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Croatia plane crash kills 4
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Croatia plane crash kills 4

Four people were killed on Thursday in a plane crash on Croatia’s northern Adriatic coast, police said. “According to currently available information four people have died” in the crash of the plane in Medulin, on Croatia’s northwestern Istria peninsula, a police statement said. The accident occurred in the Campanoz area, outside the town, and “all emergency services are on the scene”, it added. T...

China’s futuristic stealth sub to boost ‘hunt-and-kill’ capabilities: experts
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China’s futuristic stealth sub to boost ‘hunt-and-kill’ capabilities: experts

China is aiming to boost its “hunt-and-kill” capabilities with a new submarine that boasts futuristic features, according to Chinese analysts. A submarine that appeared to lack a traditional fin was being built at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai, France-based Naval News reported on Wednesday, citing Vantor satellite images dated June 1. A submarine’s fin is a tower on its topside, usually used f...

Chinese carmakers BYD, Chery chart 80% growth overseas as EV demand spikes
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Chinese carmakers BYD, Chery chart 80% growth overseas as EV demand spikes

Leading Chinese carmakers like BYD and Chery Automobile are reaping rewards from their efforts to boost sales abroad, as they chase higher profitability amid rising demand for electric vehicles (EVs). Chery, which spearheaded the go-global drive among mainland China’s automotive groups and is the country’s largest car exporter, delivered three times as many cars overseas as at home last month. The...

Why China’s Latin America ties aren’t immune to Trump’s influence
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Why China’s Latin America ties aren’t immune to Trump’s influence

For over two decades, China’s rise in Latin America has been viewed as one of the most significant geopolitical developments in the western hemisphere. Through trade, investment, infrastructure projects and diplomatic engagement, Beijing built a presence that would have been difficult to imagine at the beginning of the century. The strategy appeared highly successful. Beijing became a leading trad...

Part boat, part plane, part sci-fi: China debuts consumer flying watercraft

Part boat, part plane, part sci-fi: China debuts consumer flying watercraft

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The Soviet “sea monster” is back – and this time it’s for sale. A Chinese company has completed the maiden flight of a passenger craft that skims just above the water’s surface using ground-effect technology, reviving a concept once associated with the Soviet Union’s giant Cold War-era experimental vehicles. Chinese mobility company Navee on Thursday showcased its WaveFly 5X on Lake Taihu in Suzho...

Part boat, part plane, part sci-fi: China debuts flying watercraft

Part boat, part plane, part sci-fi: China debuts flying watercraft

SCMP •

The Soviet “sea monster” is back – and this time it’s for sale. A Chinese company has completed the maiden flight of a passenger craft that skims just above the water’s surface using ground-effect technology, reviving a concept once associated with the Soviet Union’s giant Cold War-era experimental vehicles. Chinese mobility company Navee on Thursday showcased its WaveFly 5X on Lake Taihu in Suzho...

Beijing’s point man on Hong Kong affairs visits Hengqin in push for integration

Beijing’s point man on Hong Kong affairs visits Hengqin in push for integration

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Beijing’s top official on Hong Kong and Macau affairs has visited the Hengqin cooperation zone in Zhuhai as part of a drive to help the two special administrative regions align with the nation’s 15th five-year plan. The four-day visit by Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO), was his third trip to the Greater Bay Area this year. During his trip from Monday to Thur...

Japan’s PM Takaichi eyes India trip for talks with leader Modi

Japan’s PM Takaichi eyes India trip for talks with leader Modi

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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is considering visiting India early next month to meet with her counterpart Narendra Modi to discuss cooperation on strengthening supply chains of critical goods given concerns about China’s economic coercion, government sources said on Thursday. Takaichi aims to deepen bilateral collaboration in a wide range of fields covering defence, economic issues and cu...

US-China policy under Donald Trump is heading for ‘unpredictable drift’: expert

US-China policy under Donald Trump is heading for ‘unpredictable drift’: expert

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Soon after Donald Trump concluded a visit to China he hailed as a great success, America’s top diplomat joined his Indian, Japanese and Australian counterparts in New Delhi for a meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers on May 26 launched the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative Framework, a strategic push to curb global reliance on B...

As India rises in critical minerals race, can it dent China’s dominance?

As India rises in critical minerals race, can it dent China’s dominance?

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A new India-US pact on critical minerals has put the spotlight on New Delhi’s potential as an alternative to China, but analysts say despite the country’s significant resources, it is unlikely to dent Beijing’s dominance in the sector any time soon. Delhi and Washington signed a framework agreement on May 26 during US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to India to secure supplies of critical m...

Sri Lanka nursing home fire kills 12

Sri Lanka nursing home fire kills 12

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A ⁠dozen people ⁠have died in a fire at a home for older people in ‌Sri Lanka, police said on Thursday, while another eight have been hospitalised. The fire, which broke out at ⁠a home in Anguruwatota 55km (34 miles) from the commercial capital Colombo, ‌has been put out and ⁠the ⁠director of the establishment has ‌been arrested, police said. “A total of 51 ‌people were ‌rescued from the ‌home an...

Beijing slaps travel ban on New Zealand MPs for ‘crossing red line’ with Taiwan visit

Beijing slaps travel ban on New Zealand MPs for ‘crossing red line’ with Taiwan visit

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Four New Zealand lawmakers who were handed travel bans by Beijing for visiting Taiwan have been accused of crossing a “red line” by the Chinese embassy in Wellington. The ban – which covers mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau – was condemned by the New Zealand and Australian governments, which said they would lodge a formal protest. The party, which visited the island in early May, included three ...

Wife of China motorcycle tycoon becomes loyalty symbol after handwritten account book goes viral

Wife of China motorcycle tycoon becomes loyalty symbol after handwritten account book goes viral

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The Chinese motorcycle brand ZXMOTO and its founder Zhang Xue have become one of the most-mentioned topics online in April following their unprecedented victory in a world-class race. Zhang’s wife, who has been with him since she was a teenager, has also become famous. Chen Xingyi, 38, was Zhang’s junior secondary school classmate. She began dating him when they were both poor youngsters and was b...

Hong Kong police launch search after man, 76, goes missing in Ma On Shan

Hong Kong police launch search after man, 76, goes missing in Ma On Shan

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Hong Kong police are searching for a 76-year-old man who went missing in Ma On Shan on Wednesday. Liu Yim-kwan left his home at Yan On Estate on Hang Chi Street in the small hours Wednesday and failed to return, police said on Thursday. Liu is about 1.7 metres tall with a lean build. He has short black hair and a sallow complexion. He was last seen wearing a black jacket, black trousers and white ...

Why wind and solar power is going to ‘waste’ in China in the global energy crisis

Why wind and solar power is going to ‘waste’ in China in the global energy crisis

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China is wasting a huge amount of green energy as the world grapples with an energy shortage because of the Strait of Hormuz crisis. The “wasted” wind and solar energy stems from inflexible grid management that continues to rely on coal for baseload power and stymies a clean energy expansion that could otherwise generate electricity equivalent to the needs of France, according to analysis by the C...

Many wind and solar power plants in China are strangled amid global energy crisis: report

Many wind and solar power plants in China are strangled amid global energy crisis: report

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China is wasting a huge amount of green energy as the world grapples with an energy shortage because of the Strait of Hormuz crisis. The “wasted” wind and solar energy stems from inflexible grid management that continues to position coal as a stabilising source of power and stymies a clean energy expansion that could otherwise generate electricity equivalent to the needs of France, according to an...

EU, China hold talks as trade war looms

EU, China hold talks as trade war looms

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The EU and China were due to hold talks to defuse escalating trade tensions after Europe voted last week to adopt a tough new approach. EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic was set to meet China’s top trade envoy, Li Chenggang, on the sidelines of an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) meeting on Thursday, the South China Morning Post reported. Talks will focus on establishing a...

South Korean ruling party’s ‘flawed landslide’ election win dents Lee’s reform drive

South Korean ruling party’s ‘flawed landslide’ election win dents Lee’s reform drive

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South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s ruling party swept most of the country’s major local elections, but a narrow defeat in Seoul has given conservatives a foothold to challenge his reform agenda. The loss in the capital, South Korea’s political and property-market centre, has taken the shine off an otherwise dominant performance by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), dealing a blow to L...

China rejects OECD report on industrial subsidies as ‘one-sided’ amid EU trade tensions

China rejects OECD report on industrial subsidies as ‘one-sided’ amid EU trade tensions

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China has rejected a recent OECD report that said its firms receive far higher government subsidies than international peers, calling the findings “one-sided and arbitrary” at a time when EU concerns over Beijing’s industrial policy are intensifying. “The report’s definition of ‘subsidies’ lacks a unified standard and statistical framework, and deviates from consensus under multilateral frameworks...

Thailand’s shrimp industry at ‘lowest point’ as it reels from Malaysia import ban

Thailand’s shrimp industry at ‘lowest point’ as it reels from Malaysia import ban

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Thailand’s shrimp industry is reeling from the latest blow to its once market-dominant business after Malaysia this week suspended imports from its northern neighbour, triggering fresh despair from a sector whose revenue has nosedived in the 15 years since it claimed the crown as the world’s largest exporter. Malaysia’s temporary ban on five shrimp species – as well as tightened import requirement...

Tibetology is key to China shaping global views on the region, top official says

Tibetology is key to China shaping global views on the region, top official says

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Chinese academics specialising in Tibet must find more creative ways to shape the global conversation about the region while remaining strictly aligned with the Communist Party’s ideology. That was the message Li Ganjie, head of the Communist Party’s United Front Work Department, had for researchers who gathered to mark the 40th anniversary of the China Tibetology Research Centre on Wednesday. Acc...

How the AI chip boom has made South Korea a victim of its own success

How the AI chip boom has made South Korea a victim of its own success

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For a sign of how the fierce demand for memory chips triggered by the boom in artificial intelligence (AI) is benefiting technology-driven economies, look no further than South Korea. Last month, exports from Asia’s fourth-largest economy grew at a blistering rate of 53 per cent in annualised terms, the fastest pace since 1984. Shipments of semiconductors, which are used to store and funnel the hu...

AirAsia denies Philippine flight grounding claims, slams ‘smear campaign’

AirAsia denies Philippine flight grounding claims, slams ‘smear campaign’

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AirAsia X has called recent media reports claiming its Philippine operations were being grounded “coordinated and sensationalised” and part of a “deliberate smear campaign”. In a statement, the airline group said the smear campaign had long been occurring in an attempt to undermine fair competition in the Philippine aviation sector. “Such narratives serve only the interests of those seeking to lim...

Why Malaysia is winning praise from RedNote’s Chinese influencers

Why Malaysia is winning praise from RedNote’s Chinese influencers

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For Chinese parents worn down by exam pressure, the solution now being offered by many creators on RedNote is not another tutoring strategy but another country: Malaysia. On the Chinese lifestyle app, several mainland creators living in Malaysia are pitching the country as a softer landing for family life. They highlight international schools, Mandarin-speaking clinics, familiar food, and lower li...

Direct Hong Kong-Almaty flights ‘will save travellers 10 hours, draw tourists’

Direct Hong Kong-Almaty flights ‘will save travellers 10 hours, draw tourists’

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Direct flights between Hong Kong and Kazakhstan could save travellers up to 10 hours and open the city’s shorelines to tourists from landlocked Central Asia, lawmakers have said after the flag carrier announced plans to launch an Almaty route next year. Lawmaker Jonathan Stuart Lamport, who represents the business sector, on Thursday said the announcement had received widespread support from the i...

Direct Hong Kong-Almaty flights may cut travel time by 10 hours, draw tourists

Direct Hong Kong-Almaty flights may cut travel time by 10 hours, draw tourists

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Direct flights between Hong Kong and Kazakhstan could save business travellers up to 10 hours and open the city’s shorelines to tourists from landlocked Central Asia, lawmakers have said after the flag carrier announced plans to launch an Almaty route next year. Lawmaker Jonathan Stuart Lamport, who represents the business sector, on Thursday said the announcement had received widespread support f...

‘BeiDou Goddess’: key figure in China GPS-equivalent satellite system, earns PhD by 26

‘BeiDou Goddess’: key figure in China GPS-equivalent satellite system, earns PhD by 26

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A Chinese scientist behind China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System rejects the “goddess” label, asserting that research transcends gender. Xu Ying, 43, hails from Sichuan province in southwestern China, born to a maths teacher mother and an agricultural technician father. As a gifted child with a passion for physics and mathematics, Xu began primary school at the age of four, entered university...

Missing Mount Everest guide feared dead crawls back to Base Camp after 6 days

Missing Mount Everest guide feared dead crawls back to Base Camp after 6 days

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A Nepali climbing guide who went missing on Mount Everest for six days and was feared dead has been found alive after crawling back to Base Camp, officials said on Thursday. The experienced Hillary Dawa Sherpa vanished on the upper reaches of the world’s highest mountain early on May 30. He was found on Thursday morning close to Base Camp by the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), a Nep...