18 m. ago China and Serbia gear up for first joint military training exercise

China will hold its first joint military training exercise with the Serbian military this month as defence ties deepen between Beijing and the Balkan country. Chinese defence ministry spokesman Jiang Bin said on Monday that army special forces from China and Serbia would hold the joint training exercise Peace Defenders-2025 in Hebei in late July. “This will be the first joint training between the Chinese and Serbian militaries. It will help strengthen the combat skills of participating troops...

Events

27 m. ago Hong Kong couple arrested over trying to open HSBC account with fake bonds

Hong Kong police have arrested a couple on suspicion of trying to use about 10 fake HK$500 million (US$63.7 million) bonds to open an account at an HSBC branch in Central. Police said on Monday that the 66-year-old man and 62-year-old woman, both Hongkongers, were arrested for using a false instrument for allegedly presenting the bonds to the bank. The alleged incident was reported to the force by bank staff at 12.35pm on Monday, prompting officers to arrest and detain the couple. While police...

Events

43 m. ago Hong Kong to launch guide for professionals required to report child abuse cases

Hong Kong authorities will launch a guide for professionals required to report child abuse cases by the end of the month, which will include a decision tree that can be used as a legal defence in court. An ordinance that requires 25 education, healthcare and social work professions to report suspected cases of child abuse will come into effect on January 20 next year, with offenders liable for a maximum penalty of three months in jail and a HK$50,000 (US$6,370) fine. Welfare officials said at a...

Events

65 m. ago Megaquake fears shake Japan after 2,000 tremors hit island chain since June 21

More than 2,000 “felt quakes” have shaken a string of islands in southwestern Japan since June 21, according to the country’s weather agency, triggering fears that they are presaging a megaquake. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) logged four temblors with an intensity of 4 in the area on Sunday and at least one on Monday, according to the Kyodo news agency. A level-4 temblor on Japan’s 10-level Shindo scale is considered a “felt quake” as people will notice the shaking, which can set...

Events

77 m. ago Chinese University Expels Woman for ‘Improper Contact’ With a Foreigner

Chinese University Expels Woman for ‘Improper Contact’ With a Foreigner  The New York Times

Culture

2 h. ago Chinese Students Flocked to Central Illinois. Their Food Followed.

Chinese Students Flocked to Central Illinois. Their Food Followed.  The New York Times

Society

2 h. ago Global sovereign wealth funds increasing allocations to Chinese assets: Invesco

Global sovereign wealth funds are increasing their allocations to Chinese assets, betting on the country’s prowess in digital technologies, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing to drive returns and hedge geopolitical risks, according to an Invesco study. Nearly 60 per cent of sovereign wealth funds said they planned to increase their investments in China over the next five years, higher than in 2024, the study revealed on Monday. The Invesco Global Sovereign Asset Management study was...

Politics

5 h. ago ‘Black Mirror’: Argentine tourist amazed by Japan hotel staffed by humanoid robots

A hi-tech Japanese hotel has left an influencer from Argentina stunned by its fully robot-staffed reception. The influencer said the hotel scene resembled the setting of the famous television series Black Mirror. The self-service hotel chain features humanoid robots in uniforms handling everything from check-in to checkout. An Argentine influencer identified as manuenalemania who has over 46,000 followers on social media, brought the hotel set-up to the public spotlight. On June 25, she told...

Society

5 h. ago Hong Kong urged to expand carer support scheme to cover other vulnerable groups

A Hong Kong pilot scheme to identify hidden cases of at-risk carers should be expanded to also cover other low-income families and subdivided flat tenants, a social worker and a district councillor have urged, as a new database to address the issue began operation. The first part of the government initiative began at 9am on Monday and will see the Hospital Authority send daily alerts to the Social Welfare Department if any carers among the 8,000 to 9,000 households listed in the database have...

Politics

6 h. ago Chinese car brands are rapidly making inroads in Europe's EV utopia

Chinese car brands are rapidly making inroads in Europe's EV utopia  CNBC

Transport

6 h. ago China, India Should Continue Practical Cooperation, Chinese VP Tells Indian Minister

China, India Should Continue Practical Cooperation, Chinese VP Tells Indian Minister  U.S. News & World Report

Politics

7 h. ago Australia PM touts green steel as iron ore miners meet Chinese steelmakers

Australia PM touts green steel as iron ore miners meet Chinese steelmakers  Reuters

Politics

7 h. ago Your Next Lawn Chair Is Coming From Vietnam, but It’s Still Kind of Chinese

Your Next Lawn Chair Is Coming From Vietnam, but It’s Still Kind of Chinese  MSN

Society

8 h. ago China’s exports accelerate in June as US trade truce creates opening

China’s exports registered a sizeable acceleration in June as exporters took advantage of the 90-day tariff truce to speed up their shipments, beating market forecasts. The world’s top merchandise exporter saw its outbound shipments rise by 5.8 per cent year on year to reach US$325.2 billion in June, according to customs data released on Monday. The figure follows a reported 4.8 per cent rise in May and eclipses the 3.6 per cent increase forecast in a market survey from Chinese financial data...

Politics

8 h. ago Chinese biotech shares surge as Big Pharma looks to license cancer treatments

Chinese biotech shares surge as Big Pharma looks to license cancer treatments  Financial Times

Science

9 h. ago Top AI medical scientists Roland Eils and Irina Lehmann leave Germany for China

Top German medical scientists Roland Eils and Irina Lehmann have joined Fudan University in Shanghai as full-time faculty members, according to the Chinese institution’s website. The married couple joined the university in April, their arrival marking another milestone in China’s growing ambitions in artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine – a field that Eils and Lehmann have helped to pioneer. Eils earned his doctorate in mathematics from the University of Heidelberg in 1995, and was elected...

Science

9 h. ago EAM S Jaishankar lands in Beijing today, first visit in 5 years; set to meet Chinese counterpart Wang Yi

EAM S Jaishankar lands in Beijing today, first visit in 5 years; set to meet Chinese counterpart Wang Yi  Mint

Politics

10 h. ago Shopaholic Chinese woman spends US$280,000, rents flat to store unopened packages.

A 66-year-old woman in Shanghai who spent two million yuan (US$280,000) shopping online and even rented a flat to store her unopened packages has trended on social media. The behaviour of the woman, identified as Wang, has also triggered a heated discussion about the mental health of senior citizens. Wang lives alone in a flat in the Jiading district of Shanghai. Over the past few years, she has spent more than two million yuan buying items from online platforms, according to the news outlet Kan...

Economics

10 h. ago 1 dead, several injured after fire erupts in Hong Kong public flat

A Hongkonger has died and at least four others have been injured after a fire broke out at a public flat in Kwai Tsing. Police said flames were first spotted in the flat at Wo King House of Lai King Estate at around 5am on Monday. An air conditioner caught fire and thick smoke was seen billowing from the flat, according to the force. About 60 residents were evacuated from the building, while the victims were sent to Princess Margaret Hospital. Investigations into the cause of the fire are under...

Events

11 h. ago Tech takes centre stage as Chinese students weigh up major choices

Like millions of Chinese students, 18-year-old He Junjie is anxiously waiting to see which university and major will admit him after last month’s intensely competitive National Higher Education Entrance Examination, or gaokao. After evaluating his score and studying the universities and programmes he qualified for, He focused on engineering when submitting his applications a few weeks ago. Information and communications technology, as well as vehicle engineering, were the top choices, the young...

Politics