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China and the United States’ agreement to pursue stability appeared to be holding, analysts said, even as President Donald Trump seemed determined to rock the boat ahead of the leaders’ second summit of the year in September. The assessment came as Beijing issued a measured response to his allegations of Chinese interference in the 2020 US elections. That restraint and recent tangible gestures – i...
In early July, a Suzhou court ordered the Chinese tea chain Molly Tea to pay Louis Vuitton 10.3 million yuan (US$1.5 million) after ruling that its four-petal floral pattern infringed on the French luxury house’s registered trademarks. Many online users, angered by the eastern Chinese court’s ruling, shared images of similar motifs found in Tang dynasty (618–907) textiles, musical instruments, and...
In early July, a Suzhou court ordered the Chinese tea chain Molly Tea to pay Louis Vuitton 10.3 million yuan (US$1.5 million) after ruling that its four-petal floral pattern infringed on the French luxury house’s registered trademarks. Many online users, angered by the eastern Chinese court’s ruling, shared images of similar motifs found in Tang dynasty (618–907) textiles, musical instruments, and...
Geely Auto, China’s second-largest carmaker, has struck a deal with Ford Motor to use the US company’s redundant capacity in Spain to build electric vehicles (EVs) amid its stepped-up push to expand globally. Multi-energy cars would be assembled at an idle factory in Almussafes, near Valencia, after the two companies set up a venture, with deliveries expected to begin in 2028, according to a state...
US scrutiny of Chinese technology has expanded to a new frontier, as lawmakers in Washington advance defence legislation prohibiting the military from deploying Chinese-made humanoid robots. The US House of Representatives has passed the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA), an annual military policy bill that incorporates provisions restricting the use of foreign autonomous systems over nati...
The UK government on Thursday announced a tax cut for struggling pubs, clubs and live music venues as new Prime Minister Andy Burnham aims to ease the cost of living crisis. The 20 per cent cut to business rates – a local tax paid by firms – is the third policy announcement since Burnham became prime minister on Monday, including a planned cap on most bus fares in England and the removal of value ...
International architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron, which built Hong Kong’s M+ museum and the National Stadium in Beijing, has donated a second collection of models, sketches and drawings to the art institution in the West Kowloon Cultural District. The M+ said on Thursday that the more than 200 archival items follow an initial donation in 2023, when the architecture firm, headquartered in Switzer...
A social media post over an unpaid phone bill has triggered a data-protection investigation in Malaysia, after one of the country’s most recognisable influencers questioned how a stranger obtained details from his telecoms account. The episode involving Khairul Amin Kamarulzaman, better known as Khairul Aming, has raised uncomfortable questions for telcos about how tightly they manage customer acc...
Hong Kong is reaping rewards from a charm offensive with Malaysia as it works to enhance its attractiveness to global fundraising activities, with deals reached on Thursday during a visit to the Southeast Asian country by the city’s financial services secretary. Bursa Malaysia will become the 21st stock exchange recognised by the city’s bourse operator Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX), clea...
The son of a former mainland Chinese official has been jailed for six years and nine months for using deceptive means to secure residency in Hong Kong and laundering more than HK$64 million, including a bribe his father allegedly sought a decade ago. The District Court on Thursday sentenced Xiao Rui, 37, on four counts of money laundering and one of using false instruments for offences he committe...
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort has introduced a discounted afternoon ticket and expanded its cooling facilities to help minimise operational disruptions arising from hot weather and heavy rain over the summer. The theme park on Lantau Island on Thursday unveiled a “Summer Chill” 4pm entry ticket for Hong Kong residents, priced at HK$480 (US$61), allowing guests to enter later in the day to avoid the ...
The European Union on Thursday slapped Google with fines worth €890 million (US$1 billion) in a move that risks escalating tensions with the United States. The EU fined the US giant €460 million for illegally favouring the company’s own services – for example, Google Flights or Google Hotels – over rivals in search results. The second fine worth €430 million was because Google did not allow app de...
South Korea has abandoned its campaign prioritising pressure on the North to dismantle its nuclear weapons, a minister said on Thursday, marking a fresh overture by Seoul’s dovish government. President Lee Jae Myung has reversed the stance of his hawkish predecessor since taking power in Seoul in June 2025, offering nuclear-armed Pyongyang talks without preconditions. The hermetic leadership of No...
The elevation of ties between the Philippines and New Zealand to a comprehensive partnership gives both countries a wider framework to deepen cooperation, as Manila expands its network of middle-power partners and Wellington steps up its engagement in Southeast Asia, analysts have said. The upgrade also builds on rapidly tightening defence ties, giving Manila another security partner and New Zeala...
Driven by a global surge in AI spending and fierce competition at home, Chinese tech companies are rapidly expanding their international footprint, not just via physical supply chains, but increasingly through cloud-based software and foundation models. The broader push aligns with recent customs data from the first half of 2026 showing a sharp rise in physical tech exports. Integrated-circuit exp...
The People’s Liberation Army has showcased new airburst munitions that shower targets with metal fragments, offering the latest hint of how its long-range rocket artillery might be used in a Taiwan conflict. Released on Sunday by the PLA-affiliated China Military Bugle social media channel under the title “Steel Rain”, the footage shows several PHL-191-launched rockets detonating above what appear...
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) says Hong Kong customs has stepped up scrutiny of “almost every book shipment” from the island, while a logistics company has separately told bookstores to ensure their orders would not breach the city’s national security laws. Independent bookstores and logistics companies also confirmed on Wednesday that customs had stepped up checks on book shipments from...
Southern and eastern China are bracing for another round of severe weather after twin typhoons and widespread flooding this month. China’s top flood control and drought relief body held an emergency inter-agency meeting on Wednesday to coordinate disaster prevention ahead of the expected 12th named storm of the season. Meanwhile, rainfall remains widespread and intense nationwide, including region...
Southern and eastern China are bracing for another round of severe weather after twin typhoons and widespread flooding this month. China’s top flood control and drought relief body held an emergency inter-agency meeting on Wednesday to coordinate disaster prevention ahead of the expected 12th named storm of the season. Meanwhile, rainfall remains widespread and intense nationwide, including region...
Nearly one in three younger Singaporean men either agreed or were neutral when asked if spousal violence could ever be acceptable, according to preliminary survey findings, raising questions about whether more men may not reject the idea of physical abuse in certain circumstances. The findings from the Gender Norms Perceptions Study were conducted by Her Empowerment (SHE), a Singaporean NGO SG, as...
The foreign ministers of China and the United States adopted a largely cordial tone following a meeting on Wednesday where they discussed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s upcoming trip to the US rather than President Donald Trump’s accusations of election interference by Beijing. Their talks were “pragmatic, positive and constructive”, China’s Wang Yi said in a statement after the conversation in Ma...
Shanghai, already home to the world’s largest container port, has unveiled a strategic road map to further bolster its shipping-services sector, escalating a challenge to hubs in Hong Kong, Singapore and London. The Port of Shanghai, China’s most prominent commerce and trading gateway, aims to leverage tech, including artificial intelligence and automation, to boost efficiency and expand value-add...
How many electrons does it take to store a single bit of information? For today’s most advanced dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips from Samsung and SK Hynix, the answer is roughly 200,000. That is the price of reliability – a vast reservoir of charge needed to ensure a “1” or “0” does not fade into noise. But a team at Fudan University in Shanghai has just collapsed that number to its theor...
Indonesia’s push to rewrite its copyright law for the age of artificial intelligence has opened a new front in the battle between news publishers seeking compensation for their work and technology companies warning against overreach. At stake is who gets paid when AI systems and digital platforms use news, images, software and other copyrighted works – and how much human involvement is needed befo...
For the most dramatic change in a benchmark index in financial markets in recent years, look no further than the stock markets of developing economies. Just over a year ago, mainland China and India had a combined weight of 50 per cent in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. Fast forward to today, and it is South Korea and Taiwan that account for over half of the gauge. At the end of last month, the w...
The University of Hong Kong will roll out a screening programme at pharmacies across the city early next year to identify people at high risk of osteoporosis and prevent bone fractures. The institution’s Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine on Thursday launched the city’s first community pharmacist-led osteoporosis screening programme. The scheme will use a screening algorithm that allows pharmacists t...
Alibaba Group Holding’s mapping unit has unveiled an upgrade to what it calls the world’s first technology framework that unites a robot’s “feet, hands, brains, central nerves and motor nerves” into a single system. Amap’s ABot system marks the latest move in Chinese tech players’ race to harness artificial intelligence models to make robots more capable. Referred to as embodied intelligence, the ...
A Japanese study has found that the locked zone in the Nankai Trough is not permanent but changes over time, further complicating the task of predicting megaquakes along the fault line. A locked zone is where tectonic plates merge, allowing stress to build up until it is released in an earthquake. In the case of the 900km (560-mile) long Nankai Trough off Japan’s Pacific coast, it is where the Phi...
China’s durian imports rose 47 per cent, year on year, in the first half of 2026, with Thailand and Malaysia posting particularly strong gains, according to customs data, as Southeast Asian exporters offloaded a glut of the fruit that had sparked a price drop. Thailand exported nearly US$3.79 billion worth of the pungent spiky fruit shipped to China in the first half of 2026, the Chinese customs d...
Four disgraced Hong Kong police officers have lost their appeal against convictions and jail terms for framing a homeless man for drug possession and destroying evidence of the cover-up six years ago. In a written judgment on Thursday, the Court of Appeal said the officers must have intended to pervert the course of justice when they tried to obstruct surveillance cameras while colleagues fabricat...
