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Sri Lanka takes control of Iranian ship, brings crew...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

Sri Lanka began transferring more than 200 sailors from an Iranian vessel to shore on Friday after the ship sought help while anchored outside the country’s waters, as tensions mounted in the Indian Ocean following the sinking of an Iranian warship by a US submarine. Sri Lanka navy spokesman Commander Buddhika Sampath said the sailors of the IRIS Bushehr were being brought first to the port of Colombo and the ship will later be moved to an eastern port on the island. “The disembarkation is in...

Hong Kong police arrest 3 linked to HK$10 million...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

Hong Kong police have arrested three men in connection with a HK$10 million (US$1.28 million) knifepoint robbery in Sheung Wan, the latest in a string of such cases targeting people exchanging foreign currency. Superintendent Lo Ka-chun said on Friday that officers had earlier received a tip-off that a criminal syndicate would attempt a robbery, prompting police to set up an ambush at about 9am that day. “This morning, the two victims had taken about HK$10 million in foreign currency to a...

China to pursue commercial health insurance to ease...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

China has for the first time included commercial health insurance in its 2026 government work report, signalling efforts to strengthen the country’s social safety net and support the growth of innovative drugs and medical devices. On Thursday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said the government would “work faster to develop commercial health insurance” and promote the “high-quality development of innovative drugs and medical devices” to better meet people’s diverse needs. Behind the unusual emphasis...

Chinese man adopted by Canadian family reunites with...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

A Chinese man who got lost at a railway station at the age of four and was adopted by a Canadian couple who abandoned him has been reunited with his biological father. Zhang Yunpeng, 28, hugged his father Zhang Jiucheng and both of them burst into tears at the reunion event in Huinan county, Jilin province, northeastern China, on March 2. “After more than 20 years, I saw you finally,” Zhang senior said, Jimu News reported. The son replied with his rusty Chinese: “Dad, I love you.” Zhang

Could Iran war confirm China’s prediction on US...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

On the same day the US and Israel launched air strikes against Iran, a research team led by Liao Longwen with the Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology published a paper in the Chinese journal Tactical Missile Technology on the ability of US missile defence systems to intercept hypersonic weapons. The US systems were dangerously outmatched by these threats, the researchers concluded in the paper released on Saturday. “Existing US missile defences can theoretically intercept some

China’s last CMC general urges more ‘political...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

The last uniformed man standing on China’s top military body has called for further “political rectification” of the armed forces, following a wave of high-profile corruption investigations. At a panel discussion in Beijing on Thursday as part of the country’s annual “two sessions”, Zhang Shengmin, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), said this year was “crucial for fulfilling the goal for the centenary” of the People’s Liberation Army. “We must deepen political

Qatar’s LNG halt exposes Asia’s energy vulnerability

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

Asia is bracing itself for another energy shock after a disruption to Qatar’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) output sent regional gas prices to their highest level in about three years, exposing what observers say is a dangerous reliance on Middle Eastern fuel supplies. The increase follows Iran’s drone strikes on Qatar in retaliation for Israeli and US attacks in a widening conflict, alongside a blockade of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz – a key artery for global oil and gas trade. Spot

CK Hutchison escalates legal action over Panama ports...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings has stepped up legal action in response to what it called Panamanian authorities’ unlawful takeover of the operations of two ports at either end of the strategic canal. The group, led by the family of Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing, said on Friday it had submitted a supplement to its earlier petition against the Panamanian state for international arbitration. The supplement alleged that Panama continued to ignore the firm’s requests for communication...

UK police arrest 4 on suspicion of spying for Iran

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

Four men were arrested in Britain on Friday on suspicion of assisting Iran’s intelligence service by spying on locations and people linked to London’s Jewish community, police said. The men – one Iranian national and three dual British-Iranians – were arrested by counterterrorism police at three separate addresses in the UK capital, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement. The force’s head of counterterrorism policing, Helen Flanagan, said the arrests were “part of a long-running...

China’s AI focus, growth target cut, US-China trade...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

SCMP.com will carry a live blog of the foreign ministry’s “two sessions” press conference on Sunday morning (Beijing time). Foreign Minister Wang Yi is likely to speak at the event.China is sharpening its focus on artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced manufacturing as it seeks to bolster the economy and achieve technological self-reliance. The digital economy will grow to 12.5 per cent of gross domestic product by 2030, from 10.5 per cent last year, under the 15th five-year plan being...

Malaysian FA disappointed with CAS ruling to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

Malaysia’s football association said ⁠on Friday it ⁠was disappointed by a Court ⁠of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling to partially uphold sanctions on seven footballers who played for the national team using falsified naturalisation documents. Deportivo Alaves’ Facundo Garces was among seven players banned for ‌a year by Fifa in September after it found that doctored documentation had been used so that they could play in an Asian Cup qualifier for Malaysia against Vietnam last year. The

China’s energy transition proves a boon in the Iran...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

As the world’s largest oil and gas importer, China undoubtedly faces a significant disruption, what with the US-Israeli war on Iran and its cascading impact across the Gulf. But it could have been worse. Beijing has worked unstintingly for well over a decade to build energy self-reliance and reduce the role of fossil fuels in powering the country’s manufacturing economy. For leaders gathered in Beijing for the annual parliamentary “two sessions” meetings, which will endorse China’s 15th...

China-Iran relations

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

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Measurable goals in China’s new five-year plan

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

China’s 15th five-year plan lays out a comprehensive set of quantitative socio-economic development targets, ranging from innovation to food and energy security. To navigate external volatility and sluggish domestic demand, Beijing has built in flexibility by allowing specific economic and innovation metrics to be determined on certain conditions.

Hitting inflation target is key to China’s other...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

Achieving this year’s inflation target would be one of China’s top economic tasks, a prominent economist and government adviser said, as it was pivotal to accomplishing other government priorities such as boosting consumption, raising incomes and achieving the required headline growth figures. “The inflation target corresponds to a state of relative equilibrium between supply and demand,” Zhang Bin, deputy director of the Institute of World Economics and Politics at the Chinese Academy of

China says ‘no need’ for yuan depreciation, projects...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

This live blog is freely available to our registered users. Please log in or create an account below. For full coverage of the 15th five-year plan, including policy and economic shifts plus Trump’s visit, subscribe with our China Super March offer now. China’s top economic officials are holding a press conference on Friday as part of the “two sessions”, the country’s annual policymaking meetings. The leaders of the National Development and Reform Commission – Beijing’s top economic planner –

Hong Kong domestic helper jailed for 27 months over...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

A domestic helper has been jailed for 27 months for failing to secure her car on a slope in a Hong Kong nightlife district, killing a French woman and injuring seven others. Deputy District Judge Timothy Harry Casewell found Reshielle Lagurin Magsino, 48, guilty of causing death by dangerous driving and serious bodily harm. The court heard that Magsino, who came to Hong Kong in 2009 and obtained a driving licence four years later, had worked for the same employer since her arrival and was...

Hong Kong cancer patient dies 3 weeks after incorrect...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

A Hong Kong patient with colon cancer died three weeks after undergoing an operation, with a hospital opening an investigation after a CAT scan revealed that a surgical opening in her abdomen had been incorrectly positioned. Tseung Kwan O Hospital said on Friday the 85-year-old transverse colon cancer patient died on Tuesday after undergoing stoma surgery on February 7. The procedure involved creating a surgical opening to alleviate an intestinal obstruction. In the time between the operation...

Middle powers Canada, South Korea set Arctic course...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

Canada’s defence agreement with South Korea signals the two countries’ “middle-power answer” to increasing cooperation between Beijing and Moscow in the Arctic region and Washington’s pressure on its allies for defence burden sharing, according to analysts. The agreement, signed on February 25 as part of a 2+2 foreign and defence ministerial meeting, followed the security and defence cooperation partnership established by the two countries in October. According to a joint statement issued

Dozens of pet carcasses found on China highway,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/06

An internet user in China has exposed on social media that he found 62 pet carcasses on a 300-kilometre stretch of expressway after their owners tied them to the outside vehicles during the Chinese New Year travel rush. In his viral video released on February 25, the blogger Wu Jiayou said he encountered the carcasses on the road while he was driving from Leshan in Sichuan province to Chongqing, southwestern China, according to a report by the Yangcheng Evening News. About eight of the

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