9 h. ago As Trump urges cap on credit card rates, could China follow suit for online loans?

US President Donald Trump’s call for American credit card interest rates to be capped at 10 per cent for a year has sparked a debate in China about whether Beijing should impose a similar limit on online loans. The discussion comes as many in China – especially younger people – are being enticed by credit offers amid a weak job market and a boom in online loan services. “Apps now keep luring young people into borrowing,” a finance blogger with nearly 500,000 followers wrote in a social media...

Politics

9 h. ago In wake of Trump post, calls mount for China to impose rate cap on online loans

In wake of Trump post, calls mount for China to impose rate cap on online loans  South China Morning Post

Politics

16 h. ago Several Hong Kong lawmakers omit unpaid directorships in Legco declarations

Several newly elected Hong Kong lawmakers have not fully disclosed their unpaid directorships and those held at subsidiaries, the Post has found, prompting calls from the legislature’s House Committee chairman for greater transparency. Andrew Yao Cho-fai and Lothair Lam Ming-fung were among the Legislative Council newcomers who did not register dozens of unpaid directorships, according to a Post check on their declarations of interest, which were cross-referenced with Companies Registry...

Politics

43 h. ago Japan ramen eatery bans ‘troublesome’ China customers, charges a lot more for English menu

A Japanese ramen restaurant has ignited controversy by slapping a ban on Chinese customers, accusing them of being troublemakers. Iekei restaurant in the Western city of Osaka announced on social media on January 4 that it had banned all Chinese people. It said a Chinese person had caused trouble in the restaurant, forcing it to call the police. The post said 90 per cent of the trouble it has with foreigners involves Chinese customers. The move triggered controversy and accusations of racism....

Economics

6 d. ago China applies to put up 200,000 satellites after calling Starlink a crash risk

China applies to put up 200,000 satellites after calling Starlink a crash risk  South China Morning Post

Events

6 d. ago Hong Kong ‘to release list of 161 fire victims’ as rehousing questions grow

Hong Kong police have informed some families who lost loved ones in the deadly Tai Po fire that the full list of the 161 victims will be made public, the Post has learned, prompting displaced residents to call for clarity on long-term rehousing arrangements amid conflicting information. Their appeal followed remarks by Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai‑lun a day earlier, who said in‑situ redevelopment was “not practical”, even though that option had been included in a government survey...

Events

8 d. ago Trump says Colombia’s Petro to visit US, in abrupt switch from threats to diplomacy

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Colombian President Gustavo Petro, a leftist his administration has long belittled, will visit the White House next month as he voiced optimism for ties. Trump just days ago had threatened Petro in the wake of the US attack that removed Venezuela’s leader, but Trump appeared to have a change of heart after the two spoke by telephone on Wednesday. “I look forward to having a meeting with Gustavo Petro, the President of Colombia, in the White House,...

Politics

1 week ago China is likely to thread the needle after US attack on Venezuela

China will be patient and play the long game as it views the new geopolitical chessboard, recalibrating carefully in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s move on Saturday to decapitate Venezuela’s leadership, analysts said. In a daring predawn raid, US forces descended on ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and airlifted him shackled and blindfolded to New York to face charges of “narcoterrorism conspiracy” and illegal weapons trafficking. “China is likely to thread this needle...

Events

2 w. ago Japanese business leaders shelve annual China trip as tensions mount

A group of about 200 prominent Japanese business leaders has reportedly postponed their annual visit to mainland China, the first such deferral in more than a decade, amid tensions between Beijing and Tokyo over Taiwan. The postponement, first reported by Bloomberg and Kyodo, is widely seen by observers as a worrying sign of fraying corporate diplomacy – long regarded as a stabilising channel in the countries’ complicated relationship. It comes amid Beijing’s intensified efforts to rally a...

Politics

2 w. ago China conducts military drills around Taiwan as tensions mount over US arms sales

China conducts military drills around Taiwan as tensions mount over US arms sales  WPDE

Events