https://www.scmp.com/rss/519462/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Shipowner Hafnia, operator of the Hafnia Nile oil tanker, is in discussion with Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) about transferring the damaged ship’s cargo of naphtha to a safe location, the MPA said on Wednesday. The Singapore-flagged Hafnia Nile and the Sao Tome and Principe-flagged Ceres I collided and caught fire about 55km (35 miles) northeast of the Singaporean island of Pedra Branca early on July 19. The Hafnia Nile, a Panamax tanker chartered by Spanish energy firm Cepsa,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3271754/hafnia-singapore-port-authority-transfer-oil-cargo-fire-hit-tanker?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3271754/hafnia-singapore-port-authority-transfer-oil-cargo-fire-hit-tanker?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Jul 2024 13:34:08 +0000 Malaysia’s coastguard said on Saturday that one of the two large oil tankers involved in a collision that led to fires on both had left the location of the accident and was believed to have turned off its tracking system. The coastguard said it was tracking the whereabouts of the Sao Tome and Principe-flagged tanker Ceres I, which was suspected to be within Malaysian waters. The Ceres I was involved in a collision reported early on Friday with the Singapore-flagged Hafnia Nile about 55km (35... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3271264/malaysia-coastguard-says-tanker-involved-fire-left-site-was-using-dark-fleet-waters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3271264/malaysia-coastguard-says-tanker-involved-fire-left-site-was-using-dark-fleet-waters?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Jul 2024 13:31:56 +0000 Chinese loans to Africa have decreased significantly in recent years, according to a US university. In 2021 and 2022, China made 16 new loan commitments worth a combined total of US$2.22 billion to African countries, signifying two consecutive years of lending to Africa below US$2 billion, according to new data compiled by Boston University’s Global Development Policy Centre. In its Chinese Loans to Africa Database, the centre tracked seven loans worth US$1.22 billion that Chinese lenders signed... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3235290/chinese-investors-focus-west-africa-amid-decline-total-loans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3235290/chinese-investors-focus-west-africa-amid-decline-total-loans?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Sep 2023 08:00:14 +0000 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, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification. The tragic demise of a whale last month, following the rescue of three turtles last year, has again highlighted the dangers to large migrating animals in the South China Sea which enter Hong Kong... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3230392/make-hong-kong-waters-safer-whales-and-other-marine-animals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3230392/make-hong-kong-waters-safer-whales-and-other-marine-animals?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Aug 2023 03:30:17 +0000 On Wednesday, July 26, given a calm sea and a following wind, the 214,000-tonne container ship MV Milan Maersk is due to dock at Aarhus, on the east coast of Denmark. Hurtling down the gangplank as he returns home will be Torbjørn “Thor” Pedersen, who has achieved the remarkable feat of visiting all 203 countries – both official and less so – in the world without boarding a single aircraft, having set off on his unique odyssey in October 2013. It’s been a long 10 years, two of them spent in Hong... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3228461/why-guinness-world-record-traveller-who-visited-every-country-without-flying-beyond-excited-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3228461/why-guinness-world-record-traveller-who-visited-every-country-without-flying-beyond-excited-be?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Jul 2023 10:15:11 +0000 France generally gets more annual visitors than any other country (80 million-plus, at the last count), followed by Spain and the United States. But what about nations where visitor arrivals barely scrape past four figures? With one exception, the top – or bottom – 10 least-visited nations (excluding those closed to visitors because of conflict or other political ructions) are all on remote islands. And each has something exceptional to offer beyond the obvious bragging rights. 1. Tuvalu Annual... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3221911/10-least-visited-countries-monserrat-micronesia-are-remote-welcoming-and-well-worth-journey?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3221911/10-least-visited-countries-monserrat-micronesia-are-remote-welcoming-and-well-worth-journey?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 May 2023 20:15:10 +0000 China is importing more food products such as avocados, cashews, sesame seeds and chilli peppers from Africa, as agriculture emerges as the new focus of Beijing’s engagement with the continent. In the first two months of this year, Shanghai ports handled more than 40,000 tonnes of African agricultural products worth more than US$100 million, according to Shanghai Customs. By March 3, a total of 1,845 tonnes of African sesame had been imported through Shanghai’s Waigaoqiao Port – 4.3 times more... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3214001/chinas-africa-ties-why-food-new-focus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3214001/chinas-africa-ties-why-food-new-focus?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Mar 2023 10:00:18 +0000 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday slammed the world’s rich countries and energy giants for throttling poor nations with “predatory” interest rates and crippling fuel prices. Speaking in the Qatari capital, Doha, Guterres told leaders of more than 40 of the most deprived states that wealthy nations should provide US$500 billion a year to help others “trapped in vicious cycles” that block efforts to boost economies and vital services. The summit of Least Developed Countries (LDC)... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3212381/un-chief-slams-rich-countries-treatment-poor-nations-urges-them-do-more-help?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3212381/un-chief-slams-rich-countries-treatment-poor-nations-urges-them-do-more-help?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Mar 2023 15:07:59 +0000 In the latest Corruption Perceptions Index, the annual league table outlining the best and worst performers in tackling public-sector corruption, mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan all fared reasonably well. But big gaps in performances remain. The index, published by Transparency International, the world’s leading anti-corruption NGO, pools together data from 180 countries and territories to offer a snapshot of the battle against corruption. The data comes from a wide array of organisations:... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3209065/corruption-perceptions-index-dont-read-too-much-scores-mainland-china-hong-kong-and-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3209065/corruption-perceptions-index-dont-read-too-much-scores-mainland-china-hong-kong-and-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Feb 2023 19:30:13 +0000 Czech president-elect Petr Pavel has told Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-wen that his country will stand with the democratic island, in a phone call that will probably infuriate Beijing and escalate the already heightened tensions across the Taiwan Strait. Pavel also told Tsai that the self-ruled island is “a reliable partner” for cooperation in all areas, Taiwan’s Presidential Office said in a statement late on Monday. It confirmed that the two spoke for 15 minutes, during which Pavel thanked the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3208462/czech-president-elect-petr-pavel-risks-beijings-anger-phone-conversation-taiwans-leader-tsai-ing-wen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3208462/czech-president-elect-petr-pavel-risks-beijings-anger-phone-conversation-taiwans-leader-tsai-ing-wen?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Jan 2023 11:00:10 +0000 Nearly a year ago, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda requested that the East African country be allowed to export more products tariff-free to the lucrative Chinese market. China’s trade restrictions made it impossible to export some items, he explained. “[Chinese] companies are very active. They [see opportunity] … and they come and invest. So I think that is going very well,” Museveni told Bloomberg in November, ahead of the 8th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation ministerial conference. “The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3199961/china-course-africa-trade-boost-it-offers-duty-free-access-nine-more-countries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3199961/china-course-africa-trade-boost-it-offers-duty-free-access-nine-more-countries?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Nov 2022 22:00:13 +0000 When a Chinese military delegation visited Harare in 2011 to share experiences with Zimbabwean forces, president Robert Mugabe, who was also commander-in-chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, lavished praise on China. “They have assisted us in our struggle to free ourselves from colonialism,” he said. “China is a great friend of ours in many ways.” Mugabe was deposed five years ago but Zimbabwe remains Africa’s key destination for Chinese military assistance, according to a study published last... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3199382/chinese-aid-african-security-forces-helps-cement-ties-study-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3199382/chinese-aid-african-security-forces-helps-cement-ties-study-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Nov 2022 04:00:10 +0000 Morocco led the way in North Africa earlier this month when it became the first in the region to sign on to an implementation plan for China’s massive infrastructure programme, the Belt and Road Initiative. Four other North African countries – Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Algeria – have signed belt and road memorandums of understanding but Morocco is the first to go that one step further to detail the projects it and China will deliver. Moroccan Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita said the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3163576/end-line-chinas-big-belt-and-road-funding-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3163576/end-line-chinas-big-belt-and-road-funding-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Jan 2022 22:00:20 +0000