US expanding ‘critical minerals’ roster to guide investment, rely less on China
Friday, August 29,2025,14:00
The US government has drafted an expansion of its critical-minerals list to head off what an official said were potential “supply-chain disruptions”, in a move that experts say could help onshore more production of semiconductor chips, automotive systems and solar panels instead of relying on China. The US Department of the Interior released the draft 2025 List of Critical Minerals on Tuesday, adding 51 mined commodities such as copper, lead, potash, silicon and silver. This marks the second... .. read more..
BYD profits fall as mainland price war swamps EV export surge
Friday, August 29,2025,13:31
China’s electric-vehicle (EV) king BYD reported a 30 per cent drop in profits in the second quarter as surging overseas sales failed to offset the negative impact of a brutal price war in the domestic market. The Shenzhen-based company earned 6.4 billion yuan (US$894.6 million) in the three months to June, down 29.9 per cent from a year earlier. Revenue grew 14 per cent year on year to 201 billion yuan. The second-quarter numbers are derived by comparing BYD’s interim earnings to its results for... .. read more..
Beijing says US senators’ visit to Taiwan will embolden ‘separatist forces’
Friday, August 29,2025,13:19
Beijing condemned a visit by two US Republican senators to Taiwan on Friday, saying it sent a “seriously wrong signal” to “separatist forces”. The visit by Roger Wicker and Deb Fischer came at a sensitive time when the two countries are locked in trade talks and discussions about a possible meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. “China has always firmly opposed any form of official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan,” Guo Jiakun, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, said. He... .. read more..
First ‘universal’ 6G chip, China’s ‘cyberpunk’ cities: SCMP daily highlights
Friday, August 29,2025,13:15
Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China unveils world’s first ‘all-frequency’ 6G chip capable of 100Gbps speeds Chinese scientists have developed the world’s first “all-frequency” 6G chip that could help bridge the digital divide between rural and urban communities. 2. Chinese firms adapting as US ends de minimis exemptions for rest of world As the United States ends import duty exemptions... .. read more..
Beijing sends warning on Taiwan across bow of UK-Japan defence ties
Friday, August 29,2025,13:00
China has taken aim at Britain’s growing ties with Japan, warning it against any involvement in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a British aircraft carrier made a port call in Tokyo. “We urge Britain and Japan to deeply reflect on their erroneous words and deeds regarding Taiwan- and maritime-related issues, stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, and refrain from stirring up trouble and creating tensions in the Asia-Pacific region,” the Chinese embassy in Britain said on... .. read more..
Tech war: Huawei executive claims victory over US sanctions with tech ecosystem
Friday, August 29,2025,13:00
China has virtually overcome crippling US tech restrictions, according to a senior executive at Huawei Technologies, as mainland-developed computing infrastructure, AI systems and other software now rival those from the world’s largest economy. Shenzhen-based Huawei, which was added to Washington’s trade blacklist in May 2019, has already “built an ecosystem entirely independent of the United States”, said Tao Jingwen, president of the firm’s quality, business process and information technology... .. read more..
China’s population decline laid bare as Shanghai school enrols only 22 pupils
Friday, August 29,2025,12:30
A primary school in Shanghai has attracted national attention after its student body shrank to just 22 this year, highlighting the dramatic impact China’s plunging birth rate is having on the education system. Sanqiao Primary School in the Pudong New Area now has more full-time staff than pupils – with 22 children and 23 teachers – despite being located in one of China’s largest cities, according to enrolment data released on the local education authority’s website. The information was first... .. read more..
China’s military parade provides reminder of rising stars who fell to earth
Friday, August 29,2025,12:00
China’s military parade next month will offer a rare opportunity for outsiders to observe which generals are valued by the People’s Liberation Army top brass. The PLA does not publish regular updates on its personnel changes, so the identity of those given prominent roles will provide clues about who might be in line for more senior positions. But the absence of certain figures may also offer clues about who has fallen foul of the ongoing anti-corruption campaign within the military, which has... .. read more..
US ambassador to China expected to skip Beijing military parade: sources
Friday, August 29,2025,12:00
America’s envoy to Beijing is expected to skip China’s military parade next week, joining what appears to be a concerted effort by Western missions to opt out of the grand event despite Chinese pressure. The South China Morning Post has learned from multiple sources that US ambassador David Perdue is unlikely to attend the parade that China is holding in Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Wednesday to commemorate the end of World War II. It is unclear if the US embassy would instead dispatch another... .. read more..
China participates in global organizations to liberalize trade
Friday, August 29,2025,11:50
Through opening up, China has not only achieved remarkable development but also shared its development opportunities with the world, benefiting people across the globe. .. read more..
Germany's VDMA slams EU's exemption plans for U.S. goods
Friday, August 29,2025,11:35
Germany's VDMA slams EU's exemption plans for U.S. goods .. read more..
Profitability pressure grows for China’s state banks amid low rates
Friday, August 29,2025,11:23
China’s top banks face continued pressure, as a slowing economy, lower interest rates and weak loan demand weighed on first-half earnings. Net profit at Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the world’s largest bank by assets, fell 1.4 per cent in the first half from a year earlier to 168.1 billion yuan (US$23.5 billion), according to its interim results announced on Friday after the market closed. Its net interest margin (NIM), a key indicator of a bank’s profitability, fell to 1.3... .. read more..
Hong Kong reduces Silver Bond coupon ahead of expected rate cut
Friday, August 29,2025,11:00
The Hong Kong government is lowering the guaranteed coupon rate for its 10th batch of Silver Bonds offered to the city’s senior citizens, as anticipation builds that the US Federal Reserve will commence its next cycle of interest rate cuts on September 18. Up to HK$50 billion (US$6.4 billion) of Silver Bonds will go on sale next month with a guaranteed annual coupon of 3.85 per cent, down from 4 per cent in the batch sold in September last year. Three-year bonds will go on sale from 9am on... .. read more..
China unveils world’s first ‘all-frequency’ 6G chip capable of 100Gbps speeds
Friday, August 29,2025,11:00
Chinese scientists have developed the world’s first “all-frequency” 6G chip that could help bridge the digital divide between rural and urban communities. The technology is capable of delivering mobile internet speeds of over 100 gigabits per second (Gbps) across the entire wireless spectrum, including those frequency bands used in remote areas, according to a study published in the journal Nature. In practical terms this equates to being able to transmit a 50GB high-definition 8K movie within... .. read more..
Huawei’s first-half profit drops 32% as tech giant ploughs more money into R&D
Friday, August 29,2025,11:00
Huawei Technologies saw a nearly one-third decline in profit in the first half of the year, despite reclaiming the throne in China’s smartphone market, according to a filing from its shareholding entity Huawei Investment & Holding. Net profit during the period fell 32 per cent year on year to 37.2 billion yuan (US$5.2 billion), while revenue grew 4 per cent to 427 billion yuan, according to a filing to the Shanghai Clearing House on Friday. Privately owned Huawei regularly discloses its... .. read more..
The shield and the silk: How security weaves prosperity in SCO
Friday, August 29,2025,10:55
This article explores how the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) promotes prosperity through security. Highlighting the SCO Summit 2025 in Tianjin, it discusses the organization's emphasis on security as the foundation of economic growth, China's role as a driving force in regional development, digital cooperation through advanced technologies like AI, financial cooperation among Global South nations, and the expected outcomes of the Tianjin Summit. .. read more..
Alibaba’s quarterly profit surges 78% on equity investments, disposals
Friday, August 29,2025,10:55
Alibaba Group Holding, China’s e-commerce and cloud computing services giant, on Friday reported a 78 per cent surge in profit for the June quarter, while “robust AI demand” led to a 26 per cent revenue growth for its cloud business. Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders advanced 78 per cent to 43.1 billion yuan (US$6 billion) in the period, up from 24.3 billion yuan a year earlier, primarily due to “mark-to-market changes from our equity investments and gains from the disposal of the... .. read more..
90 more days: US extends Chinese import exclusions from Section 301 tariffs
Friday, August 29,2025,10:30
The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) has announced a 90-day extension on a slew of product exclusions from Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports. The exclusions, previously extended in June, contain 178 items that fall into the categories of chemical materials, electronic components, medical supplies and solar manufacturing equipment. As a result, these products will continue to be spared from levies of 7.5 to 25 per cent that were imposed on Chinese imports during US President... .. read more..
Top scientist who left US for ‘unprecedented’ opportunity in China, dies aged 33
Friday, August 29,2025,10:00
Dong Sijia, a promising young Chinese researcher, has died at the age of 33. The oceanographer was an assistant professor at Nanjing University’s school of sustainable energy and resources but despite her internationally recognised contributions to marine chemistry, no official notice has been issued by the university. Instead, the news emerged from a note in a scientific journal that did not give a cause of death, leaving colleagues, students and friends trying to piece together more... .. read more..
Chinese man loses in chess then analyses game for 4 hours in rain
Friday, August 29,2025,09:30
A man lost a match of Chinese chess, then proceeded to review the game for about four hours amid heavy rain in northern China’s Hebei province. .. read more..
Eric Trump hails China’s crypto power at Hong Kong’s bitcoin summit
Friday, August 29,2025,09:28
Eric Trump, one of the final acts in Hong Kong’s biggest gathering of cryptocurrency enthusiasts, praised the city and China during his fireside chat with the organiser of the Bitcoin Asia conference. “There is no question that you have made an unbelievable mark on cryptocurrencies,” said the second son of US President Donald Trump in his chat with Bitcoin Asia’s CEO David Bailey. “There is no question that China is a hell of a power when it comes to this.” The younger Trump, who was in Hong... .. read more..
A Home Across Borders: Smart innovation and upskilling in Tianjin
Friday, August 29,2025,09:13
A Home Across Borders: Smart innovation and upskilling in Tianjin .. read more..
FWD profit jumps 15 times on sales spike, lower costs after Hong Kong IPO
Friday, August 29,2025,09:08
FWD Group, a regional insurer founded by Hong Kong billionaire Richard Li Tzar-kai, said its first-half net profit jumped 15 times on strong sales growth and one-off cost reductions. In the first results since FWD’s HK$3.61 billion (US$466 million) initial public offering (IPO) in July, net profit soared to US$47 million from US$3 million a year earlier, the company said on Friday. The insurer said it would not pay an interim dividend. Driving the profit increase, annualised premiums from new... .. read more..
China doubles down on AI – but calls for rational, not ‘blind’, growth
Friday, August 29,2025,09:02
China’s central government has cautioned against a nationwide rush into artificial intelligence (AI) investment, urging careful planning while pledging stronger support to expand computing capacity and embed the technology across industries. The country’s top economic planning agency said the roll-out of China’s “AI Plus” initiative – aimed at applying cutting-edge technology across the manufacturing and service sectors – should be tailored to local conditions, urging regions to build on their... .. read more..
EU readies new economic battle plan but leaves its old guns holstered
Friday, August 29,2025,09:00
The European Union is preparing an “economic security doctrine” that will for the first time connect its trade and economic defences – but while Brussels builds the pipes, national leaders remain reluctant to turn on the tap. Sources say the doctrine, which was announced last week by trade chief Maroš Šefčovič, will allow bureaucrats to coordinate between existing and future instruments as they seek to make Europe’s fragmented arsenal quicker and more efficient to deploy. Yet, after spending... .. read more..
China's top economic planner takes measures to boost consumption
Friday, August 29,2025,07:49
China will launch a series of measures to boost consumption and stimulate market vitality, the NDRC said on Friday. .. read more..
Kone to elevate Greater Bay Area operations from its base in Shenzhen
Friday, August 29,2025,07:21
Finnish lift maker Kone plans to set up its southern China headquarters in Shenzhen, which will include a research and development centre and a logistics hub, to tap growing opportunities in the Greater Bay Area. The company on Friday signed an agreement with the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone of Shenzhen, marking the launch of its investment initiative in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area. “It’s a very significant investment for Kone,” said Joe... .. read more..
Chinese firms adapting as US ends de minimis exemptions for rest of world
Friday, August 29,2025,07:00
As the United States ends import duty exemptions for parcels valued under US$800 shipped from anywhere in the world, many Chinese merchants have already established US warehouses to cushion the blow. Li Chen, professor of manufacturing management at Cornell University’s SC Johnson College of Business, said China’s exposure was likely to be limited, citing the resilience of its cross-border platforms such as Shein and Temu. America’s “de minimis” exemption will end on Friday, after US President... .. read more..
Behind the battery: how Porsche builds safer, longer-lasting EVs
Friday, August 29,2025,07:00
Electric vehicles (EVs) are rapidly growing in popularity across Southeast Asia, transforming streets in cities such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. Supported by government incentives, expanding charging infrastructure and increasing environmental consciousness, EV sales in the region rose by nearly 50 per cent in 2024, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). As EV offerings increase, consumers are faced with more choice than ever. Many models share similar build aspects,... .. read more..
China unveils VTOL drone that looks like UFO ‘Gimbal’ spotted by US Navy pilots
Friday, August 29,2025,06:21
In 2015, a US Navy F/A-18 pilot flying off the East Coast with the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt encountered something inexplicable: an unidentified flying object shaped like a spindle, hovering above the clouds with no visible means of propulsion. Encoded as “Gimbal”, the footage – officially declassified in 2021 – ignited global speculation about unidentified aerial phenomena and prompted serious questions about advanced aerospace technology beyond known military capabilities. Now,... .. read more..
China’s ‘little Nvidia’ warns investors of risks after stock gains 533% in year
Friday, August 29,2025,05:55
Beijing-based AI chipmaker Cambricon Technologies, widely seen as a potential alternative to Nvidia in the Chinese market, has issued a rare warning about supply chain risks and excessive speculation in its shares, which have gained 533 per cent in the past 12 months. The company’s Shanghai-listed stock nearly doubled in the last month on a wider rally fuelled by China’s favourable policy support of local artificial intelligence chips and a new AI model from DeepSeek tailored for upcoming... .. read more..
Arrest of Malaysian ex-PM’s son, mathematician ponders leaving US: 7 highlights
Friday, August 29,2025,04:30
We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Looks like an airship, acts like a windmill. Engineer says China on brink of turbine leap Chinese scientists expect to soon make a breakthrough in airborne wind turbine technology, with the world’s first megawatt-level system set to... .. read more..
Tencent counts on Chinese AI tools demand to lift overseas cloud business
Friday, August 29,2025,04:00
Tencent Holdings is aiming for “aggressive” growth in the international cloud computing market, on the back of the growing appetite overseas for Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) models, according to a senior executive. That sharpened focus by Tencent stems from how its overseas cloud operations have been expanding “the fastest among all [its business] segments”, with “high double-digit growth over the past few years”, said senior executive vice-president Dowson Tong Tao-sang, who serves as... .. read more..
Why are China’s ‘comfort women’ still waiting for courts to accept lawsuits?
Friday, August 29,2025,04:00
Survivors of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery and their families have renewed their calls for Chinese courts to accept their landmark lawsuits and launch investigations as the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II approaches. In April last year, 18 families of former “comfort women” filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit in China at a high court in Shanxi province to seek justice for atrocities committed during World War II. Four months later, eight elderly survivors from Hunan province – now... .. read more..
Star search: what makes Hong Kong a prime attraction for global talent
Friday, August 29,2025,04:00
Driven by innovation and technology, an advantageous location, financial expertise and opportunity, Hong Kong’s economy is progressing steadily. Already a major international finance hub, the city continues to seek new avenues for growth. To keep pace with the city’s forward momentum, drive future growth and stay competitive, Hong Kong will need a diverse workforce to meet the rapidly evolving needs of the workplace in several important sectors. Recruiting global talent is essential to Hong... .. read more..
Stemming the tide: how seashells can restore Tai O’s coastal habitat
Friday, August 29,2025,04:00
As Hong Kong’s typhoon season approaches, climate change could intensify the strength of tropical storms, bringing disaster in their wake. Low-lying areas such as Tai O, a small fishing village on Lantau Island, are especially vulnerable. In recent years, this peaceful community of stilt houses and winding waterways has been battling an increasing number of extreme weather events that threaten people’s lives and livelihoods. Located in a remote area and with many elderly residents, Tai O lacks... .. read more..
China to have 300,000 driverless taxis in 4 top-tier cities by 2030: UBS
Friday, August 29,2025,03:00
China is likely to see 300,000 driverless cabs operate in its four top-tier cities as early as 2030, buoyed by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and its highly competitive electric vehicle (EV) sector, UBS said on Thursday. The number of robotaxis on the mainland was expected to jump to 4 million by the late 2030s, as more Chinese passengers were willing to embrace new technologies, said Paul Gong, head of China automotive research at UBS. “Given the fast development of technologies... .. read more..
Hong Kong stocks rise ahead of earnings reports from heavyweights Alibaba, ICBC
Friday, August 29,2025,02:26
Hong Kong stocks rose after three days of declines, as investors geared up for a busy day of earnings reports from major Chinese companies like Alibaba Group Holding and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC). The Hang Seng Index rose 0.4 per cent to 25,104.70 at 10.06am local time and the Hang Seng Tech Index slipped 0.1 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index climbed 0.5 per cent and the Shanghai Composite Index added 0.4 per cent. Qingdao-based household appliances maker Haier... .. read more..
Elon Musk’s xAI enters agentic coding arena with new model
Friday, August 29,2025,02:09
Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence start-up, xAI, on Thursday released a new “speedy and economical” agentic coding model, marking its entry into a key focus area for AI companies. An agentic coding tool is an AI-powered software application that can autonomously perform coding-related tasks. XAI’s model, called grok-code-fast-1, would be available for free for a limited time, with select launch partners including GitHub Copilot and Windsurf. Its “strength lies in delivering strong performance... .. read more..
Luo Weiwei: the former Nasa scientist who became China’s semiconductor trump ...
Friday, August 29,2025,02:00
At a time when the United States is decoupling from China on cutting-edge chip technology, Nvidia has unveiled its list of suppliers for the advanced 800 VDC power architecture powering next-generation AI data centres. Among American and European giants was an unexpected name: Innoscience, a Chinese company specialising in gallium nitride (GaN) technology. Innoscience marks China’s growing clout in the high-stakes semiconductor race, and behind the company’s rapid rise is Luo Weiwei, a former... .. read more..
China’s stock boom will not do much to rejuvenate the economy, Nomura says
Friday, August 29,2025,00:30
The ongoing rally in Chinese stocks will do little to boost growth in the mainland’s economy, as equity investments account for a small portion of total household assets, Nomura Holdings said. In a report on Wednesday, Lu Ting, the Japanese brokerage’s chief China economist, said Chinese households parked the majority of their wealth in the struggling property market. Stock holdings accounted for 1.3 per cent of total household assets, while the proportion for properties was 60 per cent, the... .. read more..
‘It’s super impressive’: tourists flock to China as ‘cyberpunk’ cities go viral
Friday, August 29,2025,00:00
When Marc Guyon, a French national based in Hong Kong, decided to visit Shanghai in early August, the main attraction was not the city’s art deco architecture, but its driverless taxis and hotel delivery robots. “It’s super impressive – China looks futuristic,” he said. “It seems like all expats have the same reaction. Many of them share content online, and so do I.” This kind of reaction is becoming increasingly common as China experiences a wave of “tech tourism” – a social media-driven trend... .. read more..
Futu opens Russell Street flagship outlet to tap Hong Kong’s bull run
Thursday, August 28,2025,23:30
Futu Holdings is expanding its footprint in Hong Kong with the opening of its first flagship store and inaugural Institutional and Private Wealth Services centre in Causeway Bay, underscoring the online brokerage’s ambition to capture the city’s growing base of high-net-worth clients. The new centre, occupying two floors with a combined area of more than 7,000 sq ft (650 square metres) on Russell Street opposite Times Square, officially opens on Friday . It marks Futu’s eighth permanent service... .. read more..
Hong Kong can rival US, UAE as a crypto hub, Binance founder CZ says
Thursday, August 28,2025,23:00
Hong Kong has the conditions to become a major hub for virtual assets, rivalling markets like the US and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), but the city’s regulators must act swiftly to realise its potential, according to Zhao Changpeng, founder and largest shareholder of cryptocurrency exchange Binance. In an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post on Friday, Zhao, widely known as CZ, said the Hong Kong government had shown a “very clear attitude towards embracing Web3” and had the... .. read more..
6 Fed cuts set to draw capital to China, Hong Kong: Lombard Odier
Thursday, August 28,2025,22:30
Swiss private bank Lombard Odier expects the US to cut interest rates six times from September until the end of 2026, causing more capital to flow into emerging markets and benefiting Chinese stocks and bonds in coming years. The US Federal Reserve will start lowering rates in September and reduce its key rate to 3 per cent from the current 4.5 per cent by the end of next year through a total of six cuts, said Homin Lee, a senior macro strategist with the firm, in a market outlook briefing on... .. read more..
Love, hate and the post-war paradox of China-Japan relations
Thursday, August 28,2025,22:00
Ahead of the 80th anniversary of Victory Day, marking the end of the Sino-Japanese war and the global fight against fascism, we look at the profound changes of the post-war period and how they continue to affect China’s place in the world. In the second part of this series, Shi Jiangtao looks at the often contradictory sentiments in relations between the two countries. Eighty years after the end of World War II, a harrowing cinematic portrayal of Japanese wartime atrocities during the 1937... .. read more..
How China can help rewrite the future of Indonesian palm oil
Thursday, August 28,2025,21:30
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has launched a campaign against illegal palm oil plantations, seeking to reclaim millions of hectares of forest lost to unchecked expansion. The authorities confirm that plantations on 3.7 million hectares are illegal, and more are under review. In Riau, the heart of Indonesia’s palm oil economy, the government has begun dismantling plantations in Tesso Nilo National Park and relocating families who have long lived within its shrinking forest... .. read more..
Mexico considering higher Chinese import tariffs at US urging: report
Thursday, August 28,2025,16:30
Mexico is preparing to raise tariffs on Chinese imports of automobiles, textiles and plastics, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday, under a proposal expected to be part of the 2026 budget to be submitted to the nation’s Congress next month. If confirmed, the increase would mark one of Mexico’s sharpest trade shifts in recent years. Officials in Washington have urged the move as part of US President Donald Trump’s push to build a “Fortress North America” and reduce dependence on Chinese supply... .. read more..
Chinese printing factories flock to US as tariffs shake up e-commerce sector
Thursday, August 28,2025,15:00
In late 2023, Kent Liu finally decided to take a leap of faith: it was time to move his customised printing business from China to the United States. Liu felt he needed to make a change. For years, his company had made money by printing T-shirts, hats and other apparel in China for a range of clients, which were then shipped to the United States. But that model was increasingly under threat. In 2018, America raised tariffs on Chinese goods, and tensions between the two powers had continued to... .. read more..
Bitcoin Asia kicks off as Hong Kong aims to balance hub goal with risk
Thursday, August 28,2025,14:41
Bitcoin Asia kicked off in Hong Kong on Thursday, as Hong Kong strives to balance its goal of becoming a crypto hub while pushing forward a regulatory regime to mitigate financial risks. In its second edition, the conference featured experts who said that Hong Kong could become a hub for shaping the global digital asset regulatory landscape. Two points were brought up: using asset treasury holdings for a broader ecosystem for cryptocurrency and global regulatory leadership to coordinate and... .. read more..