https://www.scmp.com/rss/514864/feed Based in Beijing, Sylvie joined the post in 2023 to report on China. She covers elite politics, diplomacy, international development, and has a interest in exploring how evolving technology is tranforming governance and society. Previously, she graduated from the University of Chicago and also holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com William Zheng,Sylvie Zhuang William Zheng,Sylvie Zhuang In his decades toiling as a health official in a coastal Chinese province, Alan Chen has rarely had to study a subject about which he knew so little. “Nd is Neodymium. It is needed for almost all modern EV motors. China dominates the refining of Nd oxide. Dy is Dysprosium. It is needed for magnets to operate at high temperatures and is also essential for EV motors.” This was the kind of content Chen pored over in a training course he attended at the Central Party School, the Communist Party’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3345957/economic-security-101-why-chinas-officials-now-have-study-rare-earths-and-supply-chains?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3345957/economic-security-101-why-chinas-officials-now-have-study-rare-earths-and-supply-chains?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 22:00:08 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang,William Zheng Sylvie Zhuang,William Zheng Beijing has quietly tightened restrictions on officials with family members overseas in the past year as part of a sweeping anti-corruption drive, according to sources. Three people familiar with the situation said inspections had been carried out since early last year within government bodies and state-owned enterprises to scrutinise the overseas connections of top officials and executives. In the past, such inspections have sought to identify “naked officials” – those whose spouses and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3343893/china-widens-anti-corruption-net-catch-quasi-naked-officials?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3343893/china-widens-anti-corruption-net-catch-quasi-naked-officials?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 14:00:10 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang Years before China’s DeepSeek stunned the world with its powerful open-source AI model, Chinese tech geeks began experimenting with the openness ethos through a collaboratively written open-source novel, still going strong after nearly two decades. With millions of words spanning nearly 3,000 chapters, The Morning Star of Linggao has been crowd-written by thousands of contributors – mostly tech geeks, engineers, military enthusiasts and STEM professionals – who insert themselves as characters in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3343906/why-open-source-sci-fi-novel-chinas-tech-geeks-going-strong-after-20-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3343906/why-open-source-sci-fi-novel-chinas-tech-geeks-going-strong-after-20-years?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 11:00:08 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang In less than a week, China conducted a series of executions on a scale rarely seen in recent decades. In all, 16 core members of mafia-like crime syndicates were put to death for a range of crimes, from murder to fraud and human trafficking. While all of the victims in the cases were Chinese nationals, many of the condemned were citizens of Myanmar, a largely Buddhist country not known for executing crime bosses. Yet, China was able to convince authorities in Myanmar to hand over... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3342799/china-executed-series-myanmese-crime-bosses-what-does-it-say-about-its-regional-influence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3342799/china-executed-series-myanmese-crime-bosses-what-does-it-say-about-its-regional-influence?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Feb 2026 04:00:13 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang China is looking to escalate measures against cybercriminals operating inside and outside its borders by banning convicted citizens from leaving the country, even after they have completed their sentences. The draft Cybercrime Prevention and Control Law bill comes as China doubles down on working with Southeast Asian countries to crack down on cross-border online fraud. The bill, which aims to impose an exit ban on Chinese people found guilty of cross-border online crimes for up to three years... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3342128/china-moves-boost-cybercrime-penalties-adding-exit-ban-after-sentences?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3342128/china-moves-boost-cybercrime-penalties-adding-exit-ban-after-sentences?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 11:34:58 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang State media has released rare footage of one of the PLA Navy’s most advanced destroyers warning off foreign aircraft near Taiwan with electronic jamming missiles. The footage, part of a series by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on the country’s naval power, involved the Yanan, a Type 055 guided-missile destroyer. CCTV said it was the first time the Yanan had been shown using “electronic countermeasures” in “waters near Taiwan island” to warn off foreign aircraft. The report did not specify where... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3342000/pla-navy-warns-foreign-jets-jamming-missiles-near-taiwan-cctv?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3342000/pla-navy-warns-foreign-jets-jamming-missiles-near-taiwan-cctv?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 11:00:11 +0000 Phoebe Zhang,Sylvie Zhuang Phoebe Zhang,Sylvie Zhuang When a film about an investigation into a phone scam in Cambodia debuted at the Busan International Film Festival in 2018, it was not the cast or the plot that drew attention in China. Instead, the focus was on the film’s executive producer, Chen Zhi – a billionaire Chinese businessman who has himself been accused of running a sprawling online scam network in Cambodia. In The Prey – touted as Cambodia’s “first million-dollar action movie” – an undercover Interpol operative ends up in jail. But... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3341096/why-china-was-so-keen-get-alleged-cybercrime-boss-chen-zhi-first?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3341096/why-china-was-so-keen-get-alleged-cybercrime-boss-chen-zhi-first?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jan 2026 22:00:09 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi,Sylvie Zhuang Seong Hyeon Choi,Sylvie Zhuang US President Donald Trump’s proposal to boost next year’s military budget to US$1.5 trillion aims to blunt China’s global influence, a move analysts said could push Beijing to speed up its own military build-up with “greater urgency”. On Wednesday, Trump wrote on social media that the US military budget for the 2027 financial year should be raised in the face of “very troubled and dangerous times”. “This will allow us to build the ‘Dream Military’ that we have long been entitled to and, more... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3339229/trump-wants-us15-trillion-dream-military-will-china-boost-spending-response?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3339229/trump-wants-us15-trillion-dream-military-will-china-boost-spending-response?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 14:11:08 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang Donald Trump’s renewed threats to take over Greenland could pose a direct challenge to China’s ambitions in the Arctic, but some observers say it may also open the door to increased cooperation with Europe. Following the abduction of Venezuela’s former leader Nicolas Maduro, the White House swiftly turned its attention towards the self-governing Danish territory, adding that “of course, utilising the US military is always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal”. On Sunday, the US... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339078/will-donald-trumps-threats-greenland-help-bring-china-and-europe-closer-together?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339078/will-donald-trumps-threats-greenland-help-bring-china-and-europe-closer-together?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Jan 2026 16:00:15 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang US military strikes and forced regime change in Venezuela have left European countries in a diplomatic bind, as they distance themselves from Washington’s actions while hesitating to criticise them outright. The world reacted with shock after the Trump administration launched “Operation Absolute Resolve” to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, and transported them to the United States for detention at a New York facility. China has strongly condemned the US actions... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3338673/straddle-middle-ground-europeans-hard-choice-over-us-attacks-against-venezuela?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3338673/straddle-middle-ground-europeans-hard-choice-over-us-attacks-against-venezuela?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Jan 2026 11:24:28 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang,Lawrence Chung Sylvie Zhuang,Lawrence Chung The latest People’s Liberation Army drills around Taiwan may have been testing how to wear down the island’s air defences using rockets that are “cheap enough to be used in large quantities”, military observers said. On Tuesday, the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command wrapped up a two-day live-fire exercise named Justice Mission 2025. The exercise surrounded large parts of the island and came less than a fortnight after the United States approved a US$11.1 billion weapons package for Taiwan – the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3338335/was-plas-taiwan-drill-testing-inexpensive-ways-wear-down-islands-air-defence-system?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3338335/was-plas-taiwan-drill-testing-inexpensive-ways-wear-down-islands-air-defence-system?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Dec 2025 14:00:09 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang,Yuanyue Dang Sylvie Zhuang,Yuanyue Dang The People’s Liberation Army fired rockets at waters near Taiwan on Tuesday during a second day of large-scale drills, as Beijing threatened to block cargo ships carrying US-made weapons to the island. According to statements and videos released by the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command, live-fire drills were conducted north, south and east of the island, highlighting the PLA’s capacity to seize or impose a blockade on the island using various tactics. The videos showed troops preparing for the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3338084/pla-begins-second-day-exercises-around-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3338084/pla-begins-second-day-exercises-around-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 00:18:08 +0000 Orange Wang,Yuanyue Dang,Sylvie Zhuang Orange Wang,Yuanyue Dang,Sylvie Zhuang The People’s Liberation Army mobilised stealth fighters, destroyers and missile launchers on the first day of live-fire drills around Taiwan, soon after Washington approved the largest-ever arms sale to Taiwan. Senior Colonel Shi Yi, a spokesman for the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command, said on Monday that the exercise was a warning to “independence forces” and against external interference. He said the drills – dubbed Justice Mission 2025 – were taking place in waters and airspace in the Taiwan... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3337963/pla-holds-drill-near-taiwan-warning-independence-forces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3337963/pla-holds-drill-near-taiwan-warning-independence-forces?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Dec 2025 00:14:22 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang Three more top-ranking Chinese officers have been expelled from the national legislature, becoming the latest to fall foul of an anti-corruption campaign sweeping through the military. The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress said on Saturday that it had expelled Wang Renhua, head of the Central Military Commission’s Political and Legal Affairs Committee; Zhang Hongbing, political commissar of the People’s Armed Police (PAP); and Wang Peng, director of the CMC’s training... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3337937/chinas-anti-corruption-campaign-claims-3-more-top-military-officers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3337937/chinas-anti-corruption-campaign-claims-3-more-top-military-officers?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Dec 2025 08:59:40 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang China said on Wednesday it would hit back against the latest US tariffs targeting its semiconductor sector. On Tuesday, the Office of the United States Trade Representative said it would raise the tariffs on June 23, 2027, with the level to be announced at least 30 days in advance. It followed the release of the findings of a year-long probe into China’s chip sector, launched in the final month of the Joe Biden administration. The office said Beijing’s push to dominate the sector was... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337653/china-vows-retaliate-against-unreasonable-us-semiconductor-tariffs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337653/china-vows-retaliate-against-unreasonable-us-semiconductor-tariffs?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Dec 2025 13:00:24 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang China’s leader has promoted two PLA commanders who oversee the Taiwan Strait and the city of Beijing, suggesting that the dust has begun to settle following a massive purge in the military over corruption concerns. President Xi Jinping promoted Yang Zhibin, commander of the Eastern Theatre Command, to the rank of full general on Monday, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The move formally confirms Yang as head of the Eastern Theatre Command. Yang previously served as a lieutenant general in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3337383/xi-jinping-promotes-pla-commanders-overseeing-taiwan-strait-beijing-full-general?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3337383/xi-jinping-promotes-pla-commanders-overseeing-taiwan-strait-beijing-full-general?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Dec 2025 14:43:41 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang Beijing has lodged a protest with Tokyo over a series of visits to Taiwan by high-ranking officials from Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) amid a sharp downturn in bilateral relations. Koichi Hagiuda, an LDP lawmaker and the party’s executive acting secretary general, is on a three-day trip to Taiwan that will end on Tuesday. Hagiuda on Monday held a meeting with William Lai Ching-te, Taiwan’s leader. In total, about 30 Japanese lawmakers plan to visit the island between the end of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337376/beijing-firmly-opposes-japanese-lawmakers-trips-taiwan-amid-deteriorating-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337376/beijing-firmly-opposes-japanese-lawmakers-trips-taiwan-amid-deteriorating-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Dec 2025 13:15:50 +0000 Zhao Ziwen,Sylvie Zhuang Zhao Ziwen,Sylvie Zhuang TikTok may have dodged a US ban but unresolved questions about its algorithm could remain a source of tension in the broader US-China relationship, according to analysts. ByteDance, the parent company of the social media site, signed a binding agreement this week to divest its US entity into a joint venture controlled by a consortium of American investors, ending years of legal and political uncertainties. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said in an internal memo on Thursday that the deal effectively... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337118/tiktok-seals-us-deal-core-algorithm-could-still-rattle-ties-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337118/tiktok-seals-us-deal-core-algorithm-could-still-rattle-ties-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 14:00:18 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) announced on Friday they would try to impeach the island’s leader, William Lai Ching-te, according to reports from Taiwanese media. Fu Kun-chi, the convenor of the KMT caucus in Taiwan’s parliament, accused Lai of undermining constitutional norms and behaving in an authoritarian manner. “Lai must step down and Taiwan must not allow the emergence of figures like Yuan Shikai or Cao Kun,” Fu said, according to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3337110/taiwans-opposition-lawmakers-vow-impeach-leader-william-lai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3337110/taiwans-opposition-lawmakers-vow-impeach-leader-william-lai?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 11:29:55 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang China’s military mouthpiece aimed its rhetoric at Japan’s space ambitions and its new intelligence unit on Thursday, accusing Tokyo of embarking on a space arms race and undermining regional security. The criticism in two articles in the PLA Daily is the latest salvo in a diplomatic dust-up over the past month that has involved near-daily rebukes from Beijing. In one of the articles, two researchers from the People’s Liberation Army’s Space Engineering University in Beijing accused Japan of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3336947/chinas-military-accuses-japan-raising-space-arms-race-risk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3336947/chinas-military-accuses-japan-raising-space-arms-race-risk?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 11:03:04 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang It has been a turbulent year for the fraught US-China relationship. In the third part of a series looking back at the events of 2025, we examine China’s growing military might and how it’s narrowing the tech gap with the US. US defence chief Pete Hegseth told a conference in Washington this month that America would maintain a “clear-eyed appreciation” of China’s “rapid, formidable and holistic” military build-up. That build-up is being watched globally, with defence experts in recent years... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3336735/why-chinas-rapid-military-build-hardly-whole-story?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3336735/why-chinas-rapid-military-build-hardly-whole-story?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Dec 2025 22:00:09 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi,Sylvie Zhuang Seong Hyeon Choi,Sylvie Zhuang The reported US seizure of a ship allegedly carrying Chinese-made dual-use components to Iran might signal Washington was “testing the waters” on reviving an old tactic to pressure Beijing’s ties with its adversaries, but such moves risked breaching international law, analysts said. An American special operations team boarded a ship from China bound for Iran in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka last month, The Wall Street Journal reported last Friday. Citing sources, it said the operation aimed to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3336545/us-testing-waters-reported-seizure-chinese-cargo-bound-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3336545/us-testing-waters-reported-seizure-chinese-cargo-bound-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Dec 2025 02:00:16 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang Liu Cixin is the most influential contemporary science fiction writer in China. He is best known for his trilogy that starts with The Three-Body Problem, for which he won a Hugo Award for best novel in 2015. The trilogy earned international acclaim and has been adapted for television in both Chinese and English. Born in 1963 and raised in Shanxi, Liu started his working life as a computer engineer at a power plant in the central province. Inspired by British sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke, Liu... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3336312/rational-optimist-sci-fi-writer-liu-cixin-why-hell-be-happy-if-ai-surpasses-humans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3336312/rational-optimist-sci-fi-writer-liu-cixin-why-hell-be-happy-if-ai-surpasses-humans?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Dec 2025 22:00:19 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang Liu Cixin is the most influential contemporary science fiction writer in China. He is best known for his trilogy that starts with The Three-Body Problem, for which he won a Hugo Award for best novel in 2015. The trilogy earned international acclaim and has been adapted for television in both Chinese and English. Born in 1963 and raised in Shanxi, Liu started his working life as a computer engineer at a power plant in the central province. Inspired by British sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke, Liu... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3335978/why-sci-fis-liu-cixin-hopes-ai-surpasses-humanity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3335978/why-sci-fis-liu-cixin-hopes-ai-surpasses-humanity?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 02:00:09 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang China will not seek a nuclear arms race and opposes the United States’ deployment of offensive missiles in Asia, according to Beijing’s latest white paper on nuclear policy. The paper – titled “China’s Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation in the New Era” – updates the previous 2005 version of the document. In the white paper released on Thursday, Beijing said it had consistently kept its nuclear forces at the minimum level required for national security. Beijing has long underscored... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3334403/china-has-minimal-nuclear-arsenal-seeks-no-arms-race-us-white-paper?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3334403/china-has-minimal-nuclear-arsenal-seeks-no-arms-race-us-white-paper?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Nov 2025 14:00:11 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi,Sylvie Zhuang Seong Hyeon Choi,Sylvie Zhuang Japan’s submarine fleet could prove a major strategic headache for China, military analysts have said, as Tokyo moves to strengthen its armed forces. The two Asian powers have become embroiled in one of their most serious diplomatic crises in years after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said earlier this month that an armed attack against Taiwan could be seen as a “survival-threatening situation” that would justify Japan deploying its military. Her remarks were the most explicit by a sitting... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3334129/why-chinas-peoples-liberation-army-wary-japans-submarine-and-missile-strengths?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3334129/why-chinas-peoples-liberation-army-wary-japans-submarine-and-missile-strengths?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Nov 2025 12:10:20 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang Beijing has blasted Japan’s missile deployment on an island only 110km (68 miles) away from Taiwan as “extremely dangerous”, saying it stokes regional tensions and military confrontation amid deteriorating ties between the two Asian powers. But Shinjiro Koizumi, Tokyo’s defence minister, believed the deployment on Yonaguni Island would “reduce the likelihood of any armed attack on Japan itself”, a Japanese defence ministry readout stated on Sunday. During an inspection visit to Yonaguni on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3333963/beijing-blasts-japans-extremely-dangerous-missile-deployment-near-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3333963/beijing-blasts-japans-extremely-dangerous-missile-deployment-near-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2025 10:26:07 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang The diplomatic crisis between Tokyo and Beijing is the result of a years-long fundamental shift to the right in Japan – and part of a “long-term struggle” that China must prepare for, according to analysts. The assessment comes as relations between the two countries nosedive, prompted by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s suggestion earlier this month that a hypothetical conflict in the Taiwan Strait would trigger a military response from Tokyo. For Beijing, the comments ventured into a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333837/why-japans-drift-right-means-long-term-struggle-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333837/why-japans-drift-right-means-long-term-struggle-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Nov 2025 13:00:10 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang Chinese Premier Li Qiang has taken Beijing’s push for multilateralism to the Group of 20 summit in South Africa, calling for solidarity and free trade at an event boycotted by the world’s biggest economy. Addressing the gathering of leaders in Johannesburg on Saturday, Li pointed to challenges faced by various international institutions. “We have to advance with time and take the lead to uphold multilateralism” in the face of difficulties of governance, he said, according to state news agency... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333845/china-pushes-multilateralism-solidarity-and-free-trade-g20-summit-amid-us-absence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333845/china-pushes-multilateralism-solidarity-and-free-trade-g20-summit-amid-us-absence?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Nov 2025 09:37:29 +0000 Jane Cai,Sylvie Zhuang Jane Cai,Sylvie Zhuang Computer science graduate Alain Saas is hoping a fourth time would be the charm to make his China dream come true. As a youngster growing up in a small town in eastern France, the distant Asian country seemed a magical place. But trying to land a job in China has proved anything but enchanting. Over the past 15 years, Saas has tried three times to find a suitable tech job in China, but in vain. The reasons ranged from low pay offers, visa issues or simply poor geopolitical timing. But he has... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3333714/china-betting-k-visa-magnet-top-tech-talent-will-it-be-enough?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3333714/china-betting-k-visa-magnet-top-tech-talent-will-it-be-enough?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 10:24:47 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang In a small town in the US Midwest, 47-year-old military veteran Natalie Hubble loves spending her evenings lost in the mythic worlds portrayed in Chinese fantasy stories. Hubble has never been to China, yet few could describe Chinese mythical tales as well as she does. She described her growing connection to Chinese culture, ancient and modern, as a “natural progression”, since she reads over 150 books a year and likes to take recommendations from all over the world. She said her favourite... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3332914/why-chinese-grass-roots-culture-may-be-finally-taking-its-place-global-limelight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3332914/why-chinese-grass-roots-culture-may-be-finally-taking-its-place-global-limelight?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Nov 2025 22:00:19 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang Grass-roots enthusiasm has played the main role in shaping China’s online nationalist narrative and has pushed celebrities to follow, according to a study published in the American peer-reviewed journal Science Advances last week. Contrary to the common perception that nationalism on Chinese social media space is more top down and that Beijing uses such platforms to influence or control public opinion, the study jointly done by researchers from leading universities in the United States and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3332870/are-chinas-stars-leading-fans-be-more-nationalist-or-other-way-round?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3332870/are-chinas-stars-leading-fans-be-more-nationalist-or-other-way-round?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Nov 2025 04:00:14 +0000 Phoebe Zhang,Sylvie Zhuang Phoebe Zhang,Sylvie Zhuang China may have started nurturing the technical knowledge needed to operate the electromagnetic launch catapult on its newly commissioned carrier the Fujian at least eight years ago, according to open records that offer a glimpse into the long-term planning involved in military universities. Footage of Wednesday’s commissioning ceremony from state broadcaster CCTV showed President Xi Jinping speaking to a landing signals officer. When he asked her what she studied, she replied “electromagnetic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3332371/how-were-chinese-navys-talents-trained-fujian-carriers-commissioning?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3332371/how-were-chinese-navys-talents-trained-fujian-carriers-commissioning?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Nov 2025 12:00:16 +0000 Alcott Wei,Sylvie Zhuang,Seong Hyeon Choi Alcott Wei,Sylvie Zhuang,Seong Hyeon Choi Now that the Chinese navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, has entered service there could be a change in the power balance in the western Pacific, the South China Sea and even the Indian Ocean, according to experts. The Fujian – China’s third aircraft carrier – was commissioned last Wednesday in Sanya, Hainan province, in a grand ceremony overseen by President Xi Jinping, state media reported on Friday. It is the first Chinese warship equipped with an electromagnetic catapult... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3332242/will-chinas-new-aircraft-carrier-tilt-power-balance-western-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3332242/will-chinas-new-aircraft-carrier-tilt-power-balance-western-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 14:00:10 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang Ken Liu is an American science fiction and fantasy writer whose prize-winning work includes the Silkpunk epic The Dandelion Dynasty and the short story collection The Paper Menagerie. He has won Nebula, Hugo and World Fantasy awards and is also known for his English translation of the Chinese sci-fi trilogy by Liu Cixin that opens with The Three-Body Problem. Liu was born in Lanzhou in China’s northwest and moved to the US with his parents when he was 11. He has a bachelor’s degree in English... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3331731/silkpunk-creator-ken-liu-takes-ai-modernity-and-what-it-means-be-american?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3331731/silkpunk-creator-ken-liu-takes-ai-modernity-and-what-it-means-be-american?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Nov 2025 22:00:17 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang Ken Liu is an American science fiction and fantasy writer whose prize-winning work includes Silkpunk epic The Dandelion Dynasty and short story collection The Paper Menagerie. He has won Nebula, Hugo and World Fantasy awards and is also known for his English translation of the renowned Chinese sci-fi trilogy by Liu Cixin that opens with The Three-Body Problem. Liu was born in northwest China’s Lanzhou city, moving to the US with his parents when he was 11. He earned a bachelor’s degree in... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3331763/author-ken-liu-using-ai-and-being-paid-do-thing-you-love?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3331763/author-ken-liu-using-ai-and-being-paid-do-thing-you-love?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Nov 2025 08:28:06 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang A notorious Myanmar crime syndicate boss was sentenced to death on Tuesday by a Chinese court for his group’s industrial-scale operations that led to the deaths of six Chinese citizens, according to state news agency Xinhua. The Kokang crime boss Bai Suocheng, his son Bai Yingcang and three close associates were sentenced to death by the Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court in Guangdong province, Xinhua reported. Another 16 defendants working for the Bai family received criminal sentences of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3331490/chinese-court-gives-death-sentence-myanmar-crime-syndicate-boss-bai-suocheng?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3331490/chinese-court-gives-death-sentence-myanmar-crime-syndicate-boss-bai-suocheng?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Nov 2025 11:00:31 +0000 Lam Ka-sing,Sylvie Zhuang Lam Ka-sing,Sylvie Zhuang Hong Kong police have frozen HK$2.75 billion (US$352 million) in assets, including cash, stocks and funds, believed to be the proceeds of crime from a cross-jurisdictional telecoms fraud and money laundering network. The measure targeted the network of Fujian-born Cambodian businessman Chen Zhi and his company, Prince Holding Group, both the subjects of sanctions by the United States and British authorities last month, a source said. Hong Kong police said on Tuesday that officers had... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3331498/hong-kong-police-freeze-hk275-billion-assets-linked-accused-scammer-chen-zhi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3331498/hong-kong-police-freeze-hk275-billion-assets-linked-accused-scammer-chen-zhi?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Nov 2025 10:23:08 +0000 Amber Wang,Sylvie Zhuang,William Zheng Amber Wang,Sylvie Zhuang,William Zheng In a stark departure from past China-US summits, Taiwan did not rate a mention on Thursday, prompting speculation that Xi Jinping and Donald Trump had arrived at a tacit and pragmatic understanding to deprioritise the contentious issue. Taiwan – regarded by Beijing as a core interest and “the first red line that cannot be crossed” in bilateral relations – has in recent years occupied a few lines in official readouts following face-to-face meetings between the countries’ leaders, but not in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3330958/what-does-xi-trump-summits-silence-taiwan-mean-contentious-issue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3330958/what-does-xi-trump-summits-silence-taiwan-mean-contentious-issue?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Oct 2025 15:00:10 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang Beijing will leave no room for any form of “Taiwan independence” separatist activities, one of Beijing’s most senior leaders said on Saturday, marking the 80th anniversary of the island’s return from Japanese rule. “We should work together to advance the cause of national reunification and must leave no room for any form of ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist activities,” Wang Huning, Beijing’s No 4 official and top political adviser, said at an event to commemorate “Taiwan Restoration Day”. “[We]... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3330323/beijings-wang-huning-takes-aim-taiwan-independence-restoration-day-address?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3330323/beijings-wang-huning-takes-aim-taiwan-independence-restoration-day-address?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Oct 2025 12:48:15 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang The Pentagon’s coming defence strategy report will contain major changes in the US’ plans to counter China’s military and economic strength, according to Chinese defence researchers. The new National Defence Strategy, a road map of defence priorities for each US president’s term, is expected to be released in the coming weeks. According to a Defence Department memo in May, the report will “prioritise defence of the US homeland, including America’s skies and borders, and deterring China in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3328996/will-china-be-lower-us-defence-priority-new-strategy-report-will-soon-tell?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3328996/will-china-be-lower-us-defence-priority-new-strategy-report-will-soon-tell?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Oct 2025 12:00:08 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang Some young Chinese writers are said to be “in a state of panic” over rapid advances in artificial intelligence tools like DeepSeek, as they question whether the emerging technology is a blessing or a curse. The debate was one of the key themes at a two-day conference held in Suzhou in late September – “Border Crossings in Speculative Fiction” – hosted by Nanjing University’s School of Frontier Sciences and its Institute of Global Humanities. Speaking on the sidelines of the event, one author... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3327802/ai-blessing-or-curse-chinas-new-generation-writers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3327802/ai-blessing-or-curse-chinas-new-generation-writers?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Oct 2025 10:00:17 +0000 Laura Zhou,Sylvie Zhuang Laura Zhou,Sylvie Zhuang Two years ago, the war in Gaza triggered a chill in diplomatic ties between China and Israel, once described by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “a marriage made in heaven”. But Beijing and Tel Aviv appear now to have restored some balance in the relationship, driven by a shared interest in maintaining trade and technological links. However, observers warn that the fallout from the Gaza crisis, combined with a growing rivalry between China and the US – Israel’s closest ally – could... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3327421/can-china-israel-revive-tech-and-trade-lifelines-amid-gaza-war-rift-us-scrutiny?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3327421/can-china-israel-revive-tech-and-trade-lifelines-amid-gaza-war-rift-us-scrutiny?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Oct 2025 04:05:18 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang Speculative fiction, which encompasses sci-fi and other futuristic literature, is emerging as a strong vehicle for China to project soft power in a competition with the United States over the imagined future. The genre may help China and the Global South challenge Western views of colonialism, capitalism and future tech, according to Chinese scholars of literature and culture. “Speculative fiction, as a genre that imagines the future while critiquing the present, has long been dominated by... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3327833/china-stakes-claim-future-soft-power-sci-fi-and-speculative-fiction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3327833/china-stakes-claim-future-soft-power-sci-fi-and-speculative-fiction?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Oct 2025 11:00:08 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang As Washington and its allies continue to slap sanctions related to Xinjiang on Chinese companies, citing allegations of human rights violations, a group of scholars is trying to challenge some of those claims, digging into their years of field research and networks of contacts in the far western autonomous region. Yet in their efforts to debunk the claims, the academics keep running into a brick wall: the reticence of regional authorities. Generally seen by Beijing as well meaning, the scholars... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3327681/data-access-challenge-china-trying-counter-us-xinjiang-claims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3327681/data-access-challenge-china-trying-counter-us-xinjiang-claims?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Oct 2025 22:00:08 +0000 Laura Zhou,Sylvie Zhuang Laura Zhou,Sylvie Zhuang After his high-stakes summit with US President Donald Trump in Anchorage, Alaska, in August, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters that cooperation with the United States in the Arctic was “very possible”. “We see that Arctic cooperation is also very possible in our international context. For example, between the far east of Russia and the west coast of the US.” Putin did not give details, nor did Trump, who spoke after Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. But one day earlier,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3327343/arctic-thaw-chinas-polar-ambitions-face-test-us-russia-eye-cooperation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3327343/arctic-thaw-chinas-polar-ambitions-face-test-us-russia-eye-cooperation?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Oct 2025 22:00:08 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang China’s first drone-carrying amphibious assault vessel, the Sichuan, is expected to begin sea trials soon following the release of new images of the ship. Pictures circulating on social media showing that the covers had been removed from the Type 076’s electric launch catapult and that a radar system had apparently been installed generated speculation that the ship was ready for the trials. The release of the images came ahead of the week-long National Day holiday and followed the successful... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3327143/chinas-drone-carrying-amphibious-assault-ship-sichuan-expected-start-sea-trials?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3327143/chinas-drone-carrying-amphibious-assault-ship-sichuan-expected-start-sea-trials?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Sep 2025 13:00:10 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang An expected phone call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump on Friday could pave the way for further engagement and progress towards a possible summit between the two leaders, according to a prominent Chinese academic. “Tomorrow’s phone call will give a sense of direction – whether the [US-China] relationship is moving more quickly towards a summit,” said Wu Xinbo, dean of the Institute of International Studies and director at the Centre for American Studies at... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3326026/can-xi-trump-phone-call-deliver-ramp-rising-us-china-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3326026/can-xi-trump-phone-call-deliver-ramp-rising-us-china-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Sep 2025 13:01:07 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang China has warned that artificial intelligence will allow people to learn how to make their own world-destroying weapons, such as nuclear missiles. Cybersecurity authorities outlined the real-world risk in an AI safety governance document on Monday, describing the danger of losing “control over knowledge and capabilities of nuclear, biological, chemical and missile weapons”. “In training, AI uses content-rich and wide-ranging [texts] and data, including fundamental theoretical knowledge related... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3325843/loss-control-china-warns-terrorists-could-use-ai-create-and-fire-own-weapons?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3325843/loss-control-china-warns-terrorists-could-use-ai-create-and-fire-own-weapons?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Sep 2025 08:06:00 +0000 Jane Cai,Sylvie Zhuang,Nora Mankel Jane Cai,Sylvie Zhuang,Nora Mankel This year marks half a century of formal diplomatic relations between China and the European Union as well as the 25th anniversary of the founding of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China. A part of a series of reports examining ties between the two powers, Jane Cai, Sylvie Zhuang and Nora Mankel look at a shift under way in the attitudes of younger Europeans towards China and the opportunities it offers. More than two years after stringent Covid-19 restrictions prompted an exodus of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324879/enduring-opportunity-why-younger-europeans-can-see-their-futures-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324879/enduring-opportunity-why-younger-europeans-can-see-their-futures-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Sep 2025 14:00:09 +0000