Advertisement
Advertisement
TOPIC
 / location

Taiwan

Taiwan
Latest news, in-depth features and opinion on Taiwan, covering politics, economy, society and the island's relationship with mainland China.
Hong Kong is moving to tighten regulation of claw machines amid rising concerns over addiction and gambling-like behaviour. Photo: Sam Tsang
Hong Kong society

Will Hong Kong’s claw machine regulations curb gaming habits and gambling risks?

As cases of addiction linked to claw machines rise, the South China Morning Post examines the city’s regulatory push, lessons from overseas.

Singapore

AI powers Singapore’s Grab to US$955 million quarterly earnings

2026 Trump-Xi summit

Iran war could give Xi the upper hand in meeting with Trump: US experts

videocam
15
Diplomacy

Strait of Hormuz woes, US-Nato ‘crisis’: 7 global relations reads

From a possible Trump-Iran joint venture to Russia-China talks, here are highlights from the SCMP’s overseas correspondents in April 2026.

An Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy speedboat approaches the cargo ship Epaminondas during what state media described as the seizure of one of two vessels accused of violations in the Strait of Hormuz on April 21. Photo: Tasnim News Agency via AP
United States

Wall Street hesitates, oil prices rise amid uncertainty in Strait of Hormuz

Despite all the uncertainty about how long the war with Iran will last, the US stock market has managed to power to record after record.

videocam
Han Kuo-yu

What’s behind the KMT’s internal splits over Taiwanese defence spending?

The opposition party can’t agree on what spending package to back despite warnings it could hurt its prospects in this year’s elections.

videocam
4
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
SCMP Highlights

Cheaper durians for China, Hong Kong helpers camp in tents: 5 weekend reads

From freight routes bypassing Hormuz to Hong Kong helpers in tents on days off, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend.

A shopper browses a mound of durians at a market in Hong Kong. Photo: Eugene Lee
US-China relations

Opinion | China’s Manus block a show of strength ahead of Xi-Trump summit

Beijing’s manoeuvring highlights its resolve and suggests it feels it has the upper hand in negotiations ahead of Trump’s visit.

videocam
Thailand

The cost of cute: how ‘petfluencers’ are driving Asia’s wildlife crime

Thailand is a key pipeline in a lucrative global trade that animal activists warn risks spreading zoonotic diseases and erasing biodiversity.

Mainland China

Faith, hope and ancestry: how Beijing is trying to win over Taiwan’s next generation

Xintian village is symbolic of efforts to reinforce Taiwanese people’s historical and religious links to the mainland.

5
Illustration: Henry Wong
United States

Taiwan’s William Lai lands in eSwatini on trip Beijing calls a political ‘stunt’

Lai travels to island sole African ally after earlier visit cancelled because of overflight permission withdrawn.

24
Eswatini is one of Taiwan’s 12 diplomatic allies and only one in Africa. Photo: Shutterstock
2026 Trump-Xi summit

China trip will go ahead as planned – and it will be amazing, Trump insists

US president says the visit will go ahead as planned later this month despite the ongoing stalemate in peace talks with Iran.

videocam
19
Mainland China

Counting gains from Beijing, Taiwan’s opposition leader eyes US trip in June

KMT chairwoman will test her cross-strait message when she meets think tanks, overseas Taiwanese and potentially policymakers in America.

videocam
10
Mainland China

Why Beijing now wants its spies executed in Taiwan back in the spotlight

Mainland China is seeing a surge in interest over ‘invisible martyrs’ such as Wu Shi, a KMT defector who was executed in Taipei in 1950.

videocam
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Ukraine war

Ukraine sees path to Japanese arms after Tokyo eases export rules

Japan has linked Ukraine’s fate to its own security as it faces China’s growing military power.

videocam
Ukraine’s Ambassador to Japan Yurii Lutovinov poses next to a mockup of a Ukrainian-made Vampire drone during an interview at the Ukraine Embassy in Tokyo, Japan on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters
Asean

Why Singapore, Thailand are among the world’s ‘happiest’ economies

Southeast Asian countries outdid larger economies in the 178-nation Hanke’s Annual Misery Index for 2025.

videocam
China-Africa relations

China cuts tariffs on African goods but is it enough to close the trade gap?

Analysts urge Beijing to invest in Africa’s industrial capacity to reduce its substantial trade deficit and create a more balanced relationship.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Food and Drinks

Unsung Eats: 5 best places to eat and drink in Taipei

Fresh takes on Taiwan’s famed fried chicken and breakfast, to tea cocktails and artisanal coffee, here are our Taipei foodie picks.

Taipei remains a premier foodie destination, home to an evolving culinary scene that includes the likes of Chicken Bar by Weekend. Photo: @chickenbar_taipei
US-China trade war

From apps to autos: China’s data reach sparks US espionage and sabotage concerns

Washington accused of not doing enough to counter Beijing’s harvesting of key American data and weaponising it as a strategic asset.

videocam
8
2026 Trump-Xi summit

US and Chinese officials air concerns in build-up to Trump’s Beijing visit

Despite the latest diplomatic initiatives, Beijing warns the US is threatening ‘hard-won stability’ with new smartphone restrictions.

videocam
19
US, Israel war on Iran

Macroscope | How the AI boom is helping Asia weather the Iran war energy shock

The war in Iran might as well be over for investors as positive sentiment, strong corporate earnings and the AI boom lift Asian markets.

videocam
Currency traders work near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index and the dollar-won exchange rate at the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul on April 29. Photo: AP
Food and Drinks

Asian-American mother challenges tough Chinese traditions for new mums

Clarissa Wei’s cookbook ‘Sitting the Month’ puts a modern spin on the traditional Chinese foods typically given to post-partum mothers.

Clarissa Wei is the author of “Sitting the Month”, a cookbook that aims to dispel misconceptions surrounding the ancient Chinese tradition of “zuo yue zi” so new mums can recover after childbirth with confidence. Photo: Lin Hou Jun
China's military weapons

Why Beijing’s weaponised cargo ship could be crucial in the Taiwan Strait

Beijing’s ‘containerised destroyer’ can carry missile launchers and hide within commercial shipping lanes, military magazine says.

22
China-Japan relations

In a fragmenting global order, former Japanese leader urges pivot to China

Yukio Hatoyama says the two powers should work together against ‘US arrogance’ and expand coalitions with like-minded nations.

videocam
18
Japan

Why Japan’s travellers are rushing abroad for ‘golden week’ despite falling yen

The operator of Narita airport anticipates that 1.59 million travellers will pass through the airport over the two-week holiday season.

videocam
People depart Japan from Haneda airport in Tokyo on April 18. Photo: Kyodo
China-Japan relations

Japan’s revised security policy to get ‘more aggressive’: Chinese expert

Rewritten policies could even include changes to nuclear weapons stance, analyst says.

videocam
7
Japanese air force officers stand beside the national flag. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has argued that the country must boost its defence capabilities amid “an increase in the military power of China” and “strengthening cooperation” between Beijing and Moscow. Photo: EPA
Mainland China

Is it wrong to show Taiwan officers a WWII film about KMT forces fighting Japan?

Battalion commander’s screening stirs debate over Beijing’s state-led messaging to sway opinions on the self-ruled island.

videocam
16
Diplomacy

Opinion | Without diplomacy, deterrence in Asia is a path to escalation

The danger is that every state insists it is acting defensively while collectively building the habits and infrastructure of confrontation.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement