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New Dutch PM Rob Jetten to dine with Trump in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

The Netherlands’ new prime minister, Rob Jetten, will take part in a dinner with the Dutch king and queen hosted by US President Donald Trump in Washington next month, his aides said on Sunday. Jetten’s presence was confirmed despite criticisms that the centrist made against Trump before he was sworn in as premier on February 23. Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima will visit the United States between April 13 and 15 and during a stop in Washington, Trump invited them to a private...

Syrians protest against alcohol sale limits, personal...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

Hundreds of Syrians protested in central Damascus on Sunday against new restrictions on alcohol sales, reflecting wider fears that the Islamist authorities may tighten curbs on personal freedoms. The Syrian capital last week banned the sale of alcoholic beverages in restaurants and bars, only allowing shops in three Christian neighbourhoods to sell bottles. In one of them, Bab Tuma, demonstrators gathered in a silent protest following calls by civil society groups to condemn what they say...

US may ‘escalate to de-escalate’ attacks against...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

The United States may need to “escalate” its attacks against Iran to be able to wind down the war, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday, after US President Donald Trump gave seemingly contradictory trajectories for the US military campaign. Trump on Saturday threatened to “obliterate” Iranian energy plants if Tehran did not fully open the pivotal Strait of Hormuz, just a day after saying US objectives were “very close” and that he was considering “winding down” the war. Asked on...

Israel says investigating whether own soldiers shot...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

Israel’s military said it was investigating whether its own fire killed an Israeli civilian near the Lebanese border on Sunday, after Hezbollah claimed an attack in the same area. Israeli emergency workers said earlier on Sunday that a man was killed in a “direct hit” on his car by a rocket from Lebanon. Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group said after the incident that its fighters had attacked Israeli soldiers in the same area. But the Israeli army later said it was “conducting a...

High-speed rail tickets selling fast as Hongkongers...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

Tickets from Hong Kong to many mainland Chinese destinations connected by cross-border high-speed rail services are nearly sold out for the first two days of the five-day holiday over Easter and the Ching Ming Festival. The mainland cities have become an alternative for travellers, with the escalating war in the Middle East triggering a global oil crisis and significantly disrupting airspace, prompting airlines to increase ticket prices and fuel surcharges. Steven Huen Kwok-chuen, executive...

Why is China’s ASN-301 suicide drone more deadly than...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

While Iranian Shahed-136 suicide drones recently drew attention for destroying key US radars and striking targets as far away as Cyprus in the US-Israel war on Iran, their distant “cousins” in China may pose an even higher risk in a future conflict. China’s ASN-301 shares the Iranian drone’s aerodynamic delta-wing design that is rooted in a common technological origin. The Chinese drone and its variants have evolved into either a highly sophisticated SEAD (suppression of enemy air defences)...

As global yuan use expands, questions resurface about...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

A report from a leading Beijing university has revived discussions about the “optimal size” of China’s foreign exchange reserves – with a focus on US Treasuries – calling for its world-leading forex holdings to be trimmed to a “moderately ample” level amid the drive to promote further international use of the yuan. The report, written by Sun Jiaqi from Renmin University’s International Monetary Institute and issued on Friday, examined possible ways forward and their implications for China,

Hong Kong arts hub strengthens global links with 12...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

Hong Kong’s West Kowloon arts hub has signed agreements with 12 international institutions from Australia, the UK, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere, paving the way for future collaborations as the city seeks to strengthen its role as an East-meets-West cultural hub. The memorandums of understanding (MOUs) signed on Sunday by the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority will help bring more international performances to the city, showcase Hong Kong productions to global audiences, support the

Vietnam PM visits Russia to sign energy deal amid...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

Vietnam’s prime minister left on Sunday for an official visit to Russia during which the two nations will sign several agreements, including on oil and gas cooperation, Hanoi said. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s trip to the major oil-producing nation from Sunday to Wednesday comes as Vietnam seeks to shore up its fuel reserves amid global supply disruptions due to the war in the Middle East. His visit will focus on deepening ties with Russia and expanding cooperation in trade, investment

Game over for Hong Kong shop selling hand-carved...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

A shop selling hand-carved mahjong tiles will close for good this week after nearly half a century, marking the demise of one of Hong Kong’s few remaining traditional handicraft stores. Kung Yau Cheung Mahjong, founded 47 years ago, announced it would close on March 28. Owner and artisan carver Ko Yun-kan, who entered the trade aged 18, said the closure of the Mong Kok shop was not due to poor business but because the landlord had decided to take back the street-corner premises earlier this...

Hormuz crisis underlines vulnerability of global...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

War in Iran disrupting established trade flows raises an important question: how serious could the consequences be, and for whom will they be most severe? To answer this, it is useful to look at history. During the fifth and fourth centuries BC, Athens, a major centre, depended heavily on grain imports. Whenever routes were blocked during wars, Athens almost immediately faced the threat of a food crisis. In the Middle Ages, Venice became one of Europe’s richest cities and a crucial hub

2 women climb out of window to flee Hong Kong...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

Two women climbed out of a window of a residential building in Hong Kong to escape a fire that sent three people to hospital on Sunday, police said. Police received multiple reports at 5.28pm of a blaze at Yen Dack Building on Chun Yeung Street in North Point. Thick smoke billowed from a high-floor unit as firefighters arrived, deploying a water jet and a breathing apparatus team. The fire was extinguished at 6.19pm. Two women and a man, aged 58 to 78, were taken conscious to Pamela Youde...

US hub in Iraq targeted overnight by Iranian drones,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

Eight overnight attacks targeted a US diplomatic and logistics centre at Baghdad’s International Airport, an Iraqi security official said on Sunday. Several waves of departures from the US facility occurred on Saturday from the airport, according to another Iraqi security source, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. “Eight separate attacks, carried out until dawn with rockets and drones, targeted the US centre,” the senior security official said, adding

1,200 musicians set Guinness World Record at concert...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

More than 1,200 musicians set a Guinness World Record for the largest reed ensemble featuring the sheng – a traditional Chinese free-reed instrument – at a Hong Kong concert on Sunday. The “Endless Sheng, Thousand Reeds in Harmony” marathon opened the International Sheng and Reeds Festival of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, marking one of the first major cultural performances at Kai Tak Sports Park, one of the city’s newest venues. Players of all ages, from professional soloists to students,...

Chinese social media is awash with criticisms of the...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

As the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran continues, Chinese social media is buzzing with condemnations of Washington, expressions of sympathy for Tehran and an outpouring of unsolicited strategic advice. The conflict, which began with the February 28 air strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has dominated the list of trending topics on the country’s main platforms, such as WeChat, Weibo and Douyin. Social media is tightly controlled and most of the

Alibaba chairman Joe Tsai credits China’s AI edge to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

China’s artificial intelligence breakthroughs in recent years stemmed from the country’s strategic strengthening of its power grid, commitment to open-source models and complete manufacturing supply chain, according to Joe Tsai, chairman of Alibaba Group Holding. “Currently, geopolitical complexities are deeply affecting supply chain security and the sharing of technological achievements,” Tsai said in a speech on Sunday at the China Development Forum 2026 in Beijing. “In this era and...

Philippines will allow use of dirtier, cheaper fuel...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

The Philippines has allowed the temporary and ⁠limited use of ⁠a cheaper but dirtier type ⁠of fuel to ensure supply as it finds ways to cope with the impact of the Middle East crisis. The Department of Energy (DOE) said only vehicles from model year 2015 and earlier, traditional ‌jeepneys, power plants and generators, and the marine and shipping sectors would be allowed to use Euro-II compliant petroleum products. “The measure is intended to help maintain a continuous, adequate and accessible...

‘iPhone City’ veteran tapped as party boss of China’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

China’s southern tech hub of Shenzhen has a new Communist Party chief, nearly six months after the city’s former party boss was promoted to provincial governor. State media announced on Sunday that Jin Lei, 56, had been appointed Shenzhen’s party chief as well as a member of the Guangdong provincial party committee and its standing committee. Jin, an economist and former official in the southwestern province of Sichuan, takes over from Meng Fanli, who had been in the position since April...

Hong Kong vows to boost green finance and innovation...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/03/22

Hong Kong’s finance chief has pledged to support the regional and global transition to a green economy by leveraging the city’s role as an international financial centre and a developing innovation and technology hub. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po delivered the remarks at the China Development Forum in Beijing on Sunday, the fifth day of his six-day trip to the capital. He also met Chinese Finance Minister Lan Foan, exchanging views on the national and global economic outlook and fiscal...

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