67 h. ago Taiwan taps young blood for security council as it faces Beijing and Trump

Taiwan has injected new blood from the younger generation into its security team as it seeks to tackle growing threats from Beijing and navigate US President Donald Trump’s transactional approach to policy. The office of Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te on Monday announced that its spokesman Lii Wen and Taipei City councillor Chao Yi-hsiang had been appointed deputy secretaries general of the National Security Council (NSC) with immediate effect. The two men, both in their thirties,...

Events

5 d. ago Hong Kong reduces Silver Bond coupon ahead of expected rate cut

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...

Politics

7 d. ago India to seek new trade partners, US deal in face of new Trump tariffs

As Washington’s 50 per cent tariff on India took effect on Wednesday, among the highest in place against any country, New Delhi has settled on a hedging strategy – keep seeking a trade deal with Washington while actively searching for alternative trading partners. US President Donald Trump’s harsh move against Indian imports saw the Asian giant launch an urgent diplomatic push to route trade around the US – including with Brazil, China, Russia, Britain, Japan, Australia and the EU. Indian...

Politics

7 d. ago Kilmar Abrego Garcia seeks asylum in US to prevent deportation to Uganda

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who has become the face of US President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration agenda, wants to seek asylum in the United States, his lawyers told a federal judge on Wednesday. Abrego Garcia, 30, was detained on Monday in Baltimore by US Customs and Immigration Enforcement after leaving a Tennessee jail on Friday. The Trump administration said it intends to deport him to the African country of Uganda. Administration officials have said he is part of the dangerous MS-13 gang,...

Events

8 d. ago Trump faces MAGA backlash for saying he’ll let 600,000 Chinese students into US

Trump faces MAGA backlash for saying he’ll let 600,000 Chinese students into US  The Hill

Politics

8 d. ago Trump’s fresh tariff threat, China’s invisibility tech: 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. Trump says China must ensure rare earth magnets or face 200% tariffs US President Donald Trump said on Monday that China must ensure the US supply of rare earth magnets or face 200 per cent tariffs, and that he will continue to allow Chinese students into the country. 2. Why China and US still invest in crewed military systems when they have drones Rapid...

Politics

8 d. ago Ping An interim profit misses estimates as China’s economy sputters

The first-half profit of China’s most valuable insurance company missed analysts’ estimates, as one-off revaluations of investments eroded the increasing sales of life and health products by Ping An Insurance (Group). Interim net profit fell 8.8 per cent to 68.05 billion yuan (US$9.50 billion) from a year earlier, missing a 4.4 per cent increase that was expected by Bloomberg’s consensus estimate. The value of new business in Ping An’s life and health insurance divisions, a key measure of future...

Economics

9 d. ago Trump says China must ensure rare earth magnets or face 200 per cent tariffs

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that China must ensure the US supply of rare earth magnets or face 200 per cent tariffs, and that he will continue to allow Chinese students into the country. “They have to give us magnets,” otherwise “we have to charge them 200 per cent tariff or something”, Trump told reporters while meeting South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the White House. He conceded, though, that such high duties would mean a breakdown in bilateral trade. “We have a much more...

Politics

9 d. ago Trump says China must ensure rare earth magnets or face 200% tariffs

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that China must ensure the US supply of rare earth magnets or face 200 per cent tariffs, and that he will continue to allow Chinese students into the country. “They have to give us magnets,” otherwise “we have to charge them 200 per cent tariff or something”, Trump told reporters while meeting South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the White House. He conceded, though, that such high duties would mean a breakdown in bilateral trade. “We have a much more...

Politics

9 d. ago China Must Provide the U.S. With Rare Earth Magnets or Face 200% Tariffs, Says Trump

China Must Provide the U.S. With Rare Earth Magnets or Face 200% Tariffs, Says Trump  TipRanks

Politics

9 d. ago Abrego Garcia faces deportation again as he surrenders to ICE

Kilmar Abrego Garcia surrendered to US immigration authorities in Baltimore on Monday and faces possible efforts by the Trump administration to deport him to Uganda, an African country with documented human rights abuses and a language he does not speak. The Maryland construction worker became the face of US President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies when he was wrongfully deported in March to a notorious prison in his native El Salvador. He was returned to the US in June, but only...

Politics

9 d. ago HSBC rolls out fixed mortgage plan at 2.73% ahead of Fed rate cut

Hong Kong’s largest bank has rolled out a fixed-rate mortgage plan, charging lower interest for home loan borrowers ahead of the first relaxation in monetary policy this year, expected in mid-September. HSBC launched a mortgage plan fixed at 2.73 per cent per annum on Monday for either the first three or five years, according to a release. The rate is cheaper than HSBC’s February offer, which came with options of either 3.18 per cent interest for the first three years, or 3.04 per cent for the...

Politics

1 week ago Asia stocks soar amid growing US rate cut bets, China tech rally

Asia stocks soar amid growing US rate cut bets, China tech rally  Investing.com

Politics

1 week ago Facing Trump pressure, US Fed chair hints at rate cut, but offers no timeline

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Friday opened the door ever so slightly to lowering a key interest rate in the coming months but gave no hint on the timing of a move and suggested the central bank will proceed cautiously as it continues to evaluate the impact of tariffs and other policies on the economy. In a high-profile speech that will be closely watched at the White House and on Wall Street, Powell said that there are risks of both rising unemployment and stubbornly higher inflation....

Politics

1 week ago Myanmar junta’s ‘sham’ election plan slammed as gateway to more bloodshed

Myanmar’s military regime wants to hold the first election since it seized power in 2021, but opponents have decried the idea as senseless amid the country’s civil war, as they warn of more bloodshed while the junta embarks on a doomed attempt at a reset. The country has announced that the first phase of the general election is scheduled to begin on December 28, with additional stages to follow. The statement offers the clearest timeline yet after months of vague promises by the junta’s leader,...

Politics

2 w. ago Speaking in White House, Trump and Zelensky say trilateral with Putin may follow

US President Donald Trump started his summit in the White House with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday, with both sides suggesting that a trilateral meeting that includes their Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, might be the next step in a flurry of recent diplomatic efforts to halt Moscow’s war against its neighbour. In his third face-to-face meeting with the Ukrainian president, Trump also added that he would speak to Putin about the plan later on Monday, and endorsed a plan...

Politics

2 w. ago In White House, Trump and Zelensky say trilateral with Putin may follow

US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky agreed on Monday that a trilateral meeting includes their Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, might be the next step in a flurry of recent diplomatic efforts to halt Moscow’s war against its neighbour. In his third face-to-face meeting with the Ukrainian president in his second term, Trump also dangled the possibility of US troops supporting Ukraine. He added that he would speak to Putin about the plan, a call that reportedly...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump says he will arrange Putin, Zelensky meeting after speaking with both

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he was brokering a meeting between Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and their Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to be followed by a trilateral meeting that would include the US leader. The declaration followed back-to-back meetings at the White House, including Trump’s third face-to-face meeting with the Ukrainian president in his second term, in which he also dangled the possibility of US troops supporting Ukraine. He also met jointly with...

Politics

2 w. ago Nvidia and AMD Stocks Face Fresh Risk as Democrats Oppose Trump’s China Chip Deal

Nvidia and AMD Stocks Face Fresh Risk as Democrats Oppose Trump’s China Chip Deal  TipRanks

Politics

2 w. ago Ukraine war talks: Trump and Putin prepare to meet in Anchorage, Alaska

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will soon begin a high-stakes summit in the Alaskan port city of Anchorage. The meeting will focus on the prospect of a ceasefire to end Russia’s devastating three-and-a-half-year war against Ukraine, and will be the first face-to-face interaction between the two leaders since Trump returned to office in January. Initially seen as a meeting that could reshape the global order, determine Ukraine’s future, and redefine America’s...

Politics