https://www.scmp.com/rss/519409/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Reuters Reuters The United States is concerned that several African countries revoked overflight clearances for Taiwan’s leader at mainland China’s behest, the US State Department said on Wednesday, calling the incident an abuse of the international civil aviation system. Taiwan this week said the Seychelles, Mauritius ‌and Madagascar unilaterally revoked flight permits for leader William Lai Ching-te’s aircraft to cross airspace they manage on a planned trip to eSwatini, one of Taiwan’s allies. It is the first... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351056/us-slams-china-after-african-countries-block-taiwan-leaders-eswatini-trip?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3351056/us-slams-china-after-african-countries-block-taiwan-leaders-eswatini-trip?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 18:40:29 +0000 Reuters Reuters Britain’s government said on Saturday it had ⁠put on hold ⁠its deal to cede sovereignty ⁠of the Chagos Islands – home to the US-British Diego Garcia airbase – which has been criticised by US President Donald Trump. British media reported that planned legislation underpinning the deal to cede the ‌islands to Mauritius, which needs the backing of Washington, would not be included in the government’s next parliamentary agenda. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said London would try to persuade... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3349744/trump-critique-pauses-uk-handover-chagos-islands-mauritius?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3349744/trump-critique-pauses-uk-handover-chagos-islands-mauritius?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 09:11:13 +0000 dpa dpa Iran launched ballistic missiles at the joint US-UK military base in Diego Garcia on Friday, showing a missile capability that goes beyond what Tehran was known to have possessed. The base, a strategic airfield that can host B-2 stealth bombers located nearly 4,000km (2,500 miles) from Iran, suffered no damage, according to a person familiar with the matter speaking on condition of anonymity. The attack was the first time in the three-week-old war that Tehran was reported to have used weapons... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347434/iran-fires-missiles-uk-us-base-diego-garcia-indian-ocean-us-media?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347434/iran-fires-missiles-uk-us-base-diego-garcia-indian-ocean-us-media?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 11:19:47 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan US President Donald Trump on Wednesday sharply criticised British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the UK’s agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, warning the deal could create strategic vulnerabilities amid concerns about China’s growing ties with Mauritius. The deal, finalised in 2025 between Britain and Mauritius, would see Britain transfer sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius while securing a 99-year lease to maintain full operational control of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343944/trump-flip-flops-again-saying-uks-chagos-deal-would-be-big-mistake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343944/trump-flip-flops-again-saying-uks-chagos-deal-would-be-big-mistake?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 20:19:43 +0000 Mark Logan Mark Logan Winston Churchill wrote his four-volume masterpiece, A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, at the very moment a new era of world history was taking shape: victory over the Nazis, the birth of the United Nations, the Bretton Woods institutions. All signalled continuity of Anglo-Saxon leadership in world affairs, the baton passing fairly peacefully from Britain to America. But 80 years on from the end of the second world war, the world is reconfiguring itself once more. And what it means for... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3341102/anglosphere-fractures-starmers-china-visit-could-be-historic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3341102/anglosphere-fractures-starmers-china-visit-could-be-historic?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 12:30:10 +0000 dpa dpa UK health officials have urged people to take precautions against mosquito bites while on holiday amid a rise in cases of chikungunya among travellers returning from abroad. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has also detected the first cases of the emerging disease oropouche virus in the United Kingdom, all of which were linked to travel from Brazil. Chikungunya is a virus spread by mosquito bites, the symptoms of which include a sudden fever and joint pain. According to UKHSA, most people... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3321807/uk-warns-travellers-imported-chikungunya-cases-rise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3321807/uk-warns-travellers-imported-chikungunya-cases-rise?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Aug 2025 04:57:23 +0000 Ng Kang-chung,Cannix Yau Ng Kang-chung,Cannix Yau Hong Kong’s No 2 official has urged the public not to panic over a possible outbreak of chikungunya fever, expressing confidence that infections can be contained with government workers stepping up mosquito control efforts. Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki made the appeal as Hong Kong reported five imported cases in a week, while Tuen Mun recorded high mosquito index levels that prompted authorities to speed up implementing pest control measures. “The public does not need to panic as all the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3321323/hong-kongs-no-2-official-urges-calm-over-fears-chikungunya-fever-outbreak?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3321323/hong-kongs-no-2-official-urges-calm-over-fears-chikungunya-fever-outbreak?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Aug 2025 11:43:21 +0000 Ng Kang-chung Ng Kang-chung Hong Kong reported a new imported chikungunya fever case and another probable patient on Friday, bringing the number of confirmed cases to five in a week. Health authorities said the latest confirmed case involved a 66-year-old woman with a chronic illness who lived in Kwai Tsing district. A preliminary investigation by the Centre for Health Protection found that the woman travelled alone to visit relatives in Foshan, Guangdong province, from July 24 to Tuesday this week. The patient could not... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3321280/hong-kong-reports-new-imported-chikungunya-fever-case-bringing-tally-5?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3321280/hong-kong-reports-new-imported-chikungunya-fever-case-bringing-tally-5?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Aug 2025 16:00:37 +0000 June Xia June Xia Big city lights? Too dull, say bright-eyed Chinese travellers who prefer to dream of far-flung locales – areas more likely to drain their life alongside their bank account. And oh, what a thrill. Chinese tourists eyeing overseas excursions are increasingly turning their gaze to remote areas – generally away from urban settings and run-of-the-mill tourist destinations that comprise the photo posts of more traditional travellers, and towards off-the-beaten-path locations that, in many cases, wowed... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3315249/chinas-thrill-seekers-splash-out-adventure-tourism-social-media-lures-them-grid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3315249/chinas-thrill-seekers-splash-out-adventure-tourism-social-media-lures-them-grid?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Jun 2025 03:00:11 +0000 Nong Hong Nong Hong Decades of dispute over the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, rooted in colonial history and international legal challenges, have been addressed after the United Kingdom agreed to transfer sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius. Under the May 22 deal, the UK retains a 99-year lease on the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands. Under British colonial rule, the island chain was separated from Mauritius in 1965, three years before Mauritius was granted independence.... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3311622/uks-chagos-deal-puts-spotlight-strategic-contest-indian-ocean?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3311622/uks-chagos-deal-puts-spotlight-strategic-contest-indian-ocean?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 May 2025 21:30:07 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan Britain on Thursday signed a deal giving sovereignty to the strategically located Chagos Islands to Mauritius yet retaining control of a US-UK military base as it claimed China along with Russia and Iran sought to derail the agreement. British Defence Secretary John Healey at a press conference with Prime Minister Keir Starmer said allies including the US, India, Australia, New Zealand and Canada supported the agreement, while China, Russia, and Iran wanted “to see this deal collapse”. “The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3311441/uk-signs-chagos-deal-mauritius-seal-future-us-uk-airbase?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3311441/uk-signs-chagos-deal-mauritius-seal-future-us-uk-airbase?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 May 2025 14:46:57 +0000 When Donald Trump says he is imposing universal tariffs, he really means it. The US president is not just targeting most trading partners of the United States, which are by and large nations and economies made up of humans. He is, as confirmed by the White House, also going after territories full of penguins, seals, seabirds, crustaceans or other wildlife, but with few or no humans. There may be ecology but no economy to speak of. Seriously, I am not making this up. Call those poor animals... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3305266/donald-trumps-tariff-madness-targets-not-only-allies-animals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3305266/donald-trumps-tariff-madness-targets-not-only-allies-animals?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Apr 2025 13:00:09 +0000 US President Donald Trump, sitting alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the Oval Office on Thursday, signalled he supported the UK’s plan to transfer control of a group of small but strategically vital Indian Ocean islands to Mauritius. “I have a feeling it’s going to work out very well,” Trump said, adding that “we’ll be inclined to go along with your country”. Just minutes before his bilateral meeting with Starmer, the US president told reporters the issue would be on the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3300452/trump-signals-support-britains-plan-transfer-control-strategic-chagos-islands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3300452/trump-signals-support-britains-plan-transfer-control-strategic-chagos-islands?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Feb 2025 20:29:45 +0000 Republican lawmakers in Washington are sounding the alarm over China’s plans to build a large embassy in London, urging the British ambassador to raise the issue with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his trip this week to the US capital. Starmer is expected in Washington for several days of meetings, including one with US President Donald Trump on Thursday, as European leaders seek continued US support for Ukraine. “Gifting the Chinese Communist government with the largest embassy in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3300286/republicans-urge-britain-oppose-chinas-plans-new-embassy-london?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3300286/republicans-urge-britain-oppose-chinas-plans-new-embassy-london?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Feb 2025 19:11:59 +0000 British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will meet US President Donald Trump next week, Starmer’s office in London has confirmed. A spokesman said Starmer would seek to “deepen the special relationship” on his first visit to Washington DC since Trump’s inauguration. Asked last week about meeting Starmer, Trump said the two were “going to have a friendly meeting, very good”. The UK government has had mixed results in its efforts to gain favour with the new US administration. Trump’s departure from... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3299054/starmer-meet-trump-us-next-week-uk-pm-seeks-deepen-special-relationship?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3299054/starmer-meet-trump-us-next-week-uk-pm-seeks-deepen-special-relationship?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Feb 2025 18:02:17 +0000 Britain said on Thursday it would give up sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in a deal that would allow people displaced decades ago to return home while London retains use of the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. Britain said that the operation of Diego Garcia, a strategic military base jointly operated with the United States, was protected by the agreement, which also allows Mauritius to resettle the rest of the islands after its population was displaced. US President Joe Biden... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3280982/britain-agrees-chagos-island-sovereignty-deal-mauritius-retains-military-base?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3280982/britain-agrees-chagos-island-sovereignty-deal-mauritius-retains-military-base?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Oct 2024 11:58:54 +0000 The 2024 Paris Olympic Games officially opened while most of Hong Kong was sleeping, with a four-hour extravaganza that, although enthralling in places, stretched the patience of even the keenest of observers. Athletes were taken down a 6km stretch of the River Seine, past cheering crowds and high-energy performances from the likes of Lady Gaga, Aya Nakamura and French mezzo-soprano Axelle Saint-Cirel. With a consistent nod to the country’s turbulent history – including a metal band’s... https://www.scmp.com/sport/paris-olympics-2024/hong-kong/article/3272103/while-you-were-sleeping-5-things-know-paris-olympics-opening-ceremony?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/paris-olympics-2024/hong-kong/article/3272103/while-you-were-sleeping-5-things-know-paris-olympics-opening-ceremony?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Jul 2024 23:34:32 +0000 A new Chinese fishing port on Tanzania’s Indian Ocean coastline that is expected to create thousands of jobs is on track to be completed next year. The US$111 million port in Kilwa Masoko is being built by state-owned China Harbour Engineering Company under the Belt and Road Initiative, a transcontinental infrastructure project, with the aim of helping China meet its huge domestic demand for seafood. But the means by which it meets this demand have come under scrutiny with critics warning that... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3266796/china-looks-africa-meet-rising-demand-seafood-can-it-balance-local-interests-its-own-needs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3266796/china-looks-africa-meet-rising-demand-seafood-can-it-balance-local-interests-its-own-needs?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Jun 2024 07:13:58 +0000 India’s recent general elections were spread out over the course of six weeks but still managed to provide a thrill. The results suggest the Indian voter decided to humble the mighty and restore balance. The victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party and its alliance partners has secured a mandate for political and economic reform, although they will have to engage in negotiations and are likely to face stronger opposition. Modi’s victory was widely expected, but... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3266045/can-modis-third-term-bring-india-and-asean-closer-together?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3266045/can-modis-third-term-bring-india-and-asean-closer-together?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Jun 2024 21:30:09 +0000 A massive collection of jewellery, handbags and other luxury goods worth more than US$346 million were amassed from vendors in at least a dozen countries using money from Malaysia’s plundered 1MDB state fund, a court has heard. The revelation came in a statement of claim 1Malaysia Development Bhd, SRC International Sdn Bhd and four other 1MDB subsidiaries filed last week against Rosmah Mansor – wife of jailed former prime minister Najib Razak – and one other individual. The goods were bought... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3266269/rosmahs-us346-million-1mdb-haul-came-mostly-hong-kong-us-uae-malaysia-court-hears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3266269/rosmahs-us346-million-1mdb-haul-came-mostly-hong-kong-us-uae-malaysia-court-hears?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Jun 2024 05:26:46 +0000 I come from a family of artists and my parents were both Hindustani classical musicians. My mother was the first female tabla (an Indian hand drum) player on the international stage. I was born in 1963 in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, one of the biggest states in India. When I was two years old, my father got a job as a professor at Delhi University and we moved there. My mother also worked at the university. Extended families, with cousins and uncles and aunts, are a big thing in India. But we were... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3264203/saurabh-shukla-going-theatre-defiance-his-indian-familys-wishes-film-roles-and-being-typecast?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3264203/saurabh-shukla-going-theatre-defiance-his-indian-familys-wishes-film-roles-and-being-typecast?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 May 2024 03:35:12 +0000 Jess Ma Jess Ma The application of strong core values is just as important as law enforcement in the battle against corruption, Hong Kong’s top judge has said as the city’s anti-graft agency expands its international work. Chief Justice Andrew Cheung Kui-nung said on Wednesday that not all behaviour that involved corruption could be considered a crime, but the insidious nature of such actions harmed the rule of law “beyond measure”. “It may not be possible to write all permutations of corruption into the law,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3263601/strong-core-values-just-vital-law-enforcement-anti-corruption-fight-hong-kongs-top-judge-says-icac?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3263601/strong-core-values-just-vital-law-enforcement-anti-corruption-fight-hong-kongs-top-judge-says-icac?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 May 2024 06:06:31 +0000 An ambitious trade deal between India and Britain is likely to be delayed until a general election is held to form a new UK government, observers say, amid political uncertainty after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak suffered a string of defeats in local polls. Sunak’s Conservative Party lost control of 10 councils and more than 470 council seats. The party also ceded 10 Police and Crime Commissioners to Labour, which could undermine its election campaign. “Successive British prime ministers... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3263378/ambitious-india-uk-trade-deal-could-be-hold-amid-political-uncertainty-over-sunaks-losses-local?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3263378/ambitious-india-uk-trade-deal-could-be-hold-amid-political-uncertainty-over-sunaks-losses-local?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 May 2024 11:00:19 +0000 Chinese agricultural scientist Jia Yinsuo first arrived in Africa in 1994 and went on to dedicate the last three decades to researching maize and supporting local agriculture in 23 countries across the continent. And his efforts have gained new impetus in the past decade, following Beijing’s launch of a China-centred trading network known as the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013. “Kenya’s agriculture minister wrote to China’s Ministry of Agriculture, seeking assistance from my team to help local... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3255586/chinas-technical-expertise-touted-new-vehicle-progress-embattled-global-belt-and-road?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3255586/chinas-technical-expertise-touted-new-vehicle-progress-embattled-global-belt-and-road?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Mar 2024 00:00:14 +0000 Global Impact is a weekly curated newsletter featuring a news topic originating in China with a significant macro impact for our newsreaders around the world. Sign up now! In the 10 years since Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared, Jiang Hui, son of a passenger on the plane, has never stopped searching. He has visited search teams in Australia, searched the beaches of Mauritius, Madagascar and Réunion to scour for debris and to implore governments not to give up. During his many... https://www.scmp.com/economy/article/3254892/global-impact-10-years-questions-remain-over-fate-malaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-amid-hopes-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/article/3254892/global-impact-10-years-questions-remain-over-fate-malaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-amid-hopes-new?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Mar 2024 06:00:17 +0000 It has been 10 years since Malaysia Airlines passenger flight MH370 disappeared on March 8, 2014. To this day, it remains one of the biggest aviation mysteries globally. It’s unthinkable that a modern Boeing 777-200ER aircraft with 239 people on board can simply vanish without any explanation. Yet multiple searches in the past decade have still not yielded the main wreckage or the bodies of the victims. At a remembrance event held earlier this week, the Malaysian transport minister announced a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3254716/can-malaysias-mh370-aircraft-still-be-found-10-years-after-it-disappeared?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3254716/can-malaysias-mh370-aircraft-still-be-found-10-years-after-it-disappeared?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Mar 2024 03:00:16 +0000 Jiang Hui has had many brushes with death in his various expeditions to the African coast to scour for debris from missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Once, when searching a beach on Réunion, a French island in the Indian Ocean, Jiang narrowly avoided treading on a venomous snake. Another time, he was swamped and battered by huge waves as he tried to wade through chest-high water to board a boat. But that all faded when he found a piece of honeycomb-shaped debris in Madagascar. It was... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3254323/bringing-them-home-why-chinas-mh370-families-are-still-searching-missing-decade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3254323/bringing-them-home-why-chinas-mh370-families-are-still-searching-missing-decade?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Mar 2024 05:00:14 +0000 A vibrant fishing industry, some of the world’s largest coral reefs, desalination plants supplying millions with drinking water. They’re all at risk from large amounts of fertiliser and oil spilled into the Red Sea by the sinking of a cargo ship attacked by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Officials on Saturday said the M/V Rubymar, a Belize-flagged vessel reportedly carrying 22,000 metric tons of toxic fertiliser, sunk after taking on water in the February 18 attack. Even before plunging to the ocean’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3253971/red-sea-faces-environmental-disaster-cargo-ship-sinking-leads-oil-spill-fertiliser-leak-after-houthi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3253971/red-sea-faces-environmental-disaster-cargo-ship-sinking-leads-oil-spill-fertiliser-leak-after-houthi?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Mar 2024 02:35:07 +0000 The latest Raisina Dialogue, held recently in New Delhi, attracted global leaders and scholars in a display of India’s position in the world and the clout it wields – not just across the Indo-Pacific but among the Global South. It also showed that India is a much better fit for groupings such as Brics, or even I2U2, than for the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, which launched a think tank forum on the sidelines of the dialogue. Brics’ members include Brazil, Russia, India, China and South... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3253706/raisina-dialogue-indias-lofty-ideals-make-clear-its-quad-misfit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3253706/raisina-dialogue-indias-lofty-ideals-make-clear-its-quad-misfit?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Mar 2024 21:30:13 +0000 Mauritius inaugurated on Thursday an Indian-financed air strip and jetty on the island of Agalega, but denied the remote islet would be used for military purposes. An investigation by news broadcaster Al Jazeera in 2021 said India was building a secret naval base on Agalega, much to the chagrin of its approximately 300 inhabitants. “There has never been a project to turn Agalega into a military base,” Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said. “I strongly deplore and condemn the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3253720/mauritius-launches-india-funded-air-strip-agalega-denies-it-will-be-used-military-base?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3253720/mauritius-launches-india-funded-air-strip-agalega-denies-it-will-be-used-military-base?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Feb 2024 13:59:05 +0000 The first passengers on a cruise ship which has been stranded off the East African island of Mauritius due to a suspected cholera outbreak have left the ship after the authorities gave the all-clear. They were originally expected to leave the ship on Sunday. “The immigration authorities came on board on Monday evening so that the first people could disembark if they wanted to,” Clyde Bastienne, 49, from Mauritius, told dpa. He had travelled with his daughter from South Africa via Madagascar to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3253404/passengers-start-exit-cholera-suspected-norwegian-dawn-cruise-ship-near-mauritius-many-remain-board?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3253404/passengers-start-exit-cholera-suspected-norwegian-dawn-cruise-ship-near-mauritius-many-remain-board?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Feb 2024 11:06:10 +0000 A US-owned luxury cruise ship with more than 3,000 passengers and crew was allowed to dock on Monday in the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius after being quarantined offshore for a day over fears of a possible cholera outbreak on board, authorities said. The Mauritius government cleared the Norwegian Dawn, which is owned and run by the Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Line company, to dock at the harbour in the capital, Port Louis, after health officials found no traces of cholera in tests conducted... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3253309/norwegian-dawn-cruise-ship-allowed-dock-mauritius-after-tests-show-no-cholera-aboard?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3253309/norwegian-dawn-cruise-ship-allowed-dock-mauritius-after-tests-show-no-cholera-aboard?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Feb 2024 23:13:01 +0000 More than 3,000 people are stranded on board a cruise ship off the East African island of Mauritius because of a health risk. Following a series of gastrointestinal illnesses on board the Norwegian Dawn, the authorities in Mauritius refused to allow the ship to dock in the harbour of the capital Port Louis on Sunday, after the French island of La Reunion had already turned the ship away. “The decision not to allow the cruise ship access to the quay was taken in order to avoid any health risks,”... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3253191/norwegian-dawn-cruise-ship-quarantine-mauritius-3000-people-aboard?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3253191/norwegian-dawn-cruise-ship-quarantine-mauritius-3000-people-aboard?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Feb 2024 04:49:36 +0000 The Good The annual World Travel Awards have something of a problem. The Maldives keep winning. In 2023, the Indian Ocean archipelago picked up the prestigious title of World’s Leading Destination for the fourth year in a row. Its Marketing & PR Corporation was voted World’s Leading Tourist Board (second year running) and there was even a Global Tourism Resilience gong for swift post-Covid recovery. The Maldives was also nominated as the World’s Leading Dive Destination, World’s Leading... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3252960/maldives-good-bad-and-ugly-celebrated-holiday-destination-has-fans-taylor-swift-tom-cruise-prince?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3252960/maldives-good-bad-and-ugly-celebrated-holiday-destination-has-fans-taylor-swift-tom-cruise-prince?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Feb 2024 07:15:16 +0000 In recent weeks and months, a commentary that has gained prominence has been about whether India is the next growth story after China. Estimates differ as to what extent, but most agree that the South Asian nation’s market promises to be the next best thing. Therefore, I was surprised to read that the European Union may slap sanctions on Chinese and Indian firms’ export of electronics to Russia. That the move is being mulled two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine seems intriguing. All the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3252855/eu-living-past-it-mulls-sanctions-indian-chinese-firms-exporting-russia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3252855/eu-living-past-it-mulls-sanctions-indian-chinese-firms-exporting-russia?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Feb 2024 02:00:18 +0000 When Qian Qichen, then China’s foreign minister, visited Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania in January 1991, he set the ball rolling for what Chinese state media called an “unstoppable trend”. Since then Chinese foreign ministers have chosen African nations as their first overseas stop each year, even after Qian left the role in 1998. For 34 consecutive years the diplomatic convention has been followed through by every Chinese foreign minister, from Tang Jiaxuan to Li Zhaoxing, Yang Jiechi and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3252446/why-after-more-3-decades-chinas-foreign-minister-still-starts-year-trip-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3252446/why-after-more-3-decades-chinas-foreign-minister-still-starts-year-trip-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Feb 2024 14:00:09 +0000 For decades, Pakistan’s military establishment has interfered with the democratic process of the country, influencing election outcomes to maintain its grip on power. While the public votes, the military ensures that only its preferred parties or leaders emerge victorious through various mechanisms. This managed political system has largely kept the transitions of power stable – but at the cost of establishing genuine representative governance. However, the recent ousting of former prime... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3251943/pakistans-election-results-wake-call-its-power-hungry-military?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3251943/pakistans-election-results-wake-call-its-power-hungry-military?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Feb 2024 11:30:19 +0000 Nairobi mall manager Lei Zhang could not make it back home to China for his annual Lunar New Year visit this time around. But he and thousands of Chinese like him might have been a little less homesick at the weekend, thanks to a New Year’s Day gala co-hosted by the Kenya Overseas Chinese Association and the Kenya Chinese Women Association. More than 3,000 performers, both Kenyan and Chinese, took part in Saturday’s event to ring in the Year of the Dragon – held at the mall just outside the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3251775/year-dragon-kenya-chinese-get-taste-home-away-home-lunar-new-years-gala-nairobi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3251775/year-dragon-kenya-chinese-get-taste-home-away-home-lunar-new-years-gala-nairobi?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Feb 2024 04:02:08 +0000 Despite misfires during previous infrastructure endeavours in Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, China is now making substantial green energy investments in those regions – and finding eager takers. Companies are making strides in power generation and crafting solar energy equipment with support from a range of host countries, including Egypt, Mauritius, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. In dollar terms, last year Chinese-backed projects grew at a singularly speedy clip. In Africa,... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3251576/china-funds-clean-energy-belt-and-road-partners-fuelling-green-transition-and-salving-chafed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3251576/china-funds-clean-energy-belt-and-road-partners-fuelling-green-transition-and-salving-chafed?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Feb 2024 02:00:26 +0000 China would concentrate its investments abroad this year in mining and energy as part of Beijing’s signature Belt and Road Initiative, according to a report from a university think tank, in a boon to its domestic economy as well as its overseas partners. The projects fit the next phase of the initiative, which seeks to smooth cross-border trade by building infrastructure projects across Asia, Africa and Europe, the Green Finance and Development Centre at Fudan University said on Monday. “The... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3251003/chinas-overseas-investments-go-green-2024-clear-need-belt-and-road-initiative-focus-renewable-energy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3251003/chinas-overseas-investments-go-green-2024-clear-need-belt-and-road-initiative-focus-renewable-energy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Feb 2024 02:00:10 +0000 European solar panel producers are calling for urgent curbs on Chinese access to the EU photovoltaic (PV) market to save their industry. In a letter sent to the European Commission, a group representing “nearly the entire European PV manufacturing industry” called for “emergency measures” to safeguard the EU supply chain amid “significant oversupply” from China. It claimed that oversupply of PV modules from China late in 2022 and through 2023 had “triggered a drastic reduction in prices”,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3250624/european-solar-panel-makers-ask-eu-emergency-steps-block-chinas-significant-oversupply?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3250624/european-solar-panel-makers-ask-eu-emergency-steps-block-chinas-significant-oversupply?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Feb 2024 13:51:07 +0000 China’s total trade with Africa grew a modest 1.5 per cent in 2023 from 2022 to US$282.1 billion, but Africa’s trade deficit with China widened, according to the latest Chinese customs data. Chinese exports to Africa reached US$173 billion, an increase of 7.5 per cent over 2022, while its imports from the continent dropped by 6.7 per cent to US$109 billion, figures from the General Administration of Customs showed. While the US$100 million year-on-year increase made 2023 bilateral trade a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3250552/china-africa-trade-hit-282-billion-2023-africas-trade-deficit-widens-commodity-prices-key-factor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3250552/china-africa-trade-hit-282-billion-2023-africas-trade-deficit-widens-commodity-prices-key-factor?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Feb 2024 08:58:29 +0000 Chinese investors have begun shining a spotlight on a tiny island nation in East Africa known for a “special type of sugar”, but it’s not the vast plantations of Mauritius that have caught their eye. Instead, they are sweet on cashing in on the country’s “ambitious target” of deriving at least 60 per cent of its energy from “green” sources by 2030, according to Mahen Kumar Seeruttun, minister of financial services and good governance for the island of 1.3 million people located around 1,000km... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3250171/china-investors-eye-africas-tiny-island-mauritius-it-goes-green-and-tries-sweeten-trade-deals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3250171/china-investors-eye-africas-tiny-island-mauritius-it-goes-green-and-tries-sweeten-trade-deals?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Jan 2024 11:30:21 +0000 When you land at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka, one of the billboards welcoming you to the Zambian capital advertises the services of the Bank of China (BOC). There are not many countries in Africa where the Chinese government-owned financial institution offers fully fledged banking services in yuan, the Chinese currency. In addition to Zambia, BOC has a branch in Johannesburg, South Africa, as well as a representative office in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi. But it was in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3249030/chinese-yuan-gives-us-dollar-run-its-money-african-trade-embraces-other-currencies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3249030/chinese-yuan-gives-us-dollar-run-its-money-african-trade-embraces-other-currencies?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Jan 2024 08:21:58 +0000 Relatives of Chinese passengers on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 refreshed their call to resume the search for the aircraft after two French experts claimed renewed efforts could find the plane “within days”. Earlier this week, aerospace expert Jean-Luc Marchand and pilot Patrick Blelly said the mystery of the missing plane could be solved in a matter of days if there was a new search, based on their research. The pair said the plane’s transponder was turned off and that the U-turn... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3246418/chinese-families-malaysian-flight-mh370-victims-urge-new-search-after-experts-say-plane-could-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3246418/chinese-families-malaysian-flight-mh370-victims-urge-new-search-after-experts-say-plane-could-be?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Dec 2023 12:43:32 +0000 The Indian Ocean has been receiving considerable attention recently, with a conclave of naval chiefs of littoral nations meeting in Bangkok under the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium banner. The symposium is an Indian initiative begun in 2008 and seeks to further maritime cooperation among the regional navies of the Indian Ocean. Earlier, China convened a maritime conference in Kunming to enhance blue-economy cooperation with select Indian Ocean nations under the theme of “Boosting Sustainable Blue... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3245781/can-china-and-india-give-small-indian-ocean-region-nations-what-they-really-need?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3245781/can-china-and-india-give-small-indian-ocean-region-nations-what-they-really-need?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Dec 2023 21:30:12 +0000 Russia’s recent flurry of activity in the Indian Ocean reflects its desire to be seen as an equal and not a “fading power”, analysts say, though its outreach to Global South countries in “close strategic partner” India’s own backyard may pose a challenge to New Delhi’s regional ambitions – and security interests. Last month, Russia held its first joint naval exercises with Myanmar and docked warships in Bangladesh for the first time in five decades, in moves widely seen as attempts to bolster... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3245230/russia-projects-its-great-power-ambitions-indias-backyard-will-it-irritate-us-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3245230/russia-projects-its-great-power-ambitions-indias-backyard-will-it-irritate-us-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Dec 2023 00:30:16 +0000 HSBC said it may buy financial businesses and shed unprofitable units around Asia to expand its footprint for serving wealthy customers, as Hong Kong’s largest bank looks to fine-tune its growth strategy to deliver the best returns for shareholders. “While organic growth will continue to be a core expansion strategy for HSBC, mergers, acquisitions and disposals will be a key strategy to expand in new markets and to strengthen our existing business lines,” the bank’s Asia-Pacific co-CEO David... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3244899/hsbc-may-buy-assets-sell-unprofitable-units-expand-its-footprint-and-sharpen-its-focus-serving?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3244899/hsbc-may-buy-assets-sell-unprofitable-units-expand-its-footprint-and-sharpen-its-focus-serving?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Dec 2023 08:00:12 +0000 There remains a gap between Israel’s intent to protect civilians and the results on the ground in Gaza, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday, adding that Washington talks to Israel on a regular basis about civilian protection, including as recently as Thursday. “It remains imperative that Israel put a premium on civilian protection. And there does remain a gap between, exactly what I said when I was there, the intent to protect civilians and the actual results that we’re seeing... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3244299/blinken-gap-remains-between-israels-intent-protect-civilians-and-results?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3244299/blinken-gap-remains-between-israels-intent-protect-civilians-and-results?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Dec 2023 23:06:23 +0000 There are many straits and passages with unfamiliar names across the Indo-Pacific. Some are potential flashpoints in the event of a regional war. The Taiwan Strait is the best known. Others are more obscure but nevertheless strategically important for military access and supply as well as hi-tech spying such as penetrating undersea internet cables. That’s why the United States has been busy fortifying what some Pentagon strategists have called the first, second and even third island chains of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3243795/how-western-allies-subvert-international-law-and-norms-contain-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3243795/how-western-allies-subvert-international-law-and-norms-contain-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Dec 2023 13:00:09 +0000