23 h. ago CK Hutchison gets encouraging signs of a deal with Panama government

A senior Panamanian official said on Monday that Panama will remain flexible and potentially reach an agreement with CK Hutchison as the Latin American country navigates the geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China. “We are working on a plan in case that [Panama’s Supreme Court] ruling goes against the extension of the contract” for CK Hutchison, said Jose Ramon Icaza, Panama’s minister of canal affairs. “In that case, we have to step in as the Panama Maritime Authority to take...

Politics

30 h. ago China’s rare earth magnet exports to US plunge 29% as tensions simmer

The decline in China’s exports of rare earth magnets to the United States accelerated in September – a period predating Beijing’s expansion of controls over the flow of the critical minerals – an indication the prized items remain a major battleground in the ongoing trade war between the world’s two largest economies. China’s total exports to the US of the permanent magnets – essential components in manufacturing for several hi-tech industries, including electric vehicles and defence – reached...

Events

32 h. ago China’s soybean imports surge as orders to US hit zero and American farmers fret

China imported no soybeans from the United States in September, but total imports remained at high levels amid a recent escalation in the US-China trade war, the latest Chinese customs data showed. Last month, the world’s largest food buyer purchased 12.8 million tonnes of soybeans – a crop heavily reliant on imports for its livestock industry – with a notable surge from Argentina during a brief suspension of export taxes, according to the detailed customs data released on Monday. The absence of...

Events

42 h. ago ‘An impossible dream’? South Korea wants to be among top 4 defence exporters

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said on Monday that the country would devote a “larger-than-expected budget” in defence and aerospace research until 2030 as it sought to build the world’s fourth-largest defence industry. Lee was speaking at South Korea’s largest-ever arms fair, the Seoul International Aerospace & Defence Exhibition 2025, where companies showed off new unmanned and artificial intelligence-enhanced weapons from howitzers to suicide drones in pursuit of more global defence...

Politics

47 h. ago China showcases its Black Hawk rival, assault helicopter makes precision maneuvers

China showcases its Black Hawk rival, assault helicopter makes precision maneuvers  Interesting Engineering

Events

47 h. ago Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

Liu Qian is the founder of Wusawa Advisory and formerly the managing director of The Economist Group in Greater China. She is also a prominent advocate for gender equality, and the only Chinese representative in the core working group of the UN Women Leaders Network. In this interview, she discusses how Chinese innovation differs from Western innovation, where the US-China rivalry is headed and the critical role of women’s voices in policymaking. This interview first appeared in SCMP Plus. For...

Politics

47 h. ago Exclusive | Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

Exclusive | Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky  South China Morning Post

Politics

47 h. ago Open Questions | Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

Open Questions | Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky  South China Morning Post

Politics

61 h. ago China, India and Brazil set to steer global climate change agenda at Cop30

As the West falters in its commitment to fighting climate change, analysts expect emerging economies led by China, India and Brazil to seize the initiative at next month’s UN climate summit. The Cop30 conference, from November 10 to 21 in the Brazilian city of Belem, comes as the United States under Donald Trump remains largely disengaged from climate challenges following his successive orders to withdraw the world’s largest economy from the 2015 Paris Agreement, while Europe’s attention appears...

Politics

3 d. ago Hong Kong to navigate trade war with supply chains, says Paul Chan in US

Hong Kong will adjust to navigate lingering geopolitical tensions, welcoming new growth in supply chains, financial services and innovation, the finance chief has vowed while promoting the city’s opportunities in the United States. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po made his remarks at the end of his first in-person visit to Washington since 2019, as a fresh phase of the US-China trade war looms, with Hong Kong caught in the rivalry. “Geopolitical tensions will continue to be there for quite...

Events

3 d. ago Hong Kong to navigate trade war with new strategies, Paul Chan says in US

Hong Kong will adjust to navigate lingering geopolitical tensions, welcoming new growth in supply chains, financial services and innovation, the finance chief has vowed while promoting the city’s opportunities in the United States. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po made his remarks at the end of his first in-person visit to Washington since 2019, as a fresh phase of the US-China trade war looms, with Hong Kong caught in the rivalry. “Geopolitical tensions will continue to be there for quite...

Events

3 d. ago Hong Kong will navigate trade war with new strategies, Paul Chan says in US

Hong Kong will successfully navigate protracted geopolitical tensions, serving as a supply chain hub while providing financial services and innovation, the finance chief has said after a visit to the United States where he promoted the city. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po offered the upbeat assessment in an interview with the Post at the end of his first visit to Washington since 2019, with a fresh phase of the US-China trade war looming and Hong Kong caught up in the rivalry. “Geopolitical...

Events

4 d. ago US threats to decouple from China only expose its own vulnerability

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. After Beijing announced sweeping export controls last week on rare earths and other critical minerals, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent went ballistic. “Maybe there is some Leninist business model where hurting your customers is a good idea, but they are the largest supplier to the world,” he said. Someone from Beijing might have retorted that Washington has been running on some fascist business model whereby it is upending the entire global trade...

Events

4 d. ago Chinese team aims to test powerful chip on world’s largest optical telescope

Chinese researchers have developed an optical chip the size of a fingernail that can analyse light in real time with a precision once possible only with bulky laboratory instruments. They hope to test it using the largest optical telescope on Earth. The breakthrough could enable an unprecedented level of visual intelligence in machines ranging from drones and robots to medical scanners and telescopes, according to Fang Lu and her team at Tsinghua University. In a paper published this week by the...

Politics

4 d. ago China’s secret weapon in chip battle with US: intense city rivalry

China’s megacities are moving in tandem to draw capital to semiconductor research and development, as Beijing accelerates its chip self-sufficiency drive in the face of tightening US export controls. Major technology hubs including Shenzhen, Shanghai and Hangzhou – and even lesser-known players like Hubei province – have all launched major chip industry investment projects in the past few months, with regions competing to emerge as powerhouses in the strategically vital sector, according to...

Events

4 d. ago Apple’s iPhone Air sells out in China after CEO Tim Cook’s visit

Apple’s iPhone Air sold out within minutes of its launch in China on Friday, underscoring the device’s popularity among Chinese consumers despite competition from Android devices. The strong sales followed CEO Tim Cook’s visit this week to promote the product in the world’s largest smartphone market amid ongoing geopolitical tensions between China and the US. As chairman of an advisory body at Tsinghua University’s management school, Cook also met Vice-Premier He Lifeng on Thursday. Pre-sales...

Society

4 d. ago Microsoft wants users talking to Windows 11 with new AI features

Microsoft is trying to get people to talk to their computers, betting that voice and artificial intelligence software is powerful enough to make such interactions as effective as a keyboard or mouse. The world’s largest software maker on Thursday introduced a set of updates to its Windows operating system, including the ability to summon Microsoft’s Copilot assistant by saying, “Hey, Copilot.” In addition to a mouse and keyboard, voice “will now become the third input mechanism”, Yusuf Mehdi,...

Politics

5 d. ago World’s Largest Muslim Country Agrees Fighter Jet Deal With China

World’s Largest Muslim Country Agrees Fighter Jet Deal With China  Newsweek

Politics

5 d. ago China says it expelled Philippine planes from disputed South China Sea reef

China said it had expelled two Philippine aircraft near the disputed Scarborough Shoal on Thursday in the second confrontation between the two rival South China Sea claimants in as many days. Liu Dejun, a spokesman for the Chinese coastguard, said two Philippine reconnaissance aircraft had “illegally entered Chinese air space above Huangyan Island” (the Chinese name for Scarborough Shoal). He added that the planes had been expelled in “accordance with laws and regulations”. The previous day the...

Politics

5 d. ago Alibaba banks on AI to boost Singles’ Day sales on Taobao, Tmall

Alibaba Group Holding is taking advantage of artificial intelligence to turn its online marketplace into a “comprehensive consumption platform”, as the e-commerce giant regains momentum in an extremely competitive market. The company kicked off its annual Singles’ Day event – the world’s largest shopping festival – on Wednesday, riding on the back of strong growth in online shopping and on-demand delivery. Taobao and Tmall, Alibaba’s two domestic e-commerce platforms, are offering 50 billion...

Economics