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Substance for Putin, ‘face’ for Trump: China, Russia...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

Days after US President Donald Trump’s visit framed around managing risks, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin reached a raft of agreements and pledged deeper cooperation as they met in Beijing. An analyst in China captured the stark contrast between the two visits as a clear choice between pomp and pragmatism. “Over these 30 years, our relations, tempered by wind and rain, have risen to ever new heights, following the dictates of the times,” Xi said after the...

Hong Kong’s northern New Territories hit by heavy...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

Hong Kong’s northern areas were drenched on Wednesday night as the Observatory issued an amber rainstorm warning and multiple reports of flooding were received across the area. The warning, issued at 9pm, signalled heavy rain exceeding 30mm (1.2 inches) in an hour that was likely to continue and cautioned of flooding in low-lying and poorly drained areas. At 9.45pm, a flooding alert was issued for the northern New Territories. Ta Kwu Ling was among the hardest‑hit areas, the Observatory said,...

Israeli minister posts video of flotilla activists,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

Detained activists from a flotilla of boats that tried to get past Israel’s blockade of Gaza arrived in the port city of Ashdod aboard Israeli naval ships on Wednesday, as National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir told them that they should remain in prison for a “long, long time.”Video released by Ben-Gvir showed the minister walking among some of the around 430 detained activists flanked by police and soldiers as he waved a large Israeli flag and told them: “Welcome to Israel, we are the...

Government to handle Wang Fuk Court insurance claims...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

The administrator of the fire-damaged Wang Fuk Court has reassured residents that the Hong Kong government will assume responsibility for pursuing insurance claims on policies bought by the estate on behalf of owners who sell their flats to authorities under a buy-back plan. But some residents of the Tai Po estate who attended Wednesday’s Zoom briefing by Hop On Management found some of their questions regarding insurance claims remained unanswered, including how and when they were expected

China and Russia warn US Golden Dome poses ‘clear...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

China and Russia issued strong warnings over the US Golden Dome missile defence system and military deployments in the region in their latest joint statement, just days after a summit between Beijing and Washington aimed at stabilising Sino-American ties. The two countries accused the United States of posing “a clear threat to strategic stability” through its Golden Dome project in a joint statement issued after Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s summit on...

Singapore’s AI-job cuts debate flares over...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

Singapore’s push to prepare workers for artificial intelligence is facing a stern test after Meta and Standard Chartered announced lay-offs this week, fuelling debate over how far AI is already reshaping jobs in the city state. The cuts have made one question more urgent for Singapore: can its goal to train workers to take on new or redesigned roles keep pace with increased use of AI and automation by companies as they reduce headcounts? Meta employees in Singapore reportedly began receiving...

Hong Kong hardest hit as cross-border scam crackdown...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

Hong Kong accounted for the largest share of losses uncovered in a cross-border scam crackdown spanning 10 jurisdictions, making up more than 40 per cent of the US$752 million total. The single-largest loss involved a Singaporean firm whose funds were transferred to multiple bank accounts in the city and Hong Kong. Hong Kong police said on Wednesday that it worked with law enforcement agencies in Brunei, Canada, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, the Maldives, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand...

Hong Kong’s top court reviews law criminalising calls...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

Hong Kong’s top court has been asked to abolish an “extraordinary” and “inexplicable” law prohibiting calls to boycott the city’s “patriots-only” elections on the grounds that it violates residents’ rights to express disapproval of the political system and to make informed decisions before voting. A government senior counsel opposed the challenge by former Chinese University of Hong Kong student union president Jacky So Tsun-fung, arguing the law fell outside the scope of constitutional

SMILE in space: China, EU joint planet defence...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

China and Europe on Tuesday launched their first jointly developed satellite, a space mission that will explore the precise mechanism of the Earth’s defence against solar wind. The successful collaboration on the Solar Wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) comes as Beijing and Brussels are locked in escalating trade and geopolitical tensions, largely driven by the European Union’s massive trade deficit with China. The satellite has been jointly designed and developed by the

Why Trump’s face is popping up on Indian autorickshaws

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

In New Delhi’s chaotic traffic, where the backs of autorickshaws sometimes double as mobile billboards, some commuters are now being greeted by an unlikely face: US President Donald Trump. Splashed beneath his portrait is the slogan: “Happy Birthday America!” About 100 autorickshaws carrying large images of Trump and the Statue of Liberty have appeared across the Indian capital in recent weeks. In a city where the backs of thousands of three-wheelers are routinely covered with ads for...

US and China must talk to manage dangers of AI...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

In the wake of the summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump, the China-US relationship is, in one critical respect, more dangerous than at any time since Tiananmen Square. The reason is not trade friction, tariffs, Taiwan or geopolitical competition – significant as those are. It is the competition over artificial intelligence supremacy, which will reshape every aspect of relations in the coming decade. This is not just a technological contest. It is a contest...

Iranian public get basic gun training amid Trump’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

Iranian Revolutionary Guard members now regularly show the public in Tehran how to handle Kalashnikov-style assault rifles. Parades through the capital feature military vehicles mounted with belt-fed Soviet-era machine guns. And at one mass wedding, a ballistic missile, like the one that rained down cluster munitions on Israel, adorned the stage. Weapons are now regularly brandished in Tehran, an increasing show of defiance as US President Donald Trump threatens he could restart the war with...

‘Phantom limb’: report blames China shock for...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

Germany has been warned that a “China shock” to its trade economy is the biggest driver of its industrial slump, in a new report that urges Berlin to throw its weight behind stronger EU measures against Beijing. Much soul-searching has been under way in Berlin over recent years, with the German government focusing on deregulation in an effort to kick-start a sputtering economy. According to the report from influential think tank the Centre for European Reform, the “China shock is now the most...

China-US trade talks saw Washington commit to tariff...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

Washington would not raise future tariffs on Chinese goods above the level stipulated in a trade truce the two countries hammered out late last year, Beijing said, a commitment arising from talks in South Korea held hours before US President Donald Trump’s arrival in the Chinese capital last week. Analysts said the pledge signals a shift in relations between the world’s two largest economies – from unilateral trade shocks towards a phase of “managed competition”. “We hope the US side will

Fuel-thirsty UK relaxes Russian oil sanctions,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

The UK moved to loosen its Russian sanctions in a controversial move aimed at preventing shortages of diesel and jet fuel, as the war in Iran eats into global oil buffers. The move highlights how Britain has become more reliant on fuel imports than other major European nations, and has prompted political backlash over the government’s commitment to support Ukraine. The European Union is not currently planning a similar measure, according to people with knowledge of the matter, who asked not

Indonesia’s Prabowo tightens state grip on palm oil,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

Indonesia will require exports of key commodities to pass through a state-appointed enterprise in a sweeping effort to curb revenue leaks, tighten oversight of natural resources and keep more foreign exchange earnings at home. The policy, announced by President Prabowo Subianto in a rare address to parliament on Wednesday, would apply to palm oil, coal and ferroalloys – three major export earners for Southeast Asia’s largest economy. Under the new regulation, producers would have to sell

Beijing slams Taiwan’s Lai as ‘destroyer’ of peace...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

Beijing on Wednesday accused Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te of “destroying cross-strait peace”, shortly after he delivered a speech to mark his second anniversary in office. The row comes in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s remarks on Taiwan independence following his state visit to Beijing. Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office condemned Lai’s anniversary speech and his subsequent remarks to reporters as being filled with “lies and deception, hostility and confrontation”. Spokesman

Japan feels the squeeze as China’s rare earth magnet...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

China’s exports of rare earth permanent magnets to Japan slightly rebounded in April after slumping the previous month, but Japanese firms warn they are facing “severe” shortages as a diplomatic row between Beijing and Tokyo grinds on. Shipments of permanent magnets from China to Japan rose by 2.5 per cent in April compared with the previous month, according to Chinese customs data released on Wednesday. But the modest rise only partly offset the 17.3 per cent plunge recorded in March. The...

Hong Kong minister touts gold as ‘bridge between...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

Gold can serve as a “potential bridge” between conventional and new forms of finance, Hong Kong’s treasury minister has said, highlighting the need for the city to provide more opportunities for the digital asset market to grow. Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui Ching-yu also said on Wednesday that Hong Kong had opted against forming a separate regulatory authority for digital assets due to the “convergence” between conventional and innovative finance. During a...

Malaysia’s ruling coalition committed to staying...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/20

Malaysia’s unity government will remain intact until the end of its term amid speculation of snap elections, according to Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil. “Barisan Nasional, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah and Gabungan Parti Sarawak have given their commitment that they will support this government till the end of its term,” Fahmi said on Wednesday after a cabinet meeting. “This commitment reflects the priority given to the interests of the people and the country, while enabling the government to...

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