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From travel warnings to visa fees: why Chinese tourism to Japan is in free fall
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From travel warnings to visa fees: why Chinese tourism to Japan is in free fall

Mainland Chinese tourist arrivals in Japan fell for an eighth consecutive month in July, as group tours slumped and visa costs rose amid deteriorating ties between Beijing and Tokyo. Mainland China has traditionally been a major source of visitors for Japan, but tourist arrivals plunged 56.1 per cent year on year in July, extending a downward trend that began in December 2025, according to data re...

Hesai rides on lidar growth as smart cars gain ground despite China’s struggling market
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Hesai rides on lidar growth as smart cars gain ground despite China’s struggling market

Chinese carmakers’ reinforced push to produce more smart vehicles could sustain growth for hi-tech component suppliers, even as the broader automotive market remains lacklustre, according to Hesai Group chief financial officer Andrew Fan. “Orders for our lidar sensors [this year] were higher than in the same period last year,” Fan told the South China Morning Post on Wednesday. “An increasing perc...

Armed with funding boost, SpaceSail accelerates China’s push to rival Elon Musk’s Starlink
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Armed with funding boost, SpaceSail accelerates China’s push to rival Elon Musk’s Starlink

In a record funding round for China’s satellite internet sector, domestic start-up SpaceSail has raised around 7 billion yuan (US$1 billion) to accelerate the buildout of a low-Earth-orbit (LEO) network designed to compete with Elon Musk’s Starlink project. Known officially as Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology, the operator of China’s Qianfan constellation completed its Series B round on Mond...

Cathay Pacific to launch direct flights between Hong Kong and Almaty in January
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Cathay Pacific to launch direct flights between Hong Kong and Almaty in January

Cathay Pacific Airways will launch direct passenger flights between Hong Kong and Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, in January, making it the airline’s first Central Asian destination and establishing the only non-stop service between the two. The three-times-weekly service will begin on January 9 next year. Flights will operate every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, subject to regulatory approval...

Pet owner barred from leaving Hong Kong pending trial over his dog’s fatal attacks

Pet owner barred from leaving Hong Kong pending trial over his dog’s fatal attacks

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A man has been barred from leaving Hong Kong pending trial over allegations that he failed to properly control his dog, which mauled two smaller pets to death and injured a third. Yuen Long resident Ng Shui-ting, 52, appeared at Tuen Mun Court on Thursday to face two charges brought by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. He allegedly failed to keep the 60kg (132lbs) dog securel...

Hong Kong pet owner barred from leaving city pending trial over fatal dog attacks

Hong Kong pet owner barred from leaving city pending trial over fatal dog attacks

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A man has been barred from leaving Hong Kong pending trial over allegations that he failed to properly control his dog, which mauled two smaller pets to death and injured a third. Yuen Long resident Ng Shui-ting, 52, appeared at Tuen Mun Court on Thursday to face two charges brought by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. He allegedly failed to keep the 60kg (132lbs) dog securel...

Iran goes on the offensive as diplomacy with US stalls

Iran goes on the offensive as diplomacy with US stalls

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Six months into its war with the United States, Iran’s military has begun signalling a shift from retaliation to offence, which analysts say could reflect Tehran’s belief it holds leverage to advance its demands and break the stalemate. Since US-Israeli strikes launched the war on February 28, Tehran has largely portrayed its strikes against the US, Israel and Gulf countries as revenge for attacks...

Malaysians ask Zohran Mamdani to fix potholes in viral meme appeal

Malaysians ask Zohran Mamdani to fix potholes in viral meme appeal

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Malaysians have launched a humorous appeal to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to fix their potholes, sparking a meme fest praising his responsiveness and highlighting local government inaction. The campaign began after a social media user posted a video of a battered road he frequently uses that caused him to crash, urging Mamdani to help make the thoroughfare passable. “Mamdani, please help me...

Chinese green tea is bringing people together in West Africa, 3 cups at a time

Chinese green tea is bringing people together in West Africa, 3 cups at a time

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West Africa has embraced Chinese green tea – from government offices in Mauritania to roadside stalls in Senegal, Mali and Niger, it is at the heart of a tradition that brings people together. The ritual – known as ataya, or attaya in some countries – involves preparing and serving strong, sweet green tea in three rounds, giving family, friends and colleagues the time to talk and socialise. Chines...

‘IPO queen’ Pamela Chung says time is ripe for listing connect scheme

‘IPO queen’ Pamela Chung says time is ripe for listing connect scheme

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Hong Kong is at an opportune time to move forward with a so-called IPO connect scheme, according to Pamela Chung Kong-hung, Vistra’s managing director and head of its IPO and share registry services, as the scheme would allow mainland investors access to initial public offerings in Hong Kong, enable better price discovery and expand the investor capital pool to better match the city’s large IPO pi...

IPO queen Pamela Chung says headway needed for initial public offering connect scheme

IPO queen Pamela Chung says headway needed for initial public offering connect scheme

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Hong Kong is seeing an opportune time to move forward with a so-called IPO connect scheme, according to Pamela Chung Kong-hung, Vistra’s managing director and head of its IPO & Share Registry Services, who says the scheme would allow mainland investors access to initial public offerings (IPOs) in Hong Kong, enabling better price discovery and expanding the investor capital pool to better match the...

Hong Kong sees opportune time for advancing IPO connect scheme: IPO queen Pamela Chung

Hong Kong sees opportune time for advancing IPO connect scheme: IPO queen Pamela Chung

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Hong Kong is seeing an opportune time to move forward with a so-called IPO connect scheme, according to Pamela Chung Kong-hung, Vistra’s managing director and head of its IPO & Share Registry Services, who says the scheme would allow mainland investors access to initial public offerings (IPOs) in Hong Kong, enabling better price discovery and expanding the investor capital pool to better match the...

Meme magic: how a crude Chinese animation reshapes country’s viewing habits

Meme magic: how a crude Chinese animation reshapes country’s viewing habits

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A crudely made animated film has emerged as an unexpected cultural flashpoint in China, sparking debate over how memes and online virality are reshaping audience perceptions of what is worth watching. Niu Lai, or The Arrival of the Ox, premiered in China on August 5, following a young calf’s dreamlike journey to becoming a warrior. Its rudimentary visuals quickly invited ridicule: snakes resemble ...

Netanyahu casts Turkey as Israel’s new villain amid tough re-election fight

Netanyahu casts Turkey as Israel’s new villain amid tough re-election fight

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After more than two years of taking on Israel’s enemies across the Middle East, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing a tough re-election fight, is zeroing in on another perceived villain – Turkey. On Tuesday, warplanes bombed a base in northern Syria a short drive from the Turkish border. Netanyahu said Turkey was looking to establish a military presence there and that, after it ignored Israe...

True friends stab you in the front? The importance of debate in today’s world

True friends stab you in the front? The importance of debate in today’s world

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“True friends stab you in the front?” This is a quote most likely to be misattributed to Oscar Wilde. What he wrote instead in The Devoted Friend was: “But what is the good of friendship if one cannot say exactly what one means? Anybody can say charming things and try to please and to flatter, but a true friend always says unpleasant things, and does not mind giving pain.” This is Legal Tales’ 70t...

China’s Mech-Mind Robotics set to open order book for US$300m IPO, sources say

China’s Mech-Mind Robotics set to open order book for US$300m IPO, sources say

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China’s Mech-Mind Robotics Technologies plans to start taking investor orders for its Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO) as soon as next week amid a boom in artificial intelligence-driven robotics that has lifted investor enthusiasm, according to people familiar with the matter. The Meituan-backed company has started gauging interest for a listing that could raise about US$300 million, up fro...

Why Chinese film-goers are flocking to a movie they hate

Why Chinese film-goers are flocking to a movie they hate

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This past week, another unlikely film went viral in Chinese cinemas. On its August 5 debut, the animated film Niu Lai, or The Arrival of the Ox, only earned 3,420 yuan (US$507) at the box office. About 10 days later, it suddenly saw a spike in viewers and generated six figures of revenue. On Saturday, its box office climbed to 717,000 yuan and reached more than 11 million yuan on Monday. Its accum...

CK Hutchison’s HK$11.7b Panama ports dispute could take years to resolve

CK Hutchison’s HK$11.7b Panama ports dispute could take years to resolve

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Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings has launched international arbitration against Panama, seeking more than HK$11.7 billion (US$1.5 billion) in damages over the government’s takeover of two strategic ports at either end of the Panama Canal. Legal experts said investment treaty arbitration was “notoriously lengthy” and that the process was likely to take at least three years. Announcing the move...

Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison seeks HK$11.7b from Panama over takeover of canal ports

Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison seeks HK$11.7b from Panama over takeover of canal ports

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Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison has launched international arbitration against Panama, seeking more than HK$11.7 billion (US$1.5 billion) in damages over the government’s takeover of two strategic ports at the entrances to the Panama Canal. Announcing the move on Thursday, the Li Ka-shing family-backed conglomerate said Panama had breached an investment-protection treaty and international law through...

Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison seeks HK$11.7b from Panama over canal ports dispute

Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison seeks HK$11.7b from Panama over canal ports dispute

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Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison has launched international arbitration proceedings against Panama, seeking more than HK$11.7 billion (US$1.5 billion) in damages over the government’s takeover of two strategic ports at the entrances to the Panama Canal. Announcing the move on Thursday, the Li Ka-shing family-backed conglomerate said Panama had breached an investment-protection treaty and international...

China’s top diplomat Wang Yi calls on US to change ‘hostile policy’ on North Korea

China’s top diplomat Wang Yi calls on US to change ‘hostile policy’ on North Korea

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing welcomed South and North Korea moving towards peaceful coexistence and called on Washington to change its “hostile policy” on Pyongyang. In talks with his counterpart Cho Hyun in Seoul on Wednesday, Wang said China was “always committed to playing a constructive role in the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula”, according to a readout from the C...

Does cash-strapped Hongkong Post need to deliver profits or just public services?

Does cash-strapped Hongkong Post need to deliver profits or just public services?

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On a recent weekday morning, the Repulse Bay post office, in one of Hong Kong’s most affluent coastal neighbourhoods, stood almost empty. In an hour, only five customers walked through the door, with two staff members serving them. One of them was Dicky Lo, who had sent a parcel to Europe, citing the service’s reasonable price compared with private couriers. “I come here two to three times a month...

China’s C919 supply chain: inside the push to replace Western aerospace parts

China’s C919 supply chain: inside the push to replace Western aerospace parts

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China is stepping up efforts to source local components for its passenger aircraft, particularly the C919 narrowbody airliner, with the focus expanding from home-grown engines to progressively replacing imported sealants, paints, bolts and other materials, according to a prominent aircraft engineer. The push means the C919, as well as future Chinese models and engines, could increasingly incorpora...

Be wary of defence contractors, Chinese study warns, pointing to US system

Be wary of defence contractors, Chinese study warns, pointing to US system

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A new study from China has warned Beijing of the danger of defence contractors having too much influence over defence policy, pointing to the profit-driven expansion of the US military-industrial complex as a salutary example. In the study published on Monday, researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s National Institute of Strategic Studies said Washington’s “iron triangle” – linking the Depa...

Be wary of defence contractors, Chinese study warns Beijing, pointing to US system

Be wary of defence contractors, Chinese study warns Beijing, pointing to US system

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A new study from China has warned Beijing of the danger of defence contractors having too much influence over defence policy, pointing to the profit-driven expansion of the US military-industrial complex as a salutary example. In the study published on Monday, researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s National Institute of Strategic Studies said Washington’s “iron triangle” – linking the Depa...

US drill cuts threaten South Korea’s wartime command plans

US drill cuts threaten South Korea’s wartime command plans

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South Korea’s push to regain wartime control of its military has been thrown into doubt after the United States abruptly cut short a major joint exercise, scrapping plans for a simulated counteroffensive into North Korean territory and encirclement of Pyongyang. Defence analysts warn scaling back the Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise could weaken the allies’ deterrence posture at a sensitive mom...

Iran mocks Trump’s ‘economic warfare’ threat as more ‘failed policies’

Iran mocks Trump’s ‘economic warfare’ threat as more ‘failed policies’

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Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday dismissed US President Donald Trump’s economic punishment plan for Tehran as a continuation of “failed policies”, which he said would bring Washington “further defeat”. “The so-called Economic D-Day is a diversion from America’s own crisis: unprecedented debt & surging interest costs. Doubling down on failed policies will only bring further defeat...

Trump warns of punishment for any country that supports Iran: ‘economic warfare’

Trump warns of punishment for any country that supports Iran: ‘economic warfare’

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⁠US ⁠President ⁠Donald Trump on Wednesday warned of economic consequences against any ‌country that supported Tehran or provided “any type of lifeline to Iran”. “Today, I am announcing the MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY! This will be Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale,” he wrote on social media. “ANY country that allows its financial ⁠institut...

Chinese national charged with voter fraud during 2024 US presidential election

Chinese national charged with voter fraud during 2024 US presidential election

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A Chinese national was charged in the United States on Wednesday with committing voter fraud during the 2024 presidential election for allegedly impersonating a fellow countryman and later submitting anonymous tips about him to immigration authorities. Yupeng Sun, a Massachusetts resident, was arrested this week for allegedly submitting a fraudulent voter registration and ballot under the name of ...