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News - South China Morning Post

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Analysts doubt Iran war will prompt China stimulus,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/15

The US-Israeli war on Iran and the current Iranian and American blockades of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz are likely to overshadow China’s first-quarter economic performance, analysts said, with questions looming large about how the world’s second-largest economy will handle their impact. Many observers said they expect the leadership in Beijing will adopt a wait-and-see approach, with little likelihood of an immediate stimulus to guarantee the country’s annual economic target is...

EU budget chief pitches collaboration and bonds on...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/15

The European Union will remain open to capital from mainland China and Hong Kong even as the bloc pursues a “de-risking” strategy in certain key sectors, its budget chief has said on his first visit to the city. Piotr Serafin, the European commissioner for budget, anti-fraud and public administration, also said that the EU was keen to explore opportunities for financial collaboration with Hong Kong in areas such as green bonds, describing the city as a “bridge” to Asia. It is understood that...

Given history of ceasefires, it’s no surprise US-Iran...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/15

The fraying of the ceasefire in the US-Israel war against Iran reflects grim patterns of history. Truces are often doomed because they focus on stopping battle-related violence and rarely begin to address the underlying struggles that ignited hostilities. A pause without a shared common endgame often resets the battlefield as reasons harden for prolonging warfare. Viable political solutions seldom follow and take hold for peace to endure. Over the past decade, we’ve seen the perils. The Minsk...

EU unveils age-check app amid efforts to better...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/15

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday that an EU-developed age-verification app was ready to go, as the bloc pushes to better protect children from online harm. Brussels has been under pressure to come up with more stringent measures to safeguard children online as several EU capitals move ahead with plans to ban social media under a certain age. To that end, five EU countries including France and Italy last year started testing an age-check app that von der Leyen said

Can Iran’s small, fast-attack boats challenge US Navy...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/15

Iran’s small vessels may be able to challenge US blockade operations, Chinese analysts suggest, despite the heavy losses suffered by the Iranian navy during the opening weeks of the US-Israeli offensive. The United States launched a naval blockade on Monday targeting Iranian maritime trade, after peace talks in Pakistan failed over the weekend. US Central Command (Centcom) issued a formal notice on Sunday announcing that its forces would block “all maritime traffic entering and exiting

Tai Po blaze: Hong Kong official defends refusing...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/15

A Hong Kong fire services official has defended a decision to decline mainland Chinese firefighters’ help in combating the city’s deadliest inferno in decades, citing concerns that they might have been unable to immediately adapt to the new environment and effectively communicate with their local counterparts. On the 12th day of a public evidential hearing on Wednesday, Deputy Chief Fire Officer Sunny Wong Sze-lut also justified the firefighting strategies during the blaze that raged for

Sudan enters 4th year of war as ‘abandoned crisis’ grows

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/15

Famine. Massacres. And now badly needed food and other supplies are under strain. Sudan on Wednesday enters a fourth year of war that is being called an “abandoned crisis” as a new conflict in the Middle East throws into shadow the fighting that has forced 13 million people to flee their homes. Sudan has been described as the world’s largest humanitarian challenge, notably in terms of displacement and hunger. There is no end in sight to the fighting between the military and the paramilitary...

Jockey Club to pivot bulk of HK$1 billion basketball...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/15

Hong Kong’s sole legal betting operator had earmarked HK$1 billion (US$127.7 million) and hired 180 people to develop a basketball wagering system, but will now take a financial hit after the government announced this week it was halting plans for its roll-out, a source has said. The source close to the Hong Kong Jockey Club told the South China Morning Post on Wednesday that it had already invested HK$400 million for preparatory work, including setting up a dedicated basketball betting

China’s Xi Jinping tells Vietnamese counterpart they...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/15

China and Vietnam should stand together against unilateralism and protectionism and jointly counter global challenges, Chinese President Xi Jinping told Vietnam’s top leader on Wednesday, as energy concerns continued to spill over from the Iran conflict. “Both sides should uphold the banner of peace, development, cooperation and win-win outcomes, jointly oppose unilateralism and protectionism, safeguard the global free trade system and keep the industrial and supply chains stable and

Hong Kong leader vows reforms to boost safety,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/15

Hong Kong’s leader has pledged to enhance the city’s governance in public security and safety, and carry out systemic reform following the deadly Tai Po fire, describing it as a key task in safeguarding national security. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s remarks came after Xia Baolong, Beijing’s top official overseeing Hong Kong affairs, said people with “ulterior motives” had exploited the city’s deadliest blaze in decades to stir up social unrest and called for vigilance against national...

Lightelligence on track with IPO plans as China’s AI...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/15

Silicon photonic computing chips – long overlooked in the artificial intelligence hardware stack – are emerging as a new focal point in mainland China’s semiconductor push, as domestic companies move towards public listings amid intensifying US-China competition and surging demand for next-generation computing infrastructure. Shanghai-based Lightelligence, the first company globally to achieve large-scale deployment of hybrid optical-electronic computing, passed its Hong Kong listing hearing

Trump dismisses concern Iran war will derail China...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/15

US President Donald Trump has dismissed concerns that the ongoing war on Iran and its effect on global oil supplies will derail his planned visit to Beijing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. In an interview with Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo that aired on Wednesday, Trump said he did not think the war would “change the dynamic” of his coming visit to China. Asked whether the impact on the oil price from recent US actions in Iran and Venezuela and Trump’s comments on Cuba would affect

Chinese steelmakers coordinate response to EU’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/15

China’s leading steelmakers are stepping up coordinated efforts to adjust export strategies, compliance systems and pricing models in response to this year’s full implementation of the EU’s tariff-like Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which imposes direct carbon-linked costs on imports. “China’s indirect steel exports to the EU are substantial, and a significant portion consists of high value-added products,” said Jiang Wei, vice-chairman and secretary general of the China Iron and...

Reel deals: Hong Kong to celebrate Cinema Day on...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/15

Film buffs will be able to enjoy HK$30 (US$3.8) discounted tickets at 53 theatres across Hong Kong on April 25 as part of this year’s Cinema Day celebrations. A spokesman for the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau said that it was the fourth year the government’s Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency had sponsored the event, “consistently attracting over three times more admissions than usual each year”. “In the past three years, Cinema Day recorded over 600,000 admissions and

DBS Hong Kong acquires six floors at The Center in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/15

DBS Bank (Hong Kong) has agreed to pay about HK$2.62 billion (US$334 million) for six floors at The Center – once the world’s most expensive skyscraper – marking the city’s largest office transaction so far this year.The lender acquired the 26th, 32nd, 36th, 37th, 56th and 76th floors late last month, with the deal registered on Tuesday, according to Land Registry records. The purchase adds 151,934 sq ft of gross floor area, DBS said in a statement on Wednesday. The price works out to

Trump will head to Beijing amid warming trend in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/15

American views on China have softened ahead of a high-stakes summit between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in May, with positive sentiment nearly doubling since 2023, a survey by the Pew Research Centre has found. While a significant majority of Americans still regard China as a competitor to the US rather than a partner, fewer call the world’s second largest economy an adversary than in 2025, according to the survey, which was conducted in March and released

Chinese create ‘wealthy’ online personas by buying...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/15

An online industry has emerged which allows people to create “wealthy” personal profiles on social media in China by buying “luxury lifestyle” photographs for as little as one yuan (15 US cents). The pictures feature travel scenery, gourmet dining, golfing, skiing and other activities on e-commerce platforms. The photographs are typically priced between one and eight yuan and are marketed as ready-made content for social media posts or for building a curated online persona. They are usually...

A Singapore eatery charged a US$1.57 water fee – then...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/15

The latest Singaporean establishment that the internet has come for with its pitchforks and torches is the Cantonese zi char restaurant, Eat First. The Geylang restaurant recently received a spate of one-star Google reviews following an article published by Mothership on Sunday, which reported that the restaurant charged a family S$2 (US$1.57) for bringing their own bottle of water, in line with its strict no-outside-food-and-drink policy. The internet did not hesitate. The moment the article...

Mossad says Israel will keep trying to topple Iran’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/15

Israel’s spy chief pledged more covert efforts to try to topple Iran’s government, a tacit acknowledgment the countries’ conflict would continue even as the US pursues a new round of peace negotiations with the Islamic Republic. David Barnea, the head of Mossad, said Israel had not expected that its bombardment of Iranian military, nuclear and infrastructure sites, waged in concert with the US, would be enough to end Iran’s 47-year-old clerical-led rule. “Our mission has yet to be completed,”

Could the Middle East conflict dent turnout at Hong...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/15

Attendance at Hong Kong’s flagship Rugby Sevens may take a hit from the conflict in the Middle East, as softer hotel bookings suggest fallout from flight disruptions and higher travel costs. The three-day tournament, running from Friday to Sunday and traditionally drawing tens of thousands of overseas visitors each year, coincides with airlines facing disrupted flight routes and sharply higher fuel costs amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. Lawmaker Perry Yiu Pak-leung said the impact

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