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News - South China Morning Post

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Bars, hotels cash in as Hong Kong welcomes 25% more...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/01

The number of inbound visitors to Hong Kong on New Year’s Eve rose by 25 per cent from 2024, despite the city forgoing its traditional fireworks display because of the deadly Tai Po fire, with bars and hotels appearing to benefit the most from the increase in footfall over the holiday. But with the number of departures by Hongkongers also increasing by nearly 21 per cent over the same period, not all businesses stood to gain equally. Immigration Department figures compiled by the Post on...

CIA concludes Ukraine did not target Putin’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/01

The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has concluded that Ukraine did not target Russian President Vladimir Putin or one of his residences in a recent drone attack, US media have reported. Various media, including The Wall Street Journal as well as the broadcasters PBS and CNN, cited unnamed US government officials in their reports published on Wednesday evening, contradicting serious accusations made by Moscow at the start of the week. Initially, US President Donald Trump also criticised...

Hong Kong’s John Lee suffering from sciatica, Chief...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/01

Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu is suffering from sciatica, the Chief Executive’s Office has revealed, after he appeared to be in pain while standing for 1½ hours at the lawmakers’ swearing-in ceremony on New Year’s Day, with a cane placed nearby. The office said on Thursday that Lee was suffering from sciatica, but stopped short of revealing details of the city’s leader’s health condition. Sciatica is a condition that causes pain along the sciatic nerve, which is the largest in the body,...

Hong Kong issues first cold weather warning as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/01

Hong Kong’s forecaster has issued its first cold weather warning of the season on New Year’s Day as temperatures are expected to fall to a low of 12 degrees Celsius (53.6 Fahrenheit) in urban areas on Friday. The Hong Kong Observatory issued the warning at 4.20pm on Thursday and said a cold front moving across the coastal areas of Guangdong would bring cooler weather to the city in the coming days. Minimum temperatures in urban areas are forecast to be around 12 degrees on Friday and a couple

China warns satellites from Elon Musk’s Starlink are...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/01

China has warned that the rapid expansion of internet satellite constellations such as SpaceX’s Starlink presented “pronounced safety and security challenges”. Addressing an informal United Nations Security Council event initiated by Russia on Monday, Beijing’s representative cited several incidents, including near collisions between Starlink satellites and the Chinese space station in 2021, and a satellite that disintegrated in December. The representative also pointed to the disregard of...

China online shop uses mouse pads, socks, plastic...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/01

The owner of an online shop in eastern China has begun using handy daily items as clothing tags to deter exploitative returns and boost sales. The ingenious owner, surnamed Wang, who lives in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, has been praised by customers and netizens alike for his creativity. After his piano business went bankrupt, Wang moved into selling menswear. He shared some of his unconventional clothing tags, such as mouse pads and wiper fluid bottles online. He also designed tags made

85% of injured Hong Kong fire victims discharged,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/01

About 85 per cent of those injured in the deadly Tai Po fire in Hong Kong have been discharged, while the rest are in a stable condition, according to health authorities. The Health Bureau also said on Wednesday that 63 affected residents received free family doctor consultations, 18 received free denture replacements in private dental clinics, and 24 were scheduled to receive Chinese medicine services. The fire at Wang Fuk Court in November claimed at least 161 lives and injured 79 others,...

China’s Wang Yi takes aim at Japan in call with South...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/01

With less than a week to go until a presidential summit, China’s top diplomat has used talks with his South Korean counterpart to reassert Beijing’s stand on Taiwan and take aim at Tokyo. In a phone call with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Wednesday, China’s Wang Yi raised the spectre of Japan’s colonial past to get support for his country’s position on Taiwan. Wang accused “certain political forces in Japan” of trying to “reverse the course of history and whitewash [the country’s]...

‘Be public representatives, not commentators,’ John...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/01

Newly elected lawmakers should be “representatives of the public” rather than mere commentators, Hong Kong’s leader has said after the swearing-in of all 90 legislators, warning against “soft resistance” and acts that stir conflicts under the guise of critique. Meanwhile, veteran lawmakers Starry Lee Wai-king and Ronick Chan Chun-ying, front-runners for the Legislative Council presidency, remained tight-lipped about their bids on Thursday, a day before the nomination period is set to...

Why investors should remain bullish on Hong Kong,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/01

Judging by investor sentiment in the final quarter of last year, the spectacular rally in mainland Chinese and Hong Kong equities is over. The CSI 300 index of Shanghai- and Shenzhen-listed stocks declined 0.2 per cent while the MSCI China Index fell by over 7 per cent. The Hang Seng Index, meanwhile, lost 4.5 per cent. While most Wall Street banks remain bullish on Chinese stocks, some have turned more cautious. Morgan Stanley believes 2026 will be “a year of stabilization after 2025’s high...

Full throttle: Chinese EV makers to corner one-third...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/01

China’s carmakers are on track to capture about one-third of the global auto market by 2030 and generate most of their profits overseas, according to UBS, underscoring the resilience of the country’s electric vehicle (EV) advantage despite mounting trade barriers in the West. The Swiss bank said its forecast had remained unchanged from two years ago, even as Chinese carmakers accelerated factory construction in Europe and some global rivals scaled back electrification plans. “The main drag

Beijing slams Taiwanese leader Lai’s New Year’s...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/01

Beijing has condemned Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te’s New Year’s Day speech – including his vow to boost the island’s defences – as full of “lies, falsehoods, hostility and malice” and an attempt to “mislead the Taiwanese people and international public opinion”. Chen Binhua, spokesman for Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO), said on Thursday that Lai’s speech “once again peddled the fallacy of ‘Taiwan independence’, incited cross-strait confrontation and reiterated the old tune of...

Hong Kong’s new smoking rules just kicked in. Is...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/01

Some smokers are still lighting up at bus stops in Hong Kong despite new rules banning them from doing so while queuing, the Post has observed, with authorities saying they have stepped up inspections at tourist spots and ramped up publicity efforts. The new rules took effect on Thursday and include a ban on anyone smoking at designated boarding points for public transport when waiting in a queue of two or more people. But on the first day of the policy, a Post reporter spotted a man smoking

Dozens feared dead in explosion and fire at Swiss ski...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/01

Several dozen people are presumed dead and around 100 injured after a fire ripped through a crowded bar in the luxury Swiss ski resort town of Crans-Montana, police said early Thursday. Police, firefighters and rescuers rushed to the popular resort, one of the top-ranked ski destinations in Europe, after the fire broke out in the early hours of New Year’s Day. Authorities said they were still investigating the causes of the fire which erupted at around 1.30am at the Le Constellation bar, but...

Malaysia’s tourism minister urges warmer welcomes...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/01

Malaysia’s tourism minister has urged the public to be more friendly to visitors and take cleanliness seriously as the country ramps up preparations for Visit Malaysia 2026, after several government agencies flagged complaints from tourists about rude treatment when they sought help.Speaking on New Year’s Day at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing said he had asked for explanations after receiving the feedback. “I have received complaints

Japan may lose GDP race to India amid weak yen,...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/01

Japan’s economy is likely to fall behind India’s in 2026 to fifth place in the world, according to an International Monetary Fund’s estimate, potentially diminishing the East Asian nation’s presence on the global stage. The subdued economic outlook makes Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s planned growth strategy, due out in the summer, all the more important to combat the burden from the country’s shrinking population, economists say. They call for productivity improvements and further efforts

Chinese rocket firm LandSpace moves closer to US$1...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/01

Chinese rocket maker LandSpace aims to raise 7.5 billion yuan (US$1 billion) from an initial public offering (IPO) in Shanghai, after becoming the first home-grown aerospace firm to have its listing application accepted via a fast-tracked process. The Beijing-headquartered company, regarded as a challenger to Elon Musk-led SpaceX, said its listing aimed to “actively respond to national strategic plans and urgent market demands”, according to its prospectus. The Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE)...

‘Hong Kong has lived up to expectations,’ Beijing...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/01

Beijing’s top office overseeing Hong Kong affairs said on New Year’s Day that the city’s administration had lived up to expectations, stressing its effective response to the deadly Tai Po fire demonstrated unity and resilience. Acknowledging President Xi Jinping’s New Year wishes for the city, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu also pledged in a social media post on Thursday that the city must focus on its priorities, promote high-quality development, further deepen reforms and open up. The

US grants TSMC annual licence to import American...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/01

The US government ‍has granted an annual licence to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) to import American chip manufacturing equipment to its fabrication facility in Nanjing, the capital of eastern China’s Jiangsu province, according to the company. The approval “ensures uninterrupted fab operations and product deliveries”, TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said in a statement on Thursday to Reuters. South Korea’s Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have also received

China’s service sector shines as holidaymakers...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/01/01

More Chinese travellers are pivoting from mass-market sightseeing to bespoke adventures to ring in the new year, fuelling a surge in demand for pet-friendly itineraries and winter excursions as service consumption defies a broader economic gloom. “Tailored travel is gaining traction,” online travel platform Fliggy said in a December 23 statement, citing a shift towards immersive “experiences that go beyond sightseeing”, favouring more memorable moments and personalisation. In particular,...

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