapses?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348494/europe-urged-learn-fight-itself-case-us-china-truce-collapses?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 07:00:10 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press French authorities are investigating a suspected link to Iran after thwarting a bomb attack outside a Bank of America building in Paris at the weekend, the interior minister said on Monday. The authorities suspect a link to Iran due to similarities to other recent attempted attacks in Europe which a pro-Iran group claimed responsibility for, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said. On Saturday morning, Paris police officers spotted two suspects carrying a shopping bag near the Bank of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348451/france-investigates-possible-iran-link-after-bomb-attack-foiled-outside-bank-america?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3348451/france-investigates-possible-iran-link-after-bomb-attack-foiled-outside-bank-america?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 16:31:44 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran After a seven-hour drive to a trading post in northern Philippines, 35-year-old farmer Elmer Ullani took home nothing but an empty petrol tank even after selling 10 tonnes of cabbage. Ullani, who hails from the northern town of Tinoc in Ifugao province, said he only managed to sell his produce – yielded over three harvest rounds – at a paltry rate of 8 to 9 pesos (15 US cents) per kilogram, earning him a total of 90,000 pesos (US$1,482). All of his earnings went towards covering his fuel... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3348448/filipino-farmer-pleads-stop-us-iran-war-after-soaring-fuel-prices-wipe-out-earnings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3348448/filipino-farmer-pleads-stop-us-iran-war-after-soaring-fuel-prices-wipe-out-earnings?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 15:00:28 +0000 Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen Maritime tensions between China and the Philippines are likely to persist despite Manila’s call for energy cooperation, Chinese observers said after revived diplomatic talks on the weekend. Senior diplomats from the two countries met in the Chinese city of Quanzhou on Friday and Saturday for two rounds of talks, covering a range of issues from oil and gas cooperation in the South China Sea to renewable energy and coastguard communication. The foreign ministry consultations were held for the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348303/why-revived-china-philippine-talks-wont-lead-energy-cooperation-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348303/why-revived-china-philippine-talks-wont-lead-energy-cooperation-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:15 +0000 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu Britain’s decision to block a £1.5 billion (US$2 billion) plan by Chinese clean energy giant Mingyang to build the UK’s largest wind turbine factory in Scotland highlights the mounting challenges of doing business with China in an era of deepening global mistrust, analysts said. The move was likely the result of direct pressure from Washington, a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The US-Israeli war in Iran and the subsequent energy crisis had raised hopes for the project to be... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3348039/uk-blocks-china-wind-turbine-project-national-security-amid-tense-business-climate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3348039/uk-blocks-china-wind-turbine-project-national-security-amid-tense-business-climate?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 13:30:04 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said he can imagine a trade deal with China in the future, signalling a new softening stance towards Beijing in European capitals. “We have set quite a lot in motion when it comes to trade policy. I can also envisage further agreements, for example, in the longer term an agreement with the People’s Republic of China,” Merz said in the German parliament on Wednesday. Merz’s remarks underscore how surging trade and geopolitical tensions with Washington are... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348030/germanys-merz-floats-eu-china-trade-deal-capitals-soften-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3348030/germanys-merz-floats-eu-china-trade-deal-capitals-soften-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 12:00:51 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier Beijing’s long-standing geopolitical playbook – stay in your lane, avoid military entanglement, prepare exhaustively and issue bland “win-win” statements about the UN charter and calls to talk not fight – could see China emerge favourably from the Iran war, said economists, analysts and former US officials, as the conflict enters its fourth week with little end in sight and the US barrelling ahead. “People always say that China doesn’t understand the Mideast,” said Jeremy Chan, senior analyst... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347827/why-chinas-strategy-stay-out-iran-war-working-and-crisis-may-spur-opportunity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347827/why-chinas-strategy-stay-out-iran-war-working-and-crisis-may-spur-opportunity?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 22:00:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters The skeleton of famed French musketeer Charles de Batz de Castelmore d’Artagnan may have been found in front of a church altar in the Dutch city of Maastricht, church officials and an archaeologist said on Wednesday. Workers ‌discovered a grave containing human remains beneath tiles after part of the floor of St Peter and Paul Church subsided in February, triggering a race to identify the skeleton through DNA testing. “This has truly become a top-level investigation, in which we want to be... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347910/lost-remains-french-musketeer-dartagnan-may-have-been-found-dutch-church?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347910/lost-remains-french-musketeer-dartagnan-may-have-been-found-dutch-church?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 17:12:27 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse British police said on Wednesday they had arrested two men over a London arson attack on four volunteer ambulances run by a Jewish organisation. The arrests came after police said they were investigating an online claim of responsibility by a little-known Islamist group which has possible links to Iran. The ambulances were set on fire early Monday while they were parked next to a synagogue in an area of London with a large Jewish population. The Metropolitan Police said two men aged 47 and 45... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347868/uk-police-arrest-2-men-over-jewish-ambulances-arson-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347868/uk-police-arrest-2-men-over-jewish-ambulances-arson-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 09:40:07 +0000 Zhang Shidong Zhang Shidong Global stock buy-backs rose to a record US$1.46 trillion in 2025, as listed companies stepped up efforts to return cash to public shareholders amid a rally in equities, according to US asset-management firm Capital Group. Repurchases by the world’s largest publicly traded companies tracked by the money manager increased 8.4 per cent year on year, representing a net increase of US$113 billion, Capital Group said in a report released on Wednesday. The US led global buy-backs, accounting for 71 per... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3347826/global-buy-backs-hit-record-mainland-china-hong-kong-see-declines-capital-group?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3347826/global-buy-backs-hit-record-mainland-china-hong-kong-see-declines-capital-group?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 07:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The Netherlands’ new prime minister, Rob Jetten, will take part in a dinner with the Dutch king and queen hosted by US President Donald Trump in Washington next month, his aides said on Sunday. Jetten’s presence was confirmed despite criticisms that the centrist made against Trump before he was sworn in as premier on February 23. Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima will visit the United States between April 13 and 15 and during a stop in Washington, Trump invited them to a private... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347510/new-dutch-pm-rob-jetten-dine-trump-washington-next-month-aides-confirm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347510/new-dutch-pm-rob-jetten-dine-trump-washington-next-month-aides-confirm?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 18:56:57 +0000 Cao Jiaxuan Cao Jiaxuan The phone call between the Dutch and Chinese foreign ministers was a first on a series of fronts. For the new Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen, the call on March 13 was his first with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi since taking on the job a few weeks earlier. It was also the first between the two holders of the offices since China and the Netherlands became embroiled in a row over the control of Chinese-owned, Netherlands-based chipmaker Nexperia. Nexperia is a major component in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347424/china-and-netherlands-seek-pragmatic-reset-nexperia-row-rolls?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347424/china-and-netherlands-seek-pragmatic-reset-nexperia-row-rolls?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 09:50:29 +0000 Reuters Reuters President ⁠Donald Trump assailed ⁠Nato allies on Friday ⁠over their lack of support for the US-Israel war against Iran, calling the long-time US allies “cowards”. “Without the U.S.A., Nato IS A PAPER TIGER!” Trump said in a social media post. Trump has ‌been calling for major US allies and others, none of whom were consulted or advised on the war, to help secure the safety of shipping through the Iran-controlled Strait of Hormuz. The conflict has roiled global markets, killed thousands and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347385/trump-calls-nato-cowards-over-lack-support-us-israel-war-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347385/trump-calls-nato-cowards-over-lack-support-us-israel-war-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 14:50:36 +0000 Zoey Zhang Zoey Zhang A Chinese woman who was abandoned in a toilet as a newborn by her grandfather has reunited with her biological parents 28 years after being adopted by a Dutch couple. Hong Yangli, 28, was born into a rural family in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, central China, as the third child, the mainland media outlet Daxiang News reported. Her mother, Yang Xiaoying, said that a day after giving birth, her father-in-law offered to take the baby home and look after her. Still weak after childbirth and with her... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3346901/china-woman-reunites-birth-parents-after-being-abandoned-toilet-grandad-28-years-ago?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3346901/china-woman-reunites-birth-parents-after-being-abandoned-toilet-grandad-28-years-ago?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 01:00:09 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang Beijing has increased its inspections on Panama-flagged vessels entering Chinese ports, a source from the shipping industry said, an action intended to raise the Latin American country’s stress level after its courts voided the operating rights of Hong Kong-based conglomerate CK Hutchison in the Panama Canal. Port state control (PSC) – the inspection regime countries may deploy to verify the compliance of foreign ships with various international standards – was being used as a form of leverage... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3346767/papers-please-china-raises-pressure-panama-amid-canal-row-ship-inspection-wave?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3346767/papers-please-china-raises-pressure-panama-amid-canal-row-ship-inspection-wave?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 11:30:08 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk North Korea had abruptly cancelled the 2026 Pyongyang International Marathon less than a month before the race, its international partner said on Monday, raising fresh questions about the country’s cautious approach to reopening to foreign visitors. Beijing-based Koryo Tours, which specialises in tours to the country, said it had received notice of the cancellation from the North Korean race organiser. “This decision was communicated to us by the DPR Korea Athletics Association and has been... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3346000/north-korea-cancels-pyongyang-marathon-weeks-race-no-reason-given?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3346000/north-korea-cancels-pyongyang-marathon-weeks-race-no-reason-given?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 11:18:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Megan Worthy still recalls singing in a choir in the Australian capital, Canberra, as she was growing up. Now, as a rare form of early-onset dementia chips away at her vision and other brain functions, the 58-year-old is transported back to her musical youth as she and her daughter, Bronte, sing together with other people with neurological conditions in an Amsterdam concert hall, the Concertgebouw. “It’s pretty brutal,” Worthy said of her rare neurological condition. “I’m starting to lose... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3345892/singing-circle-amsterdam-offers-benefits-dementia-patients?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3345892/singing-circle-amsterdam-offers-benefits-dementia-patients?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Mar 2026 12:07:17 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang China’s commerce ministry warned that the “Dutch side” should be held accountable if the latest dispute between Nexperia and its Chinese subsidiary triggers another global chip supply crisis, adding to concerns over further worldwide disruption. “Nexperia’s [latest] action has seriously disrupted the company’s normal production and operations,” a ministry spokesperson said in a press conference on Saturday. “If this again triggers a global semiconductor supply chain crisis, the Dutch side must... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3345872/china-warns-fresh-chip-crisis-nexperia-dispute-flares?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3345872/china-warns-fresh-chip-crisis-nexperia-dispute-flares?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Mar 2026 10:30:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A painting that was once rejected as a work by Rembrandt van Rijn has now been acknowledged as a work by the Dutch master, thanks to two years of scrutiny in the city where the then 27-year-old artist painted it in 1633, a museum announced on Monday. The Netherlands’ national art and history museum, the Rijksmuseum, unveiled the work, Vision of Zacharias in the Temple, and said painstaking analysis, including hi-tech scans, has confirmed it was painted by Rembrandt after he moved to the Dutch... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3345494/rembrandt-painting-rejected-not-him-1960-now-confirmed-dutch-masters-work?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3345494/rembrandt-painting-rejected-not-him-1960-now-confirmed-dutch-masters-work?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Mar 2026 11:15:08 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng China’s top semiconductor executives have called for a nationwide push to build a domestic alternative to Dutch chip-equipment giant ASML, urging the industry to “abandon illusions and prepare for struggle” amid US sanctions. The current industry was too “small, fragmented and weak”, which was “dispersing numerous public resources”, according to an article co-authored by the co-founder of Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) and leaders of Empyrean, Yangtze Memory... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3345557/top-chip-leaders-urge-national-drive-build-chinas-asml-amid-us-curbs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3345557/top-chip-leaders-urge-national-drive-build-chinas-asml-amid-us-curbs?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Mar 2026 09:32:07 +0000 Vincenzo La Torre Vincenzo La Torre March brings a full slate of art openings for enthusiasts across the globe, from New York to Hong Kong. Highlights include Carol Bove’s sculptural works at the Guggenheim, Catherine Opie’s three-decade survey at London’s National Portrait Gallery, and the 82nd Whitney Biennial spotlighting contemporary voices from around the world. In Asia and Europe, notable shows include Lee Bul’s retrospective at M+, the Palace Museum’s “Heavenly Horses” in Hong Kong, Inez and Vinoodh’s 40-year photography... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/leisure/article/3345220/8-worlds-most-exciting-art-exhibitions-visit-march?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/leisure/article/3345220/8-worlds-most-exciting-art-exhibitions-visit-march?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 22:00:09 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham The European Union’s ambitious industrial policy to challenge China has been gutted, removing AI, semiconductors and quantum computing from a list of strategic technologies that must be “made in Europe” to tap billions in government funds. Biotechnology and robotics are other cutting-edge sectors to be cut from the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) ahead of the proposal’s formal unveiling by the European Commission on Wednesday, a leaked draft showed. Plans to exclude non-EU-based producers from... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345311/eu-strips-ai-chips-and-quantum-industrial-plan-aimed-countering-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345311/eu-strips-ai-chips-and-quantum-industrial-plan-aimed-countering-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 13:51:51 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that France will expand its atomic arsenal and could deploy nuclear-armed aircraft to allied countries for the first time, as he unveiled an unprecedented plan to bolster security on the continent. Speaking from the Ile Longue nuclear submarine base as the clock ticks on his presidency, Macron announced that eight European countries including Germany, Poland, Sweden and Britain had agreed to participate in what he called a “forward” nuclear deterrence... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3345189/europe-reacts-macrons-offer-deploy-atomic-weapons-frances-allies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3345189/europe-reacts-macrons-offer-deploy-atomic-weapons-frances-allies?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 19:40:58 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham For over a year, Europe has become the world’s geopolitical punching bag, taking economic roundhouses from the east and geopolitical uppercuts from the west without ever swinging back. From US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and covetous glances at Greenland to Beijing’s rare earth embargoes and lightning blockade of semiconductor shipments, Europe’s first response has been to freeze, not fight. But now, it may be ready to counterpunch. After a fresh Trump tariff threat emerged last week, a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345028/europe-worlds-geopolitical-punching-bag-ready-hit-back-us-and-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3345028/europe-worlds-geopolitical-punching-bag-ready-hit-back-us-and-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 14:00:08 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham The European Union’s trade chief Maros Sefcovic has railed against the bloc’s glacial trade defences, warning that years-long probes and rigid rules will not protect the bloc from China’s increasingly fierce export machine. Speaking in the European Parliament on Tuesday, Sefcovic lashed out at Beijing’s “unsustainable” trade surplus and called for an urgent overhaul of world trading rules to account for “overcapacities”, “unfair trade policies” and “state subsidies”. He confirmed, meanwhile,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3344517/eu-too-slow-act-china-rewrites-global-trade-rules-trade-chief-sefcovic-warns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3344517/eu-too-slow-act-china-rewrites-global-trade-rules-trade-chief-sefcovic-warns?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 18:55:55 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte personally drew up “death lists” and boasted about murders committed during his war on drugs, an International Criminal Court prosecutor alleged on Tuesday at a crimes against humanity hearing. On day two of proceedings against Duterte, ICC prosecutor Edward Jeremy laid out searing testimony, including allegations that children had their heads wrapped in packing tape and were strangled to death. “As president, Duterte publicly named persons he alleged... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3344507/philippines-duterte-bragged-about-drug-war-killings-bodies-piled-icc-prosecutor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3344507/philippines-duterte-bragged-about-drug-war-killings-bodies-piled-icc-prosecutor?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 15:04:37 +0000 Reuters Reuters Former Philippine president Rodrigo ⁠Duterte was “pivotal” in the ⁠murder of thousands of people during his ⁠reign, prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) said on Monday, as they pushed for his trial to go ahead. The prosecutors at the Hague-based war crimes court have charged Duterte with three counts of murder as a crime against humanity, involving dozens of ‌victims that accusers say were only a fraction of the real death toll in his clampdown on alleged drug users and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3344365/duterte-was-pivotal-murder-thousands-icc-prosecutors-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3344365/duterte-was-pivotal-murder-thousands-icc-prosecutors-say?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 12:02:13 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A new Dutch government took power on Monday, with 38-year-old centrist Rob Jetten sworn in as the country’s youngest-ever prime minister and the first openly gay one. Jetten pulled off a stunning election win in October, coming from behind to dethrone the far-right Freedom Party (PVV) led by firebrand politician Geert Wilders by a razor-thin margin. The snap election was called after the PVV withdrew from the previous coalition, the Netherlands’ most right-wing government in recent history,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344354/new-dutch-government-under-centrist-jetten-takes-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344354/new-dutch-government-under-centrist-jetten-takes-power?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 10:20:58 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press France will summon US ambassador Charles Kushner to protest against comments by the Trump administration over the death of a far-right activist, the foreign affairs minister said. Jean-Noel Barrot was reacting to a statement by the State Department’s Counterterrorism Bureau, which posted on social media that “reports, corroborated by the French Minister of the Interior, that Quentin Deranque was killed by left-wing militants, should concern us all”. Deranque, a far-right activist, died of brain... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344278/france-will-summon-us-envoy-charles-kushner-over-comments-activists-death?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3344278/france-will-summon-us-envoy-charles-kushner-over-comments-activists-death?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2026 17:47:48 +0000 Alex Capri Alex Capri 2026 has begun with a worsening trust deficit, as geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China ruptures the international system. Much of this mistrust stems from an escalating technology race. At centre stage is artificial intelligence – the foundational technology for virtually all industries, from hyper-scaled computer networks and data centres to self-learning “cognitive” machines and advanced semiconductor production. The US and China now face a prisoner’s dilemma in military... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3344163/who-will-save-world-us-china-ai-arms-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3344163/who-will-save-world-us-china-ai-arms-race?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 05:00:08 +0000 Cao Li Cao Li Zeekr, the premium electric vehicle (EV) brand owned by Geely Auto, has entered the Italian market, with customer deliveries and retail openings set to follow in spring. The move is part of its broader European expansion, following the launch of sales in Germany in December last year. In partnership with local distributor Jameel Motors Italia, Zeekr began taking orders for its full model range on Thursday, according to a press release. “Italy is a key market in our European expansion, and the... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3344079/chinese-ev-maker-zeekr-accelerates-european-expansion-italy-launch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3344079/chinese-ev-maker-zeekr-accelerates-european-expansion-italy-launch?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Feb 2026 04:43:31 +0000 Reuters,Associated Press Reuters,Associated Press Russia is demanding that European countries who accused Moscow of poisoning Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny with a dart frog toxin provide concrete data to support their allegation, according to Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. Britain, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands said on Saturday that analyses of samples from Navalny’s body had confirmed the presence of epibatidine, a toxin found in poison dart frogs in South America and not found naturally in Russia. They said Moscow... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3343935/russia-demands-concrete-proof-it-poisoned-navalny-dart-frog-toxin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3343935/russia-demands-concrete-proof-it-poisoned-navalny-dart-frog-toxin?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 13:38:12 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi Chinese military activities – and the need to respond to them – were framed as a major driver of cooperation between US allies in the Indo-Pacific and Europe during this year’s Munich Security Conference (MSC). It comes as Washington pushes its allies to spend more on their own defence and in the collective defence of the “first island chain” to deter potential war with China. Speaking at the conference on Saturday, Elbridge Colby, US undersecretary of defence for policy, said that while... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343636/munich-us-urges-collective-strength-among-allies-deter-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343636/munich-us-urges-collective-strength-among-allies-deter-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 22:00:21 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that Washington is “not disputing” a report by five European countries that imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was fatally poisoned with a rare frog “toxin”. Rubio said the report released on Saturday by Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden was “very troubling”. Britain, which has outright blamed Russia for Navalny’s death, said it was considering new sanctions on Moscow as a result. Navalny, a staunch critic of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3343650/us-not-disputing-troubling-european-report-navalny-poisoning-rubio-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3343650/us-not-disputing-troubling-european-report-navalny-poisoning-rubio-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 17:16:17 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned by the Kremlin with a rare and lethal toxin found in the skin of poison dart frogs, five European countries said on Saturday. The foreign ministries of the UK, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands said analysis of samples taken from Navalny’s body “conclusively confirmed the presence of epibatidine”. It is a neurotoxin found in the skin of dart frogs in South America that is not found naturally in Russia, they said. A joint statement... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3343599/russia-poisoned-alexei-navalny-dart-frog-toxin-european-nations-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3343599/russia-poisoned-alexei-navalny-dart-frog-toxin-european-nations-say?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2026 16:36:14 +0000 Reuters Reuters China on Thursday reduced tariffs on European Union dairy imports worth over US$500 million, in the final ruling of an 18-month anti-dumping investigation started in response to the bloc’s duties on Chinese electric vehicles. The new tariffs ranging from 7.4 per cent to 11.7 per cent on dairy imports from the EU will ‌apply for a five-year period from February 13, replacing the 21.9 per cent to 42.7 per cent range imposed in a preliminary decision in December, as stated by China’s Ministry of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3343370/china-cuts-eu-dairy-tariffs-easing-trade-tensions-after-ev-dispute?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3343370/china-cuts-eu-dairy-tariffs-easing-trade-tensions-after-ev-dispute?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 14:54:38 +0000 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu A Netherlands court has upheld the suspension of Zhang Xuezheng, former CEO of Dutch chipmaker Nexperia, and ordered an investigation into the company’s governance – another setback for Chinese parent company Wingtech. “The Enterprise Chamber … acknowledges that Nexperia faced complex dilemmas due to geopolitical developments. However, this does not mean that an investigation should be omitted in this case,” the court said in its ruling, published on Wednesday. The court found there were valid... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3343276/chinas-wingtech-faces-setback-dutch-court-keeps-nexperia-ceo-suspended-orders-probe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3343276/chinas-wingtech-faces-setback-dutch-court-keeps-nexperia-ceo-suspended-orders-probe?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 05:22:10 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk Foreign tourists mistaking a funeral for an open air food court were given a taste of Thai hospitality when the hosts served them a meal anyway. In two posts uploaded on social media, Charantorn Chaloemkiad, an ethnic Chinese Thai who was at his family’s funeral, shared how the tourists innocently gatecrashed the funeral in the city of Nakhon Si Thammarat over the weekend, thinking that it was part of a buffet. According to Charantorn, long tables had been set up to serve funeral goers. In... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3342357/thai-funeral-food-court-blunder-tourists-looking-buffet-attend-wake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3342357/thai-funeral-food-court-blunder-tourists-looking-buffet-attend-wake?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 08:02:13 +0000 Jeffrey Wu Jeffrey Wu As global trade fragments and tariffs return, economic power is increasingly defined not by financial scale alone, but by productive strength. At the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, leaders spoke openly about a harsher world order. Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng warned that trade wars have no winners. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for a new security architecture amid rising protectionism. French President Emmanuel Macron described a world becoming more... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3341850/us-china-rivalry-great-powers-dont-make-things-wont-be-great-long?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3341850/us-china-rivalry-great-powers-dont-make-things-wont-be-great-long?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Sumnima Kandangwa Sumnima Kandangwa I feel like mourning is something people shy away from,” says Heidi Lau. “It’s always like, ‘just get over it’.” Lau’s work resists that impulse. Born in Macau in 1987, the New York-based artist uses clay to think through grief not as a state to move past, but as a condition that alters time, memory and the body. Her sculptures, informed by her mother’s passing, treat mourning as something tactile. Lau trained in printmaking and drawing at New York University, then spent her early postgraduate... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3341212/heidi-lau-molds-clay-mourning-and-just-won-sigg-prize-2025?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3341212/heidi-lau-molds-clay-mourning-and-just-won-sigg-prize-2025?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 02:00:09 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham Flight routes between Europe and China are suddenly crowded with prime ministers and presidents, giving the impression of a continent pivoting eastward. A flurry that began late last year with visits to Beijing by the Spanish king and French president has continued with leaders of Britain, Ireland and Finland, with Germany’s chancellor to follow next month. The frenzied outreach comes with the transatlantic relationship on the rocks. US President Donald Trump’s designs on Greenland have even... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341938/full-pivot-or-anxious-hedge-europes-leaders-flock-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341938/full-pivot-or-anxious-hedge-europes-leaders-flock-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Jan 2026 10:00:13 +0000 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu Wingtech Technology, the Chinese owner of chipmaker Nexperia, is expected to post a loss of between 9 billion yuan (US$1.3 billion) and 13.5 billion yuan in 2025, owing to the Dutch government’s takeover of the semiconductor firm, the Shanghai-listed company said in a statement on Friday. Wingtech said that its authority over the chipmaker continues to be “temporarily restricted” since the October 7 ruling of the Dutch Enterprise Chamber, a special division of the Amsterdam Court of Appeal,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3341932/chinas-wingtech-owner-nexperia-expects-wider-loss-amid-row-over-dutch-chipmaker?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3341932/chinas-wingtech-owner-nexperia-expects-wider-loss-amid-row-over-dutch-chipmaker?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Jan 2026 06:31:31 +0000 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu The financial head of Dutch chipmaking equipment giant ASML – following a year of double-digit sales growth for the company’s machines – said he expects the firm’s already declining sales to China to fall even further, as trade restrictions prevent shipments of the firm’s most advanced units to Chinese clients and demand for other models is likely to taper off after an earlier rush. China’s share of ASML’s global sales dropped by 8 percentage points in 2025, falling to 33 per cent from the 41... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3341632/asml-reports-heated-global-demand-2025-cools-china-outlook-amid-us-sanctions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3341632/asml-reports-heated-global-demand-2025-cools-china-outlook-amid-us-sanctions?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 04:34:10 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A court on Wednesday ordered the Dutch government to draw up a plan to protect residents on the tiny Caribbean island of Bonaire from the devastating effects of climate change – a sweeping victory for the islanders. The Hague District Court, in a stunning rebuke of Dutch authorities, also ruled that the government discriminated against the island’s 20,000 inhabitants by not taking “timely and appropriate measures” to protect them from climate change before it is too late. “The island already... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341587/caribbean-island-wins-climate-case-against-netherlands-forcing-dutch-action-rising-seas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341587/caribbean-island-wins-climate-case-against-netherlands-forcing-dutch-action-rising-seas?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jan 2026 14:50:37 +0000