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Avoiding ‘strategic suicide’: Vietnam’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/09

Half a century after the fall of Saigon, the United States and Vietnam are edging towards deeper defence cooperation built on shared anxieties about China and Washington’s desire to wean Hanoi off its historical dependence on Russian arms. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth arrived in Hanoi last Sunday for a two-day visit, declaring that establishing stronger security ties would be a win-win. “Deeper [military] cooperation will benefit both of our countries,” said Hegseth, who had travelled to...

Singapore PM says election win came after ‘very...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/09

In the lead-up to the 2025 general election, Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong received cautionary messages from People’s Action Party (PAP) members and supporters urging him to “be prepared” to lose some seats. Speaking at the PAP Awards and Convention on Sunday, Wong said these well-wishers had shared various predictions, prompting him to mentally prepare for all possible outcomes. “When the results came out, the same people who had messaged me earlier said to me: ‘Sorry, we should

Super Typhoon Fung-Wong: Hong Kong to issue No 1...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/09

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. The Hong Kong Observatory will issue the No 1 warning signal on Monday due to Super Typhoon Fung-Wong, while temperatures are expected to drop to around 20 degrees Celsius (68 Fahrenheit) by midweek. The forecaster said the storm would continue moving towards Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea on Monday and track northwards

China’s consumer prices return to growth as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/09

China’s consumer prices returned to growth in October – though the near-zero figure still pointed to persistent deflationary pressures amid weak domestic demand and trade uncertainties – while factory-gate prices continued to fall. The national consumer price index (CPI), a key gauge of inflation, rose 0.2 per cent year on year last month, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Sunday. The reading beat market expectations after a poll by financial provider Wind...

China’s DeepSeek makes rare comment, calls for AI...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/09

Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek made a rare appearance at a state-backed industry event on Friday as a senior researcher reaffirmed the AI lab’s commitment to developing artificial general intelligence (AGI) despite its potentially “dangerous” impacts on society. Chen Deli spoke during a panel discussion alongside the heads of five other companies collectively known as China’s “six little dragons” of AI at the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, eastern Zhejiang

Hong Kong passengers stuck on Starlux plane for 4...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/09

A Starlux Airlines flight departing from Hong Kong was forced to stop on its way to the runway due to a suspected oil leak, leaving 185 passengers stranded on board for more than four hours. Some passengers were reportedly heard screaming when the plane came to a sudden stop. The Airport Authority said on Sunday that at around 8pm the previous evening, flight JX236 bound for Taipei stopped on the taxiway because of a mechanical issue and had to be towed back to its parking stand. “During this...

Ukraine faces blackout crisis after Russian missile...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/09

Ukraine was scrambling on Sunday to turn lights and heating back on after Russian attacks targeting energy infrastructure reduced the country’s power generating capacity to “zero”. Moscow, which has escalated attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure in recent months, launched hundreds of drones at energy facilities across the country overnight into Saturday. The attacks interrupted electricity, heat and water supplies in several cities, with state power firm Centrenergo warning generating capacity...

National Games giving Hong Kong restaurants,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/09

Hong Kong retailers and restaurant operators expect a business boost from the National Games, with one shopping centre near competition venues already reporting a roughly 20 per cent increase in weekday footfall helped by early sporting events. Malls across the city also plan to capitalise on the Games, which officially open on Sunday and run until November 21, with some set to live-stream competitions to allow residents to watch and cheer on the athletes. Hong Kong is co-hosting the Games

How the fight over a Chinese bookstore heightened...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/09

A recent furore over the future of a popular independent bookstore has shone a fresh spotlight on concerns that the space for public debates and cultural events in China is shrinking. The announcement that the You Xing Bookstore in Chengdu – a venue that had hosted a number of events featuring prominent Chinese and foreign speakers – would shut later this month followed the closure of a number of other bookshops as well as cancelled cultural events and film screenings across the...

How Hong Kong’s currency exchange shops have become a...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/09

Currency exchange shops, once a ubiquitous feature of Hong Kong’s retail landscape, are in a gradual, irreversible decline, with their closure precipitated by the pandemic, stricter licensing regulations and adoption of an array of convenient digital payment systems. The number of registered currency exchange shops in the city has more than halved to around 1,050 from a peak of nearly 2,500 in 2018, before the social unrest and border closures brought tourism to a standstill for three years,...

Super Typhoon Fung-Wong: at least 2 die in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/09

At least two people have died in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Fung-wong lashed central and eastern parts of the country, with heavy rains and strong winds cutting power in large areas ahead of its expected landfall in northern Luzon, the nation’s main island. More than a million people have evacuated vulnerable areas at risk of flash floods, landslides and tidal surges, ahead of Fung-Wong’s projected landfall in Aurora province – as early as Sunday night – with officials urging residents

Why ‘little giants’ thrive in China’s manufacturing...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/09

Yadea – the world’s leading electric two-wheeler brand for eight consecutive years – runs a plant in its home base of Wuxi, in east China’s Jiangsu province, where a single assembly line can produce 1,300 electric bicycles and scooters a day, offering visitors a glimpse of the country’s manufacturing prowess. As of last year, Hong Kong-listed Yadea had sold over 100 million electric two-wheelers in more than 100 countries. It exemplifies how Chinese manufacturers are leveraging automation to...

Tesla and global carmakers race against Chinese EV...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/09

International brands led by Tesla are intensifying their efforts to compete with Chinese electric-vehicle (EV) manufacturers like BYD, as they showcase advanced intelligence and autonomous-driving technology to attract visitors at the world’s largest import-export trade fair in Shanghai. The 12 major carmakers, including General Motors and Volvo, are leveraging the China International Import Expo (CIIE), which runs through Monday, to promote their latest models featuring longer ranges,

Top astrophysicist moves to Hong Kong to head new HKU...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/09

World-renowned astrophysicist Zhang Bing has joined the University of Hong Kong as a chair professor after nearly three decades in the United States. Zhang left the University of Nevada, Las Vegas – where he was a distinguished professor of physics and astronomy – to become the founding director of the newly established Hong Kong Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics (HKIAA) at HKU. He said his role in Hong Kong was full-time, but he would continue supervising his PhD students in the US

South Korean Red Cross chief quits over...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/09

The head of South Korea’s Red Cross has resigned after being caught on tape making remarks about “dark-skinned” foreign diplomats – a scandal that has sparked public outrage, drawn a rebuke from the president and renewed scrutiny of racial prejudice in an increasingly diverse society. In the leaked audio, Kim Chul-soo was heard complaining that a recent Red Cross gala had been attended “only [by] the non-significant foreign ambassadors … just the dark-skinned people”, and instructed staff not

5 ways Hong Kong can stand out as a global education hub

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/09

Hong Kong’s government has repeatedly declared its ambition to turn the city into an international education hub. In speeches, policy documents and investment plans, this vision is portrayed as central to boosting competitiveness, revitalising the economy and deepening integration with the Greater Bay Area development zone. Can Hong Kong truly achieve this goal, and under what conditions? For decades, Hong Kong’s universities have stood among Asia’s finest. With strong English-language...

Jeremy Renner denies sending lewd photos to Chinese...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/09

Actor Jeremy Renner has denied a series of allegations raised by filmmaker Yi Zhou, including that he sent her unsolicited sexual messages and threatened to call US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on the Chinese writer-director. “The allegations are totally inaccurate and untrue,” a representative for Renner told People magazine. Zhou, who says she worked with Renner on both the documentary Chronicles of Disney as well as an animated film, came forward with her allegations against

Hong Kong ‘HKSOS’ app to add live location sharing,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/09

A Hong Kong police mobile app that has helped in the rescue of 272 people since its launch last year will soon be upgraded to include live location sharing for groups while the number of emergency contacts will also be increased to enhance users’ safety. Senior Superintendent Swalikh Mohammed of the digital policing services bureau told the Post in an exclusive interview that the force would roll out an upgrade for its “HKSOS” app in December. The app has been downloaded 150,000 times since

China nightclub offers marriage registration with...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/09

A nightclub in eastern China has teamed up with local authorities to offer a marriage registration service, with electronic music festival tickets as a special gift. The Huangpu district civil affairs bureau in Shanghai has partnered with the nightclub INS Land to offer marriage registration and appointment services during two weekends starting on November 14. Nestled in a century-old park in Shanghai, INS Land covers 20,000 square metres and fuses esports, music and art performances. It has...

Chinese tourists flock to Singapore for ‘da ka’...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/11/09

Melody Liu had been in Singapore for just three days when she blew past her 5,000 yuan (HK$5,450) travel budget – and reached for her long-sleeved hooded shirt with attached visor to brave another day in the sweltering heat. “I was so shocked when a 10-minute taxi ride cost more than 100 yuan, because it would cost less than 20 yuan back home,” said the 32-year-old from Harbin in China’s northeast. “I knew that Singapore has a high cost of living, but it’s a different matter to experience...

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