PODCAST

News - South China Morning Post

All the latest breaking news from Hong Kong, China and around the world

All Episodes

China, Israel continue to collaborate in science and...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/30

Although the war in Gaza has clearly cooled diplomatic ties and sparked disputes between China and Israel, science and technology cooperation at a civil level between the two countries has continued. “I have a feeling that we have a lot of common ground and plenty of opportunities for cooperation in sectors such as energy and agriculture,” said Yaroslav Efimov, head of science and technology at PLANETech, an Israeli non-profit innovation community specialising in climate change-related...

Hong Kong economy grows 3.5% in 2025, beating earlier...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/30

Hong Kong’s economy expanded by 3.5 per cent in 2025, marking the city’s third consecutive year of growth and surpassing an earlier forecast of 3.2 per cent, with “good momentum” expected to continue in 2026. Advance estimates released by the Census and Statistics Department on Friday also showed gross domestic product (GDP) in the fourth quarter increased by 3.8 per cent from a year earlier. Hong Kong’s GDP expanded by at least 3 per cent in each of the first three quarters of 2025, rising 3...

In his Singapore book launch, sinologist Wang Gungwu...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/30

Wang Gungwu is widely regarded as a pre-eminent expert on the ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia and the history of China, but at 95, he writes in his latest memoir that he is no longer able to call himself a historian. In No Borders: Journeys Across Islands and Continents, launched in Singapore on Thursday, Wang writes that while a historian today has the objective of reconstructing the past as it actually happened, the Australian sinologist is no longer interested in this. Through his studies...

Hong Kong to repeal bus seat belt rules over...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/30

Hong Kong transport authorities will repeal a law that took effect on Sunday requiring bus passengers to wear seat belts, following strong public criticism and the revelation that the rule only covered new vehicles registered from late January. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan announced the U-turn on Friday, conceding that the legislation had “deficiencies” as it failed to reflect the policy’s intent of requiring all passengers on public or private buses – including franchised...

Before Trump’s Fed pick, a new clear favourite...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/30

Since returning to the White House a year ago, US President Donald Trump has stepped up pressure on the Federal Reserve. With the term of the current Federal Reserve chair, Jerome Powell, set to end in May, Trump said he would announce his pick to replace Powell on Friday. Speculation has intensified on prediction markets. On Polymarket and Kalshi, betting volumes on the question “Who will Trump nominate as Fed chair?” had respectively reached about US$294.24 million and US$81.61 million by...

The foreigners who fought for Russia, now stuck in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/30

“Assemble!” someone bellowed in the prison corridor, cutting through the silence. Murmurs began echoing off the white walls, and the stairwells filled with people from all over the world: Egyptians, Chinese, Cameroonians, Kenyans, an Italian - all soldiers captured fighting for Russia, now held in a Ukrainian jail. Some joined the Russian military in search of a better life or to escape their home countries, while others were persuaded by Russia’s war aims. Some say they were tricked or

Trump sues IRS, US Treasury for US$10 billion over...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/30

US President Donald Trump sued the US Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for at least US$10 billion over an unauthorised disclosure of his tax returns to the press during his first term in office, potentially putting American taxpayers on the hook for a massive payout. The suit was filed on Thursday in Miami federal court by Trump, his sons Donald Jnr and Eric, and the Trump Organization, which manages the president’s real estate holdings. Trump had long criticised the IRS for

China’s presence at Scarborough Shoal in South China...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/30

China ramped up its South China Sea patrols in 2025, maintaining an “unprecedented” nearly year-round presence at contested sites like Scarborough Shoal to assert maritime claims, according to a new US-based think tank report. An analysis published on Thursday by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) – a research programme affiliated with the Centre for Strategic and International Studies – showed a substantial increase in China’s patrol presence as well as a broadening of its

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

21,863 results