17 h. ago No More Banquets? How Xi Jinping’s Austerity Drive Is Squeezing China Dry

No More Banquets? How Xi Jinping’s Austerity Drive Is Squeezing China Dry  Worldcrunch

Politics

66 h. ago Chinese firms eye Hong Kong listings after mainland investors’ buying spree

A slew of mainland-listed Chinese technology companies are speeding up fundraising plans in Hong Kong to capitalise on the upbeat market sentiment. Hong Kong’s equity market has been buoyed by mainland investors’ record buying of HK$731.2 billion (US$93.1 billion) of stocks in the first half of the year, according to Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) data and Bloomberg on Monday. The buying spree, driven by attractive valuations and a re-rating of China’s technology sector, has led to a...

Economics

3 d. ago “China’s Hidden Weapon Unleashed”: Rare Earths Now Drive Global Power Shift as Beijing Tightens Grip on World’s Tech Supply Chain

“China’s Hidden Weapon Unleashed”: Rare Earths Now Drive Global Power Shift as Beijing Tightens Grip on World’s Tech Supply Chain  Visegrád Post

Events

3 d. ago Chinese President Xi calls to regulate exercise of power to fight corruption

President Xi Jinping has called for a “clear, transparent and traceable” mechanism to regulate the exercise of power in China’s anti-corruption drive and boost supervision by the people and the media to better rein in disciplinary and legal violations. Xi made the remarks while presiding over a group study session of the 24-seat decision-making Politburo in Beijing on Monday, a day before the 104th anniversary of the party’s founding, according to Xinhua. Xi spoke on enforcing party discipline...

Politics

7 d. ago Economists call for structural reforms to shift China’s focus to consumption

While eye-catching technological breakthroughs – led by the DeepSeek artificial intelligence (AI) model – have boosted confidence in China amid intensifying rivalry with the United States, economists at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Tianjin have called for structural reforms to make China a consumption-driven economy. “We can talk about technological supremacy, like AI and all these, but China is never going to be a rich country unless it becomes a big consumer country,” Jin Keyu, a...

Politics

9 d. ago China’s top security agency mocks CIA informant drive: ‘farcical’

China’s top intelligence agency says a recent CIA campaign aimed at recruiting informants from China is a sign the US spy agency is desperately looking for ways to survive as Washington slashes budgets. “Yet, as resources shrink, the CIA has doubled down on hyping the ‘China threat’ as its lifeline, peddling fear to Congress and taxpayers to carve out a larger slice of the budget pie,” the Ministry of State Security (MSS) said in an article published on Wednesday on its official WeChat...

Events

9 d. ago ‘Peddling fear’: China’s top security agency mocks CIA Chinese informant drive

China’s top intelligence agency says a recent CIA campaign aimed at recruiting informants from China while hyping up the “China threat” is a sign the US spy agency is desperately looking for ways to survive Washington’s budget cuts. “As resources shrink, the CIA has doubled down on hyping the ‘China threat’ as its lifeline, peddling fear to Congress and taxpayers to carve out a larger slice of the budget pie,” the Ministry of State Security (MSS) said in an article published on Wednesday on its...

Events

1 week ago ‘Naked political provocation’: China slams US over spy recruitment videos; mocks CIA’s drive as ‘absurd’

‘Naked political provocation’: China slams US over spy recruitment videos; mocks CIA’s drive as ‘absurd’  Times of India

Politics

1 week ago Li Qiang pledges to make China ‘massive’ consumer market to drive global growth

This live blog has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app. Chinese Premier Li Qiang is scheduled to give the keynote speech at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as “Summer Davos”, in the northern port city of Tianjin on Wednesday morning. The world’s second-largest economy has largely withstood the tariff war launched by US...

Politics

1 week ago Watch: Lorry driver trapped in cabin after China bridge collapse

Watch: Lorry driver trapped in cabin after China bridge collapse  BBC

Politics

1 week ago Driver rescued from hanging lorry after bridge collapse in China

Driver rescued from hanging lorry after bridge collapse in China  The Times

Events

1 week ago Driver of truck hangs precariously over China bridge after collapse

Driver of truck hangs precariously over China bridge after collapse  Yahoo

Transport

1 week ago China’s property slump drives Hong Kong investors to Japan amid yen weakness

Global investors, including those based in Hong Kong, are channelling their funds into Japan’s residential property market as returns from assets in mainland China sag in the midst of a four-year slump, according to market consultants. They ploughed in US$11.2 billion of capital into Japanese real estate in the first quarter, or 6 per cent above the five-year average, according to data compiled by Colliers, making it the fifth largest recipient globally. Investors from the US, Singapore and Hong...

Economics

1 week ago As Hong Kong’s financial sector soars, what about food and retail?

Hong Kong is at risk of splitting up into two economies. On one end, Hong Kong’s financial, professional and business services are being revived on the back of China’s resurgent, tech-driven economy and the shifting balance of power between Washington and Beijing. US President Donald Trump’s global tariff war, announced on April 2, was supposed to kneecap the world. But the shock and awe unleashed have rapidly dissipated due to rising misgivings about the looming fiscal crisis, compounded by the...

Politics

2 w. ago Overbite: China urges officials to pull back on dining austerity drive

Leading publications of China’s ruling Communist Party have urged local governments to implement strictures on lavish banquets carefully, an attempt to temper overzealousness amid concerns from the country’s beleaguered food and beverage industry. Qiushi, the party’s theoretical journal, said in a commentary piece on Friday that recent affirmations of the need for frugality in official meals are intended to limit extravagant practices, not ordinary dining. “Some local governments scrutinise...

Politics

2 w. ago China urges officials to rein in overzealous dining austerity measures

Leading publications of China’s ruling Communist Party have urged local governments to implement strictures on lavish banquets carefully, an attempt to temper overzealousness amid concerns from the country’s beleaguered food and beverage industry. Qiushi, the party’s theoretical journal, said in a commentary piece on Friday that recent affirmations of the need for frugality in official meals are intended to limit extravagant practices, not ordinary dining. “Some local governments scrutinise...

Politics

2 w. ago Labubu: the tiny elf doll driving China’s most valuable toy company

Labubu: the tiny elf doll driving China’s most valuable toy company  Financial Times

Politics

2 w. ago US official acknowledges China closing gap in chips and AI despite US export controls; restrictive policy driven by anxiety over China’s tech progress

US official acknowledges China closing gap in chips and AI despite US export controls; restrictive policy driven by anxiety over China’s tech progress  Global Times

Politics

2 w. ago China Beijing enlists local authorities' support in drive to secure military

China Beijing enlists local authorities' support in drive to secure military-industrial infrastructure  Intelligence Online

Events

2 w. ago China’s private firms back in driver’s seat as regulations ease: Goldman Sachs

“The tide has turned” for China’s private enterprises, said analysts with Goldman Sachs, as regulatory restrictions are being lifted to help non-state firms pursue breakthroughs in cutting-edge technology and expand their international presence. The private sector’s “animal spirits” are making a return, with investment patterns suggesting a renewal led by capital expenditure, more aggressive overseas expansion plans, research and development spending and heightened fundraising activity, the...

Economics