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4 arrested in crackdown on mainland Chinese firms...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/30

Hong Kong authorities have arrested two men and two women in an undercover operation targeting those allegedly working illegally as cleaners and renovation workers, after mainland Chinese businesses advertised their services online ahead of Lunar New Year. Chan Yan-kit, a task force deputy commander of the Immigration Department, said on Friday that the operation was conducted between January 22 and 29, with officers posing as customers to lure suspects into the city before arresting

HSBC suffers temporary system shutdown, stopping...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/30

HSBC, Hong Kong’s largest bank with a 6.2 million-strong customer base, suffered a widespread system breakdown on Friday afternoon. According to some customers, the bank’s mobile app and online services were inactive as early as 1pm, with login attempts diverted to a screen stating the system was under maintenance and would be accessible at a later time. A staff member at the bank’s Mong Kok branch said HSBC’s citywide computer network had failed early Friday afternoon, but the employee did

US presses China to let yuan strengthen, avoids...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/30

The United States has urged China to allow the yuan to appreciate, accusing Beijing of a lack of transparency and describing the currency as “substantially undervalued”. “It is important that the Chinese authorities allow the RMB exchange rate to strengthen in a timely and orderly manner in line with market pressure and macroeconomic fundamentals,” the US Treasury said in a report released on Thursday. China’s exchange-rate policies stood out among major US trading partners for their

Hong Kong police probe 58 million yen theft at...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/30

Hong Kong police are investigating an alleged robbery in which 58 million yen (US$376,600) was stolen outside a currency exchange shop in Sheung Wan. The force said a passer-by reported the case at 9.47am on Friday, with initial investigations suggesting two men escaped with the cash, equivalent to HK$2.94 million, near 272 Des Voeux Road Central. The pair, one believed to be in his twenties and the other in his teens, got into a private vehicle after taking the cash and fled the scene,

China investigates Sun Shaocheng, former Inner...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/30

A former Communist Party chief of the resource-rich Inner Mongolia autonomous region, who was also China’s first veterans affairs minister, is under investigation amid the country’s continuing anti-corruption campaign. Sun Shaocheng, 65, is being investigated by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection for “suspected serious violations of discipline and law”, a euphemism for corruption, the top disciplinary body said on Thursday. Sun serves as vice-chairman of the Social Development...

Li Yapeng, ex-husband of Cantopop queen, goes from...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/30

Former Chinese actor and businessman Li Yapeng, who is also the ex-husband of Cantopop diva Faye Wong, hit the headlines recently after he admitted that a charity hospital he founded was in serious debt. Li, 54, announced on January 14 that the Beijing Smile Angel Hospital, which he and his ex-wife Wong founded in 2012 to help children born with a cleft lip like their daughter Li Yan, was facing closure over unpaid rent. According to the hospital, it has operated on 11,000 children with a

Iran is said to be rounding up thousands after...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/30

Plain clothes Iranian security forces have rounded up thousands of people in a campaign of mass arrests and intimidation to deter further protests after crushing the bloodiest unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, sources told Reuters. Modest ‍protests that began last month in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar over economic hardship unleashed long-suppressed wider grievances and swiftly escalated into the gravest existential threat to Iran’s Shiite theocracy in nearly five decades, with protesters...

Beijing, Hong Kong slam Panama court ruling on CK...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/30

Beijing has vowed to take all necessary measures to safeguard the rights of Chinese enterprises after Panama’s Supreme Court ruled that a contract held by a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings to operate two ports at the country’s canal was unconstitutional. The Hong Kong government on Friday also slammed the ruling, which could leave the Li Ka-shing-controlled CK Hutchison empire at risk of losing its right to operate two major ports at either end of the strategic Panama...

China halts trading in 5 silver and oil funds to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/30

China suspended trading of five commodity funds on Friday to curb investment mania in gold, silver and oil and reduce underlying risks amid geopolitical tensions. The only public fund investing in silver futures in mainland China, UBS SDIC Silver Futures Fund, a listed open-ended fund (LOF), will be suspended for the whole day on Friday, the second such halt since January 22. The trading halt also spread to oil LOFs, four of which were halted for an hour up to 10.30am on Friday. Before the...

How Tesla’s AI shift is prompting Chinese rivals to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/30

Tesla’s falling car deliveries and declining profitability on the mainland have not stopped its Chinese electric-car rivals from imitating the US firm’s transition into an artificial intelligence entity. Xpeng, Li Auto and Nio, dubbed as Tesla challengers over the past decade, have taken similar steps to diversify into emerging technologies and position themselves for the future of transport. These Chinese firms are now building next-generation vehicles, flying cars, robots and chips to

China’s canal to Southeast Asia, Nipah virus raises...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/30

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China close to opening US$10 billion canal linking heartlands to Southeast Asia China is expected to finish construction on the landmark Pinglu Canal before the end of this year, taking just four years to complete the 72.7 billion...

Trump says Putin agreed not to attack Ukraine’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/29

US President Donald Trump said Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed to halt attacks on Kyiv and other cities for a week, as Moscow’s strikes leave Ukraine facing its toughest winter since the start of the war.Russian strikes on Ukraine’s power infrastructure have left millions with disrupted light, heating and water supplies in freezing temperatures, pushing the war-battered country towards a humanitarian crisis. “Because of the cold, extreme cold … I personally asked President Putin

US trade deficit widens sharply, reversing big...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/29

The US trade deficit sharply widened in November as imports picked up, according to government data released Thursday, reversing an unexpectedly big pullback in the prior month lauded by US President Donald Trump. The trade gap surged by 94.6 per cent in November to US$56.8 billion, Commerce Department data showed, bringing it close to levels seen in June and August last year. The shift reflected fluctuations in goods like gold and pharmaceuticals, in a year already marked by major swings in...

NWD says parent approached by investors after report...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/29

New World Development (NWD), the embattled Hong Kong property developer, said late on Thursday that its parent, Chow Tai Fook Enterprises (CTFE), has been approached by potential investors after reports that CTFE may sell part of its stake to Blackstone. Bloomberg reported early that Blackstone – the world’s biggest asset manager – was in discussion to become the single largest shareholder of NWD, citing people familiar with the matter. Under the proposed arrangement, the US alternative asset...

EU designates Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as terrorist...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/29

The European Union has listed Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organisation over Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests, the bloc’s top diplomat said in a post on social media on Thursday. Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said that foreign ministers unanimously agreed on the designation. “Any regime that kills thousands of its own people is working towards its own demise,” she said. “This will put them on the same footing with al-Qaeda, Hamas,

Discovery of badly decomposed whale carcass on Sai...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/29

Hong Kong authorities are investigating the discovery of a severely decomposed whale carcass discovered on a beach in Sai Kung. Authorities were alerted to the decomposed carcass, measuring 11 metres (36.1 feet) in length, on Thursday after villagers found it on the beach at Ham Tin Wan, in Sai Kung East Country Park. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) deployed officers to the scene, with preliminary findings suggesting that the animal was a baleen whale. Based on

Trump border tsar suggests Minnesota ICE drawdown if...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/29

The number of immigration enforcement officers in Minnesota could be reduced, but only if state and local officials cooperate, US President Donald Trump’s border tsar said on Thursday, noting he had “zero tolerance” for protesters who assault federal officers or impede the ongoing operation in the Twin Cities. Tom Homan addressed reporters for the first time since the president sent him to Minneapolis following last weekend’s fatal shooting of protester Alex Pretti. The news conference comes...

China’s leaders pay tribute to Liao Xilong, late...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/29

China’s leadership has paid tribute to Liao Xilong, praising the late general for his loyalty to the Communist Party and military service. Liao, 85, who was in charge of overhauling military logistics, died on January 23, state news agency Xinhua reported on Thursday, the day of his funeral. “[Liao was] a time-tested and loyal communist warrior, an outstanding military commander, and an exemplary leader in advancing the comprehensive modernisation of military logistics,” the report said. The...

US ambassador warns against China’s manufacturing...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/29

The top US envoy to China called on Thursday for fair and reciprocal trade between the world’s two largest economies and expressed concern about projections that China’s dominance of global manufacturing will grow even further in the years to come. US Ambassador David Perdue told business and government leaders in Beijing that China should be congratulated on becoming a manufacturing powerhouse, but echoed fears in Europe and elsewhere that China’s exports pose a threat to factories and jobs

With China’s Xi, Britain’s Starmer hopes gift of...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/29

Chinese President Xi Jinping received a unique gift from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Beijing on Thursday: the official match ball from Sunday’s fixture between Manchester United and Arsenal, according to media reports. Starmer is on an official visit to China, the first by a British leader since 2018. While Starmer is an ardent Arsenal fan, Xi is reportedly a supporter of Manchester United. Manchester United secured a 3-2 victory in a tightly contested match. By offering the gift...

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