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News - South China Morning Post

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US hawks are wrong: China’s rise in science benefits...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/18

As Chinese science makes great strides, some US China hawks have been sounding the alarm. In their view, Chinese scientific progress is a significant national security threat to the United States, as it signals the relative decline of US scientific dominance and potentially creates dependence on China. In one extreme case of this view, Leland Miller, a senior consultant for the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, declared in a recent interview that China discovering a cure for...

Hong Kong more attractive to talent amid Middle East...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/18

Hong Kong’s labour chief has said geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have made the city, with its relative security and stability, “a more attractive place” for global talent, including those from Gulf countries.Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han highlighted the government’s efforts in recent years to attract talent, dismissing concerns that most successful applicants under its schemes were from mainland China. He said that about one fourth of imported workers from

Chinese military set for EU and Nato talks as Iran...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/18

A delegation from China’s People’s Liberation Army will travel to Brussels next week for talks with the European Union and Nato amid heightened concerns over global security caused by the war in Iran. The EU-China Security and Defence Consultations will take place next Tuesday, official sources confirmed, with the talks between Nato and the PLA’s Office for International Military Cooperation scheduled for the same week. On the EU side, the talks will be chaired by Benedikta von Seherr-Thoss,...

Former Hong Kong lawmaker denies abetting criminal...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/18

A former Hong Kong lawmaker on trial for allegedly inciting subversion has denied abetting criminal activity by supporting mainland Chinese dissidents, accusing Beijing of levelling false charges against them. Prosecutors on Wednesday challenged Lee Cheuk-yan’s claim that he had no intention to incite others to overthrow the mainland’s communist rule when he called for an end to “one-party dictatorship” as former chairman of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic

As Trump ramps up pressure on Cuba, China has ‘very...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/18

As Washington steps up rhetoric and pressure on Cuba after its campaign in Iran, Beijing finds itself torn between geopolitical reality and ideological affinity. According to analysts, Beijing has few good options to counter US hegemony in Washington’s own backyard, and its response is likely to be constrained to diplomatic opposition and modest humanitarian aid. They said any disruption to global stability ultimately harmed Beijing’s interests and did not see prolonged US military action...

Hong Kong customs seizes nearly 1,000 smuggled...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/18

Hong Kong customs officers have seized 986 smuggled live turtles worth about HK$1 million (US$127,620) from a private car attempting to leave the city, arresting the driver and a passenger. Officers discovered the turtles hidden in seven black plastic bags in the vehicle’s boot at the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge control point on Tuesday. A 42-year-old driver and a 50-year-old passenger were arrested, a spokesman of Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department said on Wednesday. Both men were...

Hong Kong’s Airport Authority to develop HK$300...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/18

Hong Kong’s Airport Authority is partnering with a private company to develop a HK$300 million (US$38.28 million) art storage facility set to open next year, as the city looks to cement its position as a global hub for trading valuable works. Speaking at a contract signing ceremony on Wednesday, authority CEO Vivian Cheung Kar-fay said Hong Kong was the world’s second-largest primary art trading market and a leading gateway connecting mainland China with the rest of the world. “By leveraging...

China to help Cuba with solar energy amid US oil...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/18

China is offering solar energy to Cuba, an old ally left without power amid the US oil embargo, in a show of strength for Chinese renewable-energy credentials and a sign of Beijing’s economic footprint in Latin America. Beijing’s ambassador to Cuba, Hua Xin, on Monday outlined joint energy projects in progress as part of an effort to ease a “complex power situation” in the Caribbean nation, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. “China has always maintained that Latin America and the...

Hong Kong Tourism Board to woo overnight big...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/18

The Hong Kong Tourism Board will allocate three-quarters of its resources to overseas markets this year in a strategic shift aimed at diversifying visitor demographics and attracting more overnight high spenders to the city. The board also revealed on Wednesday that it would launch a new global campaign by the end of April to promote Hong Kong as a unique world city through social media, advertisements on regional broadcasters and billboards in selected countries. “It is not an easy task to...

Iranian intelligence minister Esmail Khatib...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/18

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday that the country’s forces had killed Iran’s intelligence minister Esmail Khatib, adding that the military was authorised to kill any high-ranking Iranian official in its sights without seeking further approval. “Last night, Iran’s Intelligence Minister Khatib was also eliminated,” Katz said in a statement. The killing of Khatib comes soon after Israel killed Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani, and another powerful figure, Gholam Reza...

Hong Kong’s jobless rate falls by 0.1 percentage point

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/18

Hong Kong’s jobless rate dipped by 0.1 percentage point over the past three months to 3.8 per cent, with unemployment dropping in the retail, accommodation, and foundation and superstructure sectors. “The sustained growth momentum of the Hong Kong economy should continue to support the overall labour market, though employment situations in some local sectors may still face challenges due to their business performances,” Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said on Wednesday. The...

Global EV uptake expected to accelerate as Iran war...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/18

Turbulence in the global oil market caused by the war in Iran revealed a quiet shift that could reshape global energy security: the rapid rise of electric vehicles. Global uptake of electric vehicle fleets has led to avoided oil consumption rising to the equivalent of 70 per cent of Iran’s exports in 2025, according to a new report. Last year, EVs worldwide saved 1.7 million barrels of oil consumption per day. During the same timeframe, Iran exported 2.4 million barrels of oil through the

Iran announces first spy execution since war with...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/18

Iranian authorities executed a man convicted of spying for Israel, the judiciary said on Wednesday, in the first such execution announced since the war with Israel and the United States broke out. “The death sentence of a spy for the Zionist regime, who had been providing images and information about the country’s sensitive locations to Mossad officers, was carried out this morning,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online website said. Mizan identified the man as Kouroush Keyvani and said he was

Ancient Chinese people sentenced to flogging could...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/18

In ancient China there was a unique and quirky profession: if someone committed a crime and was sentenced to flogging, they could hire another person to take the punishment on their behalf. During the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), flogging was a form of punishment in which court officials were publicly beaten with heavy rods. The striking end of the rod was carved into a hammer-like shape and wrapped in iron and sometimes even fitted with barbs, making the punishment extremely brutal. There were...

Mystery projectile hits Iran nuclear power complex,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/18

The UN nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday that Iranian authorities had reported projectile impact on the grounds of the country’s only operational nuclear power plant that caused no damage. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) “has been informed by Iran that a projectile hit the premises of the Bushehr NPP on Tuesday evening”, the Vienna-based agency posted on social media using an acronym for nuclear power plant. “No damage to the plant or injuries to staff reported”. Agency head...

J-20 fighter jet designer scrubbed from Chinese...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/18

The chief designer on the J-20 stealth fighter jet has been removed from the website of China’s national research institute, amid a sweeping campaign to stamp out corruption in the defence sector. Yang Wei, 62, had been listed as a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the top academic body for science and technology. But as of Monday, his name was no longer on the site, according to a snapshot from Internet Archive, which seeks to preserve online content. Yang has not appeared in public...

Hong Kong to test new campsite booking system amid...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/18

Hong Kong could introduce pilot schemes for booking campsites in the city before the National Day holiday in October, as authorities revealed that 32 people were prosecuted for offences in Sai Kung’s country parks over the Chinese New Year holiday. Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan told the Legislative Council on Wednesday that most of those prosecuted were non-locals charged with littering. Authorities had earlier said they were looking at implementing a booking system and...

China’s Tencent pledges new wave of AI investment to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/18

Tencent Holdings pledged to double its investment in artificial intelligence products and models in 2026, a bigger bet from the tech giant as it gains greater confidence in the technology’s capability to drive future growth across its businesses. The Shenzhen-based company dedicated 18 billion yuan (US$2.6 billion) to the development of new AI products in 2025, including 7 billion yuan in the fourth quarter alone, said Tencent president Martin Lau Chi-ping at a media briefing on

Mainland China says Taiwan can ease Iran energy...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/18

Authorities in Beijing say peaceful reunification will solve Taiwan’s energy supply fears sparked by the hostilities in the Middle East, emphasising that “the removal of barriers between the two sides of the [Taiwan] strait will ensure the smooth flow of resources”. Chen Binhua, spokesman for Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said on Wednesday that peaceful reunification would create enormous opportunities for the island’s economic and social development and bring tangible benefits to the

Bus driver union slams KMB policy to turn off air con...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/18

A Hong Kong bus driver union has hit out at a company’s guidelines asking drivers to save fuel amid surging oil prices by switching off air conditioning when they are not carrying passengers, arguing that such policies pose safety risks. In a statement on Wednesday, the Motor Transport Workers General Union also called on public bus firm KMB to allow for lower air-conditioning temperatures inside compartments to improve the working environment of drivers. “The union believes that the

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