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Japan PM Takaichi faces high-stakes meeting with...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi faces the first major test of her diplomatic skills on Monday when US President Donald Trump arrives in Tokyo for a three-day visit, with the Japanese leader using her first week in office to institute policies designed to please her American counterpart. In a policy speech to the Diet on Friday, Takaichi vowed to bring forward a goal of defence spending matching 2 per cent of gross domestic product to the current financial year ending in March, two years earlier...

This Hong Kong start-up helps us see ‘the colour of...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) start-up Stellerus Technology aims to be the world’s first provider of satellite-enabled three-dimensional wind data to help wind power, transport and insurance firms boost revenues, cut costs and manage risks, according to its founders. Stellerus, founded in 2023 by the university’s academics, would leverage China’s cost competitiveness in satellite manufacturing to make global 3D wind data collection economically viable, said Su Hui,

Global powers’ US$62 billion rare earth hunt stokes...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

Division and suspicion have gripped five villages near Kenya’s coast as global powers from the United States to China eye a forest that is rich in rare earths – minerals vital to hi-tech and low-carbon industries. The US government under President Donald Trump has made securing critical minerals central to its diplomacy in Africa, including through a peace deal in the resource-rich Democratic Republic of Congo this year. Mrima Hill, a forest of around 157 hectares (390 acres) near Kenya’s

Can the KMT’s new outspoken chairwoman win over...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

The choice of an outspoken former legislator as chairwoman of Taiwan’s biggest opposition party may address the growing internal fatigue with the Kuomintang’s (KMT) old guard, but analysts warn it is far from certain that what appealed to members will win over mainstream voters. Cheng Li-wun, a 55-year-old with roots in street activism and an early career inside the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), defeated 73-year-old heavyweight Hau Lung-bin in last weekend’s

How Chinese jeweller Laopu Gold has become a luxury...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

At the newly opened Laopu Gold store in Hong Kong’s IFC Mall, it was quiet on a weekday afternoon. The barriers at the entrance, the spacious lounge and private rooms inside all exude the luxury image the brand aspires to project. A few days ago, long queues were seen before the shop’s opening, with some arriving hours earlier to secure a chance to buy gold jewellery at a discount as part of its inaugural promotion. The Beijing-based jeweller has defied China’s sluggish consumption trend, in...

Solomon Islands’ defence force dream: an...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

In the Solomon Islands, where memories of civil unrest and ethnic violence are still fresh, the government’s plan to create a defence force has raised both hope and concerns. For some, it is a step towards stability; for others, it is a potential flashpoint in a region increasingly pulled between China and the West. Jimson Tanangada, the Pacific nation’s police and national security minister, told parliament earlier this month that the government was exploring the creation of a defence force

China is supporting multilateralism one institution...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

The International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed) was inaugurated at its headquarters in Wan Chai on Monday, bringing the new China-led mechanism into operation to fill the void in dispute resolution. With 37 signatories, the organisation is attracting Western interest, particularly from Switzerland. The IOMed is just one among several bodies announced by or established in China this year. They include the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation, Unesco’s International...

Non-local exams on rise? Hong Kong public...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

Seven of Hong Kong’s eight publicly funded universities have admitted a smaller proportion of students who took the local school curriculum over the past decade, while increasing their intake of those who sat international exams, official statistics show. The only one institution to buck the trend is the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), where the proportion of local students who sat the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) has increased during the same period. The Post analysed the

China youth share frugality hacks online, say bread...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

Young Chinese adults have been sharing extreme tips online on how to be frugal. One of the suggestions bizarrely recommends bread worms as a cheap, high-quality protein source, claiming they have a “milky almond” flavour. The ideas were shared in an online group called the “Thrifty Men’s Association”, which boasts more than 240,000 members. Members proudly refer to themselves as “Thrifty Stars”, viewing their lifestyle as an act of resistance against consumerism. One of the most viral posts...

Indonesian man charged with murdering wife in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

A 41-year-old Indonesian man was charged on Saturday with murdering his wife. The 38-year-old woman was found motionless in a Singapore hotel room on Friday morning. Salehuddin, who goes by one name, is accused of causing the death of Nurdia Rahmah Rery between 3am and 5am in a room at the Capri by Fraser China Square hotel on Friday. He appeared in court in a red polo shirt from his place of remand and appeared calm, responding to the interpreter at various points. He asked District Judge

Retro reveries: South Korea’s Gen Z find solace in a...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

In an era defined by digital hyperconnectivity, members of South Korea’s Gen Z are reaching back in time, finding unexpected meaning in an analogue past they never experienced. From the flutter of handwritten love notes to the gentle click of cassette players and the rustle of bus tickets tucked into pockets, many of the country’s top-rated television dramas are bringing a pre-digital age to life for a generation raised on smartphones. These stories, set against the backdrop of social

Trump targets ‘complete deal’ with China when he...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/25

US President Donald Trump said he may discuss a decline in Chinese purchases of Russian oil with Xi Jinping following US sanctions on two major oil companies and expressed disappointment with Vladimir Putin over his conduct of the war in Ukraine. Trump, speaking to reporters en route to Asia to meet world leaders, including Xi, said he hopes his talks on Thursday with the Chinese president would yield “a complete deal”. An increasingly acrimonious stand-off between the US and China over

Losing its sparkle? How Chinese artificial gems are...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/25

Creating a new diamond used to be a process spanning millions or even billions of years. Now, it takes about a week. Inside specialised factories, hulking 50-tonne machines simulate the crushing pressure and extreme temperatures inside the Earth’s crust, transforming seed crystals into flawless, glittering stones in just a few days. Zhongjing Diamond, a company based in China’s central province of Hubei, has nearly 300 of the machines humming around the clock, which together mint some 600,000...

Trump raising Canada tariffs by 10% after Reagan ad...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/25

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday he was increasing tariffs on Canada by an additional 10 per cent “above what they’re paying now”, over what he said was a misleading advertisement. “Their Advertisement was to be taken down, IMMEDIATELY, but they let it run last night during the World Series, knowing that it was a FRAUD,” Trump posted on social media, describing the ad as a “misrepresentation of facts”. The ad, commissioned by Doug Ford, Ontario’s outspoken Conservative premier,...

Amid a wave of foreclosures, China’s homeowners could...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/25

Few outside China might know that e-commerce giants Alibaba and JD.com host the country’s largest online platforms for distressed property sales. On any given day, their auction websites offer a front-row view of China’s housing downturn where properties are foreclosed and liquidated under court orders, often at market-shaking discounts. A month ago, 66 flat units in a Shanghai project owned by indebted developer Sunac were put up for auction after being seized by courts. Buyers were found

US won’t change Taiwan policy for China deal, Rubio...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/25

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration will not abandon long-standing US support for Taiwan in negotiations with China to reach a trade agreement. “If what people are worried about is we’re going to get some trade deal where we’re going to get favourable treatment on trade in exchange for walking away from Taiwan – no one is contemplating that,” Rubio told reporters on his plane Saturday en route from Israel to join President Donald Trump in Doha on their way to a...

Kamala Harris leaves door open for 2028 White House...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/25

Kamala Harris is not ruling out another run for the White House. In an interview with the BBC posted on Saturday, Harris said she expects a woman will be US president in the coming years, and it could “possibly” be her. “I am not done,” she said. The former US vice-president said she had not decided whether to mount a 2028 presidential campaign. But she dismissed the suggestion that she would face long odds. “I have lived my entire career a life of service and it’s in my bones. And there are...

Israel says it conducted ‘targeted strike’ on Islamic...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/25

Israeli forces carried out a “targeted strike” on an individual in central Gaza who was planning to attack Israeli troops, Israel’s military said on Saturday. A US-backed ceasefire is in force between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas more than two years after the war in the Gaza Strip began, but each side has accused the other of violations. Israel said it had targeted a member of Islamic Jihad. The Palestinian militant group did not immediately comment on the

Catherine Connolly wins Ireland’s presidential...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/25

Left-wing independent Catherine Connolly on Saturday won the race to be Ireland’s new president, comfortably beating her centrist opponent in a contest marred by record numbers of spoiled ballots. Connolly, 68, secured more than 63 per cent of the votes, well ahead of Heather Humphreys of the Fine Gael party on 29.5 per cent, according to the official count. But the seemingly comprehensive victory was marred by the number of spoiled votes and criticism over the lack of right-wing candidates,...

Could China ‘militarise’ cryptocurrencies to beat...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/25

Digital currency is emerging as a powerful, disruptive tool in global geopolitics, fundamentally reshaping the financial battlefield in times of conflict, according to a commentary in a key Communist Party publication. Nations are increasingly leveraging digital assets to bypass international sanctions, mobilise vital resources and maintain economic stability during regional conflicts, according to the author of an article published on Monday in Study Times, the official newspaper of the

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