PODCAST

News - South China Morning Post

All the latest breaking news from Hong Kong, China and around the world

All Episodes

Trump, Xi weigh AI ‘guardrails’ as Nvidia chip...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/15

US President Donald Trump and Chinese officials discussed artificial intelligence “guardrails” and Nvidia’s H200 chips during his just-ended state visit to Beijing. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One during his return flight, Trump said the two sides “talked about possibly working together for guardrails” on AI, characterising them as “standard guardrails that we talk about all the time”. Regarding Nvidia’s H200 graphics processing units (GPUs) – shipments of which have yet to be approved

Ukraine war: 36 nations approve tribunal creation to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/15

Thirty-four European states plus Australia, Costa Rica and the EU said on Friday they would join a future special tribunal for Ukraine to prosecute Russia over its invasion of the country. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed an accord with the Council of Europe last year to create a legal body to prosecute the “crime of aggression” in the invasion Russia launched in February 2022. The Council of Ministers, comprising foreign ministers from the organisation’s 46-member states, in a...

China’s Xi Jinping to pay first state visit to US in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/15

Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to the US this autumn, the first in more than a decade, as the two powers seek stability amid their deepening rivalry. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi confirmed late on Friday that Xi would make the trip at the invitation of his US counterpart Donald Trump. “Both sides should work together to make thorough preparations, create a favourable atmosphere, and achieve more substantive outcomes for the interactions and exchanges between the two...

IMF lauds resilient Hong Kong economy, but warns of...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/15

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lauded the resilience of Hong Kong’s economy, noting a sustained recovery despite economic activity having yet to return to pre-Covid levels, while warning of downside risks stemming from escalating geopolitical tensions. It also urged Hong Kong to pursue medium-term financial reforms, including the introduction of a goods and services tax, to stabilise and strengthen public revenue. A concluding statement by an IMF mission that visited Hong Kong in...

What did American allies make of Trump’s trip to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/15

The summit between presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump was watched closely around the world for welcome moves towards stability but it also triggered anxiety among traditional US allies. As he returned home on Air Force One on Friday, Trump had a phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. “We exchanged views, centring on various issues surrounding China, including the economy – encompassing economic security – and security matters,” Takaichi wrote in a social media post. She...

Eye on the tiger: how Elon Musk’s son’s bag became a...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/15

A Chinese-made tiger’s head bag carried by Elon Musk’s young son in Beijing has prompted a wave of interest online. Musk’s six-year-old son X Æ A-Xii, dressed in a Chinese style silk jacket, was pictured carrying the brown shoulder bag with a tiger’s face when he visited the Great Hall of the People with his father in Beijing. The photo quickly went viral on Chinese social media. The Tesla boss was part of a delegation accompanying US President Donald Trump on his visit to Beijing, which

Hong Kong’s M+ museum to showcase collections in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/15

Collections from Hong Kong’s M+ museum will be exhibited in Paris alongside works from the Centre Pompidou in France under a five-year deal signed by the two institutions, which also covers research and talent exchanges. The memorandum of understanding for the multi-year partnership was signed on Friday at the M+ by its director Suhanya Raffel and Laurent Le Bon, the president of the Centre Pompidou. French Consul General Christile Drulhe witnessed the ceremony. “This is the first time for

Trump poured millions into Nvidia, Apple in first...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/15

US President Donald Trump invested millions of dollars in Apple and Nvidia in the first quarter, according to financial disclosures released as he was wrapping up his first state visit to China since 2017. According to a filing disclosed by the US Office of Government Ethics on Thursday, Trump increased investment in Apple and Nvidia, whose CEOs were part of the president’s high-profile business delegation to Beijing this week, during the first three months of 2026. In the first quarter, the

Beijing had already won before the Trump-Xi summit...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/15

Fans of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace all have their own reasons for loving the epic novel. Some read it as a story of personal growth, reflected in Prince Andrei’s spiritual quest. Others favour its portrayal of the Russian aristocracy in the early 19th century. As for myself, the novel punctured the myth of the military genius – not just Napoleon’s. The book’s final section on Tolstoy’s philosophy of history presented the most significant challenge to G.W.F. Hegel – specifically regarding

Maldives rescuers search for missing Italian divers...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/15

Rescue teams in the Indian Ocean archipelago of the Maldives searched for a second day Friday for the bodies of four missing Italians following the country’s deadliest diving accident, officials said. Italy’s foreign ministry said on Thursday night that five citizens had died while diving, with Maldivian authorities recovering one body. Maldives Minister of Tourism Mohamed Ameen said coastguard officers and security forces were scouring remote seas around where the divers were reported

Trump, touting deal, says China to buy 200 Boeing...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/15

US President Donald Trump said China has agreed to purchase at least 200 commercial aircraft from Boeing, and up to 750 if certain conditions are met – a commitment which would end a nearly decade-long order drought – following a state visit to Beijing, where Trump said a purchase of up to 450 aircraft engines from General Electric was also agreed upon. “We made a lot of great trade deals, including over 200 planes for Boeing, with a promise of 750 planes, which would be by far the largest

Trump’s top science adviser visited Beijing. What...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/15

The presence of US President Donald Trump’s top science adviser Michael Kratsios and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in the US delegation to Beijing this week raised the question of whether AI was on the talks’ agenda. When asked if the talks between Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping produced any results relevant to AI collaboration, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun did not give a direct answer. “China has always advocated that all parties jointly promote the development of...

6 bids for Hong Kong land sale signal renewed...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/15

The Hong Kong government’s first land sale in the current financial year has drawn six bids, according to the Development Bureau, including those from the city’s largest developers, suggesting a more confident outlook for the residential property market. At the close of tender for Tung Chung Town Lot No 54 at Area 106A on Friday noon, Sun Hung Kai Properties (SHKP) submitted a solo bid, while Kerry Properties and Sino Land submitted a joint offer, the groups separately confirmed to the South...

Stephen Miran, Trump’s economic guru, is leaving the...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/15

Stephen Miran’s departure from the US Federal Reserve Board of Governors will smooth the leadership transition to incoming chair Kevin Warsh, but his exit is unlikely to alter the central bank’s policy trajectory, analysts said. The move is also sparking speculation about what comes next for Miran – a former top economic adviser to US President Donald Trump – with market watchers debating whether he will return to the White House or re-enter the private sector. Miran submitted his resignation

Embattled Hong Kong developer sued for HK$130...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/15

A Hong Kong property developer has been sued for HK$130 million (US$16.6 million) over allegedly breaching guarantor obligations in two bond subscription agreements, becoming the latest lawsuit to implicate the embattled company and following its founder’s sudden death earlier this week. Lofter Group, known for its urban renewal projects across the city’s core districts, and an affiliated company were named as defendants in the High Court action initiated by Earth Core Holdings, a firm...

Inside Zhongnanhai: Xi welcomes Trump into China’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/15

Beyond the crimson walls west of the Forbidden City, where broad lakes shimmer beside stately pavilions and lush greenery, Zhongnanhai has long stood as the secluded heart of Chinese power – a political sanctuary where phones fall silent and access is tightly controlled. Yet there was a rare glimpse of the interior of the walled-off compound on Friday morning, as President Xi Jinping hosted Donald Trump for talks over tea and a working lunch in the final hours before the US president wrapped

Western powers ramp up support for Philippines’ Luzon...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/15

A widely touted economic hub in the Philippines will involve eight more countries, signalling greater international confidence in the long-term viability of the ambitious project to boost connectivity and trade in a key region. The Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC), a trilateral infrastructure initiative led by the US, Japan, and the Philippines, is set to receive additional support from Canada, Australia, Denmark, France, Italy, South Korea, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Initially envisioned as

Africa confirms fatal Ebola outbreak in Congo, urgent...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/15

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the continent’s top public health body, on Friday confirmed a new Ebola outbreak in Congo’s remote Ituri province, with 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths recorded so far. The deaths and suspected cases have been recorded mainly in the Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones, the organisation said in a statement. The Ebola virus is highly contagious and can be contracted through bodily fluids such as vomit, blood, or semen. The disease it...

After Trump visit, China’s top party journal doubles...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/15

Shortly after US President Donald Trump departed Beijing, China’s ruling Communist Party has called for strengthening the real economy – particularly manufacturing – to gain a competitive edge in the global economy. An article in Qiushi, set to be published on Saturday, curated selections from past speeches by President Xi Jinping to reiterate “our economy was built on the real economy and it must continue to rely on it for the future,” state-run news agency Xinhua reported on Friday. “At...

China couple diagnosed with rare autoimmune disorder...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/15

A young Chinese couple who were both diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder a year after getting married have lost their newborn baby. The couple in northern China’s Tianjin municipality were diagnosed with Bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis last year. The husband, surnamed Li, said only four couples in the world had been diagnosed with the disorder at the same time, and they were the first case in China. Li, 32, had a fever last March, a year after he married his wife. He also felt...

23,390 results