21 h. ago China’s heat pump tech, Tokyo clarifies Taiwan stance to Beijing: SCMP’s 7 highlights

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China’s ultra-hot heat pump breakthrough paves way for melting ore with sunlight For over a century, the dream of efficiently concentrating low-grade heat into high-temperature industrial energy has been constrained by a stubborn...

Politics

39 h. ago China’s Hainan launches separate customs regime allowing tariff

China’s southern Hainan province implemented a separate customs regime on Thursday, as Beijing seeks to develop the island into an offshore financing and duty-free hub and position it as a strategic hedge against rising external trade barriers. The new customs regime creates two distinct customs boundaries for Hainan: one separating the island from overseas markets, and another dividing it from the rest of mainland China. Most overseas goods entering the island – which is roughly the size of...

Politics

61 h. ago PLA’s Fujian aircraft carrier transits Taiwan Strait as Taipei watches closely

The Fujian, mainland China’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, has made its first transit of the Taiwan Strait since its commissioning, with Taipei keeping a close eye on its movements. Taiwan’s defence ministry said on Wednesday that while the carrier, Beijing’s third, passed through the waterway, it appeared to be heading back to a Shanghai shipyard for repairs. The ministry also released a surveillance photograph of the Fujian, reportedly captured by F-16 fighter jets, showing no...

Transport

2 d. ago Health and beauty chain Mannings to withdraw from mainland China

Mannings, one of Hong Kong’s largest health and beauty chains, will cease all retail operations in mainland China, both online and offline, as it adjusts its strategy in the highly competitive market. In a letter to its members, Mannings China said “its physical stores on the mainland will close permanently after January 15, 2026”. Its online sales channels will wind down even earlier. Mannings’ official mini mall on Tencent Holdings’ WeChat will stop service at midnight on December 28, 2025,...

Politics

2 d. ago Developing | Health and beauty chain Mannings to withdraw from mainland China

Developing | Health and beauty chain Mannings to withdraw from mainland China  South China Morning Post

Politics

2 d. ago Retailers beat a hasty retreat from mainland China due to consumption, competition woes

Mainland China’s highly competitive retail landscape has taken its toll on one of Hong Kong’s largest health and beauty chains, which has decided to exit the market. Analysts said retailers across the board have found the going tough on the mainland, with a slowdown in consumer spending compounding matters. Health and beauty chain Mannings said it would cease all online and offline retail operations on the mainland as it adjusts its strategy in the highly competitive market. “It doesn’t matter...

Politics

2 d. ago Why retailers are beating a hasty retreat from mainland China

Why retailers are beating a hasty retreat from mainland China  South China Morning Post

Politics

3 d. ago China’s new drug insurance: lifeline for patients or squeeze on big pharmaceutical firms?

Mainland China’s 17 million Alzheimer’s patients can, for the first time, pay less out of pocket for a costly drug touted as “historic” and “the beginning of the end” for the memory-robbing disease after Beijing launched a commercial insurance innovative drug list in an effort to make medicines more accessible and affordable. Leqembi, developed by Japan’s Eisai and costing a mainland Chinese patient about US$28,400 a year, could see its price cut by half after it was added to the inaugural...

Events

3 d. ago Hong Kong customs seizes HK$256 million of suspected cocaine stashed in ship hull

Hong Kong customs has, for the first time, uncovered a drug smuggling operation involving an underwater compartment of a large cargo ship, resulting in the seizure of HK$256 million (US$32.89 million) worth of suspected cocaine. The operation last month, supported by intelligence from mainland China and underwater robots, also disrupted what investigators believed was an attempt to use the vessel as a huge drug storage site. Customs Drug Investigation Bureau head Lau Yuk-lung on Tuesday said...

Economics

4 d. ago Momentum for peaceful reunification across Taiwan Strait is growing

Recent months have witnessed an important shift in the political landscape across the Taiwan Strait, one that deserves careful consideration from policymakers in Asia, Europe and the United States. Despite considerable global turbulence, years of rising tensions in Asia and external pressure, there are emerging signs of stabilisation and even fresh momentum for peaceful momentum towards unification between mainland China and Taiwan. Taiwan’s political environment has evolved significantly since...

Politics

4 d. ago Shenzhen sets travel record as rail station handles 116 million trips in 11 months

Shenzhen’s main railway station handled a record 116.6 million passengers in the first 11 months of 2025, as China’s major cities continue to see a boom in rail ridership and travel between Hong Kong and mainland China picks up steam. The total passenger flow at Shenzhen North Railway Station between January and November was up 8.8 per cent compared with the same period last year, according to data from China State Railway Group cited by local media. Shenzhen North is one of the two largest...

Politics

4 d. ago China’s home prices slide further in November as authorities vow to stabilise sector

Home prices in mainland China continued to decline at a rapid pace in November, posing challenges for policymakers who have vowed to stem a years-long downturn. New home prices fell 0.4 per cent month on month on average across 70 cities, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Monday. The decline eased slightly from a 0.5 per cent fall in October, but it was among the steepest in more than a year. Prices slipped 2.8 per cent year on year in November, compared with a...

Politics

5 d. ago China’s AI sector poised for growth despite US tech restrictions, venture capitalist says

China’s artificial intelligence still needs to improve in six aspects, from ecosystem to funding, but the emergence of DeepSeek has significantly boosted the sector’s confidence in overcoming US restrictions, according to a mainland venture capital firm. China and the US were the two top players in global AI development, with the former leading in humanoid robotics and open-source large language models, according to Zhou Qi, managing partner of GSR United Capital, which focuses on early-stage...

Politics

5 d. ago China’s Geely Auto raises bar on car safety with world’s largest test hub amid price war

Geely Auto, mainland China’s second-largest carmaker by sales, has doubled down on its push to improve vehicle reliability by launching a 2 billion yuan (US$283.5 million) facility for safety tests, bucking the trend of price competition in the world’s largest automotive market. The centre, the world’s largest of its kind, reflected Geely’s determination to prioritise safety as it resisted offering discounts amid a brutal price war, according to Jerry Gan Jiayue, CEO of the firm’s passenger car...

Events

5 d. ago China’s growing young billionaire class masks innovation hurdles, analysts say

While China continues to produce many young self-made billionaires, showcasing its economic dynamism, observers have urged the creation of a more supportive environment, saying that innovation is still being held back. About 98 per cent of the super-rich in mainland China, with assets valued at US$1 billion or more, are relatively young first-generation entrepreneurs, reflecting the vitality and wealth-creation power of its economy, Swiss bank UBS said in a recent report. However, Beijing’s...

Economics

7 d. ago China’s desalination technology, Hong Kong Legco election turnout: SCMP’s 7 highlights

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China desalination tech makes fresh water cheaper than tap water – plus hydrogen China has launched a revolutionary facility in the eastern province of Shandong that produces fresh water from seawater for just two yuan (US$0.28) per...

Politics

9 d. ago 12 killed after fire hits residential building in southern China’s Shantou city

At least 12 people have died in a fire at a residential building in southern China, the first major incident of its kind in the mainland since last month’s Hong Kong blaze. The fire broke out at around 9.20pm on Tuesday in Shantou in Guangdong province and was put out about 40 minutes later, according to state news agency Xinhua. The building was a four-storey reinforced concrete structure and about 150 square metres (1,600 square ft) were affected by the fire, local authorities said. An...

Events

1 week ago Eyeing mainland China, Taiwan passes stiffer penalties for undersea cable damage

Taiwan has moved to deter what it sees as an alarming rise in deliberate damage to its undersea cables, revising its laws to impose stiffer prison sentences of up to seven years. The legal changes approved on Tuesday by Taiwan’s legislature came as the island accuses Beijing of sabotaging its submarine cables, describing such acts as “grey-zone” pressure tactics. Mainland authorities have strongly denied any involvement, calling the incidents “common maritime accidents” and accusing Taipei of...

Events

1 week ago Eye on mainland China as Taiwan passes stiffer penalties for undersea cable damage

Taiwan has moved to deter what it sees as an alarming rise in deliberate damage to its undersea cables, revising its laws to impose stiffer prison sentences of up to seven years. The legal changes approved by Taiwan’s legislature on Tuesday come as the island accuses Beijing of sabotaging its submarine cables, describing such acts as “grey-zone” pressure tactics. Mainland authorities have strongly denied any involvement, calling the incidents “common maritime accidents” and accusing Taipei of...

Events

1 week ago China’s cautious shoppers continue to challenge consumer brands

International and Chinese consumer brands will be forced to maintain a low-price strategy in mainland China amid persistent deflationary pressures, while looking to lower-tier cities and emerging sales channels for growth, according to a study by global consultancy Bain & Co and market research firm Kantar Worldpanel. Companies in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector would need to respond quickly to new market trends with a focus on product affordability to increase sales volume, said...

Economics