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South Korea aims to join China, US at top tier of...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/27

South Korea’s programme to develop engines that can power flying drones to serve as loyal wingmen for fighter jets suggests that Seoul has set its sights on competing at the top level in the global market for autonomous military systems, according to observers. Hanwha Aerospace, one of the country’s largest defence contractors, announced the programme on Tuesday – a joint project with South Korean space agency Kasa to develop a 4,500lb-class (2,040kg) turbofan engine by 2029. The engine will

Kuaishou beats estimates as Kling AI video...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/27

Chinese short-video company Kuaishou Technology beat estimates with 33.7 billion yuan (US$5 billion) in revenue in the first quarter, driven by the rapid commercialisation of its flagship artificial intelligence video generator, Kling AI. Overall revenue grew 3.4 per cent, but Kling’s revenue surged more than 300 per cent to 650 million yuan in the period, the company said on Wednesday. “AI technologies continued to provide the momentum for our content prosperity, business growth and...

Failed M1-Simba merger prolongs Singapore’s cutthroat...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/27

The unravelling of a S$1.43 billion (US$1.12 billion) merger between Singapore mobile operators M1 and Simba has highlighted the city state’s brutally competitive telecoms market, revealing a potential regulatory minefield around scarce radio spectrum. The foiled deal would also mean Singapore’s mobile network operators – Singtel, StarHub, M1 and Simba – will continue to operate in a cutthroat price war environment while M1’s owners look for new ways to divest, according to experts. Singapore...

Meet He Tingbo: Huawei’s ‘chip queen’ trying to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/27

When He Tingbo took the stage in Shanghai this week to unveil Huawei Technologies’ Tau (τ) Scaling Law, the message was about more than a new chip development framework. It was also a statement, showing how the most prominent Chinese technology company to have been subjected to US sanctions wants to compete in semiconductors when access to the world’s most advanced chipmaking tools remains restricted, and when the industry’s decades-old reliance on shrinking transistors is becoming more...

Crowds top 10,000 at Hong Kong’s Cheung Chau Bun...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/24

Hong Kong’s annual Cheung Chau Bun Festival drew more than 10,000 visitors by noon on Sunday, including tourists who had travelled specially to witness the signature parade featuring “floating” children dressed as Middle Eastern oil moguls and judges.Visitors to the outlying island on Sunday splurged on frozen pineapples, watermelon juice and frozen mango mochi to beat the heat as the mercury hit 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit). The event, also known as Da Jiu Festival, includes the Piu

Will Zimbabwe’s lithium strategy help it break into...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/24

Zimbabwe is betting that its move into lithium processing will finally break the cycle of digging and shipping ore that has defined its mining sector for decades. This follows the export of the continent’s first consignment of lithium sulphate by Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe, a subsidiary of China’s Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, from its US$400 million Arcadia mine near Harare last month. The milestone came after Harare unexpectedly brought forward its ban on raw mineral exports to February this year

Japan to scour social media in hunt for visa...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/24

Japan’s immigration authorities plan to crack down on visa overstayers and illegal foreign workers by monitoring social media and other platforms for information or leads. The initiative is part of the country’s efforts to reduce the number of overstayers at a time when Japan is taking in more foreign workers due to labour shortages. As early as next year, the Immigration Services Agency plans to use analytical tools to identify online information related to illegal work, including

California races to prevent chemical tank explosion...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/24

Firefighters warned on Saturday that a tank of toxic chemicals in California is heating up, adding to fears of a catastrophic explosion that has already forced tens of thousands of Californians to evacuate. About 40,000 residents were ordered to leave their homes in the Garden Grove area of Orange county, southeast of Los Angeles, on Friday after the tank began to leak, sending fumes over a heavily populated area. The tank contains 26,000 litres (7,000 gallons) of methyl methacrylate, a

Beyond China: emerging markets hold key to...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/24

Chinese robovans could generate twice as much revenue in Southeast Asia and the Middle East than in the domestic market, making overseas expansion a must for profitability, according to autonomous driving leader Zelos Technology. The company claims to have built the world’s largest robovan fleet since it was founded in Suzhou in 2021, but scaling up international business was key for survival, said Sean Zhang Xuchen, co-founder, chief operating officer and head of global business at...

How Chinese traders in Iran are keeping business...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/24

As the US-Israel war on Iran stretches past its 80th day and continues to upend global naval shipping, a growing number of Chinese investors in Iran are turning to railway and overland transport routes to keep their businesses afloat. While disruptions to ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz show little sign of abating, many are hoping that transcontinental freight links across Eurasia could become a more reliable option. Chinese trader Han Yun has spent recent weeks travelling long distances...

Russian missiles pummel Kyiv in retaliation for dorm...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/24

Russia pounded Kyiv with a large missile and drone attack early on Sunday, killing one person and wounding 20, authorities said, after Moscow threatened retaliation for strikes in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine. Multiple rounds of loud explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital throughout the early hours of the morning. “Tonight Kyiv region is once again enduring a mass enemy attack with strike drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles,” said Mykola Kalashnyk, the head of the

‘We are very proud,’ John Lee tells first Hong Kong...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/24

The leader of Hong Kong offered his praise and blessings to the first local astronaut, Lai Ka-ying, in a video call ahead of the launch of the Shenzhou-23 mission on Sunday, calling her participation a reflection of the country’s support for the city. In response, payload specialist Lai recalled her rigorous and demanding training in Beijing, which she noted had “finally come to an end”, while expressing absolute confidence in completing her mission. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu was

Owners of Chinese mine where 82 died in blast accused...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/24

The owners of a Chinese coal mine where at least 82 people were killed have been accused of “serious violations of the law” by the local government. As search and rescue operations continued through the night, Chen Xiangyang, the deputy party secretary of Changzhi in Shanxi province, said that all four mines operated by the Shanxi Tongzhou Group had been “immediately” ordered to suspend operations. “Preliminary assessment indicates serious legal violations by the coal mine enterprise

Hong Kong villager steps up ‘adopt a tree’ bid amid...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/24

Ken Mak’s greatest wish before leaving his village in Hong Kong this month is to save the fruit trees planted by his grandfather before the bulldozers arrive. To give the trees in Yick Yuen Tsuen in Tuen Mun a second chance, he hit on an idea: tree adoption. Within a week, Mak had recorded the species, height and girth of 53 fruit trees at his family-run flower farm and a nearby church. He compiled the information and photographs into a catalogue and led people on tours to view the trees. So...

Asia’s silver dividend can offset ageing’s economic toll

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/24

Population ageing is fast becoming a global phenomenon. Even regions currently enjoying youthful demographics will eventually undergo demographic transition – and this is increasingly relevant for developing countries too. Some Southeast Asian economies, Thailand and Vietnam among them, have already reached the intermediate stages of this transition. It has begun even in younger economies such as the Philippines, where the fertility rate has now fallen below replacement level. Conventional...

Mainland brands power Hong Kong retail recovery as...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/24

Hong Kong is likely to attract more mainland Chinese retail brands, but unlike the previous wave, non food and beverage (F&B) retailers are the ones ramping up their presence, according to analysts. The change in profile of mainland brands coming to Hong Kong is helping the city’s landlords fill vacant spaces amid an uneven recovery in the retail property market, according to JLL. In the first four months of the year, more than one fifth of new entrants in the city’s retail market were

Like Serbia, the EU should be open to partnership...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/24

As I return to China, I do so with an abiding sense of respect for a nation that has become one of Serbia’s most indispensable partners and a defining force of our century. In Europe, discussions about China are too often clouded by suspicion and strategic anxiety. I understand that every major political community must guard its future, but I believe Europe should approach China not with fear and suspicion but with confidence and a serious, open-eyed willingness to cooperate. Serbia has

Is Hong Kong following Beijing’s lead and ousting...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/24

Hong Kong’s technology infrastructure is undergoing a major transformation as local government and businesses replace Western products with domestic alternatives, driven by closer integration with mainland China and rising geopolitical risks, according to tech experts. US tech giants like Microsoft have long “served as the bedrock of Hong Kong’s digital landscape”, but that dominance is now being actively contested, particularly in the government sector, according to Francis Fong Po-kiu,...

⁠Under-construction building collapses in...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/24

Two people feared trapped after a building collapse in the ‌Philippines were alive and communicating with rescuers on Sunday, an official said, as rescue efforts continued. “They are in constant communication. We are awaiting more details, but our rescuers are doing their best to pull the survivors out of the rubble,” Jay Pelayo, information officer Angeles City north of the ⁠capital Manila, said. The number rescued in the collapse of the nine-storey ‌building under construction, including

US Pax Silica hub plan hits Philippine sovereignty...

News - South China Morning Post ·

2026/05/24

A US plan to build an “AI-native” industrial hub in the Philippines has highlighted the political sensitivities around Washington’s push to secure critical technology supply chains, after Manila rejected proposals for the zone to be governed by US laws or covered by diplomatic protections. Philippine officials said the planned economic security zone under Washington’s Pax Silica initiative would remain covered by local laws, clarifying that there would be “no special arrangement” for the...

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