Breaking China, Asia, HK News, Opinions and Insights

Can China’s cosmetics brands rival K-beauty and refashion global markets?

Once the top export market for South Korean cosmetics, Chinese firms lead at home and have made headway overseas – but gaps remain.

3 hours agovideocam

China’s diplomatic divide: red carpet for Seoul, cold shoulder for Tokyo firms

China exports

United States & Canada

Trump hits 8 Nato allies with tariffs to force Greenland sale

The duties will start at 10 per cent in February and go up to 25 per cent in June if no deal is reached for the US to buy the island.

4 hours ago

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2026 Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon: Belachew wins after daring breakaway

Melaku Belachew wins race for second time. Hong Kong triathlete Wong Tsz-to takes 10km race, China’s Chen Yufan claims half-marathon.

21 minutes ago

Diplomacy

China-led SCO warns against Iran ‘interference’ in veiled swipe at US

Security bloc expresses ‘grave concern’ over ‘tragic events’ as Iran is rocked by protests, calls for ‘political and diplomatic’ resolution.

17 Jan 2026 - 9:00PMvideocam

Diplomacy

US actions are fuelling fears that the Donald Trump administration is dismantling the rules-based global order. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

How US actions in Venezuela and beyond could spell opportunity for China

United States & Canada

Trump wants nations to pay US$1 billion to stay on his Board of Peace

Critics are worried that the US president is trying to build an alternative – or rival – to the United Nations.

10 minutes ago

US President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday. Photo: AP

Society

Hongkonger missing in protest-hit Iran safe and ‘in touch’ with authorities

Immigration Department says it has also advised the woman to leave Iran as soon as possible.

18 Jan 2026 - 12:20AM

Lifestyle & Culture

Impulse control: Malaysia’s social media ban targets teen minds

The government is threatening to pull the plug on social media for under-16s after a spate of youth violence linked to life online.

1 hour agovideocam

People & Culture

How this year’s Yidan Prize laureates reshape modern literacy and skills worldwide

Mamadou Amadou Ly and Uri Wilensky help transform teaching and learning through multilingual education and computational thinking.

In partnership with:

Yidan Prize Foundation

The 2025 Yidan Prize laureates Professor Uri Wilensky (left) and Mamadou Amadou Ly help remove barriers to education by transforming how learners access and engage with knowledge.

Health & Wellness

She lost 13kg in 4 months. Now she’s on a mission to help others get fit

After transforming her own health, Karen Chau started Fit2Give, a Hong Kong charity offering free training to church ministers and NGO staff.

2 hours ago

Karen Chau, who is from Taiwan but has called Hong Kong home for the last decade, is pictured at a gym in the city’s Tin Hau neighbourhood. After losing 13kg in four months, she set up her charity Fit2Give to help church ministers and NGO workers on their fitness journey. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Politics

Taiwan faces possible Beijing squeeze after US quits WHO and other agencies

Opposition lawmakers fear the island’s international space will shrink still further without Washington’s voice in dozens of global bodies.

17 Jan 2026 - 8:00PMvideocam

Politics

Beijing slams US senators for ‘malicious’ bill targeting Hong Kong trade offices

Foreign ministry’s arm in Hong Kong says bid to strip offices’ privileges or force their closure reflects ‘Cold War mentality’ and ‘prejudice’.

6 hours ago

Middle East

Israel objects to composition of Trump-led Gaza ‘board of peace’

PM Netanyahu says the unveiling of the board was not coordinated with Israel and contradicted his government’s policy.

18 Jan 2026 - 2:05AM

Palestinian girls walk past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed during the war in Gaza City on Friday. Photo: Reuters

Chinese culture

Year of the Horse 2026 predictions for Tigers, from career to romance

The Year of the Fire Horse will bring Tigers increased wealth, but things could get ugly at work, and medical conditions might worsen.

5 hours ago

Will the Year of the Horse 2026 be a lucky one for Tigers? Fortune-teller Tong Pik-ha shares her predictions for wealth, relationships and health. Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Middle East

US strike in Syria kills leader tied to Isis ambush that left 3 Americans dead

Bilal Hasan al-Jasim was allegedly ‘directly connected’ to the incident, which has sparked a series of retaliatory attacks by US forces.

4 hours ago

Europe

Thousands in Denmark join anti-Trump ‘Hands off Greenland’ protests

A US congressional delegation in Copenhagen says there is no security threat to Greenland to justify Trump’s demand to control the territory.

17 Jan 2026 - 9:11PM

China

Eileen Gu warms up for Olympics with Laax Open gold despite scary crash

China’s two-time Olympic champion celebrates second consecutive slopestyle title in Switzerland.

20 minutes ago

Eileen Gu survived a scary crash to claim gold in the Freeski Slopestyle World Cup. Photo: AP

Diplomacy

Japan urged to ‘correct historical errors’, return Tang dynasty stele to China

9.5-tonne stone slab shipped to Japan as ‘war trophy’ in 1908 is described as one of China’s most significant ‘lost national treasures’.

17 Jan 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

The Tang Honglu Well Stele pictured at its original site in Lushun in the early 20th century. Photo: Handout

China Business

China’s AI and EV boom drives record power demand, widening energy gap with US

The main drivers of the growth are the tertiary sector – covering services including AI cloud services – and residential use.

17 Jan 2026 - 8:11PM

Politics

Before Maduro’s capture in Venezuela, US spoke with hardline interior minister

Some politicians in Washington have questioned why the US did not grab Diosdado Cabello during its operation to seize Maduro.

17 Jan 2026 - 10:39PM

OPINION

SCMP Editorial

Editorial | To walk the pet-friendly path, Hong Kong needs a comprehensive policy

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The US has played its hand in Latin America. Will China’s firms there cash out?

After the abduction of former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, many Chinese entrepreneurs in the region say they are staying put – for now.

13 Jan 2026 - 9:55AMvideocam

Why overseas residency is a ‘practical advantage’ for Chinese firms going global

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Open Questions series

Diplomacy

Open Questions | Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

Political scientist says the Western-led global order remains useful, and the Belt and Road Initiative isn’t a geopolitical project.

12 Jan 2026 - 10:06AMvideocam

Global Economy

Open Questions | ‘Embrace the moment’: on China, Daniel Kritenbrink puts pragmatism first

Former US ambassador to Vietnam says a return to the past for US-China relations is unrealistic, but both economic powers benefit from ties.

5 Jan 2026 - 9:11AMvideocam

Diplomacy

Open Questions | How new C100 chief plans to foster ties between Chinese-Americans and China

The Committee of 100’s president Paul Cheung has high hopes for Chinese-Americans’ relationship with China in these uncertain times.

9 Jan 2026 - 12:37PMvideocam

Diplomacy

Open Questions | Political scientist Ivan Krastev on European vertigo in a post-American world

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Key Industries:

Tech War

Zhipu AI breaks US chip reliance with first major model trained on Huawei stack

Zhipu claims GLM-Image achieved industry-leading scores among open-source models for text rendering and Chinese character generation.

14 Jan 2026 - 8:00PM

Zhipu said the achievement proved the feasibility of developing powerful multimodal models without US chips. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Policy

Hong Kong bolsters tech hub ambitions as city hosts global AI summit

Hong Kong’s turn to host a summit under WAIC reflects Beijing’s confidence in the city’s strategic development goals.

16 Jan 2026 - 9:15PM

Big Tech

China dominates global humanoid robot market with over 80% of installations

AgiBot and Unitree help China capture bulk of global deployments in 2025 as market heads for sixfold growth by 2027, report says.

16 Jan 2026 - 5:00PM

China Economy

A Chinese tech hub eyes 3- to 7-nanometre chip breakthroughs to beat US curbs

Province’s five-year plan backs national push for tech independence – but can it succeed?

16 Jan 2026 - 11:14AMvideocam

China is world’s largest chip manufacturer, demonstrating the country’s superiority in global supply chain. Photo: Shutterstock

Big Tech

China curbs US AI chips, shuns foreign capital in pursuit of tech self-reliance

These restrictions signify a new phase in the US-China tech war where ‘offensive and defensive roles have shifted’, says an analyst.

17 Jan 2026 - 10:46AM

Diplomacy

Counting China’s ‘swing nation’ wins and losses in new era of power rivalry

As US-China race for hi-tech resources heats up across Global South, countries caught in the middle are under pressure to strike a balance.

17 Jan 2026 - 7:43AMvideocam

China Economy

A Chinese tech hub eyes 3- to 7-nanometre chip breakthroughs to beat US curbs

Province’s five-year plan backs national push for tech independence – but can it succeed?

16 Jan 2026 - 11:14AMvideocam

Hong Kong Economy

Can new tricks save Hong Kong’s restaurants from ‘irreversible’ Shenzhen trend?

Business models are being overhauled as food and drink sector tackles ‘irreversible’ trend of Hongkongers spending their money elsewhere.

16 Jan 2026 - 10:06AMvideocam

Can China’s cosmetics brands rival K-beauty and refashion global markets?

Once the top export market for South Korean cosmetics, Chinese firms lead at home and have made headway overseas – but gaps remain.

China’s diplomatic divide: red carpet for Seoul, cold shoulder for Tokyo firms

Trump hits 8 Nato allies with tariffs to force Greenland sale

The duties will start at 10 per cent in February and go up to 25 per cent in June if no deal is reached for the US to buy the island.

2026 Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon: Belachew wins after daring breakaway

Melaku Belachew wins race for second time. Hong Kong triathlete Wong Tsz-to takes 10km race, China’s Chen Yufan claims half-marathon.

China-led SCO warns against Iran ‘interference’ in veiled swipe at US

Security bloc expresses ‘grave concern’ over ‘tragic events’ as Iran is rocked by protests, calls for ‘political and diplomatic’ resolution.

How US actions in Venezuela and beyond could spell opportunity for China

Trump wants nations to pay US$1 billion to stay on his Board of Peace

Critics are worried that the US president is trying to build an alternative – or rival – to the United Nations.

Hongkonger missing in protest-hit Iran safe and ‘in touch’ with authorities

Immigration Department says it has also advised the woman to leave Iran as soon as possible.

Impulse control: Malaysia’s social media ban targets teen minds

The government is threatening to pull the plug on social media for under-16s after a spate of youth violence linked to life online.

.css-f84qeq{font-family:Roboto Condensed,Roboto Condensed fallback,sans-serif;font-style:italic;}How this year’s Yidan Prize laureates reshape modern literacy and skills worldwide

Mamadou Amadou Ly and Uri Wilensky help transform teaching and learning through multilingual education and computational thinking.

She lost 13kg in 4 months. Now she’s on a mission to help others get fit

After transforming her own health, Karen Chau started Fit2Give, a Hong Kong charity offering free training to church ministers and NGO staff.

Taiwan faces possible Beijing squeeze after US quits WHO and other agencies

Opposition lawmakers fear the island’s international space will shrink still further without Washington’s voice in dozens of global bodies.

Beijing slams US senators for ‘malicious’ bill targeting Hong Kong trade offices

Foreign ministry’s arm in Hong Kong says bid to strip offices’ privileges or force their closure reflects ‘Cold War mentality’ and ‘prejudice’.

Israel objects to composition of Trump-led Gaza ‘board of peace’

PM Netanyahu says the unveiling of the board was not coordinated with Israel and contradicted his government’s policy.

Year of the Horse 2026 predictions for Tigers, from career to romance

The Year of the Fire Horse will bring Tigers increased wealth, but things could get ugly at work, and medical conditions might worsen.

US strike in Syria kills leader tied to Isis ambush that left 3 Americans dead

Bilal Hasan al-Jasim was allegedly ‘directly connected’ to the incident, which has sparked a series of retaliatory attacks by US forces.

Thousands in Denmark join anti-Trump ‘Hands off Greenland’ protests

A US congressional delegation in Copenhagen says there is no security threat to Greenland to justify Trump’s demand to control the territory.

Eileen Gu warms up for Olympics with Laax Open gold despite scary crash

China’s two-time Olympic champion celebrates second consecutive slopestyle title in Switzerland.

Japan urged to ‘correct historical errors’, return Tang dynasty stele to China

9.5-tonne stone slab shipped to Japan as ‘war trophy’ in 1908 is described as one of China’s most significant ‘lost national treasures’.

China’s AI and EV boom drives record power demand, widening energy gap with US

The main drivers of the growth are the tertiary sector – covering services including AI cloud services – and residential use.

Before Maduro’s capture in Venezuela, US spoke with hardline interior minister

Some politicians in Washington have questioned why the US did not grab Diosdado Cabello during its operation to seize Maduro.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Editorial | To walk the pet-friendly path, Hong Kong needs a comprehensive policy

Opinion | In the tech race, Europe can choose a path that sidesteps US-China rivalry

Editorial | Lack of obesity awareness weighs on Hong Kong’s public health

My Take | Hong Kong marathon provides winning formula with no finishing line in sight

Macroscope | Multilateral institutions’ critique of Trump’s actions is too muted

Eileen Gu warms up for Olympics with Laax Open gold despite scary crash

.css-rcruog{color:#C79A00;}Video | Why has Pyongyang ignored Seoul’s overtures?

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Explainer | How Chinese ritual balances unboiled egg on mirror or knife to detect spirit possession

Impulse control: Malaysia’s social media ban targets teen minds

Trump wants nations to pay US$1 billion to stay on his Board of Peace

Editorial | To walk the pet-friendly path, Hong Kong needs a comprehensive policy

The US has played its hand in Latin America. Will China’s firms there cash out?

After the abduction of former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, many Chinese entrepreneurs in the region say they are staying put – for now.

Why overseas residency is a ‘practical advantage’ for Chinese firms going global

Chinese companies expand globally

Open Questions | Zheng Yongnian on what US’ ‘neocolonialism’, Venezuela operation mean for China

Political scientist says the Western-led global order remains useful, and the Belt and Road Initiative isn’t a geopolitical project.

Open Questions | ‘Embrace the moment’: on China, Daniel Kritenbrink puts pragmatism first

Former US ambassador to Vietnam says a return to the past for US-China relations is unrealistic, but both economic powers benefit from ties.

Open Questions | How new C100 chief plans to foster ties between Chinese-Americans and China

The Committee of 100’s president Paul Cheung has high hopes for Chinese-Americans’ relationship with China in these uncertain times.

Open Questions | Political scientist Ivan Krastev on European vertigo in a post-American world

While melancholy Europe frets that the US and China will shape the future, middle powers are jostling for a place at the big table.

Zhipu AI breaks US chip reliance with first major model trained on Huawei stack

Zhipu claims GLM-Image achieved industry-leading scores among open-source models for text rendering and Chinese character generation.

Hong Kong bolsters tech hub ambitions as city hosts global AI summit

Hong Kong’s turn to host a summit under WAIC reflects Beijing’s confidence in the city’s strategic development goals.

China dominates global humanoid robot market with over 80% of installations

AgiBot and Unitree help China capture bulk of global deployments in 2025 as market heads for sixfold growth by 2027, report says.

A Chinese tech hub eyes 3- to 7-nanometre chip breakthroughs to beat US curbs

Province’s five-year plan backs national push for tech independence – but can it succeed?

China curbs US AI chips, shuns foreign capital in pursuit of tech self-reliance

These restrictions signify a new phase in the US-China tech war where ‘offensive and defensive roles have shifted’, says an analyst.

Counting China’s ‘swing nation’ wins and losses in new era of power rivalry

As US-China race for hi-tech resources heats up across Global South, countries caught in the middle are under pressure to strike a balance.

A Chinese tech hub eyes 3- to 7-nanometre chip breakthroughs to beat US curbs

Province’s five-year plan backs national push for tech independence – but can it succeed?

Can new tricks save Hong Kong’s restaurants from ‘irreversible’ Shenzhen trend?

Business models are being overhauled as food and drink sector tackles ‘irreversible’ trend of Hongkongers spending their money elsewhere.

How this year’s Yidan Prize laureates reshape modern literacy and skills worldwide

Editorial | To walk the pet-friendly path, Hong Kong needs a comprehensive policy

Video | Why has Pyongyang ignored Seoul’s overtures?

Explainer | How Chinese ritual balances unboiled egg on mirror or knife to detect spirit possession