As India embarks on its path to self-sufficiency in modern weapons production to shore up its defence clout, its military inventory may have already surpassed arch rival Pakistan’s, but still lags behind China. The drive is marked by New Delhi’s ...

Fashionable, frivolous or downright foolish? Which of these words best describes the trend in markets toward derivatives, cryptocurrencies, digital assets and tokens as supplements or alternatives to traditional finance? Where is this great “paper ...

A major space science cooperation project between China and Brazil is entering its last pre-commission stages, with the departure of what will be an Olympic pool-sized telescope from the northern Chinese port of Tianjin on Monday. The main structure ...

A top natural scenic spot in central China has come under the spotlight for hiring people to pose as savages for tourists, and paying them 500 yuan (US$70) a day to do so. Since Shennongjia National Nature Reserve in Hubei province began recruiting o...

The first batch of flats on offer at the Deep Water Pavilia project on the south side of Hong Kong island are expected to sell out, according to property agents, as homebuyers rushed to snap up available units this weekend on the back of discounted p...

Surrounded by a stream of passengers on an MTR platform in Hong Kong on a regular weekday, a couple paused to pose for photos next to a station sign to mark their journey. “We took photos at most of the metro stations we visited, just to record our...

The crossing of a US-designated island chain in the Western Pacific by a Chinese carrier group marks an increase in Beijing’s “operational tempo” that the Philippines should pay heed to, observers say. They warn, however, that a “delicate bal...

A Hong Kong-based Instagram influencer has written an open letter to Cambodia’s prime minister, calling for the immediate release of her father, who needs urgent medical care. Stephanie Cheng, also known as Laparasian on Instagram, posted a copy of...

Western and other developed countries are welcome to use services offered by Hong Kong’s newly established global mediation centre, a senior official has said, dismissing concerns over the institute’s founding members being primarily developing n...

A high-level civilian war game held in Taipei this week has exposed serious vulnerabilities in Taiwan’s defences of its outer perimeter and eastern regions, prompting a retired US admiral to warn that Washington’s involvement depended on “Taiwa...

The story of a Japanese woman who arrived home to find her boss lying in her bed wearing only his underwear has shocked social media. The unidentified woman in her 20s, from Japan’s western Fukuoka Prefecture, went home during her lunch break to pi...

Chinese researchers have confirmed for the first time that artificial intelligence large language models can spontaneously create a humanlike system to comprehend and sort natural objects, a process considered a pillar of human cognition. It provides...

Beijing and Hong Kong are investigating the complexity of a suspected collusion case to determine whether mainland China needs to take over, the security minister has said, in what may become a precedent for the central government to exercise its jur...

A senior Chinese diplomat has urged Israel to halt its military actions against Iran as tensions between the two Middle Eastern rivals mount, warning the escalating conflict could have “serious consequences”. Fu Cong, China’s ambassador to the ...

The Hong Kong government is set to enhance its computing power support for start-ups as part of its ambition to become a leading technology hub, according to the city’s innovation chief, as local start-ups seek global clients at one of Europe’s l...

Chinese tourism to South Korea is picking up with the end of political instability in Seoul and the two nations pledging closer relations shortly before visa exemptions take effect, travel industry sources said this week. Bookings from China to South...

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has vowed to build a blue-water navy to counter what he described as growing threats from the United States, an ambition that observers say appears to be linked to broader strategic coordination with key Pyongyang alli...

On May 16, just as US President Donald Trump wrapped up his whirlwind Gulf tour with over US$2 trillion in deals, a little-known Hong Kong fintech firm beat global rivals to bag a contract with a United Arab Emirates (UAE) bank. Evident Group, operat...

In Hong Kong, one of the world’s most expensive cities, 79 yuan (US$11) will get you a set lunch for one. But, to the surprise of many, it will buy a day tour for two people, with lunch and a visit to several attractions thrown in. With such budget...

The United States may be rethinking its Indo-Pacific strategy with its review of the Aukus security agreement, but its focus on countering China is unlikely to change, according to analysts. The pact with Australia and the United Kingdom has been thr...

An 11-year-old boy in central China, who skilfully braids his toddler sister’s hair each day and has invented over 300 unique styles in just one year, has become a sensation on mainland social media. The siblings, known by the surname Huang, live i...

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. Hong Kong’s weather forecaster has issue...

Pulled back from the brink by a ceasefire, nuclear-armed India and Pakistan avoided a potentially catastrophic collision, but the tides of nationalism unleashed by the four-day clash are still rising on either side of the border. Now, leaders of the ...

A commercial-vehicle subsidiary of China’s state-owned carmaker GAC Group has its sights set on Europe, where it hopes its electric vans can lure corporate buyers away from petroleum-powered models built by the likes of Ford and Stellantis. Xiao Ni...

Jason, a Chinese geology student studying at a university in the American Midwest, was stunned when he read the news. “I could feel the hostility of the American government and voters toward China,” he said. “I was angry and confused. I also co...

Vietnam officially gained admission to Brics as a “partner country” on Friday, joining a growing group of emerging economies connected to the bloc’s widening agenda urging global cooperation and governance reform. The announcement came from Bra...

The French embassy in Cambodia has said that it has been in contact with the father of a Hong Kong-based influencer who posted on social media that he had been kidnapped and his family and lawyers could not contact him. The embassy’s comments on Fr...

Two owners of luxury homes at Redhill Peninsula have been fined more than HK$110,000 (US$14,015) in total after admitting to carrying out unauthorised building works, the first convictions among 30 prosecutions taken against the landlords of the esta...

A joint operation by Beijing’s national security arm in Hong Kong and the city’s police could be the first step in an investigation into an unusually complex collusion case that is ultimately handed over to mainland Chinese authorities, observers...

Henderson Land Development, one of Hong Kong’s largest developers, has leased a 223,437 sq ft space in its prized mixed-use project in Central to Jane Street Asia in one of the largest leasing transactions in the city’s main business district in ...

In sending two aircraft carriers to the western Pacific concurrently for the first time, Beijing is learning to coordinate the vessels in open ocean, a tactic it would likely use to deter US forces in a Taiwan conflict, according to defence analysts....

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. ‘Elephants trampling on global trade’: EU sidelined by US-China showdown Over two rounds of high-stakes...

Hong Kong’s cash-strapped Urban Renewal Authority (URA) will issue another round of bonds this year and has reached out to investors in the Middle East and Europe, the body’s outgoing chief has revealed. Authority managing director Wai Chi-sing a...

It was just another long and languorous summer afternoon for Chirag Patel at his mobile phone retail shop near Ahmedabad’s airport on the outskirts of the western city when he was greeted by a shocking sight in the sky – a massive Air India plane...

Chinese companies are showing growing interest in shipping goods to the West via the Northern Sea Route – an icy Arctic passage that opens up each summer – according to Rosatom, the Russian company that operates infrastructure along the route. Th...

Following the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, China experienced a sharp drop in the number of international visitors and many foreign residents left the country. International tourism was still below pre-pandemic levels as late as 2024. When ...

The Hong Kong government plans to permit more businesses to test higher-capacity aerial vehicles, aiming to boost the low-altitude economy and assess their impact on logistics efficiency and traffic, Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun sa...

China appears on the verge of carrying out a historic satellite-to-satellite refuelling mission in high orbit, a potential advance that has prompted the US to deploy two military surveillance satellites nearby to watch. The Shijian-25 satellite was l...

Hong Kong police have arrested eight men on suspicion of taking part in illegal road racing, including a 29-year-old man who allegedly drove what appears to be one of the force’s retired vehicles. Chief Inspector So Chi-bing of the regional crime u...

A senior Philippine military official has revealed a soon-to-be-deployed strategy that would involve an army contingent to support law enforcement units on occupied islands in the South China Sea. Observers said the strategy would align with Manila�...

Hong Kong has been named the third most Muslim-friendly travel destination globally among non-Islamic economies, although some industry insiders have said the city still has room for improvement in attracting more visitors. The Hong Kong Tourism Boar...

Israel’s attacks against Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities and assassinations of several of the regime’s leadership figures could pile pressure on Supreme Leader Ali Khamanei to drop his long-standing ideological opposition to Tehran’s con...

Huawei Technologies is expected to ship no more than 200,000 of its advanced artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors this year, according to a senior Trump administration official overseeing US export controls, who estimated that “most or all o...

Chinese scientists have achieved a breakthrough in the commercial extraction of the critical metal rubidium directly from salt lake brine, potentially slashing dependence on imports – mostly from Canada – that now supply two-thirds of China’s n...

China and India have agreed to work towards the resumption of direct flights and take other moves to boost exchanges as the latest steps in their efforts to stabilise relations. The measures were announced after Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri ...

Hong Kong authorities have been urged to model the proposed Hung Hom waterfront project after Cannes and Monaco to help drive the city’s mega-event economy, as some town planning advisers have questioned plans for more commercial facilities amid a ...

Hong Kong can be a crucial partner in the continued and orderly opening of mainland China’s capital markets, particularly in advancing the internationalisation of its currency, according to HSBC’s co-CEO. As a financial hub connecting East and We...

Distressed sales in Hong Kong’s luxury property market persist, with a mansion on The Peak now listed at two-thirds the purchase price six years ago. The three-storey detached house in Twelve Peaks at 12 Mount Kellett Road, developed by Sun Hung Ka...

Bilateral ties between Jakarta and Beijing are expected to improve following China’s decision to include Indonesia in a list of countries eligible for a 240-hour visa-free transit policy, although any impact on tourism is expected to be minimal. Un...

Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged Niger’s junta government to resolve disputes with Chinese energy companies operating in the West African nation through dialogue. Wang made the remarks during talks with his Nigerien counterpart Bakary Yaou Sangar...