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Xi and Trump discuss Taiwan, bilateral ties in rare...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/24

Chinese President Xi Jinping and the US President Donald Trump had a phone conversation on Taiwan and Ukraine issues on Monday, according to the official Chinese news agency Xinhua.The phone call came after a series of fast-changing geopolitics in recent weeks. China has seen an escalating row with Japan over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan, and the US has announced a 28-point peace proposal to end the Russia-Ukraine war, which started in February 2022. Xi clarified

Nuclear tech milestone: China’s supercritical...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/24

China has brought online the world’s first commercial supercritical carbon dioxide power generator – a revolutionary clean energy technology pioneered by the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). This power generator, which uses carbon dioxide instead of steam to transfer heat, has been connected to the grid from a steel production plant in China’s southwestern province of Guizhou to produce electricity from waste heat, according to a social media post by CNNC’s Nuclear Power Institute

Amazon faces Italian probe over alleged smuggling of...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/24

Italian police carried out searches and seizures at two Amazon sites in Italy on Monday as part of an investigation into the alleged smuggling of Chinese goods, three people with direct knowledge of the matter said. Dozens of officers from the Guardia di Finanza tax police and the customs agency seized around 5,000 products at a logistics hub operated by the e-commerce giant in Cividate al Piano, in the northern province of Bergamo, the sources said. At Amazon’s Italian headquarters in

‘Everyone was startled’: Thai woman ‘wakes up’ in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/24

A woman in Thailand shocked temple staff when she started moving in her coffin after being brought in for cremation. Wat Rat Prakhong Tham, a Buddhist temple in the province of Nonthaburi on the outskirts of Bangkok, posted a video on its Facebook page, showing a woman lying in a white coffin in the back of a pickup truck, slightly moving her arms and head, leaving temple staff bewildered. Pairat Soodthoop, the temple’s general and financial affairs manager, said on Monday that the

Nearly 2,400 Guangdong drivers apply for cross-border...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/24

Nearly 2,400 mainland Chinese drivers have applied for 1,700 spots under a much-awaited special scheme that allows them to drive their cars directly into urban areas of Hong Kong, according to Guangdong authorities. The Traffic Management Authority of the Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department said on Sunday that 2,388 drivers had submitted applications earlier this month for the first round of balloting. The 1,700 successful applicants selected by computer ballot on Sunday can

China-Japan ties deteriorate; airlines cancel...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/24

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. Beijing blasts Japan’s ‘extremely dangerous’ missile deployment near Taiwan Beijing has blasted Japan’s missile deployment on an island only 110km (68 miles) away from Taiwan as “extremely dangerous”, saying it stokes regional tensions and military confrontation amid deteriorating ties between the two Asian powers. 2. As US-China rivalry redefines

South Korea’s Lee warns of ‘dangerous situation’ with...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/24

North and South Korea are in a “very dangerous situation” where an accidental clash is possible any time and it is crucial for Seoul to engage Pyongyang in dialogue, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said on Monday. Lee, who has taken several steps to ease tensions since taking office in June, has offered discussions with the North without preconditions, in contrast to his hawkish conservative predecessor. Pyongyang has yet to respond to Lee’s overtures. “Inter-Korean relations have,...

8 arrested in Philippine flood control scandal, but...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/24

Eight officials from the Philippines’ Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) have been arrested, marking a more assertive phase in President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s response to the sprawling flood control corruption scandal. Analysts, however, have described the step as narrowly focused on minor players, noting that investigators have yet to confront the high-profile lawmakers and contractors accused of driving the scheme, raising doubts about how far the inquiry is prepared to

Youth unfulfilled: job opportunities in China’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/24

As China rapidly ages, the senior-care sector is poised to become a significant source of job creation. Yet, enthusiasm among the nation’s young workforce remains lukewarm. The care-services industry, including care for elderly residents, is projected to generate millions of jobs and become a driver of household consumption in the years to come, as national demographics shift towards an older population, according to He Dan, director of the China Population and Development Research Centre

Venezuela rejects US ‘terrorist’ label for...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/24

The Venezuelan government on Monday rejected what it called a “ridiculous” US plan to designate the “nonexistent” Cartel de los Soles a terrorist organisation, ahead of Washington’s expected designation later in the day. United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier this month his country would designate the Cartel de los Soles a foreign terrorist organisation for its alleged role in importing illegal drugs into the US. The Trump administration, which alleges the cartel is made up

Hong Kong may ban 2 ‘subversive’ groups based in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/24

The Hong Kong government is considering enacting a ban on any local operation of two “subversive” groups based in Canada and Taiwan on national security grounds. The move against the Canada-based “Hong Kong Parliament” and Taiwan-based “Hong Kong Democratic Independence Union” came after a local court sentenced a woman earlier this month to a year in jail for promoting the former and breaching the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance. “The two organisations in question aim to subvert

US senator demands answers to Trump’s TikTok...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/24

A Democratic senator on Monday asked US President Donald Trump to answer key details about a plan by TikTok’s Chinese owners to sell a majority stake in the short video app’s US assets. Trump signed an executive order on September 25 declaring that a plan to sell TikTok’s US operations to a consortium of US and global investors meets the national security requirements set out in a 2024 law and gave them 120 days to complete the transaction. In doing so, he delayed enforcement of the law

As Trump casts a pall over Cop30, China’s quiet...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/24

Amid the climate crisis, China’s quiet leadership in the fight for a sustainable future offers a reason for optimism, particularly for the Global South. After two weeks of contentious negotiations, Cop30 in Brazil concluded with an uneasy deal that sidestepped any mention of fossil fuels, exposing deep divisions and mounting frustrations. Indeed, even as Cop30 convened, the world was already suffering “summit fatigue”. After decades of lofty declarations and limited follow-through, many

Ne Zha-Transformers collaboration set to air as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/24

A highly anticipated animated crossover between a Chinese mythological hero and American pop culture icons will debut early next month, marking a significant collaborative release as bilateral tensions continue to ease. Many see My Ne Zha and Transformers – a 52-episode co-production between China’s CCTV Animation and US toy giant Hasbro – as the latest sign of stabilising relations amid soft-power diplomacy. The series features the popular boy deity joining forces with the Autobots in a rare...

Israeli generals dismissed over failures from Hamas’...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/24

Israel’s military announced the dismissal of three generals and disciplinary actions against several other senior officers over their failure to prevent the October 2023 assault by Hamas, the deadliest attack in the country’s history. The move comes two weeks after Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir called for a “systemic investigation” into the failures that led to the onslaught, even as the government dragged its feet on establishing a state commission of inquiry despite public pressure. The...

Chinese airlines cancel flights on 12 Japan routes as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/24

As a political dispute between Beijing and Tokyo continues to inflame relations, Chinese media reports indicate some domestic airlines have cancelled flights on 12 of their routes to Japan – including paths to popular tourism destinations Kyoto and Osaka – with analysts predicting cancellations to rise within the week. As of Monday morning, flights on these routes had been put on hold, according to a report from financial news outlet Yicai that cited Chinese aviation data platform DAST

Taiwan’s KMT seeks to change law to allow...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/24

Taiwan’s main opposition party Kuomintang (KMT) has launched a drive to change the law so that people born on the Chinese mainland and who are married to Taiwanese citizens can hold public office. The move – almost certain to clear the opposition-controlled legislature – has triggered an intense debate over the island’s security and identity. At the centre is a KMT proposal to amend both the Nationality Act and the 1992 Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the...

Hong Kong police search for missing elderly man, 87,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/24

Hong Kong police have mounted a search for an elderly man with dementia who went missing in Tuen Mun after having lunch with his family. Police said Leung Woon-yew, 87, lived in Tai Hing Estate in Tuen Mun. He was last seen at around 11am on Sunday in Shan King Estate on Shek Pai Tau Road. The Post learned Leung had lunch with his family at about 1pm near King Lai House in Shan King Estate and was expected to return home afterwards. Leung is described as being about 1.7 metres (5 feet 7

‘Wronged’ Singapore driver blames hackers for racist...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/24

A Singapore private-hire driver has denied responsibility for a vulgar anti-Chinese slur that was seen flashing across an LED panel on the back of his car, insisting the message was remotely altered by someone hacking into his display system. The footage, filmed on Thursday along Woodlands Centre Road – a route leading to the checkpoint connecting Singapore and Malaysia – went viral after being posted by the SG Road Vigilante Facebook page. The clip shows a Honda Stepwagon Spada repeatedly...

Bollywood mourns ‘He-Man’ Dharmendra, Indian cinema...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/24

India’s hugely popular star Dharmendra was lovingly known as the “He-Man” of Bollywood, thanks to his roles in a string of action films that cemented his legacy spanning more than six decades and 250 films. Born Dharam Singh Deol on December 8, 1935, in Punjab, he also served as a member of parliament and was honoured with one of India’s highest civilian awards. He struck stardom after becoming the first Bollywood actor to bare his chest on screen, prompting a flood of love letters from

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