32 m. ago China deflation worries, top Chinese oncologist’s death: SCMP daily highlights

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 denies giving Iran air defence systems after conflict with Israel China has denied transferring surface-to-air missile batteries to Iran following Israel’s attacks on the Islamic Republic last month. 2. Export ban for Taiwan firms a stern warning for separatist forces: Beijing Beijing has banned the export of dual-use items to eight Taiwan-based...

Events

3 h. ago Microbot Medical Secures China Patent for LIBERTY System, Eyes Q3 2025 US Launch

Microbot Medical Secures China Patent for LIBERTY System, Eyes Q3 2025 US Launch  Yahoo Finance

Politics

4 h. ago ‘Quintessence of animal cruelty’: Singapore court doubles cat killer’s sentence

A Singaporean man who pleaded guilty to killing multiple cats by hurling them from high-rise housing blocks has had his jail term nearly doubled after an appeal court ruled his initial sentence was too lenient given the cruelty of his actions. Barrie Lin Pengli, 33, will now serve 27 months in prison – up from the original 14-month sentence handed down earlier this year – following a successful appeal by prosecutors who argued that the case warranted a far harsher penalty. Lin had pleaded guilty...

Events

6 h. ago Mainland standards may cut Hong Kong rail link costs by up to 40%: lawmakers

A new arrangement for building a major rail link in Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis mega development can reduce costs by up to 40 per cent through leveraging mainland China’s lower wages and construction standards, lawmakers have said. Speaking to the Post on Wednesday, legislator Michael Tien Puk-sun said the financing agreement announced the previous day would satisfy the demand of Xia Baolong, Beijing’s top man on local affairs, to accelerate the development of the metropolis near the border...

Politics

7 h. ago Heavy rain, thunderstorms to hit Hong Kong on Thursday and Friday: Observatory

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. The Hong Kong Observatory has warned that the city will be hit by torrential rain and squally thunderstorms on Thursday and Friday as tropical cyclone Danas gradually enters Guangdong. The forecaster also said on Wednesday that it might issue a Strong Monsoon Signal, depending on local changes...

Events

7 h. ago Heavy rain and thunderstorms expected in Hong Kong on Thursday and Friday

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. The Hong Kong Observatory has warned that the city will be hit by torrential rain and squally thunderstorms on Thursday and Friday as Tropical Depression Danas gradually reaches Guangdong province. The forecaster also said on Wednesday it might issue a strong monsoon signal, depending on local...

Events

10 h. ago China’s lead in global shipbuilding may already be fading, new data suggests

China’s dominance of global shipbuilding appears to have been eroded over the past six months, according to the latest industry data, suggesting that US efforts to rein in the country’s shipyards may be starting to bite. China has been by far the world’s largest shipbuilder for years, but its shipyards saw new orders plunge 68 per cent year on year to 26.3 million deadweight tonnes in the first half of 2025, according to a Monday report from maritime consultancy Clarksons Research. South Korea,...

Politics

12 h. ago Hong Kong stocks fall on worries about China’s deflationary pressure

Hong Kong stocks fell by the most in nearly three weeks as China’s deflationary trend became more entrenched, deepening concerns about the nation’s growth prospects. The Hang Seng Index dropped 0.8 per cent to 23,943.42 at 10.13am local time on Wednesday and the Hang Seng Tech Index retreated 1.3 per cent. On the mainland, the CSI 300 Index climbed 0.2 per cent and the Shanghai Composite Index added 0.3 per cent. Henderson Land Development slumped 8.3 per cent to HK$26 after raising HK$8 billion...

Events

13 h. ago 5 stocks gain in Hong Kong trading debut as bull market rages on

Hong Kong’s stock exchange had its busiest day of the year for new listings on Wednesday as five mainland Chinese companies made their debuts, cementing the city’s position atop the global ranking for initial public offerings (IPO). Wuhan Dazhong Dental Medical (2651) was the biggest winner of the day when its shares jumped 20 per cent at the open to HK$24, from its IPO price of HK$20. The shares of Apple supplier Lens Technology (6613) began trading at HK$18.88, a premium of 3.8 per cent from...

Economics

13 h. ago Apple supplier Lens, 4 other stocks gain in busiest day for new listings in 2025

Hong Kong’s stock exchange had its busiest day of the year for new listings on Wednesday as five mainland Chinese companies made their trading debuts, cementing the city’s top global ranking for initial public offerings (IPOs). Semiconductor chip designer Fortior Technology was the biggest winner after its shares surged 16 per cent to HK$139.80. The Shanghai-listed company raised HK$2.26 billion (US$287.8 million) from its offering of new shares at HK$120.50 each. Apple supplier Lens Technology...

Politics

13 h. ago Old but still gold? What Philippines can gain from Japan’s used warships

Japan’s unprecedented proposal to transfer six Abukuma-class destroyer escorts to the Philippine Navy could greatly boost the Southeast Asian nation’s anti-submarine capabilities – but the true value of these ageing vessels remains to be seen. The Philippines has confirmed it is preparing to dispatch a team to Japan for a visual inspection of the six warships, which were set to be decommissioned, following an official invitation from Japan’s Ministry of Defence. “This planned inspection forms...

Events

13 h. ago Hong Kong uniquely placed to help fill global public goods gap left by US

USAID, long one of the foremost tools of US soft power, ended its six decades as an independent agency on July 1, with no details on how it had been reviewed disclosed. Meanwhile, the China-initiated International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed), made a high-profile debut in Hong Kong in May. Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the inauguration and stressed looking for ways to resolve issues “so as to lend our thoughts to countries seeking to resolve problems or disagreements with others”. This...

Politics

13 h. ago Hong Kong has new path to prominence as a hub for public goods

USAID, long one of the foremost tools of US soft power, ended its six decades as an independent agency on July 1, with no details on how it had been reviewed disclosed. Meanwhile, the China-initiated International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed), made a high-profile debut in Hong Kong in May. Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the inauguration and stressed looking for ways to resolve issues “so as to lend our thoughts to countries seeking to resolve problems or disagreements with others”. This...

Politics

13 h. ago Export ban for Taiwan firms a stern warning for separatist forces: Beijing

Beijing has banned the export of dual-use items to eight Taiwan-based aerospace and shipbuilding companies, including suppliers to the Taiwanese military. The move was hailed by the mainland’s Taiwan Affairs Office as a “stern warning against repeated provocations by separatist forces” in a statement on Wednesday, after the commerce ministry’s announcement of the move. According to the ministry, the companies, which include defence supplier Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC),...

Events

14 h. ago Why investor confidence is key to acing Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis ‘test’

Hong Kong must instil investor confidence by eliminating uncertainties over the Northern Metropolis, a megadevelopment near the border viewed by Beijing as a test of the administration’s governance capability, analysts have said. The megaproject, featuring the city’s new innovation hub located in the northern New Territories, grabbed headlines again last month after a five-day visit by Beijing’s top official on Hong Kong affairs and subtle bargaining by the city’s major developers. The...

Economics

23 h. ago In global survey, US cited more often than China as greatest ally and threat

A new survey of citizens in 25 middle- and high-income countries has found that the US is more likely than China to be seen as their most important ally – and their greatest threat. In the survey it released on Tuesday, the Pew Research Centre polled nearly 40,000 adults from the world’s six populated continents – including those in the US and the four Asian nations of India, Indonesia, Japan and South Korea – between January 8 and April 26. Respondents were not given a list of countries from...

Events

23 h. ago Bloomberg: China is main supplier of Russia’s combat drone parts

Bloomberg: China is main supplier of Russia’s combat drone parts  World Ukrainian Congress

Events

25 h. ago Alibaba expert envisions AI agents transforming daily life in 5 years

Digital colleagues will be a part of everyday life in the next five years, according to an artificial intelligence (AI) expert from Alibaba Group Holding’s cloud computing unit, who envisions an ecosystem of application developers creating AI agents to cater to consumer and business demands. “Agentic AI is very popular in the industry right now,” said Huang Fei, vice-president of Alibaba Cloud and head of the company’s Tongyi Natural Language Processing Lab. Speaking at the China Conference 2025...

Politics

25 h. ago East Asia faces fresh US tariffs, China rare earth curbs: SCMP daily highlights

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. Apparently impatient Trump slaps 25% tariffs on Japan, South Korea US President Donald Trump, apparently impatient with the slow progress of negotiations, on Monday slapped 25 per cent unilateral tariffs on Japan and South Korea and equal or higher import taxes on several other nations ahead of a self-imposed Wednesday deadline. 2. Rare earth dominance: why...

Politics

26 h. ago Hong Kong’s financial centre status gives it an edge in AI market, experts say

Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre gives it an edge in artificial intelligence (AI) development in spite of rising geopolitical tensions, according to experts, as the city boosts computing power resources to support companies involved in the vital technology. “For AI companies, having easy access to capital is extremely important,” SenseTime chief financial officer Wang Zheng said in a panel discussion at the South China Morning Post’s China Conference 2025 on Tuesday. “Hong...

Economics