https://www.scmp.com/rss/519464/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Serbia’s president confirmed late on Thursday that his country possesses Chinese supersonic surface-attack cruise missiles, after photos of the weapons attached to Serbian fighter jets leaked online. Photos, which began circulating on social media and defence blogs earlier this week, showed missiles believed to be Chinese-made CM-400AKG cruise missiles attached to Serbia’s Russian-made MiG-29 planes. “We have things we do not show,” President Aleksandar Vucic told Serbia’s national broadcaster... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346420/serbian-president-confirms-his-country-owns-chinese-supersonic-missiles-after-photo-leak?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3346420/serbian-president-confirms-his-country-owns-chinese-supersonic-missiles-after-photo-leak?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 22:47:46 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings Chinese railway giants look set to scout Eurasia in the years ahead to build high-speed train lines as the domestic market matures and some countries are more prepared than others for capital-intensive yet transformative ventures, analysts said. Inspired by China-invested projects such as the 142km (88-mile) Jakarta-Bandung high-speed line in Indonesia and the partly finished 350km (217-mile) Budapest-Belgrade railway, Chinese construction and engineering firms are expected to expand their... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3344149/rail-ahead-high-speed-lines-saturate-china-how-far-can-their-global-reach-extend?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3344149/rail-ahead-high-speed-lines-saturate-china-how-far-can-their-global-reach-extend?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 08:00:12 +0000 Reuters,Agence France-Presse Reuters,Agence France-Presse Charismatic US civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, an eloquent Baptist minister raised in the segregated South ⁠who became a close associate of Martin Luther King Jnr and twice ran for the Democratic presidential nomination, has died at 84, his family said in a statement on Tuesday. “Our father was a servant leader – not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” the Jackson family said. Jackson, an inspirational orator and long-time Chicagoan,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343832/us-civil-rights-leader-jesse-jackson-dies-84-leaving-legacy-political-firsts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343832/us-civil-rights-leader-jesse-jackson-dies-84-leaving-legacy-political-firsts?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 10:53:54 +0000 Hao Nan Hao Nan China and the European Union began 2026 with another trade clash. As the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism entered its definitive phase, Brussels tightened compliance and Beijing warned of countermeasures. However, this week, the two sides signalled progress on defusing the electric vehicle dispute; the EU issued guidance to Chinese EV exporters on submitting minimum price plans. The juxtaposition underlines the point: even when one high-profile area shifts from escalation to technical... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3339329/can-europe-rebuild-its-strength-trade-china-without-fear?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3339329/can-europe-rebuild-its-strength-trade-china-without-fear?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jan 2026 08:30:10 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang Beijing is looking to expand China’s world-leading network of high-speed trains by 19 per cent within five years in an ongoing bid to boost connectivity across the country. The national railway operator unveiled the blueprint on Sunday to expand the country’s operational rail network to around 180,000km (112,000 miles) by 2030 – with high-speed routes totalling 60,000km and accounting for one-third of the full network – as part of the country’s infrastructure push under the nation’s 2026–2030... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3338778/china-plans-19-high-speed-rail-expansion-2030-amid-global-dominance-sector?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3338778/china-plans-19-high-speed-rail-expansion-2030-amid-global-dominance-sector?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jan 2026 09:32:16 +0000 Reuters Reuters Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said he will swiftly form a new government after ‍his party won half the votes in Sunday’s election, signalling a possible end to the year-long political deadlock that has paralysed parliament and delayed key international funding. The vote is the second this year in Kosovo after Kurti’s Vetevendosje Party fell short of a majority in February. Months of failed coalition talks prompted President Vjosa Osmani to dissolve parliament in November and call an early... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3337961/kosovos-left-leaning-ruling-party-wins-snap-election-exit-poll-shows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3337961/kosovos-left-leaning-ruling-party-wins-snap-election-exit-poll-shows?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Dec 2025 20:29:54 +0000 Reuters Reuters A close ally of Bosnia’s Serb Republic separatist leader Milorad Dodik won a snap presidential election in a tight race with opposition candidate, the election commission said on Sunday, citing preliminary results. “According to preliminary, unofficial and incomplete results, Sinisa Karan won 50.89 per cent of the votes,” Jovan Kalaba, the commission’s president, said at a news conference. Kalaba said that opposition candidate Branko Blanusa of the Serb Democratic Party (SDS) won 47.81 per cent... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3333874/bosnian-serb-ex-president-milorad-dodik-says-his-party-won-presidential-vote?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3333874/bosnian-serb-ex-president-milorad-dodik-says-his-party-won-presidential-vote?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Nov 2025 23:17:59 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Hundreds of riot police separated opponents and loyalists of Serbia’s autocratic President Aleksandar Vucic in central Belgrade on Sunday as political tensions boiled after a year of persistent anti-government protests. Several thousand people faced off on both sides of the police cordons with officers in full gear standing in several rows between the shouting crowds who threw bottles, flares and stun grenades. Tensions in Belgrade soared a day after tens of thousands of people joined a huge... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3331258/riot-police-separate-opponents-and-loyalists-serbias-president-tensions-soar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3331258/riot-police-separate-opponents-and-loyalists-serbias-president-tensions-soar?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Nov 2025 21:29:39 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Serbia showcased both of its Chinese-made air defence missile systems at a military parade held in its capital city on Saturday, highlighting the two countries’ friendship amid ongoing regional tensions in Europe. The “power of unity” military parade proceeded past the Palace of Serbia, with 10,000 personnel taking part alongside 2,500 pieces of military equipment and machinery, including ground vehicles, aircraft and naval vessels. Saturday’s cavalcade spotlighted “a selection of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3326298/serbia-shows-chinese-missiles-military-parade-amid-high-european-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3326298/serbia-shows-chinese-missiles-military-parade-amid-high-european-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Sep 2025 13:00:09 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim Brilliant. Pivotal. Very well held. That is how some countries described the massive military parade in the heart of the Chinese capital on Wednesday. But these countries are either some of China’s closest neighbours or part of the developing world – a group that Beijing has long sought to influence. Elsewhere, particularly in the West, the reaction was more critical. The parade had a dual effect – it marked 80 years since the end of World War II and showcased China’s growing military might and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324194/reviews-are-chinas-allies-give-top-marks-parade-west-not-won-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324194/reviews-are-chinas-allies-give-top-marks-parade-west-not-won-over?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Sep 2025 12:00:07 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim China hosted two dozen world leaders for a huge military parade in Tiananmen Square on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. It was only the second time Beijing has held a Victory Day parade, the first taking place a decade ago. The parade – which started at 9am and lasted nearly 90 minutes – was viewed by many as a showcase of China’s growing military strength. But it was also an attempt by Beijing to cement its global leadership status and to show its rising... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324135/5-key-takeaways-chinas-victory-day-military-parade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3324135/5-key-takeaways-chinas-victory-day-military-parade?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Sep 2025 04:24:00 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim America’s envoy to Beijing is expected to skip China’s military parade next week, joining what appears to be a concerted effort by Western missions to opt out of the grand event despite Chinese pressure. The South China Morning Post has learned from multiple sources that US ambassador David Perdue is unlikely to attend the parade that China is holding in Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Wednesday to commemorate the end of World War II. It is unclear if the US embassy would instead dispatch another... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323677/us-ambassador-china-expected-skip-beijing-military-parade-sources?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323677/us-ambassador-china-expected-skip-beijing-military-parade-sources?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Aug 2025 12:00:09 +0000 Raymond Ma,Neil Denslow Raymond Ma,Neil Denslow Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korean head Kim Jong-un and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are among world leaders set to visit China next week as the country hosts a major military parade and a regional forum. Putin and Kim – on his first China trip in six years – will join Chinese President Xi Jinping for Wednesday’s parade in Beijing, setting up a potential photo of the three upon the Gate of Heavenly Peace. A total of 26 leaders will watch the parade, which marks the 80th... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3323639/putin-kim-xi-military-parade-modi-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3323639/putin-kim-xi-military-parade-modi-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Aug 2025 09:00:08 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China has lodged a protest with Japan after Tokyo reportedly asked foreign leaders not to attend next month’s parade in Beijing to mark the end of World War II. Citing anonymous diplomatic sources, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported on Sunday that Japanese embassies abroad had been warning that the Victory Day events had anti-Japanese overtones. Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, said on Tuesday that Beijing had lodged protests with Japan, asked for clarification and urged... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323229/china-protests-japan-over-reports-it-asked-foreign-leaders-skip-victory-day-parade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3323229/china-protests-japan-over-reports-it-asked-foreign-leaders-skip-victory-day-parade?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Aug 2025 12:02:27 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim European envoys in Beijing are discussing plans to skip China’s massive military parade next month after considering the attendance of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the possible participation of Russian troops, the Post has learned. According to five sources familiar with the matter, European missions in Beijing have been invited to the parade and events on the same day but are particularly troubled by the Russian leader’s attendance as Moscow has intensified its attacks on Ukrainian... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322196/eu-diplomats-mull-skipping-china-military-parade-over-putins-attendance-sources?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322196/eu-diplomats-mull-skipping-china-military-parade-over-putins-attendance-sources?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Aug 2025 08:06:25 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim Top Southeast Asian leaders are expected to attend China’s military parade next month to commemorate the end of World War II, in what would be a show of Beijing’s growing influence in the region. Many countries are said to be sending more senior delegations than they did a decade ago, when the first such parade was held. According to multiple sources with knowledge of the matter, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will likely attend the parade, set... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3321933/top-southeast-asian-leaders-will-travel-china-military-parade-sources-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3321933/top-southeast-asian-leaders-will-travel-china-military-parade-sources-say?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Aug 2025 07:00:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters Firefighters across Spain, Portugal, Greece, Turkey and the Balkans were battling wildfires on Tuesday with another heatwave pushing temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) across parts of Europe. Global warming is giving the Mediterranean region hotter, drier summers, scientists say, with wildfires surging each year and sometimes whipping up into “whirls”. “We are being cooked alive, this cannot continue,” said a mayor in Portugal, Alexandre Favaios, as three fires... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3321622/europes-out-control-wildfires-hit-tourism-spots-forests-were-being-cooked-alive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3321622/europes-out-control-wildfires-hit-tourism-spots-forests-were-being-cooked-alive?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Aug 2025 13:03:05 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has confirmed he will attend China’s World War II commemorations next month, making him the first EU leader to publicly announce his plans to be at the event, which will feature a military parade in Tiananmen Square. “Apparently, I will visit China again on the occasion of the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II,” Fico said in a video posted on his private social media account on Sunday. “I would like to use this visit to confirm joint... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3320676/slovak-pm-robert-fico-attend-chinas-wwii-commemorations-amid-eu-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3320676/slovak-pm-robert-fico-attend-chinas-wwii-commemorations-amid-eu-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Aug 2025 09:55:16 +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. How Trump’s latest tariffs on allies, rivals could fund his ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ As the ink on US President Donald Trump’s signature “One Big Beautiful Bill” barely dried, he turned his focus back to tariffs, ending a three-month lull in global trade tensions. 2. China’s exports accelerate in June as US trade truce creates opening China’s exports recorded a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3318176/how-trumps-tariffs-could-fund-his-bill-chinas-exports-june-scmp-daily-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3318176/how-trumps-tariffs-could-fund-his-bill-chinas-exports-june-scmp-daily-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Jul 2025 13:15:07 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang China will hold its first joint military training exercise with the Serbian military this month as defence ties deepen between Beijing and the Balkan country. Chinese defence ministry spokesman Jiang Bin said on Monday that army special forces from China and Serbia would hold the joint training exercise Peace Defenders-2025 in Hebei in late July. “This will be the first joint training between the Chinese and Serbian militaries. It will help strengthen the combat skills of participating troops... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3318169/china-and-serbia-gear-first-joint-military-training-exercise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3318169/china-and-serbia-gear-first-joint-military-training-exercise?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Jul 2025 10:55:41 +0000 Ji Siqi Ji Siqi China will further enhance connectivity with other countries by expanding its high-speed railway network, a senior politician pledged on Tuesday. The country intends to promote both the “hard connectivity” of infrastructure and the “soft connectivity” of standards and rules to position high-speed rail as a cornerstone for advancing the nation’s Belt and Road Initiative, Vice-Premier Zhang Guoqing said at the opening ceremony of the 12th World Congress on High-Speed Rail in Beijing. “China is... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3317391/china-speed-bullet-train-connectivity-neighbours?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3317391/china-speed-bullet-train-connectivity-neighbours?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Jul 2025 11:57:01 +0000 Ralph Jennings,Mark Magnier Ralph Jennings,Mark Magnier US President Donald Trump, apparently impatient with the slow progress of negotiations, on Monday slapped 25 per cent unilateral tariffs on Japan and South Korea and equal or higher import taxes on several other nations ahead of a self-imposed Wednesday deadline. Analysts said the move shows that the mercurial American leader is using threats to jump-start negotiations. Trump sent two-page letters to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung saying the new... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3317299/apparently-impatient-trump-slaps-25-tariffs-japan-and-south-korea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3317299/apparently-impatient-trump-slaps-25-tariffs-japan-and-south-korea?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Jul 2025 22:42:57 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A hugely popular right-wing Croatian singer and hundreds of thousands of his fans performed a pro-Nazi World War II salute at a massive concert in Zagreb, drawing criticism. One of Marko Perkovic’s most popular songs, played in the late Saturday concert, starts with the dreaded “For the homeland – Ready!” salute, used by Croatia’s Nazi-era puppet Ustasha regime that ran concentration camps at the time. Perkovic, whose stage name is Thompson after a US-made machine gun, had previously said both... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3317155/right-wing-croatian-singer-performs-pro-nazi-salute-fans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3317155/right-wing-croatian-singer-performs-pro-nazi-salute-fans?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Jul 2025 13:31:45 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse At the back of an overgrown cemetery in a tiny Serbian village, a mysterious 300-year-old headstone marks the grave of the first recorded vampire. Pushing through thick scrub, local historian Nenad Mihajlovic pulls back branches to reveal the gravesite. According to locals, it is the long-lost burial site of Petar Blagojevic, known as the father of vampires. Backed by historical record, Mihajlovic and his fellow villagers hope Kisiljevo, about 100km east of the capital, Belgrade, can stake its... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3316339/dracula-sleepy-serbian-village-stakes-claim-home-original-vampire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3316339/dracula-sleepy-serbian-village-stakes-claim-home-original-vampire?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Jun 2025 05:54:23 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump took credit on Friday for a peace deal negotiated in Washington between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda and complained that he would not get a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. The warring African nations said in a joint statement on Wednesday that they had initialled an agreement aimed at ending the conflict in eastern DRC – to be formally signed in the US capital next week. “This is a Great Day for Africa and, quite frankly, a Great Day for the World!”... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3315315/trump-complains-about-nobel-peace-prize-snub-over-congo-rwanda-peace-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3315315/trump-complains-about-nobel-peace-prize-snub-over-congo-rwanda-peace-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Jun 2025 01:25:51 +0000 Ji Siqi Ji Siqi This year’s escalation of the US-China trade war has led many Chinese companies to rethink their overseas expansion strategies, with accessing the American market no longer their top priority when considering building factories in foreign countries, industry insiders said. There had been a “drastic downshift” in inquiries from Chinese companies seeking land to rent or purchase in Mexico, one of their hottest overseas investment destinations in the past, said Jack Lee, an industrial property... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3314370/why-us-market-no-longer-top-priority-chinese-companies-building-foreign-factories?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3314370/why-us-market-no-longer-top-priority-chinese-companies-building-foreign-factories?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Jun 2025 03:00:11 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Russia on Thursday accused Serbia of exporting arms to Ukraine, saying it was a stab in the back by its long-time Slavic Balkan ally. “Serbian defence enterprises, contrary to the ‘neutrality’ declared by official Belgrade, continue to supply ammunition to Kyiv,” the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, SVR, said in a statement. The statement alleged that the export of the Serbian arms to Ukraine were going through Nato intermediaries, “primarily the Czech Republic, Poland and Bulgaria.... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3312387/russia-accuses-serbia-betrayal-supplying-arms-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3312387/russia-accuses-serbia-betrayal-supplying-arms-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 May 2025 03:40:40 +0000 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu It has been months since Serbian make-up artist Jovana Vukosavljevic was last on set for a US film. Once a favoured shooting location for studios looking to keep costs low, projects have all but evaporated in the Balkan country since mass protests broke out late last year. Then Donald Trump arrived. The outlook deteriorated further after the US president's “Liberation Day” tariff package in April took aim at nearly all Washington’s trading partners – and especially on Sunday, when he floated the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3309723/will-trumps-film-tariff-mean-lights-camera-inaction-worlds-studios?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3309723/will-trumps-film-tariff-mean-lights-camera-inaction-worlds-studios?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 May 2025 10:00:14 +0000 Andrew Mertha Andrew Mertha Trying to predict any country’s international behaviour is fraught with challenges. That is even more the case when that country’s political system is opaque, as is China’s. We depend on clues, turns of phrases drawn from leaders’ speeches, shards of evidence gleaned from people on the ground, and various theories (or biases in disguise). We have spent much time analysing China’s geostrategic ambitions. Much ink has been spilled on the Thucydides Trap, the notion of “peak power” or the radical... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3309241/why-china-has-refused-back-down-face-trumps-tariffs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3309241/why-china-has-refused-back-down-face-trumps-tariffs?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 May 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order for a three-day truce with Ukraine took effect Thursday, but the Ukrainians said Moscow had broken its own order after just a few hours. Ukraine accused Russia of hundreds of front line attacks as world leaders - including China’s Xi Jinping, Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Serbia’s Aleksandar Vucic - were in Moscow for commemorations of the end of World War II. “Predictably, Putin’s Parade ceasefire proves to be a farce,” Ukraine’s Foreign... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3309486/putins-three-day-ceasefire-begins-ukraine-demands-longer-truce?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3309486/putins-three-day-ceasefire-begins-ukraine-demands-longer-truce?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 May 2025 23:42:47 +0000 Nikola Mikovic Nikola Mikovic For Russian President Vladimir Putin, celebrating Victory Day on May 9 appears to be a top priority. Unable to defeat Ukraine after more than three years of war, Putin is preparing to bask in the glory of the Soviet Union’s triumph over the Nazi Germany – a victory for which he can claim no credit. This year, leaders of several former Soviet republics – Belarus, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia – and the presidents of Brazil, Burkina Faso,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3309152/how-china-became-central-russias-victory-day-parade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3309152/how-china-became-central-russias-victory-day-parade?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 May 2025 12:30:08 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo The Western news media have gone out of their way to report on every mass protest against the governments in Hungary and Serbia. But when there was a huge rally against the government in Taiwan, there was not a word. The lack of reporting last week was positively wilful, considering tens of thousands took to the streets of Taipei as part of an opposition rally against the island’s president, William Lai Ching-te, and his increasingly, unpopular Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The issues that... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3308896/western-media-ignore-crackdown-opposition-taiwan-lai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3308896/western-media-ignore-crackdown-opposition-taiwan-lai?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 May 2025 13:00:13 +0000 Serbian opposition lawmakers lit flares and set off suspected tear gas grenades in parliament on Tuesday in support of ongoing anti-corruption protests, with several lawmakers injured during the melee. Footage shared online showed opposition members holding colourful flares and throwing what seemed to be smoke canisters with some appearing to engage in scuffles as the opening spring session began. A live video feed showed parliamentary speaker Ana Brnabic lambasting the opposition’s protest and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3301092/chaotic-scenes-serbias-parliament-smoke-bombs-and-flares-thrown-lawmakers-injured?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3301092/chaotic-scenes-serbias-parliament-smoke-bombs-and-flares-thrown-lawmakers-injured?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Mar 2025 02:44:41 +0000 Wrapped in blankets and huddled around fires at makeshift camps, Serbian students braved sub-zero temperatures in Novi Sad as they spent the night outside, after a mass rally against corruption brought tens of thousands to the streets. “It’s cold, but we’ve become used to it. We’ve been sleeping at the university for over two months,” Andrea Laco, a student at the Faculty of Technology in Novi Sad, told reporters. “Grief united us, and we’re here to fight for justice,” she added. After walking... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3297074/serbian-students-shake-government-anti-corruption-crusade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3297074/serbian-students-shake-government-anti-corruption-crusade?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Feb 2025 10:55:08 +0000 Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic resigned on Tuesday, following months of mass demonstrations over the fatal collapse of a railway station roof in November. The Balkan country has been rocked by regular protests in the wake of the deadly disaster at the railway station in the northern city of Novi Sad that killed 15 people, following extensive renovations at the facility. The collapse has ignited long-standing anger across Serbia over corruption and the alleged lack of oversight on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3296620/serbias-pm-resigns-after-months-anti-corruption-protests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3296620/serbias-pm-resigns-after-months-anti-corruption-protests?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Jan 2025 11:18:08 +0000 Enoch Wong Enoch Wong Serbia’s air force has become the first in Europe to be able independently operate and maintain the Chinese-made FK-3 air defence missile system, with the country’s defence ministry saying that all the necessary training had been completed in China. The FK-3 is the export version of China’s latest HQ-22 mid-range air defence weapon system. It consists of a vehicle with a command centre, rocket launchers, radars and logistics vehicles, according to the Serbian Ministry of Defence. They were... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3293628/serbia-ready-china-made-fk-3-air-defence-missile-system-after-very-complex-training?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3293628/serbia-ready-china-made-fk-3-air-defence-missile-system-after-very-complex-training?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Jan 2025 11:03:45 +0000 Cheryl Arcibal Cheryl Arcibal Chinese companies are increasingly looking to set up factories in central and eastern Europe to circumvent tariffs and business disruption amid heightening geopolitical tensions, according to a European industrial real estate developer. Amsterdam-listed CTP anticipates a 10 to 15 per cent increase in clients from China next year, according to Jaromir Cernik, the company’s Asia director. CTP is Europe’s largest developer and manager of logistics and industrial real estate by gross lettable area,... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3292133/chinese-firms-seek-european-base-factories-amid-trade-tensions-tariffs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3292133/chinese-firms-seek-european-base-factories-amid-trade-tensions-tariffs?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Dec 2024 06:00:11 +0000 Scuffles broke out in the Serbian parliament on Monday after opposition legislators raised banners accusing the ruling coalition of trying to shirk responsibility for the collapse of a railway station roof that killed 15 people earlier this month. Radomir Lazovic of the opposition Green-Left Front party placed a picture of a red hand captioned “you have blood on your hands” on the speaker’s platform, video footage from the N1 television station showed. The health minister, Zatibor Loncar,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3288095/brawl-erupts-serbian-parliament-over-railway-station-roof-collapse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3288095/brawl-erupts-serbian-parliament-over-railway-station-roof-collapse?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Nov 2024 17:50:35 +0000 A victim injured in the collapse of a railway station roof in Novi Sad, Serbia this month died on Sunday, bringing the death toll to 15, health officials said. The concrete roof at Novi Sad station came crashing down on November 1, killing 14 people, aged from just six to 74 and injuring three others. “The patient in question suffered the most severe injuries ... Despite the efforts and fight of the doctors, the outcome was fatal,” Vesna Turkulov, director of the Clinical Centre of Vojvodina,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3286966/serbia-train-station-accident-death-toll-rises-15?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3286966/serbia-train-station-accident-death-toll-rises-15?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Nov 2024 20:56:17 +0000 At least 14 people were killed on Friday after part of an outdoor roof collapsed at a railway station in the Serbian city of Novi Sad, the president said. The incident happened early Friday at the city’s main railway station. The roof provided shade near the entrance and was a popular place for commuters – both young and old – to wait on benches. “We hope this will be the final number – 14 people have died. Of these, we have been unable to identify five individuals,” Serbian President Aleksandar... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3284887/least-8-killed-roof-collapse-serbian-railway-station?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3284887/least-8-killed-roof-collapse-serbian-railway-station?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Nov 2024 14:59:19 +0000 Polly Hui Polly Hui She has recorded herself playing the knife game, methodically thrusting a blade between splayed fingers and inevitably nicking flesh and moaning. Then there is footage of her flogging her body before lying naked and bloody on ice. And who can forget the clips showing her trekking thousands of kilometres across the Great Wall of China to meet a lover – only to part ways upon arrival? That long march, 36 years ago, is the inspiration for her latest work. So, when performance artist Marina... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3283861/marina-abramovic-returns-china-new-exhibition-36-years-after-her-famous-great-wall-walk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3283861/marina-abramovic-returns-china-new-exhibition-36-years-after-her-famous-great-wall-walk?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Oct 2024 20:00:13 +0000 China’s “divide and rule” approach to the European Union suffered a heavy blow after a vote by member states on October 4 allowed the European Commission to move forward with applying tariffs of up to 45 per cent on electric vehicles (EVs) produced in China. The political pressure applied by Beijing managed to break the consensus within the EU and also succeeded in driving a wedge between Germany and France, the two powers at the core of the European economy. However, it failed to muster enough... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3281535/how-ev-tariffs-broke-eu-consensus-and-chinas-divide-and-rule-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3281535/how-ev-tariffs-broke-eu-consensus-and-chinas-divide-and-rule-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Oct 2024 21:30:08 +0000 The United States and European Union have voiced renewed concerns over China’s “very substantial” support for Russia’s military, warning the assistance was allowing the Kremlin to keep waging war against Ukraine and threatened global security. The allegations followed the latest instalment of the US-EU dialogue on China and high-level consultations on the Indo-Pacific held this week in Brussels. In their joint statement, American and EU officials cited “China’s ongoing support for Russia’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3278160/us-eu-raise-alarm-over-chinas-very-substantial-support-russia-ukraine-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3278160/us-eu-raise-alarm-over-chinas-very-substantial-support-russia-ukraine-war?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Sep 2024 21:32:34 +0000 Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced a US$3 billion deal to buy 12 French warplanes, in a move that shifts his country away from its dependence on Russian arms. The announcement about the Rafale multipurpose fighter jets was made during a joint news conference in Belgrade on Thursday with French President Emmanuel Macron during a two-day visit to Serbia as part of what French officials have called a strategy of bringing Serbia closer to the European Union. Macron called the deal... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3276444/fighter-jet-deal-set-take-flight-frances-emmanuel-macron-heads-serbia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3276444/fighter-jet-deal-set-take-flight-frances-emmanuel-macron-heads-serbia?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Aug 2024 10:52:46 +0000 Tens of thousands gathered Saturday for a rally against lithium mining in Serbia despite officials’ warnings of their alleged plot to topple populist President Aleksandar Vucic and his government. Vucic said earlier he had been tipped by the Russian intelligence services that a “mass unrest and a coup” were being prepared Saturday in Serbia by unspecified Western powers that wish to oust him from power. The big crowd chanted “There Will Be No Mining” and “Treason, Treason”. Government officials... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3274031/thousands-protest-lithium-mining-serbia-officials-call-it-coup-plot?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3274031/thousands-protest-lithium-mining-serbia-officials-call-it-coup-plot?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Aug 2024 18:33:44 +0000 Despite its ambitious plans to become carbon neutral and energy self-sufficient by 2060, China remains dependent on the import of fossil fuels. But China - unlike the European Union, which has begun an “energy divorce” from Russia since the invasion of Ukraine - can still rely on inexpensive Russian natural gas and oil. Cut off from Western markets, Russia – whose oil and gas income accounts for nearly 30 per cent of its national budget – desperately aims to find new customers for its energy.... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3271667/russia-needs-chinas-market-more-china-needs-russian-gas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3271667/russia-needs-chinas-market-more-china-needs-russian-gas?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Jul 2024 12:30:10 +0000 Another basketball competition for the US men and women to sweep, perhaps, but Serbia will fancy their chances of beating the former. Athletes to watch Jimmer Fredette, United States: The 35-year-old Fredette, who became a superstar at Brigham Young University and was the 10th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft, headlines the American men’s team. He began playing 3X3 in 2022 and was named USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year in 2023. Canyon Barry, US: The son of Hall of Famer Rick Berry... https://www.scmp.com/sport/basketball/article/3269844/paris-olympics-all-you-need-know-about-3x3-basketball-competition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/basketball/article/3269844/paris-olympics-all-you-need-know-about-3x3-basketball-competition?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Jul 2024 06:00:08 +0000 Magic Monday? Medal Monday? Hong Kong will hope one of those phrases applies after day three of the Paris Olympics. It’s a day stacked with the city’s biggest hitters. Both of its flag-bearers, in fact, in the shape of Cheung Ka-long and Siobhan Haughey. Fencer Cheung may, by the early hours of Tuesday back home, be on the podium again, having stood on its top step when winning gold at the last Games in Tokyo three years ago. Almost simultaneously, swimmer Haughey will aim to achieve similar by... https://www.scmp.com/sport/paris-olympics-2024/aquatics/article/3272248/paris-olympics-can-cheung-haughey-give-hong-kong-magic-monday-5-watch-day-3?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/paris-olympics-2024/aquatics/article/3272248/paris-olympics-can-cheung-haughey-give-hong-kong-magic-monday-5-watch-day-3?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Jul 2024 04:30:11 +0000 The second full day of the Paris Olympics ended with a witching hour to savour for those awake in Hong Kong, and ensured pleasant breakfast reading for those who were not. It was nearly 4am when swimmer Siobhan Haughey qualified for the final of the 200 metres freestyle, rounding off a Sunday in which table tennis mixed doubles duo Wong Chun-ting and Doo Hoi-kem also got within reach of a podium. Medals could be clinched on what threatens to be a magical Monday, with fencer Cheung Ka-long,... https://www.scmp.com/sport/paris-olympics-2024/aquatics/article/3272235/while-you-were-sleeping-5-things-know-after-haughey-earns-medal-shot-paris-olympics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/paris-olympics-2024/aquatics/article/3272235/while-you-were-sleeping-5-things-know-after-haughey-earns-medal-shot-paris-olympics?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Jul 2024 23:33:15 +0000 The Paris Olympics enters its second official day of competition on Sunday and after a whirlwind start, the events will again come thick and fast. As Hong Kong basks in the glory of its first gold of the Games – meaning the city has won a medal in consecutive Olympics for the first time – attention turns to who might be next. Long before Vivian Kong Man-wai’s historic achievement, Sunday had been ringed in the diary as the first appearance of potentially the city’s strongest podium hope, Siobhan... https://www.scmp.com/sport/paris-olympics-2024/hong-kong/article/3272170/paris-olympics-5-watch-day-2-siobhan-haughey-swims-us-enter-fray-basketball?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/paris-olympics-2024/hong-kong/article/3272170/paris-olympics-5-watch-day-2-siobhan-haughey-swims-us-enter-fray-basketball?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Jul 2024 04:30:10 +0000