43 h. ago China’s US envoy says world faces ‘stark choice’ as 2026 opens with instability

China’s top diplomat in the United States delivered a sharply worded rebuke on Thursday over US President Donald Trump’s tumultuous approach to global relations, laying out a stark choice between a world informed by China-led stability and one battered by Washington. Chinese ambassador Xie Feng’s comments to the 1,000-member China General Chamber of Commerce come two weeks into Trump’s second year of his latest term in the White House. The past fortnight has already seen the Trump administration...

Politics

48 h. ago China’s slowing growth, bilateral tensions top American business concerns in 2026

Concerns about China’s slowing economic growth and “strained” Beijing-Washington relations rank as the top two concerns among members of the American Chamber of Commerce in China this year, according to a chamber survey released on Friday. The growth concern was raised by around two-thirds of the 368 respondents, making it the leading issue, the annual China Business Climate Survey found. Fifty-two per cent of respondents reported being profitable or very profitable last year, 6 percentage...

Events

3 d. ago At least 4 migrants have died in US immigration custody since start of 2026

Four migrants died while in custody of US immigration authorities over the first 10 days of 2026, according to government press releases, a loss of life that followed record detention deaths last year under US President Donald Trump. The deaths included two migrants from Honduras, one from Cuba and another from Cambodia, and occurred from January 3-9, according to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Trump administration was aiming to ramp up deportations and has increased the...

Events

4 d. ago UBS conveys upbeat note on Chinese stocks in 2026 as global investors seek diversification

UBS Group conveyed a sanguine outlook on Chinese stocks in 2026, as the world’s second-largest economy proved to be an important alternative for global investors seeking to diversify away from US equities, which face headwinds from stretched valuations to jitters about the independence of the Federal Reserve. Chinese stocks are expected to be energised by the nation’s growing innovation capability, greater adoption of artificial intelligence across traditional industries and potential inflows...

Economics

4 d. ago Online shopping scams cost Hongkongers HK$14 million in first week of 2026

Internet fraudsters tricked more than 270 Hong Kong residents out of nearly HK$14 million (US$1.8 million) through online shopping scams in the first week of 2026, police have said. The average daily loss of HK$2 million prompted the force to issue a scam alert on Monday, warning both online consumers and people selling products on the internet. One of the victims was a 26-year-old man who was targeted after he tried to sell a suitcase on the online platform Carousell and left his contact...

Economics

5 d. ago Argentina’s Milei plans China trip for 2026 as US pressures Buenos Aires to curb ties

Argentine President Javier Milei said he intends to travel to China in 2026, confirming the plan at a moment when the United States is stepping up pressure on Buenos Aires to scale back its relations with Beijing. Milei made the remarks in an interview with the local newspaper Clarin that was published on Sunday. Asked whether the trip was still on his schedule, he said it was and framed the visit as part of Argentina’s wider commercial agenda rather than a political signal. “We have a very good...

Events

6 d. ago China’s outbound travel set to soar by 10 million trips in 2026 – but halve in Japan

China’s vast outbound travel market is set for further growth in 2026, boosted by the spread of visa-free policies for Chinese nationals and a stronger yuan. But visits to Japan could plummet by nearly 50 per cent amid a political dispute between Beijing and Tokyo, according to analysts and industry insiders. Mainland Chinese travellers are expected to take about 165 million to 175 million cross-border trips in 2026, up from an estimated 155 million last year, the travel marketing and technology...

Politics

8 d. ago China’s yuan to strengthen to 6.85 per US dollar in first quarter of 2026: Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley has revised its outlook for the yuan, now forecasting it to strengthen to about 6.85 per US dollar in the first quarter of 2026 from a previous call of 7.05, before weakening slightly to about 7.0 by the end of the year. The bank said it expects China’s “robust” exports through 2026 to 2027 to provide “a steady tailwind to nominal yuan”, with volumes projected to grow 5 to 6 per cent as the recovery in global demand broadens beyond tech and the country’s price competitiveness...

Politics

1 week ago Korean peninsula arms race is heating up. How will China react in 2026?

As the new year unfolds, China finds itself grappling with strategic pressures fuelled by two US treaty allies at its doorstep – Japan and South Korea. In the second of a two-part series, Seong Hyeon Choi looks at how competing pressures in the Korean peninsula may complicate China’s security calculus. Read the first part here. In 2025, there was a major shift in China’s security environment relating to the Korean peninsula, as the North grew more open in its push for nuclear weapons and the...

Politics

1 week ago China’s central bank signals reserve ratio, interest rate cuts in 2026

China’s central bank has reiterated its commitment to a “moderately loose” policy stance in 2026, pledging stronger countercyclical and cross-cycle adjustments and signalling flexible and efficient use of reserve requirement ratio (RRR) cuts and interest rate reductions to support a strong start to the 15th five-year plan. At a work conference outlining priorities for the coming year, the People’s Bank of China also highlighted goals including a reasonable recovery in prices, mitigating...

Politics

1 week ago Innovation and exports will winnow China’s car industry in 2026

China’s car industry is expected to stagnate this year as it tries to catch its breath after years of growth. New energy vehicles (NEVs) are likely to continue increasing their market share but growth will be much lower than in recent years, with the penetration rate reaching around 60 per cent. “Involution” was the major theme last year, and despite efforts by the government and manufacturers, the situation is unlikely to improve until the second half of the year, due to a tepid economy and a...

Politics

1 week ago Trump seen as top global risk in 2026 as US slips further behind China: Eurasia Group

The US is in danger of falling increasingly behind China in 2026 as the Asian giant tightens its grip on drones, battery storage, robots and manufacturing, although the No 1 risk to global stability is the US under President Donald Trump, Eurasia Group said on Monday in its closely watched annual forecast of threats, challenges and hotspots. “It’s a time of great geopolitical uncertainty. Not because there’s imminent conflict between the two biggest powers, the United States and China – that...

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong office leasing rebound lifts outlook for 2026, but rents remain under pressure

Hong Kong’s battered office sector showed cautious signs of life in 2025, supported by improved take-up in core districts and a slower pace of rental declines and –. while analysts said that trend was set to continue into 2026 – rents were unlikely to rise over the next six months. The coming year was expected to build on the market’s momentum, with stabilisation emerging as the dominant theme, analysts said. Vacancy rates in prime assets in core districts were likely to steady further, but...

Society

1 week ago Thailand election 2026: can ‘orange wave’ break conservative grip on power?

For any party that wants to change Thailand, bitter experience has shown that winning an election and taking power are two entirely different things. Conservatives hold the keys to government in the kingdom, where politicians, tycoons and generals serving the apex power of the monarchy allow elections, but conjure up coups and other political manoeuvres to take down winners perceived as a threat to their power. But this time could be different, says Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, the leader of the...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong’s Route 6 set to fully open in 2026, transport chief Mable Chan says

A new route connecting Hong Kong’s Yau Ma Tei and Tseung Kwan O will fully open this year, the city’s transport chief has said. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan also said on Saturday that the route, on which construction began in 2017, would be fully connected by the end of the year following the completion of a Kowloon Bay tunnel section linking to the Tseung Kwan O-Lam Tin Tunnel. “We are striving to open the entire Route 6 within this year, which will slash travel time between...

Politics

2 w. ago Occupancy rate at Hong Kong tech park to hit 90% in first quarter of 2026

Hong Kong authorities expect the occupancy rate at the new innovation and technology (I&T) hub co-developed by the city and Shenzhen to hit 90 per cent in the first quarter of this year, a target previously set for the end of 2025. Kevin Choi Kit-ming, permanent secretary for innovation, technology and industry, said on Saturday that lease renewals would be based on certain key performance indicators (KPIs) set for firms, but authorities would avoid overly stringent standards and make allowances...

Events

2 w. ago Occupancy rate at Hong Kong tech park set to hit 90% in first quarter of 2026

The occupancy rate at the Hong Kong side of a new innovation and technology (I&T) hub co-developed by the city and Shenzhen is expected to hit 90 per cent in the first quarter of this year, a target previously set for the end of 2025. Kevin Choi Kit-ming, permanent secretary for innovation, technology and industry, said on Saturday that lease renewals would be based on certain key performance indicators (KPIs) set for firms, but authorities would avoid overly stringent standards and make...

Events

2 w. ago Tech war: China takes confident strides to develop more AI innovation in 2026

On the last day of 2025, DeepSeek published a new technical paper, with founder and CEO Liang Wenfeng among the 19 co-authors, about “manifold-constrained hyper-connections” – a general framework for training artificial intelligence systems at scale, which suggested “promising directions for the evolution of foundational models”. That release was a fitting reminder to the world, especially during the peak of the Christmas holiday season, about Chinese AI companies’ sharpened focus on innovation...

Events

2 w. ago Chinese tourists eye return trips for Visit Malaysia 2026: ‘hot weather, warm hospitality’

International visitors to Sabah found a treat waiting for them when they landed in Kota Kinabalu – Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) has kicked off. Those interviewed expressed excitement at learning more about this campaign, which will see a host of festivals, concerts and international sporting events in the coming months. A couple and their mother from Tianjin, China, were pleased to hear that 2026 is a special tourism year for Malaysia. “We will check out what lies ahead in this Visit Malaysia...

Society

2 w. ago China’s M&A market poised for 2026 expansion as investors regain confidence in assets

China’s mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market is poised for another year of growth as investors regain confidence in the country’s assets and long-term growth prospects, and look beyond geopolitical and economic headwinds, according to industry experts. Investor optimism in 2026 would build on a deeper understanding of risks associated with regulatory restrictions, improved market conditions and success stories in the past year, said Kevin Yu Zhe, Shanghai-based partner at Zhong Lun Law...

Economics