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Do Americans think China will overtake the US? The...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/29

Nearly three-quarters of Americans expect China to overtake the US in power and global influence at some point – if it has not done so already, according to a survey by a US foreign policy institute. Releasing the results of a national poll earlier this month, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said 47 per cent of the 1,500 adults surveyed agreed that China had already surpassed the United States or would do so within the next five years. A further 27 per cent said the shift would...

Morgan Stanley expects China’s humanoid robot sales...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/29

Morgan Stanley expects China’s humanoid robot sales to grow 133 per cent to 28,000 units this year, while noting that falling production costs will gradually make owning robots more accessible. The US investment bank revised its forecast from the 14,000 units previously on the back of the rapid growth of the industry in the world’s second largest economy. The cost of materials to produce robots in China, home to most of the industry’s supply chain, was set to drop 16 per cent this year, the

Hong Kong travellers continue to favour Japan despite...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/29

Hong Kong travellers continue to favour Japan as a holiday destination despite ongoing geopolitical tensions between Beijing and Tokyo, thanks to unaffected flight routes and a weaker yen, local industry operators have said. Travel agencies also identified mainland China as the top destination for Hong Kong travel groups, as they gathered at an exhibition on Thursday to promote packages for the coming spring season. Beijing recently issued a warning to its citizens, cautioning them against...

Trump critic Klobuchar enters Minnesota governor race...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/29

US Senator Amy Klobuchar said on Thursday she is running for governor of Minnesota, promising to take on US President Donald Trump while unifying a state that has endured a series of challenges even before the federal government’s immigration crackdown. Klobuchar’s decision gives Democrats a high-profile candidate and proven statewide winner as their party tries to hold onto the office occupied by Governor Tim Walz. The 2024 Democratic vice-presidential nominee, Walz abandoned his campaign for

Hong Kong firm, Elior Group sign deal to set up...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/29

A French aeronautics services company and a Hong Kong aviation engineering company signed a joint venture deal on Thursday to establish an aircraft dismantling and parts trading facility in the city, with operations targeted to begin within the year. But the project’s launch will hinge on the availability of a separate plot of land with barge and truck access. This site is required for recycling fuselages once the parts that can be traded have been removed, to avoid a bottleneck in the entire...

AstraZeneca unveils US$15 billion China investment...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/29

British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca said on Thursday it plans to invest US$15 billion in China through 2030, signalling renewed momentum in Sino-UK commercial ties. The investment – the biggest deal announced so far during UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s trip to Beijing aimed at strengthening trade ties – will support expanded medicines manufacturing as well as research and development (R&D), the company said in a statement. “Unlocking opportunities for British businesses across...

China executes 11 core members of Myanmar-based...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/29

A Chinese court has executed 11 people, including several citizens of Myanmar, linked to a notorious telecoms fraud group based in the Southeast Asian country for crimes including fraud, drug trafficking and murder. The Wenzhou Intermediate People’s Court in eastern Zhejiang province carried out the executions of people who formed the core leadership of the Ming family crime syndicate and associated telecoms fraud groups, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Thursday. According to China’s

Hong Kong supervisor held over cruelty after botched...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/29

Hong Kong police have arrested a supervisor from a cleaning company for suspected animal cruelty after more than 110 fish died while a pond was being cleaned at a public housing estate in Tseung Kwan O. The woman, a 51-year-old supervisor from Fai Kee Environmental Cleaning, was taken into custody on Wednesday. She was later released on bail and was required to report back to police next month. Six workers from the contractor removed about 200 fish and several turtles from the pond near King

Spirits rise as baijiu shares rally on Lunar New Year...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/29

Chinese liquor stocks jumped on Thursday ahead of Lunar New Year, with retailers reportedly building inventories of spirits typically consumed at family reunions and corporate banquets. Shares of Kweichow Moutai – China’s best-known baijiu maker and the most valuable stock on the mainland market – climbed more than 9 per cent in afternoon trading to 1,445 yuan, their highest level in over a month. The stock closed the session 8.6 per cent higher at 1,437.72 yuan. Smaller peers also rallied,

Town planning body slammed for neglecting disabled...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/29

Disabled residents and a former lawmaker have slammed Hong Kong’s town planning authorities for failing to consider accessibility needs and overlooking potential fire safety risks in an approved development plan for Wan Chai, calling for a review to make the area more barrier-free. Former social welfare sector lawmaker Tik Chi-yuen said on Thursday that the Town Planning Board-approved, high-density development plan covering Sau Wa Fong and Nam Koo Terrace failed to take into account its

With AI in the driving seat, China moves to rein in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/29

After testing Tesla’s driver assistance system FSD earlier this month, Chinese economist Ren Zeping exclaimed that autonomous driving’s large-scale real-world implementation was progressing much faster than he thought. Though driverless taxis are so far only being tested in designated areas in Chinese cities, he prophesied that autonomous driving would soon become widespread. “Autonomous driving will erupt in the next couple of years. Large models enable a unified driving paradigm, letting

Pawsitively posh: Hong Kong Pet Show takes luxury to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/29

Private jet holidays, cat litter boxes powered by artificial intelligence and human-grade fresh dog food inspired by char siu rice are all the rage at this year’s Hong Kong Pet Show, as exhibitors express confidence in the purchasing power of the city’s pet owners. Humans, dogs and cats jostled alongside each other on Thursday, the opening day of the expo at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, as furry friends decked out in outfits sampled treats like dried alligator and bully...

Starmer stresses Hong Kong’s stability as key to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/29

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has told Chinese President Xi Jinping that Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability are in the shared interests of both China and the United Kingdom in a high-profile meeting during his four-day trip to Beijing. Starmer, the first British leader to visit China since 2018, confirmed after the meeting, when asked by the media, that he had mentioned the landmark national security trial of jailed former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying with Xi. According to the state...

Hong Kong cracks down on alleged HK$700 million...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/29

Hong Kong’s competition watchdog has cracked down on a new syndicate suspected of bid-rigging in tenders for building maintenance projects across 17 estates and buildings, with the total value of contracts hitting HK$700 million (US$89.7 million). The two-day operation is the first major enforcement action led by the Competition Commission following the deadly Tai Po blaze last November, which renewed scrutiny over the years-long malpractice in the city’s construction sector. Code-named...

Alibaba’s T-Head unit unveils details of AI chip...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/29

Alibaba Group Holding’s semiconductor design arm, T-Head, on Thursday unveiled details of its advanced artificial intelligence chip with capabilities said to be on par with Nvidia’s H20, days after the unit was reportedly being prepared for a potential spin-off and public listing. According to information on T-Head’s website, the Zhenwu 810E was a “fully self-developed” parallel processing unit (PPU), an application-specific integrated circuit designed for both AI training and inference

EU overtakes US as China’s top source of trade...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/29

The European Union has surpassed the United States as the economy with the most serious trade disputes with China, driven by conflicts over semiconductor materials, rare earth magnets and other strategic sectors, according to a Chinese trade body. A monthly index released on Wednesday by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), a semi-official Beijing-based organisation, found that in November 2025 – the last month tracked – the EU ranked as China’s top source of

China woman’s online fame from slaughtering pigs...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/29

Clumps of earth dug up from the front of a Chinese woman’s rural dwelling are being sold for up to 18 yuan (US$3) as a “lucky charm” after she shot to online fame by inviting people to slaughter pigs at her home. The 23-year-old from southwestern China’s Chongqing municipality, nicknamed Daidai, posted an online invitation on January 9, asking people to help kill two pigs in preparation for a traditional pork feast. The event on January 11 attracted more than 1,000 visitors. Their cars formed

Hong Kong workers lag regional peers in AI use, lose...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/29

Hong Kong’s workforce lags behind regional peers in the frequent use of artificial intelligence, a sluggish adoption rate that experts say are limiting pay rewards and job security even as companies prepare to trim entry-level roles. A 2025 survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) released on Thursday found that half of Hong Kong respondents were infrequent users of generative AI at work in the past 12 months, compared with 34 per cent for the Asia-Pacific region. The data showed only

Are China’s J-20A stealth fighters now updated with...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/29

Beijing has released footage of flight tests of an upgraded J-20A stealth fighter, with signs that the jets have been equipped with long-awaited high-thrust WS-15 engines and better avionics. Chengdu Aircraft Corporation – the Aviation Industry Corporation of China subsidiary manufacturer of the J-20 stealth fighter – released new imagery and flight footage of its latest test aircraft on Saturday. According to a social media post by state news agency Xinhua on Wednesday, these aircraft are

Hong Kong regains lustre as stocks rally, property...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/29

Hong Kong’s financial war chest increased its earnings by 51 per cent to a record last year, fuelled by a rally in local and global stocks as well as bonds. The Exchange Fund’s investment income surged to HK$331 billion (US$42 billion), the most since its creation in 1993, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) said on Wednesday. Hong Kong’s de facto central bank uses the fund’s holdings to help defend the city’s currency peg to the US dollar. All of the fund’s main investment categories

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