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News - South China Morning Post

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Chinese foundries SMIC, Hua Hong forecast...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/14

China’s leading semiconductor foundries, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) and Hua Hong Semiconductor, expect their second-quarter sales to rise amid a dynamic global market defined by surging artificial intelligence demand and a memory supply crunch, while Hua Hong said it hopes this week’s Xi-Trump meetings could help relax US export controls. SMIC expected its second-quarter revenue to range between US$2.86 billion and US$2.91 billion, up from US$2.51 billion in

Salute to China? Protocol-perfect Trump delights...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/14

Handshakes, taps on the arm, and frequent asides marked the much-awaited meeting between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump on Thursday morning, as the two presidents projected a close rapport during the first full day of Trump’s visit to China. Attention was focused not only on the substance of the high-stakes talks, but also on the personal dynamics between the US and Chinese heads of state – a relationship widely seen as a barometer of the broader diplomatic mood as the world’s two largest

Long and short-term subsidised public rental housing...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/14

The average waiting time for long and short-term general applicants for subsidised public rental housing in Hong Kong had fallen to 4.7 years as of March, authorities said, marking the first time it has dropped below five years under the current administration. Despite the decrease in the “composite figure”, which included light public flats, the average waiting time for a standard public rental home remained unchanged at 5.6 years, according to data released on Thursday. The Housing Bureau

Philippine senator wanted by ICC flees from Senate

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/14

A Philippine senator wanted by the International Criminal Court for an alleged crime against humanity has fled from the Senate, where he sought refuge to evade arrest, officials said on Thursday. Senator Ronald dela Rosa’s exit from the heavily guarded Senate came after volleys of gunshots were fired on Wednesday night by the building’s security personnel during an argument with a government agent, sparking chaos that apparently helped the senator to slip out. President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr

Xi-Trump summit: Ford-CATL battery plant shows how...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/14

A Ford Motor electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in the US state of Michigan, edging closer to inauguration, has shed light on global marques’ reliance on Chinese technologies to accelerate their EV transition amid US President Donald Trump’s state visit to Beijing. With trade and investment among the top issues on the agenda for the summit between Trump and President Xi Jinping, the US$3 billion facility, with a capacity of more than 400,000 EVs a year, has heightened expectations for

As Trump revamps White House, Rubio floored by...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/14

As the US delegation met with their Chinese counterparts in Beijing, some hugely important topics were on the agenda. However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also found the time to admire the meeting room’s interior design. Footage of Rubio checking out the ceiling of one of the grand reception rooms in which President Xi Jinping hosted his US counterpart Donald Trump on Thursday went viral online. The candid footage catches Rubio in the East Hall of the Great Hall of the People in

Why Hong Kong scientists think GLP-1 weight-loss...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/14

Popular weight-loss injections have the potential to help patients recover from severe strokes when used alongside a surgical procedure to remove blood clots in the brain, scientists at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) have said. The scientists said on Thursday that administering a GLP-1 injection before and after a thrombectomy, a blood clot removal procedure, could have neuroprotective effects and improve the neurological recovery of ischemic stroke patients by as much as 20 per

Ukraine arrests Zelensky’s ex-top aide as corruption...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/14

Ukrainian ⁠President Volodymyr Zelensky’s former right-hand man was taken into custody on Thursday on money-laundering charges, part of a fight against corruption that is fuelling wartime political tensions. Investigators on Monday had named Andriy Yermak as an official suspect in a sprawling, multi-episode case that has gripped Ukraine for months and stoked anger among a war-battered population at high-level corruption. His arrest represents the deepest authorities have dug into the

Boeing nears ‘large’ China orders as Trump and Xi...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/14

“Large Boeing orders” are expected as part of US President Donald Trump’s state visit to Beijing, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday, adding that China and the US would discuss establishing a joint “board of trade” to manage commercial ties. When asked about the potential for deals in what have come to be known as the “three Bs” – Chinese purchases of beans, beef and Boeing aircraft – Bessent told CNBC: “I think we’re going to see the large Boeing orders.” The agreement, if...

Alibaba, Tencent present a tale of two strategies for...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/14

Alibaba Group Holding and Tencent Holdings are doubling down on a massive artificial intelligence spending spree, betting that a new wave of Chinese-made chips will break the supply bottlenecks stifling their ambitions. While both Chinese tech giants saw revenues trail expectations this past quarter, they pledged an aggressive acceleration in capital expenditure, as home-grown silicon from Huawei Technologies and Alibaba’s in-house labs begins to reach scale. Alibaba was likely to “overshoot”...

Why US is backing Philippine airport at former...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/14

A proposed airport on a former US naval base in the Philippines near the entrance to Manila Bay is drawing fresh strategic attention after Washington agreed to fund a feasibility study, a move analysts say fits into US efforts to strengthen logistics, access and interoperability with the country in the South China Sea. Experts said the proposed Sangley Point International Airport in Cavite could become more than a commercial aviation project because of its access to the South China Sea and

China practices for sleep protection and better...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/14

Getting a proper sleep has been a problem for people throughout history and the ancient Chinese set up some rules and methods that are still believed to be effective today. In Chinese culture, sleep time is believed to be an important period for the body to absorb and restore energy. Ancient people were meticulous about the number of hours’ sleep they got and in what position they did so. For example, it is deemed important to get sufficient sleep during the Zi hour, 11pm to 1pm, and the Wu...

Typhon launch of Tomahawk missile is ‘worst...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/14

The United States’ first firing of its Philippines-based Typhon missile launcher last week marked the “worst provocation” in years in the South China Sea and Beijing should ramp up air defence and stealth strike drones in response, according to Chinese military observers. Beijing has opposed the Typhon deployment since the Lockheed Martin system arrived at its Luzon base in the Philippines two years ago, claiming it has destabilised regional security. The ground-based vertical launch system

Russia unleashes 1,500 attack drones on Ukraine,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/14

Russia unleashed the largest aerial attack on Ukraine over a two-day period since the war began, pounding the capital Kyiv and other cities across the country with hundreds of drones, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia had launched more than 1,560 drones since the start of Wednesday. Overnight on ‌Thursday, Moscow fired more than 670 attack drones and 56 missiles against Ukraine, he said. Air defence units shot down 41 missiles and 652 drones...

Xi-Trump summit casts optimistic light on lingering...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/14

Xi Jinping and Donald Trump struck an optimistic tone at the start of their two-day presidential summit in Beijing, even as the Chinese leader highlighted risks surrounding Taiwan. Pre-summit trade talks “produced generally balanced and positive outcomes”, Xi told the US president at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday, according to Xinhua. “This is good news for the people of the two countries and the world.” Trump repeatedly called Xi a “great leader” in opening comments at

Looming US rocket debris crash unlikely to hit...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/14

A stray Falcon 9 rocket part is on course to slam into the moon in August. The expected impact poses no immediate danger, experts say, but warn that it highlights a critical lack of rules for managing debris as lunar activity by the US, China and private companies ramps up. Measuring 13.8 metres (45 feet) long and 3.7 metres wide, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket’s upper stage has been drifting through Earth-moon space since it launched a US commercial lander and a Japanese lander in January last...

Samsung union’s strike threat fuels fears of South...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/14

Samsung Electronics’ biggest labour union is threatening to strike at the height of the global AI chip boom, turning a fight over bonuses into a test of how the industry’s windfall profits should be shared and sparking fears of an economic slowdown in South Korea. The union has warned it will stage an 18-day walkout from May 21 to June 7, raising concerns about production disruptions, customer defections and wider fallout across the global technology supply chain. The dispute comes as demand

Malaysia’s Mahathir ‘doesn’t care’ about ‘dictator’...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/14

Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, known for his unyielding stance, has maintained that he was undaunted by public sentiment throughout his decades-long career, even if his pursuit of Malaysia’s welfare earned him the label of “dictator”. From his ascent to the country’s top political post to his tumultuous relationship with protege turned critic and now Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Mahathir recounted his political odyssey in a Malaysian documentary chronicling his professional life and...

Hong Kong court freezes HK$9 billion in assets and...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/14

A Hong Kong court has ordered the freezing of properties and assets worth more than HK$9 billion (US$1.15 billion) held by detained Chinese-born Cambodian businessman Chen Zhi and companies and individuals tied to him, the South China Morning Post has learned. A source told the SCMP on Thursday that the High Court had ordered a restriction on such properties earlier this month following an application from the Department of Justice involving Chen, who is accused of running a sprawling online...

Police arrest 3 and seize HK$100 million in cannabis...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/14

Hong Kong police have arrested three men and seized more than half a tonne of suspected cannabis buds worth about HK$100 million (US$12.77 million), marking the third-largest seizure of the drug by city authorities since 2020. Chief Inspector Lam Pak-kiu of the narcotics bureau said on Thursday that officers conducted an ambush in the early hours on Wednesday at a beach along Tai Mong Tsai Road in Sai Kung acting on intelligence regarding a seaborne smuggling syndicate. “Detectives spotted

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