https://www.scmp.com/rss/523682/feed The latest news and top stories on the People’s Republic of China. A Beijing-based governmental body, the People’s Republic of China governs the nation as a unitary communist state. Its primary mission involves administering the country, enacting policies and overseeing economic development, social welfare and national defence. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Alice Yan Alice Yan An Iraqi journalist, who is also an online celebrity in China and was once praised by China’s foreign minister Wang Yi, has become engaged to a woman from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Ameen Muneer Mohammed Al-Obaidi, who is better known by his Chinese name, Fang Haoming, boasts about 5 million followers on social media. He works as a China correspondent for the Dubai-based China-Arab TV. Fang, 26, joined other foreign journalists to perform the popular Subject Three street dance at a... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3346237/iraqi-reporter-raised-china-famous-viral-dance-gets-engaged-xinjiang-woman?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3346237/iraqi-reporter-raised-china-famous-viral-dance-gets-engaged-xinjiang-woman?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Mar 2026 10:00:09 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen Washington will keep pushing China to join a trilateral nuclear control deal with the US and Russia, but can’t compel it to do so, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, citing “strategic stability” in China-US relations ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to China in April, despite long-term “irritants”. “We think ultimately, in the 21st century, for there to be a true arms control agreement, it has to involve China,” Rubio said during a press conference at a meeting of the Caribbean... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344790/new-nuclear-control-agreement-should-include-us-russia-and-china-rubio?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3344790/new-nuclear-control-agreement-should-include-us-russia-and-china-rubio?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 20:37:52 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick China will support Cuba “in the best way possible” as the island grapples with an energy crisis following tougher measures imposed by US President Donald Trump’s administration, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday. Speaking at a regular press briefing in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said China “will do what it can” to assist Havana and again condemned what he described as “inhumane actions that deprive the Cuban people of their right to survival and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343242/china-vows-do-what-it-can-us-blockade-leaves-cuba-just-weeks-oil?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343242/china-vows-do-what-it-can-us-blockade-leaves-cuba-just-weeks-oil?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 22:37:01 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan A key US congressional panel on Thursday advanced four Taiwan-related bills aimed at strengthening the island’s energy security, communications resilience and diplomatic influence as lawmakers ramp up efforts to counter Beijing ahead of President Donald Trump’s expected visit to China in April. The move by the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee reflects a broader trend in Congress, where support for Taiwan often exceeds the administration’s position. Thursday’s coordinated action on the bills... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341749/senate-bills-remind-trump-taiwan-remains-priority-key-xi-meeting-april?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341749/senate-bills-remind-trump-taiwan-remains-priority-key-xi-meeting-april?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 23:29:52 +0000 Meredith Chen Meredith Chen Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun urged closer strategic coordination between Beijing and Moscow and bolstering joint capacity to respond to risks and challenges in a video call with his Russian counterpart on Tuesday. Dong told Andrei Belousov that Beijing was willing to “enrich the substance of cooperation, improve communication and exchange mechanisms, jointly enhance the ability to respond to various risks and challenges and work hand in hand to inject positive energy into global security... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3341451/china-and-russia-bolster-defence-ties-counter-risks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3341451/china-and-russia-bolster-defence-ties-counter-risks?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 13:13:55 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi A bit more than a week after the United States abducted former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a raid on Caracas, US President Donald Trump is threatening military action against Iran, which is seeing a massive wave of anti-government protests. Yet a strike aimed at taking out the Iranian leadership could prove harder, given that Iran’s more sophisticated air defence system is also reported to be integrating China’s most advanced exported technology. On Tuesday, Trump wrote on his social... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3339847/why-us-may-find-irans-air-defence-system-harder-break-venezuelas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3339847/why-us-may-find-irans-air-defence-system-harder-break-venezuelas?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 09:02:24 +0000 Orange Wang,Jane Cai,Meredith Chen Orange Wang,Jane Cai,Meredith Chen Zheng Yongnian is a leading Chinese political scientist and government adviser, with a focus on the country’s transformation and foreign relations. In his third interview for the Open Questions series, Zheng discusses the “Donroe Doctrine” and its implications for the existing world order – and an emerging one. For other interviews in the series, click here. On Venezuela, you have noted that the US pivot to Latin America could reshape the regional order and that Donald Trump’s warnings to other... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339480/zheng-yongnian-trump-venezuela-and-why-china-doesnt-want-separate-kitchen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339480/zheng-yongnian-trump-venezuela-and-why-china-doesnt-want-separate-kitchen?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Jan 2026 22:00:31 +0000 Alcott Wei,Yuanyue Dang Alcott Wei,Yuanyue Dang A proposal by Taiwanese lawmakers to amend legislation relating to cross-strait affairs is a move aimed at “de jure independence” for the island and heightens the risk of war, Beijing has warned. “This proposal disregards the mainstream public opinion in Taiwan … publicly challenges the historical and legal fact that Taiwan is part of China, and blatantly promotes ‘de jure Taiwan independence’,” Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Chen Binhua said on Sunday. “Taiwan independence means war. We have... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3338741/beijing-warns-war-over-taiwan-ruling-partys-move-rebrand-cross-strait-relations-law?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3338741/beijing-warns-war-over-taiwan-ruling-partys-move-rebrand-cross-strait-relations-law?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jan 2026 07:04:42 +0000 Wee Kek Koon Wee Kek Koon You have probably seen this before. You are ordering at a restaurant when the server asks what sort of water you would like – still or sparkling? – and the Chinese diners at your table, usually women but not always, chime in: “Warm water”. Many Chinese believe that drinking warm water, or, more precisely, avoiding anything cold, is good for one’s health. As a child, my mother tried to stop me from consuming cold food and drinks because “it will make you sick”. “Then why aren’t Europeans and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3338260/chinese-diners-preference-warm-water-over-cold-not-ancient-youd-think?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3338260/chinese-diners-preference-warm-water-over-cold-not-ancient-youd-think?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Jan 2026 00:15:08 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial It’s the season of peace and goodwill, so what better way than for peacemakers to work together. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has met his two counterparts from Thailand and Cambodia in Yuxi, Yunnan province, to press both sides to consolidate a fragile ceasefire. All smiles, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn, who is also the country’s foreign minister, and Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow shook hands as Wang stood between them and looked on. The trilateral talks held in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3338113/china-provides-substance-cambodia-thailand-peace-efforts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3338113/china-provides-substance-cambodia-thailand-peace-efforts?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Dec 2025 22:45:08 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Venezuela criticised the United States on Monday over its decision to approve a large-scale arms sale to Taiwan, aligning itself with Beijing as tensions escalated around the island. In a statement issued by the foreign ministry, the Venezuelan government said the sale interfered in China’s internal affairs and breached international commitments undertaken by Washington. It reiterated its support for the one-China principle and said Taiwan is “an inalienable part of China’s territory”. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3338080/venezuela-condemns-us-arms-sale-taiwan-echoing-beijings-position?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3338080/venezuela-condemns-us-arms-sale-taiwan-echoing-beijings-position?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Dec 2025 21:59:44 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang China will expand government spending to spur consumer demand and shore up investment in public services to strengthen the economy next year, the country’s financial authorities said on Sunday. The Ministry of Finance outlined the 2026 priorities as it wrapped up the annual two-day national fiscal work conference on the weekend. At the top of the list of tasks, the ministry said, was building a robust domestic market through “vigorously boosting consumption” and “actively expanding effective... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3337950/consumer-demand-and-public-services-top-chinas-financial-priorities-2026?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3337950/consumer-demand-and-public-services-top-chinas-financial-priorities-2026?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Dec 2025 13:07:43 +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. ‘Testing the waters’? US reported to have seized Chinese cargo bound for Iran The reported US seizure of a ship allegedly carrying Chinese-made dual-use components to Iran might signal Washington was “testing the waters” on reviving an old tactic to pressure Beijing’s ties with its adversaries, but such moves risked breaching international law, analysts... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3336665/us-reported-have-seized-chinese-cargo-mexico-stands-tariffs-scmp-daily-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3336665/us-reported-have-seized-chinese-cargo-mexico-stands-tariffs-scmp-daily-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Dec 2025 13:15:08 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Beijing has accused Tokyo of attempting to “mislead the public and hope that somehow the issue would resolve itself”, after Japan’s foreign minister selectively quoted its position on Taiwan from a joint communique that was the foundation of establishing diplomatic ties with mainland China in 1972. During a parliamentary session on Monday, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi repeated Tokyo’s position on Taiwan as stated in the document that established and normalised ties with Beijing. However,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336663/japan-spelled-out-its-stance-taiwan-its-what-tokyo-didnt-say-angers-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336663/japan-spelled-out-its-stance-taiwan-its-what-tokyo-didnt-say-angers-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Dec 2025 11:37:45 +0000 Lucie Qian Xia Lucie Qian Xia Constructed around 256 BC, Dujiangyan is the world’s oldest irrigation system that is still in use today. Long before the invention of gunpowder, the system was using natural topographic and hydrological features to divert water from the Min River for irrigation and flood control without the use of dams. To this day, the ecological engineering feat irrigates 668,700 hectares of farmland in the Chengdu plains of southwestern China. It was in the tranquil, lush mountains surrounding Dujiangyan... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3336207/france-china-sees-civilisational-partner-polarised-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3336207/france-china-sees-civilisational-partner-polarised-world?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s characterisation of US-China relations as a “G2” partnership is “deeply problematic”, a Democratic lawmaker has warned in a letter to the Pentagon chief. Such a description sidelines Washington’s allies and partners in the region, House Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi said in his letter sent on Monday. Krishnamoorthi, a ranking member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, also expressed “profound concern” about such a label being used... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3336018/hegseths-g2-description-us-china-relations-deeply-problematic-lawmaker-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3336018/hegseths-g2-description-us-china-relations-deeply-problematic-lawmaker-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 06:25:24 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth sent out a message of peace, dialogue and “flexible realism” with China in a weekend speech that offered a brief preview of the forthcoming national defence strategy. In his keynote address at the annual Reagan National Defence Forum on Saturday, Hegseth said Washington was committed to putting “America first” and avoiding involvement in foreign entanglements as it prioritised domestic security. Yet, in drawing comparisons between the Trump administration’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3335615/us-defence-chief-touts-flexible-realism-china-ahead-strategy-documents-release?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3335615/us-defence-chief-touts-flexible-realism-china-ahead-strategy-documents-release?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 10:01:00 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Hong Kong Legco election’s 31.9% turnout surpasses record low of 2021 2. Tokyo accuses Chinese fighters of locking on Japanese jets northeast of Taiwan 3. Chinese scientists develop promising stem cell therapy for Parkinson’s 4. The great slowdown: Germany at a standstill as ‘China shock’... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3335549/hong-kong-legco-election-potential-parkinsons-treatment-5-weekend-reads-you-missed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3335549/hong-kong-legco-election-potential-parkinsons-treatment-5-weekend-reads-you-missed?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 04:30:09 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo “Strategic ambiguity” over Taiwan has long been the fanciful way for the United States and its allies to avoid saying the quiet part out loud: in the event of a second Chinese civil war across the Taiwan Strait, everyone may end up getting involved. US allies in the Asia-Pacific have long understood this. But the trick is not to spell it out. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, unfortunately, committed the diplomatic sin of more or less stating it openly. Then, all hell broke... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3335525/japanese-pm-takaichi-has-learned-how-do-washington-over-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3335525/japanese-pm-takaichi-has-learned-how-do-washington-over-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Dec 2025 14:30:08 +0000 Ambrose Li Ambrose Li The Hong Kong government is considering for the first time using its powers under the national security law to ban two organisations deemed subversive. The Security Bureau said on Monday the secretary for security was weighing the move against the Canada-based “Hong Kong Parliament” and Taiwan-based “Hong Kong Democratic Independence Union”. “The two organisations in question aim to subvert state power,” a bureau spokesman said. “Their objectives include promoting ‘self-determination’ and making... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3333985/hong-kong-may-ban-2-subversive-groups-based-canada-and-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3333985/hong-kong-may-ban-2-subversive-groups-based-canada-and-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2025 12:51:22 +0000 Ruairidh J. Brown Ruairidh J. Brown On November 16, the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s most advanced aircraft carrier, sailed into the Caribbean to join Operation Southern Spear – the largest US military deployment in the Caribbean since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. Donald Trump is, however, a very different president from John F. Kennedy. Whereas Kennedy endorsed the burden of American exceptionalism to “assure the survival and the success of liberty” at “any price” or “hardship”, Trump promises to prioritise “America... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3333424/venezuela-trumps-real-aim-could-be-laying-claim-western-hemisphere?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3333424/venezuela-trumps-real-aim-could-be-laying-claim-western-hemisphere?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Nov 2025 12:30:09 +0000 Alice Li Alice Li China’s urban youth unemployment rate continued to ease last month, though fierce labour market competition remains a challenge for many jobseekers. The jobless rate for those aged 16 to 24, excluding students, slightly decreased to 17.3 per cent in October from 17.7 per cent in September, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday. Following a record 12.2 million graduates entering the job market over the summer, the youth unemployment rate rose in August to its... https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3333273/chinas-urban-youth-unemployment-rate-falls-slightly-tough-job-market-graduates?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3333273/chinas-urban-youth-unemployment-rate-falls-slightly-tough-job-market-graduates?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 11:00:10 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. South China Sea: what does Europe see in the Philippines? Sweden has reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing security cooperation with the Philippines, adding to a growing list of European countries seeking defence ties with Manila amid concern over growing Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3331429/what-europe-sees-philippines-malaysias-bukit-bintang-upgrade-7-asia-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3331429/what-europe-sees-philippines-malaysias-bukit-bintang-upgrade-7-asia-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Nov 2025 05:37:54 +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. ‘Partnership, not pressure’, US soybean farmers urge Trump before Xi talks Increasingly desperate US farmers, including many who voted for US President Donald Trump, are urging him to adopt a conciliatory approach rather than a confrontational one if a lasting soy deal can be reached when he meets Chinese President Xi Jinping this week. 2. China sees Europe... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3330661/us-soybean-farmers-plea-trump-death-leading-ai-scientist-scmp-daily-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3330661/us-soybean-farmers-plea-trump-death-leading-ai-scientist-scmp-daily-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Oct 2025 13:15:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A California man has agreed to plead guilty to acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese government in Southern California while working as a campaign adviser for a local politician. Sun Yaoning, also known as Mike Sun, is expected to appear in court in Los Angeles on Monday to enter his plea under a deal with federal prosecutors, according to a copy of the agreement available in online court records. It was signed by Sun, his lawyer and a prosecutor earlier this month. If the plea is accepted... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329854/california-man-sun-yaoning-plead-guilty-acting-agent-chinas-government?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329854/california-man-sun-yaoning-plead-guilty-acting-agent-chinas-government?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Oct 2025 17:52:43 +0000 SCMP Reporters SCMP Reporters This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong has marked National Day with a range of activities to celebrate the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu delivered a speech at a reception at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai on Wednesday morning, with local and central government officials as well as leading... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3327439/hong-kong-get-national-day-celebrations-under-way-flag-raising-ceremony?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3327439/hong-kong-get-national-day-celebrations-under-way-flag-raising-ceremony?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Sep 2025 23:52:39 +0000 Ronny Tong Ronny Tong The Hong Kong government recently declared bounties against a number of former residents now in the United Kingdom and the United States for alleged offences against the Hong Kong national security law. This prompted a strong reaction from the UK government, which considered the move to be an example of “transnational repression”. This week, The Guardian published an interview with Chloe Cheung Hei-ching, who faces a warrant for her arrest that was issued last year. Its article portrayed her as... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3321532/why-smear-hong-kongs-prosecution-secession-political-persecution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3321532/why-smear-hong-kongs-prosecution-secession-political-persecution?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Aug 2025 01:30:07 +0000 Zhou Xin Zhou Xin The Chinese government’s decision to provide a monthly subsidy of 300 yuan (US$40) to every newborn baby for three years marks an extraordinary turn in Beijing’s population policy. In a historical sense, it should be remembered as one of the most important moments in China’s social and economic policymaking. For many Chinese, memories of the state taking for granted China’s overpopulation problem are still fresh in their mind. After all, the country had implemented its infamous one-child policy... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3320655/why-chinas-us40-monthly-subsidy-every-new-baby-big-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3320655/why-chinas-us40-monthly-subsidy-every-new-baby-big-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Aug 2025 23:00:15 +0000