https://www.scmp.com/rss/519129/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele As climate change fuels more frequent floods and storms across Southeast Asia, forests and wildlife are being pushed to their breaking point, with conservationists and scientists warning of a worsening impact on ecosystems due to a lack of oversight and countermeasures. In late November, cyclone-driven rains battered Indonesia’s Sumatra island, triggering floods and landslides that killed more than 1,000 people, left hundreds missing and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes, according... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3337344/southeast-asian-floods-set-threaten-more-wildlife-due-climate-change?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3337344/southeast-asian-floods-set-threaten-more-wildlife-due-climate-change?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Dec 2025 03:00:12 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Opinions differ widely over the intentions and implications of the latest US national security strategy issued by the White House. The document covers America’s global strategy and with respect to China, there is much less dispute. It’s certainly welcome that the report has watered down America’s antagonism towards China, recasting the relationship more in terms of economics than geopolitics. The language is far less hostile than in reports issued under the Biden administration and the first... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3337078/less-hostility-towards-china-new-us-security-strategy-welcome?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3337078/less-hostility-towards-china-new-us-security-strategy-welcome?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Dec 2025 22:45:08 +0000 Anthony Rowley Anthony Rowley An obsession with “security” can create increasing insecurity. This paradox is being amply demonstrated as advanced nations, including the United States and Japan, take or contemplate joint action aimed at bolstering economic security but which could erode global economic growth and prosperity – or even result in physical conflict. How might such threats crystallise? Strengthening security, whether economic or military, suggests increased defence spending to, for example, secure sea lanes and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3336952/japans-economic-security-push-heralds-rising-protectionism-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3336952/japans-economic-security-push-heralds-rising-protectionism-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Dec 2025 08:30:09 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji For much of the past year, Asian exporters have been racing to stay ahead of a global tariff storm – re-routing shipments, reconfiguring supply chains and absorbing rising costs as the United States tightened its trade barriers. Now another pressure point is emerging. From the start of next year, Mexico plans to impose import duties of up to 50 per cent on a wide range of goods from Asia, threatening to choke off a key workaround companies have relied on to maintain access to the North American... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3337107/mexicos-50-tariff-shock-shuts-asias-north-american-trade-bypass?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3337107/mexicos-50-tariff-shock-shuts-asias-north-american-trade-bypass?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Dec 2025 05:30:09 +0000 Andrew Sheng Andrew Sheng The word “involution”, or neijuan – referring to excessive competition in social and economic life – has become a common slang term in China. Students, workers and even business leaders have been feeling overworked, stressed and unable to find a way out of huge external and internal pressures. This usage of the term has its roots in the work of anthropologists who employed it to describe conditions in rural societies where increasing labour inputs did not seem to yield tangible benefits. The... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3337011/why-china-cracking-down-involution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3337011/why-china-cracking-down-involution?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 12:30:09 +0000 Josephine Ma Josephine Ma George Yeo was Singapore’s foreign minister for seven years, ending in 2011, after earlier holding ministerial portfolios related to technology, health and trade. Before entering politics, he served in the city state’s military. He is now a visiting scholar at the National University of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. He was also vice-chairman of Kerry Group in Hong Kong from 2012 to 2021 and chairman and executive director of its logistics arm from 2012 to 2019. SCMP Plus... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3336863/yeo-how-trump-wants-avoid-taiwan-upending-china-relations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3336863/yeo-how-trump-wants-avoid-taiwan-upending-china-relations?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 04:28:08 +0000 Zhang Shidong Zhang Shidong Hong Kong stocks traded sideways on Thursday, with technology stocks retreating on growing anxiety that a global boom in artificial intelligence could turn into a bubble. The Hang Seng Index edged up 0.1 per cent to 25,498.13 at the close. The Hang Seng Tech Index dropped 0.7 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index slid 0.6 per cent and the Shanghai Composite Index added 0.2 per cent. Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone and electric vehicle maker, tumbled 2.5 per cent to HK$40.20 and Pop Mart... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3336845/hong-kong-stocks-resume-decline-tech-giants-stumble-ai-bubble-jitters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3336845/hong-kong-stocks-resume-decline-tech-giants-stumble-ai-bubble-jitters?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 02:32:02 +0000 Lijia Zhang Lijia Zhang During a trip home, I took my daughters to the Nanking massacre memorial hall. It is not an easy place to visit. In shadowy rooms, photographs of victims line the walls. The names of the dead stretch across black stone. In glass cases lie bones unearthed from mass graves. I wanted my children to learn history honestly, to understand what war does to people. I shared stories my grandma had told me: as she fled town, a bomb fell on a nearby street. One neighbour vanished. Only bits of her remained... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3335767/only-true-repentance-japan-can-resolve-east-asias-memory-wars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3335767/only-true-repentance-japan-can-resolve-east-asias-memory-wars?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 21:30:09 +0000 Jane Cai Jane Cai As Beijing prepared to mark the 88th anniversary of the Nanking massacre, China’s military mouthpiece warned on Friday that provocative actions by right-wing Japanese politicians risked plunging Asia into peril. PLA Daily published the warning in a commentary the day before sirens will sound out across Nanjing, the capital of eastern Jiangsu province, at 10.01am during national commemorations led by the Communist Party’s Central Committee and the State Council. According to China’s official... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336248/provocative-japanese-actions-risk-plunging-asia-peril-chinas-pla-daily?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336248/provocative-japanese-actions-risk-plunging-asia-peril-chinas-pla-daily?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 10:15:24 +0000 Fan Chen,Laura Zhou Fan Chen,Laura Zhou An inherent “asymmetry” of power poses a challenge to resolving South China Sea disputes via the quiet diplomacy traditionally favoured by Southeast Asian nations, a leading Malaysian security expert has said. Chinese analysts said Beijing supported the “Asean way” too, so long as sovereignty claims were resolved bilaterally. They also warned against external interference and “power politics” standing in the way of consensus within the bloc. Ruhanas Harun, an international relations professor at... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336082/why-are-south-china-sea-disputes-hard-resolve-power-asymmetry-says-malaysian-expert?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336082/why-are-south-china-sea-disputes-hard-resolve-power-asymmetry-says-malaysian-expert?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 01:00:14 +0000 Yulu Ao Yulu Ao Global investors should shift their focus from Asia’s dominant AI hardware “titans” to a growing group of mid-cap “battleground” sectors that offer stronger growth potential amid intensifying competition, according to BofA Securities. In a report, analysts from the Bank of America investment banking arm mapped more than 330 Asian stocks across 22 subsectors in the artificial intelligence technology layer – representing market capitalisation of nearly US$6 trillion. The most compelling... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3336110/ai-stock-opportunities-lie-battleground-sectors-not-titans-bofa-securities-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3336110/ai-stock-opportunities-lie-battleground-sectors-not-titans-bofa-securities-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 23:30:08 +0000 Ralph Jennings,Kandy Wong Ralph Jennings,Kandy Wong Mexico’s move to place tariffs of up to 50 per cent on Chinese and other Asian goods underscores US efforts to pressure other countries to take action against China – and Beijing may well retaliate, analysts said. The Mexican Senate on Wednesday approved duties between 5 and 50 per cent on 1,463 product categories – including auto parts, textiles and plastics – starting from January 2026. President Claudia Sheinbaum had proposed the tariffs in the name of protecting local industries, subject to... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3336059/mexicos-tariffs-china-aim-placate-us-could-backfire-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3336059/mexicos-tariffs-china-aim-placate-us-could-backfire-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 14:00:09 +0000 Lam Ka-sing Lam Ka-sing Hong Kong companies are much more optimistic about the economic outlook for the coming year, a survey by one of the city’s biggest business chambers has found, although the organisation itself expects growth to slow in 2026. The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce released the results of its annual survey on Thursday, showing that 48.3 per cent of respondents were upbeat on the business outlook for the coming 12 months. The positive sentiment marks a sharp rebound from last year’s survey, when... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3336108/more-hong-kong-firms-upbeat-economic-outlook-trump-tariff-worries-ease?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3336108/more-hong-kong-firms-upbeat-economic-outlook-trump-tariff-worries-ease?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 13:00:09 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words Online scams are a defining transnational threat of our time. Across the world, families, businesses and governments are losing money, data and security to sophisticated cross-border criminal syndicates. In Southeast Asia, these networks have moved rapidly across borders, preying... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3335567/cambodia-confronting-scourge-online-scams-head?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3335567/cambodia-confronting-scourge-online-scams-head?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Dec 2025 03:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on Monday it had identified a new strain of the mpox virus in England in a person who had recently travelled to Asia. “Our genomic testing has enabled us to detect this new mpox strain,” said Katy Sinka from the UKHSA, a government agency responsible for preventing and controlling the spread of infectious diseases. The agency said it would continue to “assess the significance of the strain”, which had elements of both mpox subtypes: the more severe... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3335659/new-mpox-strain-found-uk-after-travel-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3335659/new-mpox-strain-found-uk-after-travel-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 16:00:10 +0000 Themis Qi Themis Qi British institutional investor L&G Asset Management is not perturbed by the rising debt issuance in the artificial intelligence sector, even as it sees opportunities in the equities of industry giants. Credit related to the AI sector could grow between US$500 billion and US$800 billion a year and reach nearly US$3 trillion by 2030, according to Ben Bennett, head of investment strategy in Asia at the asset management firm known for its active fixed income strategies. “We are defensive in terms of... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3335546/lg-asset-sees-ai-equity-upside-despite-us3-trillion-debt-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3335546/lg-asset-sees-ai-equity-upside-despite-us3-trillion-debt-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 02:41:27 +0000 Nirbhay Rana Nirbhay Rana Cop30 concluded with confident declarations from global fashion brands: upgraded net-zero road maps, new partnerships under the UN Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action and bold promises to “accelerate supply-chain decarbonisation”. However, the summit revealed something the industry continues to avoid. Fashion’s climate ambition is still being shaped in the West, while the responsibility for delivering it falls almost entirely on Asia. This imbalance has not shifted. Instead, the UN... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3335136/fashion-industry-must-tailor-climate-plans-asian-suppliers-reality?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3335136/fashion-industry-must-tailor-climate-plans-asian-suppliers-reality?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Dec 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Julie Zhang Julie Zhang Global investors should consider reducing their US equities exposure as emerging market stocks are on track to outperform those in developed nations for the first time in five years amid a weakening US dollar, according to global investment firm Cambridge Associates. The recommendation comes as the dollar has experienced significant weakness this year, falling by 10 per cent at one point after a decade-long bull run that started in 2011. However, the greenback still remains 32 per cent above its... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3335167/emerging-markets-set-outperform-us-stocks-dollar-weakness-continues-cambridge-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3335167/emerging-markets-set-outperform-us-stocks-dollar-weakness-continues-cambridge-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Dec 2025 01:00:13 +0000 He Huifeng,Carol Yang He Huifeng,Carol Yang With 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. China, known as the “world’s factory” after decades spent manufacturing and shipping much of the world’s consumer goods, is now going a step further: as a number of... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3334925/factory-factories-chinas-manufacturers-join-wave-overseas-expansions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3334925/factory-factories-chinas-manufacturers-join-wave-overseas-expansions?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Dec 2025 22:00:14 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi Despite a sharp and record-breaking rise in overall global arms sales last year, the combined revenue of the eight Chinese firms listed in the weapons industry’s Top 100 fell drastically, a Swedish think tank has found. The 10 per cent fall to US$88.3 billion was also the biggest aggregated percentage drop among the countries with companies in the list, released on Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The performance of the Chinese weapons giants was in stark... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3334509/chinas-scandal-hit-weapons-firms-drag-down-regional-sales-record-breaking-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3334509/chinas-scandal-hit-weapons-firms-drag-down-regional-sales-record-breaking-year?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Nov 2025 23:01:08 +0000 Jevans Nyabiage Jevans Nyabiage South Africa is looking to new export markets in Asia – particularly China – and Europe to diversify away from the United States, as its relations with Washington rapidly deteriorate. America boycotted last weekend’s Group of 20 summit in Johannesburg after Washington accused Pretoria of persecuting Afrikaner farmers, labelling the situation “white genocide” – a claim the South African government strongly denies. On Wednesday the situation escalated, with US President Donald Trump saying... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3334485/china-set-benefit-south-africa-looks-diversify-away-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3334485/china-set-benefit-south-africa-looks-diversify-away-us?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Nov 2025 08:00:15 +0000 Aileen Chuang Aileen Chuang Hong Kong dollar bond issuance is poised to expand, following a record run of offerings, as easing local interest rates attract more issuers while a global diversification trend persists, according to analysts. Total issuance in the city’s currency reached a record HK$331 billion (US$42.6 billion) so far this year, nearly 37 per cent higher than 2024’s full-year total of HK$242 billion. “The Hong Kong dollar bond market will continue to grow over the long term, supported by structural shifts,”... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3334467/surge-hong-kong-dollar-bonds-continue-after-record-us42-billion-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3334467/surge-hong-kong-dollar-bonds-continue-after-record-us42-billion-year?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Nov 2025 05:35:52 +0000 Reuters Reuters Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney signed an agreement with Alberta’s premier on Thursday that rolls back certain climate rules to spur investment in energy production, while encouraging construction of a new oil pipeline to the West Coast. Under the agreement, the federal government will scrap a planned emissions cap on the oil and gas sector and drop rules on clean electricity, in exchange for a commitment by Canada’s top oil-producing province to strengthen industrial carbon pricing and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334433/canada-rolls-back-climate-rules-energy-deal-looks-asia-weather-trump-tariffs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3334433/canada-rolls-back-climate-rules-energy-deal-looks-asia-weather-trump-tariffs?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Nov 2025 22:52:04 +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. Trump talks to Japanese PM hours after his overnight call with China’s Xi Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi confirmed “the close cooperation” between Tokyo and Washington in a phone call with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, hours after Trump spoke by phone with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. 2. China sends emergency return vehicle to space... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3334126/trump-talks-japans-pm-china-launches-replacement-spacecraft-scmp-daily-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3334126/trump-talks-japans-pm-china-launches-replacement-spacecraft-scmp-daily-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Nov 2025 13:15:08 +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 Aileen Chuang Aileen Chuang Hong Kong-based Tykhe Capital Group and Malaysia’s Skyvast Digital have launched a US$150 million tokenised fund that offers investors exposure to artificial intelligence infrastructure, using an innovative arrangement designed to share project revenues and boost liquidity. SKYD Token was “the world’s first global-grade AI infrastructure tokenised fund”, Tykhe’s subsidiary, Pioneer Asset Management, and AI infrastructure developer Skyvast said in a press release on Monday. The fund will provide... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3333957/hong-kong-and-malaysian-firms-roll-out-us150-million-tokenised-ai-infrastructure-fund?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3333957/hong-kong-and-malaysian-firms-roll-out-us150-million-tokenised-ai-infrastructure-fund?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2025 10:30:10 +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 Bloomberg Bloomberg Sun Life Financial’s newly unified asset-management division plans to hire about 20 senior executives as it looks to turn a collection of investment managers into a more coordinated global powerhouse. Tom Murphy, who becomes president of Sun Life Asset Management on January 1, said he would add senior people across the company’s existing managers and Sun Life’s insurance and wealth businesses, helping those operations originate capital, design products and deepen ties with large... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3333663/sun-life-aims-global-growth-new-asset-management-hires?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3333663/sun-life-aims-global-growth-new-asset-management-hires?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 07:25:09 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han Washington needs to accelerate arms sales to Taiwan and help establish a regional contingency stockpile for its defence, the US Senate heard on Thursday. Such steps would help implement provisions in a landmark 2022 law – the Taiwan Enhanced Resilience Act (TERA) – that have not yet been fully realised, as well as boost morale on the self-governed island, witnesses said at a hearing hosted by the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Despite last week’s approval of a sale of aircraft... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3333609/us-should-speed-arms-deliveries-taiwan-create-regional-stockpile-senate-hears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3333609/us-should-speed-arms-deliveries-taiwan-create-regional-stockpile-senate-hears?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2025 23:05:02 +0000 Aileen Chuang Aileen Chuang China’s €4 billion (US$4.6 billion) euro-denominated bond sale has drawn record demand, highlighting robust investor confidence in its sovereign assets amid a global shift towards diversification. International and regional investors placed €100.1 billion in orders for the offering – 25 times the fundraising target – China’s Ministry of Finance said in a statement on Wednesday. The seven-year tranche, issued alongside an equal-sized four-year tranche, attracted demand 26.5 times its allocation,... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3333441/chinas-euro-bond-sale-sees-record-demand-signals-strong-investor-confidence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3333441/chinas-euro-bond-sale-sees-record-demand-signals-strong-investor-confidence?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Nov 2025 12:53:25 +0000 Radu Magdin Radu Magdin Family offices in Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai are redrawing the global map of private capital. Each hub combines favourable tax and regulatory regimes with strong local networks of banks, advisers and deal makers. Together, they now rival Western centres in deploying private equity across the Global South. Drawing inspiration from family offices in the United States – where private equity has represented a major share of assets – these Asian hubs are scaling rapidly, positioning themselves as... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3333112/hong-kong-singapore-dubai-rise-family-office-triangle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3333112/hong-kong-singapore-dubai-rise-family-office-triangle?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Nov 2025 08:30:09 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong Washington’s approval for South Korea to build nuclear-powered submarines has become a turning point in the alliance, analysts say, one that is already pushing Seoul towards a more explicit role in the United States’ broader Indo-Pacific strategy to counter China. As the US military reframes the region around a “strategic triangle” linking South Korea, Japan and the Philippines, observers say Washington has begun naming its price for its endorsement of the submarine project – pressing Seoul to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333124/nuclear-submarines-deal-south-korea-falling-too-far-us-indo-pacific-embrace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333124/nuclear-submarines-deal-south-korea-falling-too-far-us-indo-pacific-embrace?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 00:00:24 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han Chinese student numbers in the United States have continued to decline over the past year, but they remain the second-largest student group after Indians and the biggest contributors to the US economy, according to new data released on Monday. A total of 265,919 Chinese studied in the US in the 2024-25 academic year, marking a four per cent decrease from the previous academic year, according to the latest annual survey of higher education institutions by the Institute of International Education... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3332899/chinese-student-numbers-us-continue-fall-gap-indian-scholars-widens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3332899/chinese-student-numbers-us-continue-fall-gap-indian-scholars-widens?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Nov 2025 05:01:08 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words The 15th National Games provide opportunities for young athletes across China to compete. They also promote various sports with a view to improving the physical and mental well-being of all Chinese. Yet, the elderly are overlooked. Mahjong is a game that delivers holistic benefits... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3332724/let-elderly-enjoy-mahjong-sport-all-its-benefits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3332724/let-elderly-enjoy-mahjong-sport-all-its-benefits?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Nov 2025 03:30:11 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Once awash with venture capital, Asia’s start-up ecosystem is now weathering a deep freeze as investors reassess their risk exposure amid global economic uncertainty and China’s growth slowdown. For regional entrepreneurs, the flight of risk capital has turned into a crisis, with funds seeking refuge in safer markets. Malaysian venture capitalists told This Week in Asia that fierce competition for a dwindling pool of funds had become the new normal. “What winter? It’s the constant weather here,”... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3332860/malaysias-start-ups-shiver-through-venture-capital-deep-freeze?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3332860/malaysias-start-ups-shiver-through-venture-capital-deep-freeze?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Nov 2025 07:00:15 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings Southeast Asian economies, along with China, Japan and South Korea, have a “transformative” opportunity to enter the world’s critical mineral supply chain, said Yasuto Watanabe, director of the Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO). Critical minerals – essential raw materials for the production of hi-tech gadgets, cars and aerospace equipment – will make the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (Asean) supply chain “more resilient and sustainable”, said Watanabe, who also... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3332830/us-china-tensions-offer-asean-transformative-critical-minerals-opportunity-economist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3332830/us-china-tensions-offer-asean-transformative-critical-minerals-opportunity-economist?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Nov 2025 01:00:32 +0000 Liu Zhen Liu Zhen China submitted the highest number of patent applications in 2024, leading global intellectual property activity, a new report shows. A total of 1.8 million patent applications were filed in China last year, accounting for nearly half of the global total and more than three times the number submitted to the United States, according to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). The US is ranked second on the list, followed by Japan, South Korea and Germany. Meanwhile, China issued over... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3332555/china-dominates-global-patent-race-record-filings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3332555/china-dominates-global-patent-race-record-filings?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2025 19:46:38 +0000 Azeem Khalid,Asma Khalid Azeem Khalid,Asma Khalid The signing of the Asean-China free trade agreement upgrade last month looked procedural. It wasn’t. The protocol adds chapters on digital trade, the green economy, supply chain connectivity, and the nuts and bolts of trade facilitation. These elements matter more than tariff cuts. As US tariffs on Chinese goods remain high, including on electric vehicles (EVs), batteries and solar cells, agreements that reduce friction, harmonise standards and streamline certification are becoming strategic... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3332246/how-asean-quietly-became-chinas-buffer-against-us-tariffs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3332246/how-asean-quietly-became-chinas-buffer-against-us-tariffs?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2025 08:30:09 +0000 Julie Zhang Julie Zhang The Hong Kong government priced a record HK$10 billion (US$1.3 billion) tokenised green bond offering on Monday, completing the world’s first government issuance to allow settlement using digital-fiat currencies as the city pushes to burnish its standing as a global hub for digital assets. “Hong Kong is uniquely positioned to connect traditional finance to the digital asset era,” said Christopher Hui Ching-yu, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, in an announcement published by the... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3332391/hong-kong-prices-worlds-first-government-bonds-tokenised-settlement?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3332391/hong-kong-prices-worlds-first-government-bonds-tokenised-settlement?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Nov 2025 14:46:26 +0000 Cannix Yau Cannix Yau Hong Kong is seeking to expand its trade networks by tapping into new markets in Latin America, Africa and Central Asia amid the easing of the US tariff war, the minister has said, expressing confidence that export growth will continue due to stronger ties with Southeast Asia. Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau Ying-wah said Hong Kong needed to diversify its exports following last month’s breakthrough in Sino-US trade talks when Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3332091/hong-kong-tap-new-markets-amid-easing-tariff-war-confident-export-growth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3332091/hong-kong-tap-new-markets-amid-easing-tariff-war-confident-export-growth?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Nov 2025 06:04:05 +0000 Vanessa Cai Vanessa Cai Chinese businesses should pivot their attention to the “rising” Global South such as Africa and the Middle East while minimising foreign investment risks through localisation, according to a former senior diplomat. Le Yucheng, who was a Chinese foreign vice-minister from 2018 to 2022, offered the assessment on Wednesday at the Hongqiao International Economic Forum in Shanghai, held as part of the China International Import Expo (CIIE), one of the world’s largest trade fairs. The annual six-day... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3331992/look-rising-global-south-ex-diplomat-tells-chinese-businesses?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3331992/look-rising-global-south-ex-diplomat-tells-chinese-businesses?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Nov 2025 08:12:06 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu China’s exports fell in October amid a volatile trade war with the United States – though recent high-level talks between the world’s two largest economies have since eased tensions. Outbound shipments fell 1.1 per cent year on year to US$305.35 billion last month, customs data showed on Friday. That figure was lower than September’s 8.3 per cent increase – a six-month high – and fell short of the 2.84 per cent growth forecast by Chinese financial data provider Wind. Imports in October stood at... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3331863/chinas-exports-fall-october-trade-war-takes-toll?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3331863/chinas-exports-fall-october-trade-war-takes-toll?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Nov 2025 03:09:15 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou During a whirlwind visit last month to Kuala Lumpur, US President Donald Trump oversaw a peace accord between Thailand and Cambodia and secured trade and critical minerals agreements with those two countries as well as with Malaysia and Vietnam. At the same time, US and Chinese negotiators met in the Malaysian capital, addressing trade disputes to pave the way for Trump’s summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Busan last week. The talks yielded progress on tariffs and rare earth exports. For... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3331654/us-china-trade-tensions-may-have-eased-southeast-asia-still-under-pressure-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3331654/us-china-trade-tensions-may-have-eased-southeast-asia-still-under-pressure-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Nov 2025 09:00:09 +0000 Enoch Yiu Enoch Yiu China’s Ministry of Finance returned to the international bond market for the first time in a year on Wednesday, offering US$4 billion in sovereign notes and giving international investors a chance to register their opinion on the country’s economic outlook amid receding trade tensions. The issuance in Hong Kong came just days after a truce in the long-simmering US-China trade dispute and followed Beijing’s unveiling of its 15th five-year plan for economic and social development. The offering of... https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3331771/beijing-tests-economic-outlook-after-trade-truce-us4-billion-hong-kong-bond-offering?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3331771/beijing-tests-economic-outlook-after-trade-truce-us4-billion-hong-kong-bond-offering?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Nov 2025 08:42:19 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Banks across Asia are pouring billions into artificial intelligence systems to detect fraud, but regulators and analysts say the region is still losing ground to nimble and adaptable scam syndicates using the same technology to find new ways to steal money. AI is now central to how lenders monitor transactions, screen sanctions and verify customers, helping them flag suspicious activity faster. Yet experts say the systems remain limited by what data they are trained on and by how quickly... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3331750/asian-banks-are-adopting-ai-cyberfraud-pure-arms-race-criminals-are-faster?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3331750/asian-banks-are-adopting-ai-cyberfraud-pure-arms-race-criminals-are-faster?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Nov 2025 07:17:41 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words If your windows are leaking during the monsoon season, you wouldn’t blame the rain; you would replace the windows. Similarly, if you feel Hong Kong’s Legislative Council is not performing as intended, now’s the time to replace the components – by voting in the December 7... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3331563/legislative-council-no-ivory-tower-its-leaky-window-your-flat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3331563/legislative-council-no-ivory-tower-its-leaky-window-your-flat?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Nov 2025 03:30:08 +0000 Salina Li Salina Li Reap, a Hong Kong-based fintech company that provides services through stablecoin-enabled infrastructure, has opened its 10,000 sq ft headquarters in Quarry Bay as part of its global expansion strategy. Founded in 2018 as part of Cyberport’s incubation programme, Reap chose Hong Kong as the base for its global expansion to capitalise on cross-border payment opportunities. “Few cities in the world offer this combination of deep multi-currency liquidity, regulatory clarity and global market... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3331612/hong-kong-headquarters-anchor-fintech-firm-reaps-global-stablecoin-powered-expansion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3331612/hong-kong-headquarters-anchor-fintech-firm-reaps-global-stablecoin-powered-expansion?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Nov 2025 08:29:25 +0000 Kolette Lim Kolette Lim Deaths from air pollution in Southeast Asia could rise by nearly 10 per cent and cost the region more than US$1 trillion by 2050 unless more effective action is taken, a new study has warned. The research – published in the journal Environment International earlier this month – modelled the potential rise in premature deaths and associated economic losses across three different climate change scenarios, each defined by levels of greenhouse gas emissions. Findings revealed the region is expected... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3331125/air-pollution-threatens-southeast-asia-more-deaths-us600-billion-losses-2050-study?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3331125/air-pollution-threatens-southeast-asia-more-deaths-us600-billion-losses-2050-study?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Oct 2025 14:00:28 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Carbon dioxide emissions are expected to peak globally next year, marking a turning point in the energy transition, with Asia set to play a prominent role in decarbonisation. The findings were revealed in a report by Rystad Energy released on Thursday, which noted that while the shift to renewable energy had gained momentum, peak oil demand was set to occur only by the 2030s, with near-term demand for fossil fuels including gas likely to be resilient. Emerging countries such as Pakistan and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3330986/asia-play-key-role-decarbonisation-amid-shift-renewables-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3330986/asia-play-key-role-decarbonisation-amid-shift-renewables-report?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Oct 2025 04:00:12 +0000 Kamala Thiagarajan Kamala Thiagarajan Earlier this month, China National Nuclear Corporation quietly marked a groundbreaking achievement. It announced that Linglong One – which it has billed as the world’s first commercial land-based small modular reactor – had successfully completed its “cold functional test”. This is the first comprehensive assessment of a reactor, done before fuel loading, checking how the system functions under high pressure. Linglong One, which has been much cheaper to construct than the larger Hualong One... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3330563/can-energy-hungry-asia-embrace-nuclear-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3330563/can-energy-hungry-asia-embrace-nuclear-power?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Oct 2025 21:30:08 +0000