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How Donald Trump could reframe US goals in Iran war...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/01

With Washington’s objectives in the Iran war shifting, the evolving goals could allow US President Donald Trump to justify success and finish the conflict sooner than expected, Chinese analysts said. However, the observers cautioned that a wide gap with Israel over the conflict’s endgame could hinder the White House from swiftly moving past the war. The assessment coincides with growing international scepticism regarding the duration of the war in the Middle East. With global oil markets

US threats for new Chile leader, China tariff on...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/01

We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering Latin American relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. As Trump ramps up pressure on Cuba, China has ‘very limited options’ As Washington stepped up rhetoric and pressure on Cuba after the start of its campaign in Iran, Beijing found itself torn between geopolitical reality and ideological affinity. Read the full story here. 2. US

France suspects link to pro-Iranian group HAYI in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/01

France suspects a pro-Iranian group known as HAYI to be behind a foiled attack on Bank of America’s Paris offices, its anti-terrorism prosecutor said on Wednesday, while stressing the link has not yet been formally established. HAYI, which stands for Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya, or ‌Movement of the Companions of the Right Hand of Islam, had posted a video on social media on March 23 targeting Jewish interests and communities in France and Europe, the prosecutor’s office said in a...

Trump-Xi summit hopes, UN ‘manipulation’, stand-up...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/01

We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering US-China relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Trump-Xi summit will be very amicable, predicts former Biden official US President Donald Trump’s focus on short-term deliverables and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s bid for bilateral stability are likely to mean an exceptionally amicable summit when they finally sit down, despite

Is China’s commercial rocket now cheaper than Elon...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/01

China’s commercial space sector has reached a cost milestone as its new rocket debuts for less than the ticket price of the latest SpaceX Falcon 9 reusable launch vehicle. The Kinetica-2 Y1 carrier rocket, also known as the Lijian-2 Y1, took off on its inaugural flight on Monday before delivering three satellites into orbit, including a prototype commercial cargo spacecraft and a satellite to function as a mini-orbiting space lab. The rocket developed by Chinese commercial space firm CAS Space

BBC defends action in new sex abuse scandal involving...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/01

The BBC defended on Wednesday its handling of a DJ sacked years after he was the subject of a police investigation into allegations of sexual offences against a teenage boy. The controversy surrounding former radio host Scott Mills, 53, is the latest involving a high-profile presenter to roil the publicly funded broadcaster. London’s Metropolitan Police said this week that it questioned Mills in 2018 over allegations of “serious sexual offences” against a boy under the age of 16. The case was...

Trump claims Iran wants ceasefire, Tehran calls...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/01

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday claimed that Iran’s leader wanted a ceasefire, in a social media post that Tehran called “false and baseless”. Trump claimed that “Iran’s New Regime President” was seeking a ceasefire, which he said would happen only once the Strait of Hormuz was “open, free, clear”. It was not immediately clear who Trump was referring to in Iran, which still has the same president. The US president, who is scheduled to address the nation later in the day, had earlier

US church launches search for new HKIS school head...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/01

A US church that co-founded a prestigious Hong Kong international school has said it will take the lead in searching for a new head as the operator had failed to nominate candidates since 2022, accusing it of creating the “risk of leadership interruption” in the latest salvo in a war of words. The move by the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) was revealed in a letter to parents on Sunday from Hong Kong International School (HKIS) management, which called the search part of church actions...

What does the China-Pakistan plan for the Iran crisis...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/01

By issuing a joint five-point plan on the Iran crisis on Tuesday, China and Pakistan have laid out what Chinese analysts described as a “feasible path” towards a ceasefire and renewed diplomacy. At the same time, the move quietly signalled an early effort to shape the post-war Middle East order in a region where the long-standing US-dominated security framework was already facing growing strain and uncertainty, the observers said. In recent weeks, regional powers have emerged as mediators to...

Philippines seeks Iran talks for safe passage of...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/01

Manila is following its Southeast Asian neighbours’ lead by seeking talks with Iran to secure safe passage for Philippine-bound tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, a move observers have called “a matter of survival”. Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro posted on social media that she and energy secretary Sharon Garin had met Iran’s envoy Yousef Esmaeilzadeh on Wednesday to discuss energy cooperation and the advancement of bilateral ties. “Pleased to meet Iranian Ambassador

What the Iran war reveals about Nato’s appetite for...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/01

The United States attacked Iran without consulting its European allies. President Donald Trump assumed the operation would be a quick win, over before anyone had to take a position. Instead, Washington answered a question Western governments had long avoided. After years of pushing Nato towards confrontation with China, would the transatlantic alliance fight a war it had not chosen together? The answer was no. Iran and Taiwan are different cases. One sits on Europe’s wider periphery and

Taiwan’s KMT chair Cheng Li-wun to honour Sun Yat-sen...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/01

Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of Taiwan’s main opposition party Kuomintang (KMT), will visit Nanjing during her visit to mainland China next week. According to a KMT press statement issued on Tuesday night, she will pay tribute at the mausoleum of Sun Yat-sen, founder of the Republic of China – Taiwan’s formal name – and a symbol of the shared past between Taiwan and the mainland. Cheng will arrive in Shanghai on April 7 and then travel by train to Nanjing, in eastern Jiangsu province, the

Hong Kong investment chief joins global board in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/01

The head of Hong Kong’s government investment agency has been appointed as a director of a global organisation that brings together leading firms and investors, marking the first time a Chinese sovereign wealth fund has held a seat on the board. FCLTGlobal announced on Wednesday that Clara Chan Ka-chai, CEO of the Hong Kong Investment Corporation (HKIC), had become one of the 19 directors on its board. “Clara brings deep experience and thoughtful leadership that will strengthen our work to...

Qiushi reaffirms China’s trade-rebalance push, calls...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/01

China’s top Communist Party journal has reaffirmed the country’s push to rebalance trade, saying a worsening global environment marked by rising protectionism and geopolitical tensions is adding urgency to its ongoing shift from an “unsustainable” export-driven growth model. “The underlying conditions, and both domestic and external environment shaping China’s trade balance, are undergoing profound changes, while deep-seated weaknesses in the foreign trade sector remain pronounced,” said a...

Japan, France to draw road map for supply of critical...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/01

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed on Wednesday to design a road map for critical minerals supply as they seek to deepen cooperation in the sector amid China’s dominance of global rare earths. The two leaders also affirmed that Japan and France will maintain close communication in support of efforts to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East and establish a high-level dialogue on artificial intelligence, Takaichi said at a joint press appearance...

Hong Kong weighs tougher enforcement against illegal...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/01

Hong Kong’s security minister has revealed that authorities are reviewing fire safety laws to expand enforcement powers and toughen penalties as part of a broader crackdown on illegal fuel sales in the city amid surging global oil prices. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said on Wednesday the government’s review included possible penalty increases, expanding enforcement powers for the Fire Services Department to make arrests and seize vehicles, and an examination of the legal...

Shenzhen robot maker turns to Hong Kong for computing...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/01

A Shenzhen-based tech firm taking part in Hong Kong trade fairs is leveraging the city as a springboard for global expansion, with plans to list locally this year while using its computing power to help enter the North American market. Robert Chan Kwok-cheung, global strategy officer at EngineAI, said on Wednesday the company’s presence in the city was a strategic move to bypass technical and geopolitical hurdles. EngineAI, which is one of Shenzhen’s “eight great guardians of embodied...

China orders nationwide museum audit after Nanjing’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/01

Beijing has ordered a sweeping national inventory of all state-owned museum collections following a high-profile scandal at a top museum, where former officials illegally sold donated national treasures for personal gain over several decades. The National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) announced the nationwide campaign on Wednesday. It mandates that every state-owned museum conduct a meticulous, piece-by-piece physical count of its collections this year, verifying every artefact

Is the Strait of Hormuz a ticking environmental time...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/01

The risks of environmental calamity in the Strait of Hormuz are mounting with each passing week of the Iran conflict, conservationists have warned, as giant tankers filled with fuel are trapped in a small area and Iran continues to fire missiles and drones at Gulf oil assets. The potential for catastrophe in the waterway was sharpened on Monday when a Kuwaiti crude tanker was set ablaze at Dubai Port in an Iranian attack that damaged its hull, sparking warnings of a possible oil spill. The...

Revamped ‘Hong Kong Story’ exhibition spotlights...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/04/01

A permanent exhibition showcasing Hong Kong’s history reopened on Wednesday after a major revamp that emphasised the city’s roots in Chinese culture, with visitors expressing mixed reactions to the changes. The “Hong Kong Story” exhibition – which opened in 2001 and closed for renovation in late 2020 – has been reduced from two storeys to a single floor, but expanded from eight to 10 galleries. The revamped exhibition at the Hong Kong Museum of History in Tsim Sha Tsui features more than

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