9 h. ago Before Maduro’s capture in Venezuela, US spoke with minister who is his loyal ally

Trump administration officials had been in discussions with Venezuela’s hardline Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello months before the US operation to seize the country’s leader, Nicolas Maduro, and have been in communication with him since then, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. The officials warned Cabello, 62, against using the security services or militant ruling-party supporters overseen by him to target the country’s opposition, four sources said. That security...

Politics

19 h. ago ‘Will for Peace’ drills: Brics tests the waters of military cooperation

A week-long naval exercise off the South African coast involving the navies of China, Russia and the UAE has stirred debate over whether the primary purpose of Brics is evolving in the emerging post-Western global order. The exercise, held from January 9 to 16 under the banner “Will for Peace 2026”, was described by host nation South Africa as a routine maritime safety and interoperability operation. Officials said the drills aimed to improve coordination in protecting shipping routes and...

Events

22 h. ago In Japan, fears of China’s antibiotics dominance spur calls for self

Medical professionals in Japan are concerned that China could dramatically ramp up trade pressure on Tokyo by adding antibiotics and ingredients for medicines to its list of exports subject to restrictions. Despite efforts over the last three years to increase domestic production of a range of commonly used medicines in Japan, the domestic medical sector still relies heavily on imports from China and restricting or halting imports would cause “huge trouble”, according to the experts. “Japan...

Politics

32 h. ago Tesla’s defeat, Harvard’s success, Trump ‘top global risk’: 7 US

We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering US-China relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. BYD’s win, Tesla’s defeat, Ford’s pivot: the widening gap in US-China EV markets After years of competing head-to-head with China in electric vehicles, the United States is now widely seen as falling behind – a reality increasingly acknowledged even within Detroit. Read the full story...

Politics

35 h. ago As families shrink, our primary relationship is increasingly with ourselves

More than 2,300 years ago, Aristotle mused in Politics that to live alone, a man must be a god or a beast, or words to that effect. I wonder what he would have thought of the popularity of China’s “Are You Dead?” app. For Aristotle, we are social animals, thriving in the “polis” in the company of family, friends and fellow citizens. The average mother had at least five children. Many homes housed three, even four, generations. Family life was noisy and crowded, full of companionship, contest and...

Politics

37 h. ago Number of registered companies in Hong Kong reaches record 1.56 million in 2025

Hong Kong’s corporate landscape expanded to unprecedented levels last year, with the total number of local registered companies reaching a record of nearly 1.56 million by the end of 2025. “By the end of 2025, the total number of local companies and redomiciled companies registered under the Companies Ordinance increased by 96,609 compared with 2024, reaching 1,557,103,” the Companies Registry said in a statement on Friday, noting that it was “an all-time high figure”. Among the total in 2025,...

Politics

39 h. ago Hong Kong’s finance chief warns of market volatility, pledges support for families

Hong Kong’s capital market is likely to experience significant fluctuations this year owing to intensifying geopolitical risks, the city’s finance chief has warned, stressing the need for caution in financial management. Six weeks before the government unveils its annual budget, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po pledged to consider whether there is scope to adjust child allowance to encourage more births, after a Post report revealed that Hong Kong’s registered births hit a record low last...

Events

43 h. ago ‘Shared interests’: Xi Jinping and Mark Carney embark on China

China and Canada should build a new strategic partnership based on mutual respect and shared interests, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday as both sides sought to turn the page on years of diplomatic friction. In talks with visiting Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Beijing, Xi called for deeper and broader economic cooperation. “China-Canada economic and trade relations are mutually beneficial in nature, and both sides have gained from cooperation,” state news agency Xinhua quoted...

Politics

45 h. ago US ambassador to China David Perdue to visit Hong Kong at the end of January, sources say

America’s ambassador to China, David Perdue, will visit Hong Kong at the end of January to speak at a business conference, according to sources. Perdue will address the Goldman Sachs Global Macro Conference Asia-Pacific 2026 on January 27, several people familiar with the matter told the South China Morning Post. They said the envoy was expected to spend “several days” in the city. The US consulate in Hong Kong declined to comment on the matter. But an American diplomat in the city, speaking on...

Politics

48 h. ago Fact Check Team: Exploring the relationship between China and Venezuela

Fact Check Team: Exploring the relationship between China and Venezuela  The National Desk

Politics

55 h. ago Carney: Canada entering ‘new era’ in relationship with Beijing

Carney: Canada entering ‘new era’ in relationship with Beijing  Yahoo! Finance CanadaCarney in Beijing to reset 'complex' Canada-China ties, says minister  ReutersCanadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives in Beijing for landmark four-day visit to China  ABC News

Politics

58 h. ago Hong Kong employee insurance costs to jump 15% amid surge in day procedures: study

More Hong Kong employees are seeking to have minor day procedures covered under the inpatient services of their group medical insurance, a joint study has found, while projecting a near 15 per cent increase in employers’ premiums this year. The findings, published in the Hong Kong Employee Medical Insurance Index, were released on Thursday by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in collaboration with corporate employee benefits and MPF consultancy GUM. The index, which tracks data from Hong...

Politics

59 h. ago An internally split Europe can never fully engage China and Asia

When contemporary Europe engages with the world, it increasingly presents as two distinct Europes operating within the same institutional framework. This duality – a Europe of strategic dependence vs a Europe of normative assertion – creates a contradiction. For partners, particularly in China and across Asia, this is not merely an abstract identity crisis but a practical geopolitical puzzle that complicates engagement and challenges assumptions about Europe’s global role. One Europe, embedded...

Politics

60 h. ago Death toll from Hong Kong fire rises to 168 after more remains identified

The death toll of Hong Kong’s worst fire in decades has risen to 168 from 161 after the remains of more victims were identified, the city’s security chief has said. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung updated the figures for the Wang Fuk Court inferno in Tai Po, saying that all the victims had now been identified following dental examinations and DNA testing of remains. “We have notified the families of all 168 victims, and they have since confirmed the identities of the deceased,” Tang...

Events

61 h. ago China, Venezuela, Minneapolis and the familiar small divisions of Northern Ireland

China, Venezuela, Minneapolis and the familiar small divisions of Northern Ireland   Slugger O'Toole

Politics

61 h. ago China New Loans Shrink to Least Since 2018 as Demand Weakens

China New Loans Shrink to Least Since 2018 as Demand Weakens  Bloomberg.com

Politics

64 h. ago Villagers shiver in China's north as government gas subsidies shrink

Villagers shiver in China's north as government gas subsidies shrink  Reuters

Politics

64 h. ago China New Loans Shrink to Least in Seven Years as Demand Weakens

China New Loans Shrink to Least in Seven Years as Demand Weakens  Bloomberg.com

Politics

65 h. ago Tougher building checks may add costs, slow projects, Hong Kong lawmaker says

Extra costs and the use of public resources may be incurred under the Hong Kong government’s proposed moves to increase professional scrutiny of building maintenance projects following the deadly Tai Po inferno, a lawmaker has said, calling for further discussion. Election Committee lawmaker Andrew Lam Siu-lo, a town planner by training, said on Thursday that expanding the Urban Renewal Authority’s (URA) role in such projects might require extra time and money, urging the government and...

Politics

66 h. ago 61 million passenger trips at Hong Kong airport in 2025, up 15% year on year

Passenger trips at the Hong Kong International Airport reached 61 million in 2025, marking a 15 per cent year-on-year increase, after a full year of operation with the facility’s third runway. The Airport Authority said on Thursday that the strong figures came on the back of a busy Christmas season, which saw over 200,000 daily passenger trips over eight days in December. Cargo throughput for the year also rose by 2.7 per cent to 5.07 million tonnes. “The strong traffic performance in 2025 marks...

Politics