PODCAST

News - South China Morning Post

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

All Episodes

Somali piracy has waned, so why is China’s navy still...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

A Chinese naval fleet including a guided-missile destroyer, missile frigate and comprehensive supply ship set sail earlier this month from a port in eastern Qingdao, heading to the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters. It was the 48th escort task group to be sent to the region in a Chinese navy programme that has been helping to protect commercial ships and counter Somali piracy since 2008, when there were numerous attacks by Somali pirates. Since 2013, however, there have been very few Somali

Thailand, Cambodia sign ceasefire pact as Trump hails...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

A triumphant Donald Trump on Sunday presided over a peace deal between Thailand and Cambodia on the first trip to Southeast Asia of his second presidency, applauding his own peacemaking skills while warning that American trade was contingent on the durability of the truce between the two nations. Dubbed the Kuala Lumpur Accords, the declaration calls for a demilitarisation of the tense shared Thai-Cambodia border and a loosely worded commitment towards reaching peace to end a border dispute,...

Profits of small Chinese exporters at risk as buyers...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

At the ongoing autumn session of the Canton Fair, China’s largest and longest-running trade exhibition, many Chinese exporters say that overseas buyers’ demands for extended payment terms are becoming one of their biggest challenges in maintaining profits. The pressure on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – across a range of industries – is particularly acute. “A regular client suddenly demanded 90-day post-shipment payment because other suppliers offer longer terms,” said Kevin Huang,

China boxer survives Australia attack, divorces wife...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

A violent attack on a Chinese boxing champion and his wife in Australia left the fighter in a coma and his partner with multiple bruises. The athlete later decided to divorce the woman, saying he had failed to protect her. Born in central China’s Henan province, 25-year-old Zhou Runqi started out in martial arts before turning to boxing. In 2023, he clinched the WBC Asia super flyweight title with a knockout win in Thailand, making him China’s first continental champion born in the 2000s. A...

Hong Kong minister dismisses concerns that the city’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

Hong Kong’s youth minister has dismissed concerns that young people are “lying flat”, after an outgoing lawmaker voiced worries that the city’s limited development options have caused them to lose hope. Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen said on Sunday that her bureau’s youth engagement schemes had seen a doubling in the number of applicants, reflecting the effectiveness of the government’s initiatives to support young people. Her remarks came days after social welfare...

Singapore, China pledge to fight for free trade as Li...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

China and Singapore pledged to uphold multilateralism and strengthen bilateral trade amid growing protectionism as Chinese Premier Li Qiang began his two-day visit to the city state on Saturday. The trip, the first visit by a Chinese leader to Singapore since 2018, comes as the two countries celebrate 35 years of diplomatic ties. The premier’s visit follows a June trip by Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to Beijing, where he met Chinese President Xi Jinping. “Currently, the...

Hong Kong expat police association sails into sunset...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

Hong Kong’s expatriate police association has been disbanded after 78 years, but its last chairman has said the contribution of overseas officers will remain part of the force’s legacy forever. Chief Inspector Anthony William Lothian, also known as Tobi, told the Post in an exclusive interview that the Overseas Inspectors’ Association had been disbanded on Friday as he, as its last chairman, would retire at the end of the month. “It’s quite an emotional affair. We were the first association

From fashionista to caring mother, Thailand mourns...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

The year-long funeral ceremony of Thailand’s former Queen Sirikit started on Sunday, with grieving royalists set to salute the procession bringing her remains to lie in state at Bangkok’s Grand Palace. The royal family is venerated in Thailand, treated by many as semidivine figures and lavished with glowing media coverage and gold-adorned portraits hanging in public spaces and private homes nationwide. Former Queen Sirikit, the mother of the current King Vajiralongkorn and wife of the

Sino-Dutch dispute over chipmaker Nexperia puts car...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

Semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia’s homebase in Nijmegen – the biggest city in Gelderland, the Netherlands’ largest province – offers few clues that it sits in the eye of a storm that threatens to disrupt the global car industry’s supply chain. Dutch daily newspaper De Gelderlander, for example, featured more local stories including an explosion at a neighbourhood cannabis store, referred to as “coffeeshop”. There were no banner headlines to be found about talks in Brussels on Tuesday

Japan PM Takaichi faces high-stakes meeting with...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi faces the first major test of her diplomatic skills on Monday when US President Donald Trump arrives in Tokyo for a three-day visit, with the Japanese leader using her first week in office to institute policies designed to please her American counterpart. In a policy speech to the Diet on Friday, Takaichi vowed to bring forward a goal of defence spending matching 2 per cent of gross domestic product to the current financial year ending in March, two years earlier...

This Hong Kong start-up helps us see ‘the colour of...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) start-up Stellerus Technology aims to be the world’s first provider of satellite-enabled three-dimensional wind data to help wind power, transport and insurance firms boost revenues, cut costs and manage risks, according to its founders. Stellerus, founded in 2023 by the university’s academics, would leverage China’s cost competitiveness in satellite manufacturing to make global 3D wind data collection economically viable, said Su Hui,

Global powers’ US$62 billion rare earth hunt stokes...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

Division and suspicion have gripped five villages near Kenya’s coast as global powers from the United States to China eye a forest that is rich in rare earths – minerals vital to hi-tech and low-carbon industries. The US government under President Donald Trump has made securing critical minerals central to its diplomacy in Africa, including through a peace deal in the resource-rich Democratic Republic of Congo this year. Mrima Hill, a forest of around 157 hectares (390 acres) near Kenya’s

Can the KMT’s new outspoken chairwoman win over...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

The choice of an outspoken former legislator as chairwoman of Taiwan’s biggest opposition party may address the growing internal fatigue with the Kuomintang’s (KMT) old guard, but analysts warn it is far from certain that what appealed to members will win over mainstream voters. Cheng Li-wun, a 55-year-old with roots in street activism and an early career inside the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), defeated 73-year-old heavyweight Hau Lung-bin in last weekend’s

How Chinese jeweller Laopu Gold has become a luxury...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

At the newly opened Laopu Gold store in Hong Kong’s IFC Mall, it was quiet on a weekday afternoon. The barriers at the entrance, the spacious lounge and private rooms inside all exude the luxury image the brand aspires to project. A few days ago, long queues were seen before the shop’s opening, with some arriving hours earlier to secure a chance to buy gold jewellery at a discount as part of its inaugural promotion. The Beijing-based jeweller has defied China’s sluggish consumption trend, in...

Solomon Islands’ defence force dream: an...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

In the Solomon Islands, where memories of civil unrest and ethnic violence are still fresh, the government’s plan to create a defence force has raised both hope and concerns. For some, it is a step towards stability; for others, it is a potential flashpoint in a region increasingly pulled between China and the West. Jimson Tanangada, the Pacific nation’s police and national security minister, told parliament earlier this month that the government was exploring the creation of a defence force

China is supporting multilateralism one institution...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

The International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed) was inaugurated at its headquarters in Wan Chai on Monday, bringing the new China-led mechanism into operation to fill the void in dispute resolution. With 37 signatories, the organisation is attracting Western interest, particularly from Switzerland. The IOMed is just one among several bodies announced by or established in China this year. They include the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation, Unesco’s International...

Non-local exams on rise? Hong Kong public...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

Seven of Hong Kong’s eight publicly funded universities have admitted a smaller proportion of students who took the local school curriculum over the past decade, while increasing their intake of those who sat international exams, official statistics show. The only one institution to buck the trend is the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), where the proportion of local students who sat the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) has increased during the same period. The Post analysed the

China youth share frugality hacks online, say bread...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

Young Chinese adults have been sharing extreme tips online on how to be frugal. One of the suggestions bizarrely recommends bread worms as a cheap, high-quality protein source, claiming they have a “milky almond” flavour. The ideas were shared in an online group called the “Thrifty Men’s Association”, which boasts more than 240,000 members. Members proudly refer to themselves as “Thrifty Stars”, viewing their lifestyle as an act of resistance against consumerism. One of the most viral posts...

Indonesian man charged with murdering wife in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

A 41-year-old Indonesian man was charged on Saturday with murdering his wife. The 38-year-old woman was found motionless in a Singapore hotel room on Friday morning. Salehuddin, who goes by one name, is accused of causing the death of Nurdia Rahmah Rery between 3am and 5am in a room at the Capri by Fraser China Square hotel on Friday. He appeared in court in a red polo shirt from his place of remand and appeared calm, responding to the interpreter at various points. He asked District Judge

Retro reveries: South Korea’s Gen Z find solace in a...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2025/10/26

In an era defined by digital hyperconnectivity, members of South Korea’s Gen Z are reaching back in time, finding unexpected meaning in an analogue past they never experienced. From the flutter of handwritten love notes to the gentle click of cassette players and the rustle of bus tickets tucked into pockets, many of the country’s top-rated television dramas are bringing a pre-digital age to life for a generation raised on smartphones. These stories, set against the backdrop of social

15,455 results