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News - South China Morning Post

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Gold slides as hawkish Fed and strong US dollar...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

Gold prices have continued to weaken despite escalating tensions in the US-Israel conflict with Iran, breaking from the metal’s traditional role as a geopolitical hedge, as fading expectations of interest rate cuts and a stronger US dollar weigh on sentiment, analysts said. The metal has declined about 15 per cent since a brief surge on March 2, when prices climbed to around US$5,300 per ounce following US and Israeli strikes on Iran. A modest rebound driven by technical buying on Friday did...

Trump’s biggest cheerleader? Why Japan’s Takaichi is...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

A White House photo of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi appearing to break into a dance at an official function ignited a wave of mockery across Chinese social media on the weekend, with commenters framing her as Washington’s biggest cheerleader. The photograph, the first in an official White House gallery from her summit with US President Donald Trump on Thursday, captures Takaichi in a moment of unbridled exuberance during a welcome reception. Making her first trip to Washington since...

International capital flowing to China as investors...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

Amid growing geopolitical turbulence, international capital is increasingly seeking certainty – which China offers – a leading Chinese government adviser highlighted on Sunday, as the country’s central bank governor reiterated commitment to rolling out the welcome mat for foreign investors. Speaking on the sidelines of the China Development Forum, Zheng Yongnian, dean of the school of public policy at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, noted that capital had been flowing to Hong...

Why India faces dilemma over Iran war while seeking...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

As the world reels from the fallout of the Iran war, India is seeking to manage its risks and interests in the Middle East and beyond while maintaining its neutrality in the widening conflict. This can be seen in New Delhi engaging with combatants US and Iran, as well as other nations caught in the crossfire of the war, according to political analysts. In the past two weeks, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has spoken four times with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, while Prime...

What the 4,000km Diego Garcia missile launch reveals...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

By firing ballistic missiles at the UK-US Diego Garcia base nearly 4,000km (2,485 miles) from its shores, Iran is sending a message that it still has cards to play after three weeks of war, according to experts. A UK official source said Iran was “unsuccessful” in targeting the Indian Ocean military facility, one of two bases that London has allowed the US to use for certain missions in its war against Iran. Until now, most had believed Iran – under US-Israeli bombardment since February 28 –

‘Upstairs’ moves downstairs: Hong Kong outlets head...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

Retailers and restaurant operators in Hong Kong are rethinking how they use space as rents fall and demand weakens by moving back to street-level shops and experimenting with short-term “pop-up” leases. Hong Kong Hing Kee Java Edible Bird’s Nest (HK JEBN), known locally as “Lau Soeng” – Cantonese for “upstairs” – built its business by avoiding expensive street-front rents and operating from higher floors. It is now doing the opposite. “After the pandemic, the retail market has been weak,”

Vietnam protests as China’s Paracels build-up...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

Hanoi has protested to Beijing over Chinese land-reclamation activities in the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, following reports of accelerated dredging and landfill operations at Antelope Reef. “Vietnam resolutely opposes such activities, makes representations and affirms its position on this matter,” Vietnamese foreign ministry spokeswoman Pham Thu Hang said on Saturday. She said Hanoi had “ample historical evidence and legal grounds” to assert sovereignty over the Paracel...

Finance chief urges Hong Kong to enhance global...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

Hong Kong will step up efforts to bolster its global standing and strengthen links between mainland China and the West, enabling the city to better serve as a “superconnector” and “super value-adder” for the nation amid growing geopolitical complexities, the financial chief has said. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po wrote in his weekly blog on Sunday that the international community was seeking to foster bilateral and regional cooperation to ensure flexibility in trade and resilience in...

Hospital Authority investigates privacy concerns over...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority has launched an investigation into the controversy over a social media image posted by a doctor showing him performing a resuscitation procedure inside a public hospital, sparking outcry over patient privacy and professional ethics. Jensen So, a doctor from the Kowloon West Cluster and a former contestant on ViuTV’s reality talent show King Maker III, posted the image on his Instagram account last Thursday. It has since been widely circulated on another social...

Can China massively reduce food imports with...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

China’s drive to grow 90 per cent of its own grain by 2032 just gained a critical weapon: an unmanned ratoon rice farm that produces 50 per cent higher yields. By harnessing smart seedling care, sowing, growing and harvesting, a Chinese biotechnology company and scientists from several institutes have built the world’s first smart farm for regenerated rice. Located in the Datong Lake District in China’s central Hunan province, the smart rice farm has enabled an ancient but technically...

China bosses use smart seats, Wi-fi to track staff...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

In some Chinese workplaces, employers use office Wi-fi, surveillance cameras and even smart seats to monitor what staff do, say and search online. Workers’ Daily reported that a woman working at a technology company in Guangzhou, southern China, discovered that a camera had been installed above her desk after she declined to go on a business trip because she was ill. In January, she said a manager warned her not to use private group chats during office hours. After checking the camera’s

Israeli towns reel from ‘terrifying’ Iranian missile...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

Sheltering from an Iranian missile attack on his town in southern Israel on Saturday, 17-year-old Ido Franky heard “terrifying” blasts like nothing he had experienced before. An Iranian missile hit Franky’s town of Arad, hours after another struck Dimona – home to a nuclear facility – wounding dozens and leaving entire residential blocks with heavy damage. Franky rushed to shelter with his family as air raid sirens sounded, warning of an incoming attack. “There was a ‘boom, boom!’, my mother

Philippine military uncovers alleged new Beijing spy...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

At least three Filipinos with ties to the country’s military have been arrested on suspicion of spying for Beijing, allegedly leaking information that sparked maritime confrontations in the disputed South China Sea. The case, which came to light last year during an ongoing multi-agency counter-intelligence effort, marks a new strategy of recruiting Filipinos for espionage instead of planting individuals with fake local identities in the country, according to Philippine Navy Rear Admiral Roy...

Japan may send minesweepers to Hormuz after Iran war...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Sunday hinted at the possibility of sending the country’s Self-Defence Forces for minesweeping operations in the Strait of Hormuz, provided that a ceasefire is realised in the conflict between Iran and the United States and Israel. “Japan’s minesweeping technology is at the top level in the world,” Motegi said during a television programme. “Let’s say [the parties have entered into a] ceasefire, and in the event that mines pose an obstacle, we

Pet owners evacuating UAE urge Hong Kong to loosen...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

Some Hong Kong residents planning to leave the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with their pets because of conflict in the Middle East are considering flying to other countries rather than returning home due to the city’s 120-day quarantine requirement for cats and dogs. The pet owners called on authorities to relax the “excessive” quarantine rules for Dubai, saying the requirement had made returning to Hong Kong unfeasible. In a reply to the South China Morning Post, the Agriculture, Fisheries and...

‘Super-aged’ Singapore’s secret to growing old well?...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

The clack of mahjong tiles, the soft rattle of exercise bikes and the slow thrum of sewing machines are the soundtrack to Monday afternoons at the Yong-en Active Hub: a senior centre with the vibe of a social club, where new skills and friendships are the antidote to old age. At the Bukit Merah estate in central Singapore, Agnes Chen, 74, strolls through the swinging doors, declines entreaties to join a game of Rummikub – a tile-based hybrid of mahjong and rummy – and fixes herself a...

China will stockpile critical resources and...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

China is prioritising “strategic material security” under its new five-year plan, which elevates the supply and domestic stockpiling of critical resources to a matter of national security. Under its 15th five-year plan, Beijing has placed “key commodities” on the same strategic level as food and energy security, pledging a more proactive approach to bolstering “energy and resource supply security” by “preventing and mitigating major risks in systemically important areas”. To achieve this, the...

Indonesia’s new aircraft carrier is more vanity...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

If everything goes according to plan, Indonesia will be in possession of an aircraft carrier come Armed Forces Day on October 5. When that happens, it will become only the second country in Southeast Asia, after Thailand, to operate such a vessel. But this does not mean Indonesia’s maritime power will increase significantly. The issue here is prestige, not combat power. The warship in question is the Italian navy’s Giuseppe Garibaldi. The 14,000-tonne flat-top was commissioned in 1985 and...

Could ultra-precise harvest forecasts give China an...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

As tensions around Iran intensify, a potential disruption to global fertiliser supply chains is raising concerns about food production worldwide. But for China, an unusual advantage is coming into focus: the ability to predict grain output more than six months in advance with striking accuracy. That capability – refined over decades – could allow Beijing to move early, reshaping risk into strategic leverage. The Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global energy and commodity flows, has

Premier Li Qiang calls for a global pledge to open...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

Beijing has urged global commitment to opening up, while pledging to create more blue ocean markets in a world engulfed by protectionism. Delivering the opening address to the China Development Forum on Sunday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said, “protectionism is by no means a panacea for solving problems”, instead calling for opening up and technological progress to drive new market growth. “[Now,] power politics is running rampant, acting with impunity; at the same time, calls to uphold

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