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News - South China Morning Post

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Hygon’s chips ‘safe’ from AMD security flaw amid...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

Chips from Chinese semiconductor designer Hygon Information Technology were found unaffected by a recently disclosed vulnerability in products developed by its US tech licenser and former joint venture partner Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), according to analysts, which showed progress in China’s self-reliance drive. Hygon’s central processing units (CPUs), which were developed under a licence to use AMD’s X86-based Zen chip architecture, did not have the hardware security flaw that affected a...

Would Chinese or US supply lines be more vulnerable...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

The US faces critical “sustainment risks” that might lead to rapid defeat in a conflict with China, according to a Heritage Foundation report, which also found that while such a scenario could start in the Taiwan Strait, it would not be contained there. Based on the findings of an AI-based study called Tidalwave – after a 1943 operation of the same name – the right-wing think tank urged Washington to immediately strengthen American fuel and munitions reserves and logistical networks. At the

Hong Kong transport chief pledges to refine bus seat...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

Hong Kong’s transport minister has pledged to refine a policy requiring passengers to wear seat belts on buses by ensuring the devices become more user-friendly, while acknowledging lawmakers’ calls for a review of the recent law. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan made the promise on Wednesday, less than a week after the new rules took effect. The regulations require all passengers travelling on public or private buses, including franchised and school services, to wear seat

What haunts China’s investors? US geopolitics and a...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

Chinese investors rank US-China relations and domestic demand as their top two concerns for the next 12 months, while highlighting a weak property market and declining birth rates as key risks, according to quarterly survey results. While the outlook has instilled a continued sense of caution following a year of volatility and policy-driven rebounds, the overall investor sentiment remains resilient, the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB) in Beijing said on Wednesday about its...

Amazon cuts 16,000 jobs amid AI shift, post-pandemic...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

Amazon is slashing about 16,000 corporate jobs in the second round of mass lay-offs for the e-commerce company in three months. The tech giant has said it plans to use generative artificial intelligence to replace corporate workers. It has also been reducing a workforce that increased during the pandemic. Beth Galetti, a senior vice-president at Amazon, said in a blog post on Wednesday that the company has been “reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy”. The company did...

Moonshot’s newest release narrows US-China AI model...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

Moonshot AI’s newest release, Kimi K2.5, has narrowed the gap between the US and China to the closest it has ever been in the development of artificial intelligence models, according to third-party evaluations. That feat by the Beijing-based start-up, founded in March 2023, has raised questions about the efficacy of US policies – most notably, export controls on advanced semiconductors – to constrain China’s AI development efforts, said Kyle Chan, a fellow of the John L Thornton China Centre

Sarah Mullally confirmed as Archbishop of Canterbury,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

Sarah Mullally was confirmed as Archbishop of Canterbury on Wednesday, becoming the first woman to lead the Church of England. The worldwide Anglican Communion, which includes the Episcopal Church in the US, has no formal head, but the archbishop traditionally has been seen as its spiritual leader. Mullally, 63, a cancer nurse turned cleric, officially took up the responsibilities of her new job as judges presided over a legal ceremony confirming her appointment, which was announced almost

With China visit, Starmer makes clear he’s putting...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

“I’m often invited to simply choose between countries. I don’t do that,” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday ahead of his China trip. The visit – after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Beijing trip drew US tariff threats – is an attempt to drag British foreign policy into alignment with 21st century realities: a world of strategic rivalry but deep economic interdependence. Starmer’s remarks are not diplomatic wordplay, but a declaration the United Kingdom will no longer be a...

Hong Kong logs US$37 million Admiralty office deal...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

A Hong Kong office unit at Admiralty Centre has changed hands for HK$292.17 million (US$37.46 million), making it the most expensive commercial property transaction registered on Tuesday, according to official records, in a deal that adds to tentative signs of stabilisation in the city’s battered real estate market. The office space, located in Tower 1 of the Admiralty Centre within the city’s core business district, was acquired by Luck Ring Development, Land Registry records showed. The

China will step in if Australia moves to regain...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

Beijing has pledged to step in if Canberra commits to regaining control of a strategic port in northern Australia that is leased to a Chinese firm. Chinese ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian said on Wednesday that Beijing “has the obligation to take measures” to protect the legitimate rights of Chinese companies overseas if the port of Darwin were taken back through a forced sale, according to Australian media reports. During last year’s successful re-election campaign, Australian Prime

Beijing clears Nvidia’s H200 imports, ending chip...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

Beijing has begun approving imports of Nvidia’s H200 graphics processing units (GPUs), according to two sources familiar with the matter, ending regulatory uncertainty over the US tech giant’s second most powerful artificial intelligence chip. The first batch was expected to go to Big Tech companies, which were in urgent need of the GPU, a source said. However, access for state-backed companies, such as telecommunication network operators, was expected to remain under tight control, the

As World Cup boosts merch demand, China’s small-goods...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

With less than five months to go before the opening match of the 2026 Fifa World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, a wave of World Cup-driven orders is already rippling through China’s manufacturing heartlands. In Yiwu, the eastern Chinese city long known as the world’s largest hub for small commodities, exporters of fan merchandise and sporting accessories are reporting an early surge in overseas orders. World Cup fan merchandise maker and exporter Miji, who declined to give his

Hong Kong police arrest 7 over bogus HK$10 million...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

Hong Kong police have arrested seven members of a fraud syndicate accused of swindling nearly 100 victims out of HK$10 million (US$1.3 million) by luring them into taking out loans under a bogus bankruptcy scheme and then charging hefty handling fees that left them even further out of pocket. The case first surfaced last year after four victims reported receiving cold calls offering help in securing low-interest loans. They were later invited to an office in Kwai Fong, which falsely claimed

Communist Party and KMT revive forum stalled by...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

The Communist Party and the Kuomintang (KMT), Taiwan’s main opposition party, will revive a long-stalled dialogue channel next week to navigate cross-strait tensions and discuss plans to promote industrial cooperation. Beijing confirmed on Wednesday that the think tank forum would be held in the Chinese capital on February 3, according to an announcement by Zhang Han, a spokeswoman for the mainland’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO). The party-to-party channel, known unofficially as the Communist...

‘Teach our children well’: Jack Ma urges changes to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

Education in China’s countryside should shift away from rote-based learning to focus on nurturing curiosity and creativity in the artificial intelligence era, Alibaba Group Holding founder Jack Ma said in a meeting with rural teachers on Monday. In remarks published by the Jack Ma Foundation on Tuesday, former English teacher Ma said the dawn of the AI era posed a challenge for rural education, but also presented an opportunity to “return to the fundamentals of education”. Alibaba owns the

Vanuatu seeks Hong Kong’s regulatory expertise, woos...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

Vanuatu’s leader hopes to strengthen his country’s presence in Hong Kong as the Pacific island nation looks to tap the city’s regulatory expertise, financial markets and investment opportunities. Prime Minister Jotham Napat said on Wednesday that his country had established a “communication mechanism” during his trip to Hong Kong, to improve coordination and deepen ties with the financial hub. He called the visit a “pivotal moment” for bilateral relations, with his delegation holding

Would you intervene? Singapore train-spitting case...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

A Singaporean woman has been charged with public nuisance after a video showing her spitting water towards fellow commuters on a train went viral, igniting a debate over what is seen as bystander culture in the city state.The footage prompted criticism not only of the woman’s actions but also of other passengers who appeared to avoid intervening, reviving questions about how Singaporeans respond when disorderly behaviour unfolds in public. Sabrina Han, 37, was charged with one count of

Why US defence strategy may push South Korea, Japan...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

Washington’s latest defence strategy of providing “more limited US support” to its allies is expected to damage domestic backing for leaders in Japan and South Korea and spur greater momentum among regional countries towards military self-reliance. Analysts also warn that such a realignment could lead to a “radical swing” in regional security calculations, and in the case of South Korea, weaken its deterrence against the North. In the National Defence Strategy (NDS) released by the US Defence...

Alex Pretti shot at by 2 different federal agents in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

Two federal officers fired their weapons during the fatal weekend shooting of nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, according to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) report to Congress published on Tuesday by US media. The shooting sparked bipartisan condemnation and fresh protests in Minneapolis, and US President Donald Trump on Tuesday called for an “honourable and honest investigation” into the matter. He also suggested he would “de-escalate a little bit” the administration’s immigration...

Price rises on the horizon for Chinese cloud firms...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/28

Several Chinese cloud service providers are “evaluating price increases”, according to analysts, following recent moves by Google and Amazon Web Services (AWS), as the explosive growth of artificial intelligence drives demand. Google on Tuesday announced price rises of up to 100 per cent for certain services, effective May 1. For example, North American users of the CDN Interconnect, Direct Peering, and Carrier Peering services will pay US$0.08 per gigabyte, double the current rate. In Asia,

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