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Hong Kong approves smart IoT fire alarms for 3,600 old buildings after pilot scheme

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Hong Kong's Fire Services Department has given approval for 3,600 old low-rise residential buildings to install a new Internet of Things (IoT) smart fire alarm system as an alternative to traditional fire-safety equipment, following a successful pilot scheme in the first quarter of this year.

The IoT-enabled system consists of detectors installed in individual flats and public areas of the building, which send warning signals to the department within 60 seconds of detecting carbon monoxide or smoke

"The gateway in the building's corridors, once receiving the detector's signals, will activate a synergising effect where if one fire alarm sounds, the rest of the alarms in the building will also sound," Simon Sze Man-yuk, divisional officer for building improvement strategy and special operations, said on Thursday.

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The department will also receive a copy of all data transmitted to the service provider's 24-hour monitoring system, which tracks all signals and actions of the system.

"This is a replacement, or an additional choice, for residents. They can choose accordingly and we don't have any mandatory requirements for them to choose which system," Sze said.

The roll-out follows a pilot scheme covering 10 buildings earlier this year targeting old buildings of six storeys or fewer that were not fitted with adequate fire-safety equipment. The scheme achieved an effective operation rate of more than 99.95 per cent, according to the department.

After an official circular was issued to recognise the system on April 30, six applications to install the technology had been received as of Thursday, according to the department.

In the pilot scheme, which ran from January to March, the system recorded a 100 per cent internet connection rate, an operational effectiveness of more than 99.95 per cent, and zero false alarms.

The remaining 0.05 per cent of operation hiccups stemmed from detectors momentarily losing connection to the gateway devices within the building for signal transmission, which had all been fixed, it said.

"This means cooking activities and having hotpot won't cause false alarms," Sze added.

However, the system will require building owners to keep two five-litre dry powder fire extinguishers on each floor to help put out any flames in the early stages of an emergency.

Without a traditional hose reel pipe system, firefighters would use public fire hydrants nearby, as Sze said these water sources were available every 100 metres in the city.

The divisional officer said the smart fire alarm system cost about HK$200,000 (US$25,530) for installation and service fees for the first two years of use, with residents of the 10 buildings under the trial scheme to pay HK$80,000 for the next three years.

This initial installation fee is about a third of the HK$600,000 required for traditional manual fire safety systems including hose reel pipes.

Furthermore, the smart fire alarm system can be installed in just two weeks, whereas traditional systems often take up to two years.

Officers had also conducted tests using real, controlled fires at each building under the pilot scheme, with firefighters arriving at the scene within the department's performance pledge of a six-minute response time to building fire calls in dense areas.

An independent committee investigating last year's blaze at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po heard that the fire alarm system had been deactivated while the residential estate was undergoing renovation. The blaze killed 168 people.

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Veteran lawyer seeks judicial review over alleged illegal structures on his home

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

A veteran Hong Kong barrister ordered to demolish alleged illegal structures on his home has lodged a judicial challenge after building authorities refused to consider a constitutional argument he raised earlier.

Senior counsel Alan Hoo's lawyers applied to the High Court for a judicial review over the extent of jurisdiction of the Appeal Tribunal (Buildings Ordinance), saying the statutory body was entitled to decide whether an order to remove unauthorised structures would violate homeowners' fundamental rights.

The 74-year-old applicant argued that his rights to protection of his home and privacy had been infringed by a Buildings Department order dated January 23 last year instructing him to rectify alleged illegal alterations to his house at Seascape near Pok Fu Lam on Hong Kong Island within 60 days.

Those alterations include certain structures erected on the roof of a staircase hood, three structures installed on and over the house's roof and one on a planter on the ground floor, according to the writ seen by the South China Morning Post on Thursday.

Hoo's lawyers said the alleged unauthorised works had been in place since the barrister bought the property in 1979 and posed no immediate danger to public safety that would necessitate their immediate removal.

They also argued that the order would in effect evict Hoo from his family home for six months during the most critical period when he needed to recover from a bacterial infection that had left him paralysed and requiring a wheelchair since March last year.

The writ revealed that Hoo had suffered from permanent disability following a Staphylococcus aureus infection to his spine. The relative degree of impairment will depend on whether his current period of recovery is successful.

It said the family home provided Hoo with convenient access to medical facilities and a familiar environment in which he could learn to walk again.

On July 16, 2025, Hoo filed an amended statement to the appeal tribunal, alleging the department's removal order contravened his "inviolable right to protection of his home and his privacy" under Article 29 of the Basic Law, the city's mini-constitution, as well as Article 14 of the Hong Kong Bill of Rights.

The tribunal replied the following month saying it lacked jurisdiction to decide on constitutionality issues and urged Hoo to advance his complaint before the High Court instead.

The body maintained its stance despite advice from the Department of Justice that it was indeed entitled to decide on Hoo's argument.

In seeking the court's permission to initiate judicial review proceedings, Hoo's lawyers said the issue was of "wide and general" importance.

Hoo, who served as a member of the national committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference from 2003 to 2023, was fined HK$2,000 (US$257) last October for two traffic violations after crossing a double white line while driving in Mid-Levels on August 14, 2024.

Hong Kong bus driver suspended after video shows him hands-free at the wheel

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

A Hong Kong franchised bus operator has suspended a driver after video footage surfaced online showing him operating a vehicle without either hand on the steering wheel.

The incident, which sparked widespread safety concerns on social media on Thursday, prompted KMB to launch an immediate investigation into the driver's conduct.

In a 17-second clip filmed from an adjacent vehicle, the driver can be seen completely releasing his grip on the steering wheel while the bus is in motion, instead using his left hand to touch his right wrist and fingers.

KMB confirmed that the incident occurred around 9am on Thursday and involved a bus without passengers.

"KMB is highly concerned about the incident and has immediately suspended the driver from duty and launched an investigation," a KMB spokesman said.

Reiterating its strict commitment to traffic safety, the company added that if any regulatory violations were confirmed, it would take disciplinary action against the driver and require him to undergo mandatory retraining.

The incident drew fierce criticism online, with some users arguing that the driver's actions warranted the revocation of his licence.

"Retraining? The issue here is his driving attitude, not his driving skills. KMB's indulgence of this behaviour is completely disregarding the lives of its passengers," a user wrote.

"So what if there were no passengers? There are still other people and vehicles on the road," another said.

Solar, so good: Hong Kong's new landfill-based plant can power 360 homes

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Hong Kong has launched a new solar farm built on restored landfill in Tseung Kwan O that aims to cut carbon emissions by an amount equivalent to planting about 20,000 trees each year.

Jointly developed by environmental services firm Veolia and developers Sun Hung Kai Properties (SHKP) and Citic Pacific, with government support, the facility at the South East New Territories Landfill features about 1,850 solar panels spanning 140,000 square feet.

Supported by the Environment and Ecology Bureau and the Environmental Protection Department, it is also the largest solar power installation of its kind in the city.

The farm will join the government's feed-in tariff scheme, an initiative encouraging private-sector investment in renewable energy by allowing participants to sell excess solar or wind-generated power to utilities at premium rates.

Completed in late 2025, it is expected to generate about 1.2 million kilowatt-hours of green electricity per year, which is enough to meet the needs of about 360 homes.

The solar farm will cut carbon dioxide emissions by about 530 tonnes a year, equivalent to the CO2 absorption of about 20,000 trees.

Built on a restored landfill, the project achieves three green functions, according to the developers: construction waste processing, landfill gas production and utilisation, and solar power generation.

This integrated approach maximised land use efficiency while supporting Hong Kong's transition to a low-carbon and sustainable future, SHKP said.

Although Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu did not attend the opening ceremony, he reaffirmed the government's commitment to fostering sustainable development and attracting market investment for the city's energy transition.

"Tackling climate change through green energy development and safeguarding energy security cannot rest on the government alone. It requires the active participation from all sectors of society," Lee said.

At the launch, Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan described the project as a milestone in public-private collaboration supporting Hong Kong's goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

"It is a milestone in Hong Kong's journey towards zero-carbon, net-zero electricity generation and carbon neutrality," Tse said.

Tse also said that it was the second solar power project in Hong Kong built on a restored landfill site and the largest of its kind to date.

SHKP executive director Christopher Kwok Kai-wang said the project highlighted strong potential for further renewable energy projects on similar undeveloped land.

He said the solar farm occupied less than 2 per cent of the landfill's restored area.

"We can build on the success of this pilot project to make better use of the remaining land resources at landfill sites," Kwok said.

The solar farm will join the feed-in tariff scheme of CLP Power, one of Hong Kong's two electricity providers.

Sunevision, SHKP's technology arm and one of the city's largest data centre providers, has purchased CLP renewable energy certificates linked to the farm's output to power its operations with clean energy.

The feed-in-tariff is a government initiative to encourage the private sector to invest in and adopt renewable energy to combat climate change.

The scheme allows households, businesses or institutions to install solar or wind energy systems at their own expense and to sell the clean electricity to the power grid at rates higher than standard market prices.

Hong Kong principal who swore at Singapore security guards resigns, apologises

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

A Hong Kong secondary school principal filmed swearing at security guards during a student trip to Singapore has resigned and apologised for his failure to "lead by example".

Lee Cheuk‑hing tendered his resignation on Thursday as principal of San Wui Commercial Society Secondary School in Tuen Mun, school manager Edmund Wong Chun‑sek confirmed.

Wong, a former lawmaker, said the school's board of directors would have to meet to decide whether to accept the resignation, given the many factors involved.

In a video released later on Thursday, Lee repeatedly apologised for his behaviour to Hongkongers and "all sectors" in Singapore.

"As a principal, I should lead by example. Regardless of the circumstances, I should remain calm and restrained. But unfortunately, I failed to do so," he said in the clip, which also showed him in tears.

"I admit [my mistake] and apologise to everyone."

Confirming he had tendered his resignation, Lee also pledged to fully cooperate with investigations by the Education Bureau and the school board.

In an appeal to his students, he said: "Please do not learn from me. At all times, you must try your best to stay calm and resolve [problems] in a rational manner.

"Let my mistake serve as a warning, do not let a moment of impulse drive you to say things that you will deeply regret in the future."

Lee said he would also resign from all district duties, referring to his membership of the San King subdistrict care team in Tuen Mun and the Tuen Mun South West area committee.

The Home Affairs Department said it had already received Lee's resignation from both bodies and his name was no longer on the relevant websites on Thursday.

The Education Bureau said it had been notified of the principal's resignation and had urged the school and its sponsoring body to follow up the matter seriously and submit a written report as soon as possible.

Lee's confrontation with security guards over a parking dispute during the school trip in Singapore last Friday was captured on video and widely circulated on social media, sparking heated discussion in both cities.

Footage shows a security guard telling Lee, who is standing in the doorway of a coach, to move the vehicle, but he becomes irate and rudely rebuffs her instructions.

"Shut up," Lee is heard telling her before swearing at her in Cantonese.

When another guard intervenes, Lee turns to her and shouts: "You shut up!"

The first guard again urges him to move the coach, but Lee continues to question why he should follow their instructions and mocks them by making faces.

The school has since apologised for the incident, conceding Lee's behaviour had caused public concern and unease.

The school's management committee suspended Lee from his post on Tuesday with immediate effect, saying his act fell short of public expectations.

The Education Bureau earlier expressed concern over the case and demanded a written report from the school.

Singapore police, meanwhile, said they had received a report and that investigations were under way.

Under the city state's Private Security Industry Act, those found guilty of intentionally harassing or causing alarm or distress to a security officer can be jailed for up to a year, fined up to S$5,000 (US$3,915) or both.

1 in 12 secondary students socially disengaged on campus, survey finds

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

One in 12 Hong Kong secondary school students is socially disengaged on campus, according to a survey by a social welfare organisation, which is calling for early identification and better support for these "invisible students" before they drop out.

The Hong Kong Christian Service (HKCS) surveyed 1,958 Form One to Form Five students aged between 11 and 19 in February and March to identify those with "dropout tendencies" at an early stage.

The study found that 8.4 per cent of respondents, or 165 students, were at risk of "in-school hidden disengagement" - a psychological state where a student is physically present in the classroom but has checked out emotionally, socially and academically.

The HKCS is a non-governmental organisation that provides services at schools across the city.

As part of its survey, students answered questions about how they thought their teachers viewed their academic performance and whether they enjoyed school life, had good same-sex friends or had not been bullied over the past two months.

If they answered negatively for two to four of these indicators, they were classified as socially disengaged.

"They are relatively quiet, so they are not usually regarded as a high-priority group for support," Susanne Choi Wai-yee, service head of the HKCS's children and youth service, said. "However, they are losing their learning motivation and gradually disconnecting from school."

"We worry this batch of students will leave the school system, making it incredibly hard to locate and support them later on.

With about 340,000 secondary students across the city, HKCS warned that the 8.4 per cent translated to roughly 28,000 individuals quietly slipping through the cracks.

If they dropped out entirely, they risked becoming hidden young people, requiring significantly more societal resources and years of social work to assist, Choi said.

Ada*, 17, who struggled at home and was bullied by her classmates, became frequently late for school or skipped it altogether and did not find it useful to talk to teachers.

"My problems were so complicated, and I found it difficult to share with my teachers even though they told me to do so. I ended up not having much support from them," she said, adding she decided to withdraw from school in Form Four for a year.

She eventually joined activities held by the HKCS, received help from social workers, and has since returned to classes at another school.

"Looking back, I think it is more important for students to have a sense of belonging to the school. If I could have had more classmates from senior grades to talk to me and comfort me as a friend at the time, I would not have been absent so frequently," she said.

According to the HKCS, key warning signs of disengagement include being alone during recess or lunchtime, arriving late and taking unexcused leave, rarely participating in extracurricular or group activities, having no contact with classmates after school and exhibiting anxiety or tension in social settings.

Jackie Chan, supervisor of the Centre for Research and Development at the HKCS, said at-risk students were 56 per cent more likely to frequently spend recess or lunchtime alone than their peers.

Additionally, they were 31 per cent more likely to be passive during group activities and 24 per cent more likely to remain silent in class, according to Chan.

They were also found to have poorer school attendance and punctuality. Their rates of being late, taking unexcused leave, frequently requesting sick leave or leaving early were 35 per cent to 41 per cent higher than those of their peers, according to the study.

Furthermore, they were 35 per cent more likely to have no contact with classmates outside school hours and 32 per cent more likely to exhibit noticeable anxiety or tension in social settings.

Choi urged schools to launch structured, long-term "one-on-one" buddy programmes that partnered older students with at-risk younger ones so they could receive more support and care, noting that most such programmes were currently short-lived.

School should also offer platforms to help students develop peer-interaction skills and widen their campus social circles so they become more satisfied with school life, she suggested.

Parents could also serve as a "quiet presence", one that did not force the child to vent, she said.

Parents should avoid rushing the child and give them time and physical space to process their feelings and respond, Choi added.

Additionally, parents could communicate via text to make their children feel comfortable, respect their need for solitude and talk to them when they were in a relaxed state.

*Ada is a pseudonym

Mainland Chinese patient first to be moved north under cross-border ambulance scheme

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

A woman injured while travelling in Hong Kong has become the first patient transferred from the city to mainland China under the Hospital Authority's cross-border ambulance pilot scheme.

The patient, who requested to continue her treatment on the mainland, was transferred from Tuen Mun Hospital to Zhuhai People's Hospital on Wednesday afternoon, according to the authority on Thursday.

A medical team at Tuen Mun Hospital assessed her condition and coordinated with Zhuhai People's Hospital to arrange the transfer.

The ambulance crossed the border without the patient needing to transfer vehicles, which the authority said reduced risks during transit, as medical staff accompanied her throughout the journey.

"Ensuring a smooth and safe cross-boundary hospital transfer process represents a breakthrough in Greater Bay Area healthcare collaboration," an authority spokesman said.

The transfer marked the first northbound operation since the Pilot Scheme for Direct Cross-boundary Ambulance Transfer in the Greater Bay Area expanded to two-way operations on March 27.

The pilot scheme was first launched on November 30, 2024.

Before Wednesday's northbound transfer, 28 patients had been transported from designated hospitals in Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Nansha and Macau to Hong Kong public hospitals for treatment.

The arrangement is part of the development framework in the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, and was a policy pledge in Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu's 2023 and 2025 policy addresses to enhance healthcare collaboration.

Under the programme, patients must be assessed by medical teams at designated hospitals on both sides of the border.

Only those with a continuing need for inpatient treatment, whose condition is relatively stable, and who are unable to cross the border on their own or transfer between ambulances at existing checkpoints, are eligible for the direct service.

Authorities said the local governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau would continue to review the scheme's effectiveness and operational experience, with patient safety and medical needs as primary considerations.

Hong Kong exports surge 43% in April, driven by strong demand for AI electronics

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Hong Kong's exports rose by nearly 43 per cent year on year in April, driven by strong global demand for artificial intelligence-related electronics, although the government warned that the Middle East war could cloud the near-term outlook.

Provisional figures released by the Census and Statistics Department on Thursday showed that the total value of exports rose by 42.9 per cent in April to HK$620.9 billion (US$79.3 billion), following a 35.8 per cent increase in March.

April's surge represents the strongest annual growth in exports the city has recorded since January 2021, when total exports jumped by 44 per cent.

Imports, meanwhile, grew by 44.4 per cent to HK$650.4 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of HK$29.5 billion for the month, equivalent to 4.5 per cent of the value of imported goods.

For the first four months of 2026 combined, total exports rose by 35 per cent compared with the same period last year, while imports grew by 38.9 per cent.

A government spokesman said that despite the strong momentum, authorities were maintaining a cautious outlook for the rest of the year.

"Looking ahead, resilient global demand for AI-related electronic products should provide continued support to Hong Kong's merchandise trade performance," he said.

"However, heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East could pose a salient risk in the near term by disrupting supply chains, driving up transport costs and undermining global demand."

Gary Ng Cheuk-yan, a senior economist at Natixis Corporate and Investment Bank, noted that Hong Kong's near-term trade performance would depend heavily on the Middle East war.

"Assuming the war ends soon, the world is still likely to face higher inflation as it takes time to rebuild energy infrastructure, which will lead to higher interest rates," Ng said.

"The trend could spark greater divergence between AI and non-AI products, meaning a mild deceleration in Hong Kong's external demand growth."

The tech sector drove the bulk of April's gains, led by electrical machinery and parts, which rose sharply by 49.5 per cent year on year to HK$105.5 billion.

Shipments of telecommunications equipment surged by 54.6 per cent to HK$26.5 billion, while those of office and data processing machines rose by 41.5 per cent to HK$25.6 billion.

In April, exports to Singapore more than doubled, soaring by 126.3 per cent. Significant gains were also recorded in shipments to Thailand, which jumped by 84.7 per cent, while exports to Taiwan and Vietnam rose by 72.7 per cent and 69.3 per cent respectively.

Traditional Western consumer markets also displayed solid momentum. Exports to the United Kingdom leapt by 88.8 per cent, shipments to Switzerland surged by 153.7 per cent, and those to the United States rose by 37.5 per cent.

Search launched after Lantau hiker goes missing amid Hong Kong heatwave

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Hong Kong authorities launched a search on Thursday for a 51-year-old man who failed to return home after setting out on a hike on Lantau Island the previous day, when the city recorded its highest temperature of the year.

The man, surnamed Chan, left home on Wednesday morning, telling his family he planned to tackle section 8 of the Lantau Trail, which connects Shek Pik Reservoir with Kau Ling Chung on the southern part of the outlying island.

But he did not return overnight, prompting his wife to call police at 8.45am on Thursday.

Rescue teams from various departments were quickly mobilised, gathering at Shek Pik Country Trail to begin the search.

The Fire Services Department deployed its mountain search and rescue team, with an ambulance on standby, while the Government Flying Service was also notified.

By the afternoon, drones were being used to help in the search around Kau Ling Chung.

Chan is about 1.7 metres tall, around 70kg in weight and of medium build.

He was last seen wearing a pair of glasses, a white long-sleeved shirt, beige trousers and black shoes and was carrying a black backpack.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to contact the Kowloon West regional missing persons unit at 3661 8039 or 9020 6543 or any police station.

On Wednesday, the Observatory recorded a maximum temperature of 33.7 degrees Celsius (92.7 Fahrenheit), the highest so far this year.

The mercury hit 33.2 degrees on Thursday.

Greater Bay Area firms 'cautious' about hiring but hybrid tech talent in demand

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Over seven in 10 regional companies operating in the Greater Bay Area are maintaining a "cautious stance" on expansion, planning to hire no more than 30 new staff over the next three to five years, a survey has found.

There is, however, strong demand in the market for hybrid professionals who can blend technology and management expertise, according to the study.

The survey was conducted between April and December last year by local recruitment firm KOS International and Guangzhou-based Sun Yat-sen University's Institute of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau Development Studies.

Polling 116 regional companies across various sectors, including traditional manufacturing, advanced manufacturing and modern services, the study found that more than 70 per cent of them planned to add no more than 30 new hires over the next three to five years.

"Most companies are maintaining a cautious stance on business expansion," institute dean Professor He Junzhi said, releasing the results on Thursday, adding that it could indicate a lack of long-term workforce planning among regional firms, which was likely to have been driven by the broader global economic downturn.

He said the survey aimed to provide the market with a comprehensive overview based on first-hand data.

The Greater Bay Area refers to the central government's initiative to link Hong Kong, Macau and nine Guangdong cities into an integrated economic and business hub.

The study also found that hybrid professionals were highly sought-after.

About 60 per cent of surveyed companies cited these dual-skilled candidates as their most pressing hiring need, far outstripping demand for purely technical staff.

Felix Chan Hoi-king, director of one-stop government platform Hong Kong Talent Engage, expressed strong confidence in the city's continued ability to attract top-tier professionals.

He pointed to Hong Kong's enduring global appeal, noting it served as a powerful platform for talent to develop careers not only locally but across the Greater Bay Area and the wider Asian region.

Chan also revealed that he would lead a delegation comprising mainland and Hong Kong enterprises to the United Kingdom later this year to attract talent.

He said recent online recruitment drives had already generated strong interest in Hong Kong-based roles, drawing applicants from as far as Australia and Southeast Asia.

University heat project cuts medical emergencies for Hong Kong's vulnerable elderly

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

A project designed to teach elderly residents how to protect themselves during extreme heat has improved their health and reduced medical emergencies, according to researchers.

Results from the first two years of the three-year "Beat the Heat" project, released by the Chinese University of Hong Kong on Thursday, showed that tailored home interventions led to a 132 per cent increase in knowledge among older residents regarding heat-related health risks, alongside a 37 per cent reduction in related illnesses.

"In a city where summers are getting hotter, it is not just the temperature that matters, it is whether an older adult has the physical reserves to cope," said Professor Jean Woo, director of the university's Jockey Club Institute of Ageing, which is leading the project.

Funded by the club's charities trust, researchers tracked the health of more than 1,500 residents with an average age of 77 living across Kwun Tong and Yau Tsim Mong - two districts where high population and building density can create an "urban heat island" effect.

Staff members from the Christian Family Service Centre and the Hong Kong Red Cross created vulnerability profiles of the participants using seven metrics: frailty, medication use, living arrangements, whether they lived alone, ability to go out independently, financial situation and age.

Those who met one to three criteria were classified as medium risk, while those meeting four to seven were flagged as high risk.

The high-risk group received three home visit services from the community organisations. During the visits, teams assessed the home environment and taught the residents heat-prevention strategies.

In Yau Tsim Mong, for example, the Hong Kong Red Cross deployed registered nurses and social workers to carry out the checks, while helping participants to declutter and make other changes to their homes, including installing air conditioners.

The project also provided maps that showed where the residents could go to cool down, partnering with elderly-friendly facilities and restaurants equipped with air conditioners in the neighbourhood for those in need.

The results indicated an 85 per cent improvement in participants' reported overall quality of life, an 84 per cent increase in them feeling cooler at home, an 82 per cent rise in emotional well-being and an 18 per cent reduction in unplanned medical consultations.

The findings come as rising global temperatures and prolonged summer heatwaves increasingly threaten the city's frail, low-income elderly residents, particularly those living in poorly ventilated subdivided flats.

Hong Kong logged 53 very hot days of 33 degrees Celsius or above in 2025, up from 52 the previous year, while hot nights where temperatures dropped no lower than 28 degrees rose from 50 to 54 over the same period.

Wong Yuk-chung, 71, a participant who has been living alone in a Yau Tsim Mong subdivided flat for a decade, said the project helped him better understand how hot weather affected his well-being.

"During summer, the indoor temperature stays at 36 degrees at night. I seldom turn on lights at night as it will only make it hotter," he said.

Wong added that his living conditions had improved after the NGO workers helped him to declutter his home and install a fan and an air conditioner, as well as an LED light.

Linda Chan, 71, who lives by herself in an old Kwun Tong public housing flat, said she was taught not to rely solely on how she physically felt to assess heat risk.

"I now have a thermometer and have learned about real risks and prevention measures," she said. "My mindset has changed too. I used to be reluctant to turn on the air conditioner to save money. But now I know that seeing a doctor when I feel ill due to the heat may cost me more."

Court jails professor who took HK$40,000 bribe to admit unqualified student

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

A Hong Kong court has sentenced a former university professor to 20 weeks in jail after he accepted a HK$40,000 (US$5,110) bribe and offered two colleagues red packets to help an unqualified student gain admission to a postgraduate programme, with the judge condemning his actions for tarnishing the city's reputation.

Liu Hongbin was sentenced on Thursday for abusing his authority as chair professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology's (HKUST) department of ocean science to help a mainland Chinese student majoring in automotive service engineering secure a conditional offer for a master's degree in environmental health and safety between March and May 2025.

The 63-year-old defendant pleaded guilty at Kwun Tong Court earlier this month to one count of conspiracy for a public servant to accept an advantage and two counts of offering an advantage to a public servant.

Defence counsel Dick Wong Chun-man on Thursday urged the court to suspend his client's jail term, highlighting positive testimonials made by the defendant's wife, colleagues, students and friends, who described Liu as a selfless and upstanding marine biologist who had devoted his life to research, teaching and public service.

Wong said the case had a devastating impact on Liu's career. The research team he had worked with for decades had been dismissed and his HK$31 million research project into ways to mitigate climate change through coastal management had collapsed.

The lawyer also said that Liu, who had spent 15 days in custody before sentencing, was willing to cooperate with the Independent Commission Against Corruption to use his case as educational material for other mainland arrivals in the future.

But acting principal magistrate May Chung Ming-sun said the former professor flouted the law and attempted to conceal his offences by asking his colleagues not to reveal the contents of the red packets he had given them.

She rejected the defence's contention that Liu reluctantly accepted the HK$40,000 bribe from his "persistent" friend due to naivety and inexperience.

"The effect of [the defendant's] conduct … must be serious and long-lasting," she said. "[It] damaged the reputation of the school and undermined public confidence in the admission process at one of Hong Kong's top universities, tarnishing the image of the city."

The court jailed Liu for 10 to 18 weeks for each charge before ordering a partial consecutive sentence, resulting in a total term of 20 weeks.

Liu, as the master's programme director at the time, was responsible for reviewing applications and interviewing candidates to determine their eligibility for the 2025-26 academic year.

He was asked by a long-time friend, insurance agent Priscilla Lam Pui-ling, to help Lin Zhengxi, a final-year student pursuing a bachelor's degree at a Shenzhen university.

Lam, 60, reportedly informed Liu that people close to Lin could pay "a few tens of thousands of dollars" in return.

Liu instructed fellow lecturer Leung Shui-yee to shortlist Lin for an interview, despite the student's irrelevant academic background and failure to meet the programme's grade point average (GPA) requirement.

The defendant told Leung to give Lin "an easy time" before the interview on April 14 last year, dismissing concerns that the student's poor English might prevent him from finishing the course.

Leung eventually gave Lin a higher interview performance rating out of respect for Liu. Combined with the defendant's favourable comments, the student secured a conditional offer from the department on May 1, 2025.

The court heard that Lam received 100,000 yuan (US$14,750) from "a person connected to Lin" on May 9 and transferred HK$40,000 to Liu's bank account three days later.

On May 23, Liu gave red packets - known as lai see in Cantonese - containing HK$5,000 and HK$1,000 to Leung and programme officer Mak Sin-yee, respectively, saying they were "a token of appreciation of their hard work".

Both recipients later surrendered the cash-filled envelopes to the department's administrative manager.

The student's application was ultimately rejected.

Lam is expected to enter a plea on June 24 for the same conspiracy offence.

Beautician who repeatedly doxxed, blackmailed ex-lover jailed for 4 years, 4 months

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

A beautician who doxxed and blackmailed a married finance director after having a brief affair with him has been sentenced to four years and four months in prison, with the Hong Kong judge condemning her exposure of the affair online and demand for HK$2.6 million (US$332,000) in payouts as "despicable".

Deputy District Judge Ivy Chui Yee-mei on Thursday handed down the sentence to Li Yanlin, who was earlier found guilty of uploading four videos to YouTube exposing her former lover's identity and personal information between May 2022 and March 2023.

The 46-year-old, originally from mainland China, was found to have exacted revenge on the man by posting allegations against him online and escalating her retaliation, causing the victim to live in fear.

"She was clearly after [the victim]'s money and put pressure on him over and over. Her aggravated actions caused him and his family great pressure," Chui said.

Li denied the four counts of doxxing and two counts of blackmail levelled against her, but Chui accepted the victim's testimony.

The court earlier heard that Li and the finance director, whose identity was concealed in the proceedings, had a brief affair in 2021 before the victim broke up with her early the following year.

While the pair were seeing each other, the victim paid off her debt of HK$800,000 and gave her a monthly allowance of HK$40,000. He later broke off the relationship and blocked Li on a messaging app after she asked him to buy her a Porsche. He said their relationship soured after her request as he realised she might be treating him as a "cash machine".

Judge Chui said the victim had clearly expressed his unwillingness to continue the relationship and refused to meet Li after their break-up, but she threatened him, saying: "All consequences are at your own risk."

In May 2022, a 10-second clip featuring a compilation of intimate photos of the pair was uploaded to YouTube. The victim's full name in Chinese and English was included in the description box.

Soon after, the victim met Li to discuss their break-up and asked her to take down the video. Li told him she had his personal information, including his mother's address, and demanded HK$600,000 from him.

The victim, who agreed to pay half of the amount in instalments, then drafted a legally binding confidentiality agreement in an effort to prevent further disclosures.

But the following month, he was alerted that Li had posted a second video on YouTube with similar content, accompanied by threatening messages. This time, she demanded HK$2 million.

The victim eventually agreed to pay half of the amount, but two more YouTube videos of the same nature were uploaded to the platform in September 2022 and March 2023.

The judge said in sentencing that the defendant had escalated her actions even after the victim had complied with her demands.

"After she received a million dollars, she still uploaded the videos. She repeatedly leveraged the material she had on the victim to manipulate his fear and weaknesses," Chui said.

She added that the defendant had not merely reacted on impulse but had planned her retaliatory actions.

Chui condemned doxxing as a "serious invasion of privacy".

"The nature of [her offences] is despicable," the judge said. "It had a profound impact on the victim and his family."

Hong Kong to set up international commercial court to tackle major cross-border disputes

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Hong Kong plans to establish an international commercial court specialising in adjudicating major cross-border disputes, a move the justice minister says will strengthen the city's role as a global legal hub under Beijing's national development plan.

The government said on Thursday that the Hong Kong International Commercial Court (HKICC) would serve as a dedicated venue for global enterprises to resolve high-value disputes amid a volatile geopolitical landscape.

The court, which will be set up as a division of the High Court within the coming year, will complement the city's existing international arbitration and mediation services.

"Amid the current complex and volatile geopolitical landscape, there is a keen demand among various economies for commercial dispute resolution platforms with international credibility," Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said.

Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok said the court would focus on complex, high-value international commercial disputes arising from cross-border transactions, international trade, finance, infrastructure and investment projects.

"The judges presiding over the cases will include not only judges from Hong Kong, but also those with high prestige and experience in such cases from other common law jurisdictions," Lam said.

A practice direction would be issued to ensure cases were handled in a timely and efficient manner, he said.

"[The government] has the utmost confidence that the HKICC, leveraging the international background of its judges and efficient litigation procedures, will not only deliver authoritative and convincing rulings for the cases it hears, but also make significant contributions through its jurisprudence to the development of international commercial law," Lam said.

The initiative aligns with the latest national five-year plan, which outlines support for Hong Kong to enhance its status as an international financial, shipping and trade centre, as well as a hub for legal and dispute resolution services.

Lee emphasised that the city was the only common law jurisdiction in the country and offered a legal framework for commerce and trade that was internationally compatible and trusted by global investors.

"The establishment of the HKICC fully demonstrates Hong Kong's unique advantages under 'one country, two systems' of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world," he said.

While arbitration and mediation had developed in recent years, litigation remained an indispensable means of resolving disputes, the government said.

"This will further enhance the international competitiveness of Hong Kong's legal and dispute resolution services, propelling Hong Kong to a higher level of development in international dispute resolution services," Lee said.

The Bar Association welcomed the establishment of the court, saying it would further strengthen Hong Kong's position as a key international dispute resolution centre.

"The HKICC will not only ensure that international commercial disputes are handled by a specialist tribunal in Hong Kong applying the common law, but will also allow Hong Kong's other dispute resolution services including arbitration and mediation to be considered and/or utilised alongside it," it said.

Legal sector lawmaker Nicholas Chan Hiu-fung noted that commercial activities, spanning commodities and gold trading to cross-border investment and financial technology, were becoming increasingly complex.

These sectors, along with projects under Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative, required an efficient platform to handle conflicts, the legal professional added.

Chan said that together with existing local institutions, Hong Kong could offer the international business community a more comprehensive, diverse and reliable range of dispute resolution services.

These institutions include the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre, the International Organisation for Mediation and the AALCO (Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization) Hong Kong Regional Arbitration Centre, which Chan directs.

They would soon be joined by the regional liaison office of the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law.

Chan said that placing the new institution under the High Court would allow for the more flexible use of appellate judges.

Additional thought should be given to studying how experienced local practitioners could play a more active role in supporting the court by assisting in specialist matters in temporary or expert capacities, he added.

"This would not only help enhance efficiency and reduce delays, but also further develop and showcase the professional strengths of Hong Kong's legal community in international commercial dispute resolution," Chan said.

Lawmaker Holden Chow Ho-ding, vice-chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said the new institution could made good use of the High Court's existing resources.

"Through the establishment of the international commercial court, Hong Kong can also continue to provide new precedents and legal judgments from its courts on complex international commercial cases, contributing to the development and evolution of common law and consolidating Hong Kong's position in the entire global common law system," Chow, who is also a lawyer, said.

"Given the large sums involved, such complex international and cross-border commercial disputes often entail high litigation costs and have far-reaching impacts on the rights and interests of the parties concerned.

"I hope the judiciary will announce more details later and set out, through practice directions, the breakdown of case types that can be handled, the entry threshold and the appeal mechanism, so as to help the industry and potential parties grasp them early."

Merge Hong Kong's 2 cross-boundary ferry piers to optimise capacity, lawmakers urge

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Lawmakers have urged transport authorities to merge Hong Kong's two cross-boundary ferry piers to optimise capacity and cater to the rising demand from luxury yachts, amid growing alternative transport options for travelling to mainland China.

Their comments came on Thursday after the China Ferry Terminal and the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal recorded a 6.5 per cent year-on-year drop to 7.74 million passengers in 2025, with the transport secretary stressing that "prudent examination" was needed regarding any integration or restructuring.

Transport sector lawmaker Lothair Lam Ming-fung said the drop in numbers could be largely attributed to the different ways in which residents could travel to the mainland, including the high-speed rail, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge and the city's other land border crossings.

"The government said the manpower deployment at cross-border facilities would not be lowered as a result of reduced passengers. I think from the government's perspective, that's not entirely appropriate. It's wasting public resources," he told a radio programme on Thursday.

Lam suggested merging the two piers and consolidating all routes to the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan to free up the China Ferry Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui for other uses.

"I suggest it could host small and medium-sized passenger ships or ocean-going superyachts. The China Ferry Terminal has existing immigration and customs facilities and would be able to welcome these visitors to Hong Kong," he added.

They could access the city centre, shopping district and tourist area upon disembarkation, Lam said, as the terminal had the capacity to host 200- to 300-tonne superyachts and small to medium-sized cruise ships.

He estimated the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal would be able to handle traffic from both piers because its passenger throughput had not returned to pre-pandemic levels, meaning that there was still leeway to take on more routes.

Fellow legislator Perry Yiu Pak-leung said there was a need for the government to conduct a review of the two terminals, as he foresaw continued declines in passenger numbers, and that ferries were becoming less competitive in terms of cost and flexibility.

"The review I am talking about here is on the pier amenities and alighting facilities for the entire Victoria Harbour," Yiu said. "[The China Ferry Terminal] could work for yacht tourism. The vessels would not necessarily be docking there, but passengers could disembark for customs clearance." Fewer

He added that the review could include the West Kowloon Cultural District - home to the Hong Kong Palace Museum, M+ museum, Xiqu Centre and other arts facilities - which could bring more people to the promenades of Victoria Harbour and boost the economy.

Yiu said the Tsim Sha Tsui terminal should retain its customs facilities as there was still demand for ferry services. But he proposed using automated immigration clearance technology to reduce the need for manpower.

Currently, the two terminals are managed by the government and provide a total of eight cross-boundary ferry routes connecting Hong Kong, Macau and mainland Chinese cities.

Gary Ng Cheuk-yan, a senior economist at Natixis Corporate and Investment Bank, said the government would need to work out how much money could be saved with the merger and whether the capacity could handle the existing demand afterwards.

"The economic benefits of what the terminals could be used for need to be factored into the calculation as well because those are the opportunity costs and whether those could bring about other developments in the area," Ng said.

Ng said that using the China Ferry Terminal for yachts was "not a bad idea" if the needs of ferry passengers were catered to in Sheung Wan and that the logistics for the vessels had been planned accordingly.

The China Ferry Terminal opened in 1988 and the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal in 1985 at a time when transport options between the city, Macau and mainland cities were limited. There were fewer border crossings and the high-speed rail and the mega bridge connecting the three places had not yet been built.

Hong Kong civil servants in line for pay rises of up to 4.12%, survey shows

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Hong Kong's civil servants are in line for wage increases of up to 4.12 per cent this year, according to preliminary results from a pay trend survey, while 10 per cent of underperformers are set to be denied increments under a revamped appraisal system.

The findings, based on data from 104 private companies and released on Thursday by the government, indicate pay increases of 4.12 per cent for senior civil servants, 2.64 per cent for middle-ranking staff and 1.17 per cent for junior employees.

Asked whether a pay rise for staff following the deadly Tai Po fire would trigger a public backlash, Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan stressed that most government employees were professional, efficient and devoted.

"As for social sentiments, I think public reaction and acceptance of the proposed policy decision are factors the Executive Council will take into account when making decisions," she said.

Yeung also announced plans to introduce a more rigorous performance appraisal system in October.

The bottom 10 per cent of performers in a service grade will not be eligible for a salary point increment. But they may still receive a pay rise in their original salary point.

Yeung said the 10 per cent benchmark served as a guideline, with a 5 per cent buffer to be applied depending on departmental circumstances, particularly where more staff performed satisfactorily.

She added that in professional grades and those with smaller staff numbers, the proportion of employees not receiving a salary point increment could be further reduced if department heads provided explanations.

Of Hong Kong's about 170,000 civil servants, only 94 were denied a salary point increment due to unsatisfactory performance over the past five years.

Civil service pay scales are expressed as a range of points. Subject to performance, civil servants normally advance one increment a year within their respective rank scales until they reach the maximum point. Upon promotion, they will advance to the pay scale of the rank they have been promoted to.

Yeung also said the government would encourage departments to establish assessment panels to review appraisals and ensure consistent and fair grading.

"Under the more rigorous appraisal mechanism, underperforming staff will be identified more effectively, while high performers will receive higher ratings," Yeung said.

"This will enable departments to clearly distinguish staff performance and potential, supporting better decisions on promotion, talent development and training."

The pay trend survey is one of six factors the Executive Council considers when determining annual pay adjustments for civil servants.

Other factors include the state of the economy, the cost of living, the government's fiscal position, staff pay claims and civil service morale.

Addressing public concerns, Yeung added: "Of course, there are some civil servants at various levels whose performance is less than ideal and could be improved.

"The most important thing is to effectively utilise existing mechanisms to address these cases."

She said the government would also offer training to help underperforming employees improve.

The government froze civil servants' pay last financial year due to its budget deficit and did not conduct a survey.

In 2024, the survey suggested increases of 4.01 per cent for senior civil servants, 4.32 per cent for middle-ranking staff and 5.47 per cent for junior employees, before the Executive Council approved a flat 3 per cent rise.

This year's pay adjustment comes against the backdrop of malpractice in multiple government departments exposed during hearings into last November's deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, which claimed 168 lives.

Leung Chau-ting, chairman of the Federation of Civil Service Unions, said that while a subdued job market might justify a modest proposed pay rise for mid-level and junior staff, the government should approve a 3 per cent increase across the board.

He pointed to last year's salary freeze and the below-trend indicators adjustment the previous year, urging the authorities to make up for the shortfall.

"[The government] needs to restore the morale of the civil service. The government is currently cutting its establishment, the number of staff has decreased, but the workload has not," Leung said.

He also rejected suggestions that civil servants should be denied a pay rise after the Tai Po fire, highlighting their dedication in addressing the aftermath, and noted that malpractice only involved a small minority.

Leung also urged the authorities to establish an appeal mechanism for those who were denied a pay increment.

Lawmaker Nixie Lam Lam, vice-chairwoman of the legislature's public service panel, noted that civil servants' salary growth lagged behind inflation and private sector adjustments in recent years.

However, she also warned of the volatile geopolitical environment and the surge of global fuel prices, which generated external uncertainties, calling on the authorities to thoroughly consider macroeconomic risks when deciding on the final pay adjustment.

Lam also described the new appraisal mechanism as balanced and pragmatic, aimed at avoiding destabilising public service stability while breaking the traditional "good man" culture.

She urged the government to strengthen complementary measures, such as regular training and upskilling programmes, amid the impact of artificial intelligence, to support civil servants in developing their capabilities.

Hong Kong drainage project suspended after worker struck by chain hoist dies

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Hong Kong authorities have suspended a drainage replacement project in Kowloon after a contractor's worker died in an industrial accident.

The worker, 68, was struck by an electric chain hoist at a site on Yen Chow Street in Sham Shui Po on Wednesday afternoon. He was taken to Princess Margaret Hospital in a critical condition and later died at about 11.30pm.

A government spokesman said on Thursday that Ringo Mok Wing-cheong, director of drainage services, had asked the contractor to provide appropriate help to the victim's family and expressed his deepest condolences.

The department also told the contractor to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident, suspend related works and carry out safety checks.

The incident follows other industrial deaths in Hong Kong this month, including a lift technician struck by falling metal while working inside a shaft on May 4 and an air-conditioner repairman who fell from a building on May 19.

The evolution of Hong Kong's independent common law

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

It is very often said that the common law is one of Hong Kong's greatest assets. It provides us with a corpus of law which shares common origins with those of many established jurisdictions. It enables conversations to take place between our legal professionals and with our counterparts elsewhere.

As the only common law jurisdiction with both Chinese and English as official languages used in court, Hong Kong is the connection between China and the common law world.

But what exactly is the Hong Kong common law?

The term "the common law" can refer to a number of different things. It takes its meaning from context. One meaning of the "common law", in particular when juxtaposed against statutes or written law, is the body of rules derived from case precedents.

Case law is a very important source of law in common law systems. It took me quite some time as a young law student to come to terms with this. Essentially, the idea is that written laws will not cover all aspects of human activity, and where the answer to a case is not provided by a written law, judges - as organs of the state exercising coercive power to adjudicate disputes - must decide what is right.

They explain their reasons in judgments, and courts which come after them will endeavour to ensure that the law is coherent and consistent, so that what was regarded as a good reason for a conclusion in a previous case should also be a good reason for the same conclusion in subsequent cases.

Of course, the rules of precedent (in Latin stare decisis) are a little more complex than my rudimentary summary above. But the broad idea remains that the common law places much importance on "authority", that is, what authoritative courts have ruled in the past. Authoritative determinations by higher courts should bind subsequent and lower courts. This promotes consistency, accessibility and rationality in the law.

What, then, is "authority" for present day Hong Kong? For historical reasons, many of our common law principles are derived from decisions in England and Wales or the wider United Kingdom. Indeed, before 1997, final appeals from Hong Kong were heard by the Privy Council in London, and their decisions were part of Hong Kong law. They were and are binding on all Hong Kong courts.

What about overseas, in particular, English authorities in post-1997 Hong Kong? There was some confusion on their status until recently.

The Court of Final Appeal clarified the position in their judgment in Wong Chi Hung v Lo Wing Pun & another [2026] HKCFA 14 handed down last month.

The facts and actual determinations of the case, interesting for other reasons, are not relevant for present purposes. What matters is what the Chief Justice, with the agreement of the entire court, said in paragraphs 23 to 32 of the judgment.

In summary, the Chief Justice explained that with regard to UK decisions, only decisions of the Privy Council before July 1, 1997, on appeals from Hong Kong are binding in Hong Kong, subject to subsequent departure by the Court of Final Appeal.

All other UK decisions are not binding, though the cogency of the reasoning may mean that they will be followed. That is also true for decisions, including those of their highest courts, in common law jurisdictions such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Singapore. No particular jurisdiction is accorded any special status by reason of the provenance of its authorities.

In particular, the Chief Justice said in paragraph 31 that "the constitutional provisions of the Basic Law concerning the sources of the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, namely Articles 8, 18(1) and 84, also establish conclusively that the common law applied in Hong Kong is the common law of Hong Kong, and not that of England and Wales, nor that of any other common law jurisdiction".

The Hong Kong common law is therefore an independent body of law, although we benefit substantially from the wisdom of other common law jurisdictions too.

One of the many happy things about being a barrister is that we take part in shaping our law. As my friend and colleague Victor Dawes SC observed in this column last week, the common law develops incrementally through advocates presenting to judges, in open exchanges, our best efforts on what the law is or what it should be. Through arguments in court, we contribute in our small way to the development of Hong Kong's own common law.

Bernard Man SC is the current chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association's committee on land, trust and probate and a civil litigator.

Legal Tales is a weekly column by senior members of the Hong Kong Bar Association presenting their perspectives on current affairs.

3 scientists win Hong Kong's Shaw Prize for developing therapy for rare leukaemia

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Three life scientists from mainland China and France have won Hong Kong's Shaw Prize for developing a therapy that has turned a rare form of leukaemia from deadly to widely curable.

Professor Emerita Anne Dejean, Professor Hugues de The and Professor Chen Zhu have won in equal shares the life sciences and medicine prize of the Shaw Prize, which has been dubbed the "Nobel Prize of the East".

The three academics were recognised for their discovery of the molecular and cellular bases of acute promyelocytic leukaemia, a rare and aggressive form of blood cancer, as well as pioneering a synergistic targeted therapy that greatly reduced the mortality of the disease.

Dejean, of the Institut Pasteur in France, de The of the College de France and Chen of Shanghai Jiao Tong University's school of medicine, were previously given the Sjoberg award from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for their work on acute promyelocytic leukaemia in 2018.

For the Sjoberg award, the three scientists were honoured for their targeted treatment using retinoic acid and arsenic, instead of traditional chemotherapy, to treat the rare form of leukaemia.

The scientists had mapped out the molecular mechanisms of the cancer, identified a specific genetic mutation and helped destroy a faulty protein in affected cells to stop a process that could result in death for three out of four patients.

With this treatment, the cancer cells disappear because they lose the ability to renew themselves.

Discoveries for this treatment have been made progressively since the 1980s.

The Shaw Prize was established by the late entertainment mogul Run Run Shaw and has been awarded annually to individuals since 2004 for their outstanding contributions in three categories: astronomy, life science and medicine, and mathematical sciences.

Each prize consists of a medal, a certificate and a monetary award of US$1.2 million.

The winners of this year's astronomy prize were Emeritus Professor and visiting senior scientist Ken'ichi Nomoto of the University of Tokyo and Professor Stanford Woosley of the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Both physicists were awarded in equal share for their studies of stellar explosions and the origin of the elements.

The prize in mathematical sciences went in equal shares to Emmanuel Candes of Stanford University and Camillo De Lellis of the Institute for Advanced Study in the United States.

They were awarded for their breakthrough contributions to the use of techniques from mathematical analysis to applied problems in information theory, signal processing and statistics, and the study of singularities in geometric measure theory and fluid dynamics.

Stamp of approval sought on HK$4.6 billion lifeline for struggling Hongkong Post

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Hong Kong authorities are seeking to inject HK$4.6 billion (US$587 million) into the government-owned postal service provider to sustain its operations for the next three years, following eight years of losses and declining mail volume.

A document submitted to the Legislative Council on Wednesday by the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau showed a bruising fiscal trajectory for the Post Office Trading Fund (POTF) of Hongkong Post since 2017-18.

Self-financing since 1995, Hongkong Post has recorded eight consecutive annual deficits, accumulating nearly HK$2.9 billion in losses. That stands in stark contrast to its 1997-98 peak profit of HK$1.23 billion.

The bureau said Hongkong Post faced major operational shifts, as geopolitical developments had reshaped global postal services and electronic communication had permanently reduced demand for traditional mail.

"The rapid development of the e-commerce industry has resulted in the influx of commercial logistics operators into the market, who possess substantial resources to build their own logistics networks and delivery teams, and are capable of offering point-to-point delivery services at more competitive prices," the bureau said.

"In comparison, Hongkong Post is operating at higher costs, which is compounded by costs driven by external factors, including the higher transport fees charged by carriers and terminal dues charged by other postal administrations, making it difficult to significantly reduce costs within a short time frame."

It added that the mail volume handled by Hongkong Post had decreased by an average rate of about 7 per cent per year from 2019-20 to 2024-25, culminating in a 44 per cent drop that was "expected to continue or even worsen in the years to come".

"Based on current mail volume trends and revenue and expenditure forecasts, POTF's cash reserves can only cover Hongkong Post's operating expenses for less than a year," the bureau said.

It stressed that the injection was a necessary short-term lifeline to protect public services while the department used its trading fund status to aggressively step up cost-saving and revenue-generating measures.

Of the proposed HK$4.6 billion capital infusion, about HK$4.09 billion would be provided as an operational lifeline over three financial years from 2027-28 to keep postal services running smoothly.

The remaining HK$510 million would be injected upfront in the 2026-27 financial year to fund a scaled-down, cost-effective structural refurbishment of the existing Air Mail Centre at the airport.

The refurbishment scheme will update existing building structures and introduce an automated storage and retrieval network integrated with digital customs clearance technology.

Looking ahead, authorities said they planned to pivot towards high-potential e-commerce postal markets to hedge against the continued decline in traditional mail.

The bureau said Hongkong Post was "actively exploring emerging markets", focusing on developing postal logistics business in regions with development potential including belt and road, Asean and Middle Eastern countries.

Belt and road countries are key partners of the Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing's plan to grow global trade.

The bureau added that the postal service provider would deepen regional cooperation with China Post to handle cross-boundary demand within the Greater Bay Area.

The bay area refers to a central government scheme to link the cities of Hong Kong, Macau, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Zhongshan, Dongguan, Huizhou, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing into an economic and business powerhouse.

Lawmakers are scheduled to discuss the matter next Tuesday at a meeting of the panel on economic development.

Blade concealed between Citybus double-decker seats sparks police probe

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Hong Kong police are investigating after a blade was discovered between two seats on a Citybus double-decker, the second such case reported in recent days.

A male passenger alerted the driver of the route 37A bus, which travels from Pok Fu Lam's Chi Fu Fa Yuen to Central, at about 5.20pm on Wednesday that the box cutter had been found on the upper deck.

Police officers boarded the bus when it stopped outside Pacific Place in Admiralty and seized the item. The box cutter measured about 13cm (5.11 inches), with a 1cm extendable blade. No passengers were injured.

The force classified the case as attempted wounding with intent. The Central district crime squad is investigating the incident.

A Citybus spokesman said the company was cooperating fully with law enforcement.

On Saturday, a woman travelling on Citybus route 15C was pricked by a sewing needle hidden in the back of a seat.

The vehicle stopped along Man Kwong Street in Central, and she was taken to Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam for treatment.

The case was classified as attempted wounding with intent.

Hong Kong eyes Central Asian listings as HKEX CEO pitches city's deep liquidity

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Hong Kong is an excellent option for Central Asian companies considering secondary listings to raise funds for expansion due to its deep liquidity, as the city eyes rapidly growing markets in the region, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) CEO Bonnie Chan Yiting has said.

Chan, who will join a high-level delegation led by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in early June, also said the city's bourse was "definitely" eyeing closer collaboration with its counterparts in the region.

"We want to make sure that we are a very accessible market when it comes to global companies wanting to explore accessing a deeper capitalising platform," she said.

Kazakhstan, a key belt and road partner, is Central Asia's largest economy and an emerging financial hub, with its gross domestic product reaching US$302.7 billion last year.

Last September, the Development Bank of Kazakhstan issued a 2 billion yuan (US$280.8 million) bond in Hong Kong, the first listed in the city by a Central Asian state-owned enterprise.

Tungsten mining company Jiaxin International Resources also debuted on both the Hong Kong and Kazakhstani stock exchanges - the first such dual-listing for the country - last year.

Citing this development, Chan said she looked forward to deepening connections with local companies during the visit and hoped the partnership forged last year would multiply given it was no longer starting "from zero to one".

She highlighted the rapid economic growth in the region.

Kazakhstan's economy grew by 6.5 per cent last year and Uzbekistan's by 7.7 per cent.

Chan expected more companies from the region would list in Hong Kong in the coming years, calling it an "inevitable trend".

She said businesses typically considered their home countries for their first listing given their familiarity with the system.

"As it continuously scales up, [a company] may need to frequently return to the capital markets - whether through seasoned equity offerings or debt issuance," she said.

She noted that companies at such a stage of development would need a market with greater depth and one that offered access to a broad pool of investors to launch a secondary listing.

"I believe the HKEX offers an excellent option because we have substantial depth and liquidity," she said, noting the average daily turnover of the bourse had hit HK$270 billion (US$34.5 billion) so far this year.

Kazakhstan has set up the Astana International Financial Centre, a special economic zone in its capital, positioning itself as a financial gateway for Chinese investment seeking entry into Central Asian and Eurasian markets amid Beijing's expanding Belt and Road Initiative.

It is home to the Astana International Exchange, the first stock exchange in Central Asia to offer market-oriented, diversified and localised financing platforms to attract international capital and companies.

The financial centre uses English common law, which is not applied elsewhere in the country.

Acknowledging that the regulatory regime in Central Asia might not yet be aligned with the city, Chan said HKEX had been planning ahead to pave the way for closer partnerships with its counterparts around the world, such as accepting some of them as recognised stock exchanges.

"I would say that naturally joining hands and creating a deeper liquidity pool, which is accessible by all of us, is better than having a very fragmented set of exchanges, each with not deep enough liquidity," she said.

"We will continue to work on increasing the inclusivity of our recognised stock exchange lists."

Johnson Chui, HKEX's head of global issuer services, who recently returned from a trip to Astana, highlighted Hong Kong's superconnector role for Central Asian economies.

He also noted that the Astana International Exchange partly traded in renminbi as well.

More than 30 Hong Kong business leaders from sectors ranging from logistics to innovation and technology will join Lee in the largest delegation of his administration, alongside about 30 entrepreneurs from 10 provinces, cities and autonomous regions in mainland China.

The mainland representatives cover industries such as energy, mining, high-end manufacturing and carmaking.

Hong Kong 'Happy Ghost' actress Lo Ming-chu dies at 47 in 2016 - SCMP archive

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Hong Kong 'Happy Ghost' actress Sheree Lo dies after suffering heart attack

By Christy Leung

This article was first published on May 27, 2016

Former Hong Kong actress Sheree Lo Ming-chu died from a sudden heart attack on Friday morning.

The news shocked many of her friends and supporters as the 47-year-old film star had been in good health with no signs of illness. Several of Lo's relatives appeared sad after identifying the body at Victoria Public Mortuary in Kennedy Town on Saturday morning.

Lo, who was previously known as Bonnie and was best remembered for her role in the 1980s popular comedy Happy Ghost, was found collapsed in her Residence Bel-Air apartment near Cyberport at around 3am on Friday. The star was certified dead from heart failure shortly after she was sent to Queen Mary Hospital for treatment.

A police source close to the investigation said officers had picked up medication from her flat, including diet pills.

"It is unclear if the tablets had triggered the heart attack. We need to wait for the autopsy report to figure it out," the source said.

The star's uncle, Lo Kwok-wah, told the Chinese-language media that Sheree had been filming online movies lately and was trying to reduce weight for her latest role.

The actress was last seen at Leon Lai's concert in Central on April 29.

Entering show biz at the age of just 15, Lo was a household name in the 1980s and early 90s.

She made her screen debut in Raymond Wong Bak-ming's 1984 comedy, Happy Ghost, which later became a big hit. Acting as a teen girl called Bonnie who befriends a scholar ghost, the young actress captured millions of hearts with her bubbly personality.

Together with co-stars Loletta Lee Lai-chun, Sandy Lamb Shan-shan and May Lo Mei-mei, the girls were widely known as the "Happy Girls" as the first generation of modern Hong Kong film stars.

Lo quit the industry to study in Canada in 1988. She worked in finance when she returned to Hong Kong.

'We'll be a museum': EU heavyweights back industrial accelerator as China shock fears grow

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Major EU members offered qualified support for the bloc's flagship industrial plans on Thursday in the first debate over a proposal that has deepened tensions with China.

Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Poland all accepted the broad parameters of the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), which would put strict conditions on investments into the union from China and other countries, even as they quibbled over red tape, timescales and how open the plan should be to non-EU members.

Proposed in March, the act is the crystallisation of what some call a "reverse Deng", after former Chinese paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, whose efforts to draw foreign manufacturing are often credited with kick-starting China's economic miracle.

Decades later, the EU wants to force companies looking to invest in Europe, while they tap public subsidies, procurement markets and fast-track permitting, to meet stringent terms, many of which mirror those Beijing used for decades.

In sectors like electric vehicles and batteries, firms would be required to establish joint ventures with local partners; transfer technology and know-how to such partners; conduct research and development in Europe; and abide by strict local supply-chain laws.

At the bloc's competitiveness council on Thursday, supportive member states warned that the emergency facing EU industry meant there was no time for dawdling.

"The IAA can't enter into force in three years' time because there won't be anything left to protect by then," said Adolfo Urso, Italy's business minister, referring to the transition period prescribed by the proposal.

"If we do that, we should call it the industrial decelerator act … we'd have to change the title," Urso added. "We will just be a museum for people to come and visit from other continents and nothing else."

Capitals jostled over whether countries with which the EU has free-trade agreements should be given preferential access to the plan. The core of the argument could be boiled down to whether it should be "made in Europe" or "made with Europe".

"Looking at our citizens, how can we explain that 'made in Europe' looks like this, if we tell them it means the EU and around 90 countries?" asked Sebastien Martin, the French minister delegate for industry, as he clutched a world map showing countries that have trade deals with the bloc.

"Why would a business set up production if they could go to Vietnam or somewhere else far, far away and get the same subsidies?" Martin continued. "Which European jobs would we be preserving?"

"Made in Europe should be coming to Europe, building in Europe. It shouldn't mean that we're opening to absolutely everybody."

Others, including Poland and Sweden, said the plan should be adopted without alienating "trusted partners".

With Beijing vowing strong retaliation, speculation has swirled over the position of Germany, China's biggest trade and investment partner in Europe by a distance.

This week, before travelling to China, Economy Minister Katherina Reiche said German exports should not be sacrificed for Brussels' de-risking plans, a sentiment suggesting fear of Chinese retaliation runs deep in Berlin.

That said, Frank Wetzel, state secretary at the German economic affairs ministry, said his country "supports" the plan and that it "explicitly welcomes the made-in-Europe approach".

But Berlin was one of several capitals to insist that there should be no additional regulatory burden placed on EU companies, many of which complain that red tape is stifling efforts to compete with the United States and China.

Spain, which has become an investment hub for Chinese EV and battery firms, said it supported the IAA's tenets to ensure that these created value and jobs locally.

"We need to make sure the European economy is open but at the same time that we have to make sure FDI ensures local industrial capacity, qualified jobs, transfer of technology and knowledge," said Fernando Sampedro, Spanish state secretary for the EU.

On the eve of a rare debate of the EU's 27 commissioners about China, during which the officials are expected to support the use of emergency tariffs and quotas, the bloc's industry chief, Stephane Sejourne, sought to emphasise the severity of the challenge Europe was facing.

"I'm talking about China's industrial domination, which is not an accident. It's the outcome of decades of state subsidies and non-reciprocal market access," the Frenchman said.

"Its share of a global manufacturing industry has grown from 6 per cent only in 2000 to 30 per cent nowadays, and in that same time period Europe's share decreased from 21 per cent, which it was in 2000, to 14 per cent nowadays," added Sejourne, who called the data a "very brutal reminder that Europe can't allow itself to be excessively reliant on distant supply chains for our critical goods".

While the IAA has torn a new rift in the EU-China relationship, it is but one of many tools and probes the bloc is using to try and counter what it sees as the ills emanating from the Chinese economy.

On Thursday, Brussels announced a one-two jab against Chinese business giants Temu and JD.com, as it continues to flex a more muscular economic policy.

Temu was fined 200 million euros (US$232 million) under the bloc's Digital Services Act for failing to "diligently identify, analyse and assess the systemic risks of illegal products being offered on its platform".

The commission launched an in-depth investigation under its foreign subsidies regulation, meanwhile, into e-commerce giant JD.com's US$2.5 billion takeover of German retailer Ceconomy.

"A preliminary investigation indicates that JD.com may have received foreign subsidies distorting the EU internal market. These include preferential financing, tax incentives and grants provided by entities possibly attributable to the PRC," a commission statement read, referring to China by the initials of its official name.

Huawei and scientists build 2D parallel computing chip that rewrites Moore's Law

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Chinese researchers, in collaboration with Huawei Technologies, have built the world's first parallel processor using a two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor.

As silicon devices approach their physical size limits, Moore's Law - the observation that computing power doubles roughly every two years, while the cost of computers is cut in half - is hitting a wall.

But two-dimensional materials such as molybdenum disulfide are naturally atom-thin, allowing electrons to move stably and efficiently and making them strong candidates to sustain Moore's Law.

A team from Nanjing University's School of Integrated Circuits, together with Huawei, created the first molybdenum disulfide-based multi-bit parallel microprocessor. Their work was published in Nature Electronics on Tuesday.

The device - called Mengqi-1000, or Magic-1000 in English - achieved record-breaking integration density, a measure of how many transistors can be packed onto a microchip.

According to Nanjing University professor Shi Yi, this development shows that China is not only a leader in fundamental 2D semiconductor research but is also carving a path towards mass production through collaboration with industry.

The Mengqi-1000 uses the RISC instruction set, a standard architecture designed for highly efficient command processing. It also integrates a full set of core modules including an instruction decoder, register file and arithmetic logic unit.

Manufactured with a 0.5-micron process, it packs 1,433 molybdenum disulfide transistors into a tiny area, reaching a density of 9,336 transistors per square millimetre - an order of magnitude higher than previous records and comparable to mature silicon chips at the same node.

For the first time in a 2D semiconductor, the chip supports parallel multi-bit data input and output. It runs at up to 43 kilohertz (kHz) and integrates the register file directly on the chip, avoiding off-chip memory delays.

The team's success relied on a multilevel collaborative optimisation method. They controlled transistor uniformity from the material stage, replaced the traditional two-row layout with a three-row layout to balance noise margin and area, and developed a noise-margin-based yield tool for logic synthesis.

They also used a hybrid approach - interconnects made in a foundry first, with transistors added later in the lab - to protect the thin channel. This end-to-end optimisation pushed yield and performance high enough to build a working microprocessor.

Earlier this month, Huawei proposed the Tau Scaling Law, a new chip design principle that shifts the focus from making transistors smaller to making the whole system faster. The Mengqi-1000 is the first major test case for this idea, dramatically improving transistor density and reducing chip area and production cost.

According to the paper, Zhao Chunsong led the Huawei team that contributed to substrate fabrication before the molybdenum disulfide transfer.

The Mengqi‑1000 is not an isolated achievement. Over the past two years, China has advanced rapidly in 2D semiconductors.

In 2024, multiple teams achieved wafer-scale single-crystal molybdenum disulfide growth on commercial-sized silicon wafers and flexible films.

Last year, a team at Peking University built transistor arrays from indium selenide that outperformed top silicon chips.

Also in 2025, a group at Fudan University created the first 32-bit RISC‑V microprocessor made from 2D semiconductors. RISC-V is a type of free and open processor design. The same team also released the world's first 2D semiconductor FPGA chip - a type of chip that can be rewired after it is made, allowing engineers to change its function.

The Mengqi‑1000 brings these separate advances together into a complete system, achieving multi-bit parallel computation and on-chip register file integration for the first time to turn the concept of a 2D chip into a true stand-alone processor.

China slams US commander's 'dagger' label for South Korea

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

China has criticised the commander of the US Forces Korea (USFK) after he described South Korea as a "dagger" and Japan as a "shield" in countering China's growing regional influence.

This comes as Washington seeks to expand the scope of its South Korea-based command for a greater presence across the Indo-Pacific in what Beijing views as an effort to contain it.

During a podcast interview hosted by the US Army War College on May 22, USFK Commander Xavier Brunson said that when looking from the east coast of China, South Korea was "the dagger in the heart of Asia".

He also described Japan as a "shield" or "backstop" for China's ambitions in the South China Sea, according to an interview transcript.

It follows Brunson's depiction of South Korea as looking like a "fixed aircraft carrier" between Japan and China while speaking at a forum in Hawaii in May last year, according to a report by Korea JoongAng Daily.

The Chinese embassy in South Korea said on Thursday it wanted to "solemnly warn" Brunson that his remarks had crossed the line, according to the mission's social media account.

"Are your hostile and aggressive remarks about China authorised by Washington, or are you trying to challenge the consensus reached at the Beijing meeting between the Chinese and US leaders?" a representative for the embassy was quoted as saying.

"You refer to the host country as an 'aircraft carrier' or a 'dagger'. Does this demonstrate your belligerence, or do you intend to use other countries as pawns?"

The remarks from Brunson came just two weeks after US President Donald Trump's state visit to Beijing and summit meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The Chinese embassy noted the state visit and the consensus reached during the talks to build a constructive and stable US-China relationship, which it said was in line with the expectations of the international community.

The embassy also stated that Chinese and South Korean leaders had had successful visits with each other since the end of 2025.

"Perhaps a minority do not wish to see a stable development in Sino-US relations, nor do they wish to see a positive development in Sino-South Korean relations," the embassy representative said.

The 28,500-strong USFK, an overseas American military command, helps implement a mutual defence treaty between South Korea and the United States.

In his remarks at the Hawaii forum last year, Brunson said the USFK's presence in Korea "changes the calculations of leaders" of North Korea, Russia and China, and "gives our adversaries pause", according to Korea JoongAng Daily.

While the USFK was originally dedicated to defending South Korea and maintaining stability on the Korean peninsula, there have been increasing indications that the force is shifting its strategic focus towards deterring China's growing influence over the Indo-Pacific.

Earlier this year, Elbridge Colby, the US undersecretary of defence for policy, hinted at a shift in focus to the "first island chain", a string of islands that runs from Japan through Taiwan and to the Philippines.

Beijing's relations with Tokyo have sharply deteriorated following remarks by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to the Japanese parliament in November that suggested a Taiwan conflict could justify a military response from Japan.

Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US, Japan and South Korea, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.

During the podcast last week, Brunson also made note of the Philippines and said the US' triangle of allies in the region could be sewn into a "kill web" to prevent escalation into war.

Tensions have also escalated in the contested South China Sea between Beijing and rival Southeast Asian claimants. This is particularly true for the Philippines, which has seen repeated vessel clashes with China near disputed areas.

Beijing praises actress Lin Chi-ling for quitting Taiwan culture board

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Chinese authorities praised the decision of Taiwanese actress and model Lin Chi-ling to quit her position as a new board member of the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA), after her appointment drew backlash.

Chen Binhua, a spokesman for Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a press conference on Wednesday that the TAICCA had orchestrated and funded films and television productions in recent years that "distort history and hype the 'mainland threat'".

"It serves as a political tool for the Democratic Progressive Party to advance 'cultural Taiwan independence' and incite anti-China sentiments," Chen said, referring to Taiwan's ruling party.

"It is wise for figures in Taiwan's cultural and artistic circles to recognise the true nature of these agencies and draw a clear boundary."

Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the United States, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-ruled island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.

On May 13, the TAICCA said in a press release that Lin had been appointed a member of its board, along with producer Liu Szu-ming and Golden Horse Award-winning actress Chen Shiang-chyi.

The move was meant to bring "diverse professional perspectives" to the board, helping to drive the industrialisation and internationalisation of Taiwanese cultural content, the agency said.

"Lin has navigated the Asia-Pacific entertainment industry for over two decades. She stands as Taiwan's most iconic figure in exporting pop culture globally, with a multifaceted career as a model, actress and host," the statement said.

"We hope she can channel her powers not only on the stage but also to empower more Taiwanese content to reach the screen and shine across the world."

The announcement sparked criticism from Taiwan's arts and culture community, with critics citing Lin's pro-Beijing comments, including her public congratulations on its October 1 National Day.

In response, Li Yuan, the island's minister of culture, said on May 15 that Lin's position was unpaid and she would not be involved in how Taiwan government cultural funds were allocated.

Controversy over Lin's appointment also reverberated on the mainland. Chinese media said the agency, established by DPP authorities in 2019, had "revealed its true nature" by championing "Taiwan independence" through a series of "de-Sinicisation manoeuvres".

Days later, Lin signalled a clear attempt to draw a line under the unfolding debate.

"After deep thought, and to avoid more non-factual speculation and misunderstandings, I have decided not to accept the position [on the TAICCA board]," Lin wrote on social media on May 21.

The agency has funded projects including the 2019 film Detention and the television series Zero Day, also called Zero Day Attack. According to China Newsweek, these seek to "inflame cross-strait tensions and whitewash Japan's colonial rule".

Zero Day, whose 10 episodes centre on a fictional People's Liberation Army attack on the island, also saw "Taiwan independence" advocate Puma Shen in a consultant role and tech billionaire Robert Tsao Hsing-cheng providing financial backing, it said.

Beijing sanctioned both Shen and Tsao in 2024 for supporting what it said were "violent" pro-Taiwan independence sentiment and activities. The two men and their families are barred from entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. All businesses associated with them are also prohibited from engaging in for-profit activities on the mainland.

Tsao has been vocal about alleged threats from the mainland and has donated money to Taiwan's civilian training programmes, while Shen co-founded the Kuma Academy, which advertises itself as fostering "a pre-war mentality in civilians" and "cultivating the ability and will to defend Taiwan".

America at 250: how Trump's foreign policy is redefining the US story

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

President Donald Trump's foreign policy direction could have lasting effects on America's alliances and global leadership, and it could also speed up the shift to a multipolar world where China plays a bigger role.

That is according to Wu Xinbo, dean of the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai.

Speaking at a seminar hosted by the university on Tuesday, Wu said the Trump administration was "reshaping US foreign policy" - and it could be a turning point for the country as it prepares to mark 250 years since its founding.

Wu said the administration had pushed Washington towards a realist foreign policy while accelerating the erosion of its alliance system, particularly its transatlantic ties with Europe.

"Under Trump, the US alliance system has come under unprecedented strain … The question is whether the transatlantic partnership can be repaired after Trump. I think there may be some partial recovery, but it will never return to what it once was," Wu said.

"One reason is that Europe's confidence in the US is already gone, because Europeans know that once there has been one Trump, he will not be the last American leader like this. Therefore, Europe can no longer place its hopes in the US the way it did in the past."

Since Trump's return to the White House last year, Washington has warned that Europe can no longer rely on American security guarantees and must take charge of its own defence.

The leaders of a number of traditional American allies have also been increasingly vocal about the need to reduce dependence. Some have travelled to Beijing this year seeking closer ties to hedge against Washington.

Wu noted that Europe had in recent years accelerated the development of its defence capabilities, and once those capabilities were further developed the transatlantic alliance would "look very different from what it was in the past".

He also pointed to America's waning influence in international organisations, saying it weakened the country's global leadership position, while other players were emerging including China, middle-power coalitions and regional groups.

Since his first presidential term, Trump has withdrawn the US from multiple UN bodies, including the World Health Organization, and sharply cut foreign aid.

Earlier this year, Trump signed an executive order suspending American support for 66 international organisations, agencies and commissions, including 31 UN agencies and 35 others unaffiliated with the world body.

Looking ahead to the post-Trump era, Wu argued that policy adjustments could improve Washington's global standing but it would be unlikely to return to its previous position.

"When a leadership vacuum appears, there will always be other powers seeking to fill it," he said. "Even if the US comes back, it will not return to the position it once held."

Another key change brought by Trump's diplomacy was the acceleration of a multipolar international order and a broader transformation of global governance, Wu said.

He noted that in Trump's second term, the administration had acknowledged that "multipolarity is the norm", while Trump had praised China's development and governance achievements.

Wu said that signalled that the world had "entered an era of increasing diversity in development and governance models".

"Today, the US is increasingly becoming just one important partner for many countries, rather than the single most important one," he said.

"This is particularly evident in the policy shifts of key US allies such as the UK, Australia and Canada, especially in their approaches towards China."

According to Wu, China's space in the global community is expanding.

"As US leadership declines and a vacuum in global leadership emerges, China will naturally take advantage of this opportunity to act as a responsible major power," he said.

"However, China plays its international role in a way that emphasises collective leadership and pluralism, which is different from the US. Although China seeks to expand its international space, it has no intention of monopolising global leadership."

China accuses the Philippines of 'selective and discriminatory' Chinese arrests

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Beijing has accused Manila of "selective and discriminatory" law enforcement against Chinese nationals, demanding case-by-case briefings following a string of arrests and detentions by Philippine authorities.

In a statement on Wednesday, China's embassy in the Philippines said it had "immediately lodged solemn representations with Philippine authorities for each incident", and demanded that Manila inform Chinese consular posts of developments within four days.

The statement urged Manila to handle the cases fairly in accordance with the law, safeguard the rights and safety of the Chinese nationals involved, and promptly release those found not to have violated Philippine law.

"It must be emphasised that while China respects the Philippines' judicial sovereignty and law enforcement in accordance with the law, it firmly opposes selective and discriminatory enforcement targeting Chinese citizens," the statement said.

The embassy urged Philippine authorities to handle the cases "properly and in accordance with the law" as soon as possible, while warning against "abuse of power or political manipulation" and calling for the "personal safety and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese nationals" to be protected.

The remarks came after 24 Chinese nationals were arrested on Monday in a joint operation led by immigration authorities and the Philippine Army.

Philippine officials said the raid in Panabo, a city in the province of Davao del Norte, was based on intelligence reports alleging that foreign nationals in the area were engaged in unauthorised work and using questionable immigration documents.

The incident is one of several involving Chinese nationals in the Philippines over the past two months.

On May 15, Philippine authorities arrested 69 Chinese workers and one Filipino employee during a raid on a steel factory in Misamis Oriental province. Officials alleged the company was producing substandard and potentially hazardous materials.

The embassy later sent personnel to visit the detained Chinese and urged Philippine authorities to resolve the case in a fair and proper manner.

At a briefing on May 20, Zhou Zhiyong, deputy chief of mission at the Chinese embassy in Manila, said the 69 workers held valid work permits and criticised what he described as discriminatory enforcement practices.

According to The Manila Times, he said about 400 workers were employed at the steel plant, but only Chinese nationals had been arrested and transported to Manila on a military aircraft.

In another case, 20 Chinese nationals were arrested on April 22 in Davao del Norte and neighbouring Davao de Oro over alleged illegal copper and gold mining activities and immigration violations.

Philippine immigration authorities said the individuals had overstayed their tourist visas.

The spate of arrests comes against a backdrop of heightened tensions between Beijing and Manila in recent years, particularly over rival claims in the South China Sea.

Beijing claims sovereignty over almost all the islands and rock features and their adjacent waters in the South China Sea, with rival claimants including the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei.

Meanwhile, security ties between the Philippines and the United States have deepened.

The defence allies concluded their annual Balikatan military exercises earlier this month in a scaled-up drill widely seen as a response to China's growing regional assertiveness.

China's top military officials face 'ironclad' rules in anti-corruption fight

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

China's top military command has issued strict measures to enforce discipline among senior officials of the People's Liberation Army, marking its latest bid to further tighten controls over the behaviour of the top brass.

The Central Military Commission (CMC), led by President Xi Jinping as chairman, issued the "measures on strengthening the education, management and supervision of senior military cadres" recently, state news agency Xinhua reported on Wednesday.

In a front-page commentary on Thursday, the official PLA Daily hailed the "ironclad rules", calling them "an essential requirement for ensuring the health of the party and the long-term development of its cause".

The Xinhua report said the new rules distilled and applied "the practical experience and institutional achievements" of Xi's anti-corruption fight in the civilian and military sectors. The aim was to establish "ironclad rules for strict education, strict management and strict supervision" of senior military cadres.

The measures have come months after Xi's sweeping anti-corruption campaign gutted the top ranks of the world's second largest military, trimming the once seven-member CMC to just Xi and its disciplinary chief Zhang Shengmin.

The areas covered focus on "strictly enforcing discipline to alert minds and guide actions, tightly regulating principal officers so they lead by example and clarifying responsibilities for concrete implementation", according to the report.

The latest measures contained 26 articles across seven areas, Xinhua said, without giving exact details.

These covered "strict, regular and comprehensive education, management and supervision [of senior officers] throughout the entire process of their fulfilment duties and exercising power, and in all aspects of [their] work and life".

The measures established "explicit rules" on "the consciousness and thoroughness of ideological rectification, strengthening the collective leadership of the party committee, enhancing the principled and serious nature of intra-party political life, adhering to the party's management of cadres and personnel selection, and strengthening the supervision and management of principal leaders", Xinhua said.

The new rules would "promote the forging of the senior officer teams' revolutionary spirit [and] advance modernisation of national defence", the report added.

Thursday's PLA Daily commentary urged the Chinese military to take "immediate action" to ensure the effective implementation and realisation of all measures, especially among the senior officials.

"Regardless of their rank, senior cadres are all within the organisation. They must take the lead in receiving education, truly learning from it, deeply solidifying their ideals and beliefs, party spirit and moral character," it added.

The PLA Daily also reported that disciplinary chief Zhang Shengmin had urged Chinese forces to "relentlessly" equip their minds with Xi Jinping Thought on strengthening the military to "strengthen the foundation of ideals and beliefs, and forge a political soul loyal to the party".

Zhang made the remarks on Wednesday at a "special meeting" on deepening the study of Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military, according to the report.

A Beijing-based Chinese political researcher, who asked not to be identified because of the matter's sensitivity, said the new ruling gave some hints on "what went wrong" in the PLA's top ranks.

The researcher noted the emphasis on "ideological rectification, strengthening the collective leadership of the party committee, enhancing rigorous party political life, tightening party's management of cadres and personnel selection".

"It seems to suggest that some top corrupt military officials must have lost their political beliefs and loyalty, ignored opinions from their peers and dictated promotions and job assignments," he said.

On May 7, two former defence ministers, Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, received suspended death sentences after being found guilty of corruption. It was the heaviest punishment seen among senior military officers since Xi launched his anti-corruption campaign in 2012.

Wei was found guilty of accepting bribes while Li was found guilty of both accepting and offering bribes. Beijing did not specify the amounts of money involved.

The military has been a major target of Xi's anti-corruption drive. Beijing even noted that more Chinese generals had fallen in the campaign than were killed in decades of war in the 20th century.

Top Chinese generals placed under investigation in recent years include former CMC deputy chairmen Zhang Youxia and He Weidong, as well as former CMC members Liu Zhenli and Miao Hua.

Zhang and He were the first and second-ranked vice-chairmen of the CMC, respectively, while Liu was chief of its Joint Staff Department and Miao was head of its political work department.

Their downfall marked an unprecedented near-total wipeout of the CMC formed after the 20th party congress in late 2022, leaving Zhang Shengmin as the only uniformed official on the commission.

European leaders get ready to 'act now' amid rising fears of 'China shock 2.0'

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

European Commission leaders are preparing to harden the EU's economic stance towards China at a pivotal debate on Friday, opening the door to a new wave of trade and industrial measures later this year.

Sources indicated that a majority - though not all - of the 27 commissioners, including President Ursula von der Leyen, are supportive of a more robust trade and industrial policy, amid rising fears of de-industrialisation, in what is now widely described in Brussels as the "China shock 2.0".

Trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic is set to pitch a new "diversification instrument" which would insist that companies in some critical sectors ensure they have three or more suppliers in two or more countries, amid fears of overreliance on Chinese supply chains.

Industry chief Stephane Sejourne, meanwhile, is set to advocate the broader use of the foreign subsidies regulation (FSR). The tool has been widely used against individual companies, but the French commissioner is said to support using the tool in a much broader, sector-focused way to combat perceived market distortions by subsidised Chinese firms.

Both of those officials support the more widespread use of safeguard measures, seen as emergency tools that can place tariffs or quotas in the case of surges in imports. With an eye on the chemicals and machinery sectors, there is the view that time spent on anti-dumping and anti-subsidy probes could be halved to around six months through the use of safeguards.

At the heart of their concerns is that Europe's industrial base could be decimated within years due to the breakneck growth of Chinese competitors, which are out-competing their European rivals on price and often quality in China, Europe and in third markets around the world.

Meanwhile, anxiety is rising that a hollowing out of European industry could open the door for far-right parties if the political centre does not move to protect jobs now.

Senior commissioners will float these points on Friday morning, when they debate how far to go in shielding the single market from floods of Chinese goods.

The meeting had previously been scheduled for early April, when commissioners were to be briefed on Chinese political affairs by former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd. That event was postponed as they opted to discuss the energy crisis sparked by the Iran war instead.

On Friday, they will now be briefed by Alfred Schipke, director of the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore.

Schipke spent seven years as the International Monetary Fund's mission chief for China, with his invitation perhaps a reflection of anxiety in Brussels over Beijing's role in global economic imbalances.

The EU believes that Chinese firms have had an unfair leg-up due to government subsidies and other forms of support. Beijing's economic policies, it insists, have seen its share of global production predicted to rise from 30 per cent today to 45 per cent in 2030, even as its share of consumption hovers at around 13 per cent.

"That is an imbalance that the world just can't digest," outgoing EU trade director Sabine Weyand said last month, adding that Brussels needed to use its existing trade weapons "in a manner that's coherent and consistent".

Senior officials do not expect breakthroughs on Friday. There is unlikely to be any immediate decisions on new tools, but fresh legislation and a more strident approach on trade could be in place in the coming months.

Some officials privately complain that the plans will not go far enough.

They argue that the focus on industrial and trade concerns has crowded out broader discussions about national security, turning what could have been a holistic reassessment of China policy into a narrower debate driven by economic urgency. In some quarters, there is frustration that preparation for Friday has been lacking and that issues with Beijing remain an afterthought for many parts of the commission.

Nonetheless, at the European Council summit in June, the bloc's 27 national leaders will consider the commission's recommendations as they grapple with the worsening industrial picture and China's role in it.

Already, they are jostling for position.

Last Friday, four of the bloc's five biggest member states circulated a paper calling for a much tougher trade regime aimed at combating Chinese-style industrial overcapacity, including faster emergency tariffs, broader safeguards and new anti-circumvention powers.

The paper signed by Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, France and Lithuania days before the debate in Brussels said the bloc must respond more aggressively to "systemic and structural industrial overcapacity" - phrases often taken as shorthand for Beijing. Germany, the EU's biggest economy whose government is riven with differences on China policy, did not sign the paper.

Beijing has threatened to retaliate against any measures the EU may take, setting up the sides for a period of tension. It leaves Europe facing the dilemma of whether to incur Chinese blowback by protecting its market or risk de-industrialisation by allowing Chinese competition unfettered access to its single market.

"The EU faces a choice between acting now and risking Beijing's likely retaliation, or delaying until China's economic pressure becomes overwhelming and forces action," said Grzegorz Stec, head of the Brussels office at the Mercator Institute for China Studies, a think tank.

Capitals are rarely on the same page on China policy. The threat of Chinese retaliation has had the pre-emptive effect of dividing them further, even before the debate has taken place.

On Thursday, Politico reported that Spain was considering removing its name from last week's paper after it was leaked to media. The suggestion was that it was worried about incurring the wrath of Beijing.

On the same day, Bloomberg reported that Berlin and Madrid were pushing back against commission plans to force capitals to weed out Chinese firms Huawei and ZTE from telecoms networks as part of a cybersecurity act.

On Wednesday, meanwhile, the German Economy Minister Katherina Reiche told reporters before departing for Beijing that any commission move to counter "unfair competition" must ensure it does not impede German exports.

Stec, the analyst, warned that the cost of inaction could outweigh that of acting now.

"But waiting carries a high price tag of large-scale industrial decline and job losses, gives China time to further fine-tune its coercive economic security toolbox, and may diminish the EU's ability to respond collectively as more populist parties seem positioned to come into power," he said.

While member states have prevaricated - with China far from the top item on any council agenda over the past year - the commission has quietly been upping the ante in recent months.

Its industrial accelerator act, set to be debated by capitals for the first time on Thursday, seeks to increase the EU's share of global manufacturing to 20 per cent, in part by placing conditions on external investments in its hi-tech sector. Companies from China face the prospect of having to transfer technological know-how or establish joint ventures if they wish to set up inside the union.

It has moved to ban the use of EU funds for projects using Chinese inverters, devices used in wind, solar and battery installations that control the flow of power from generation to grid. Chinese firms hold an estimated 80 per cent of the EU market.

On Thursday, meanwhile, it is set to launch an FSR probe into the proposed takeover of German retailer Ceconomy by Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com, a deal mooted to be worth more than US$2.5 billion. The commission is concerned that the Beijing-headquartered company's bid has been distorted by state subsidies.

What India's 'unsinkable aircraft carrier' project near Malacca means for its China ties

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

The global energy crisis stemming from the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has added complexity to already competitive China-India maritime relations.

The bottleneck in the Gulf has disrupted the provision of vital supplies of oil, gas and fertilisers to Asia, underscoring the fragility of global supply chains and the significance of trade chokepoints.

Amid uncertainty over the Strait of Hormuz's reopening, India's US$10 billion plan to transform its remote Great Nicobar Island into a major defence and logistics hub near the strategically critical Strait of Malacca has gained momentum.

The shipping routes from the Strait of Hormuz to the Strait of Malacca are instrumental in sustaining China's economy, with any disruption to the maritime artery possibly dealing a serious blow to the world's second-largest economy.

Great Nicobar, a 921 sq km (356 square mile) island wrapped in dense prehistoric rainforest, sits at the southernmost edge of India in the Andaman and Nicobar island chain - some 1,200km (746 miles) from the Indian mainland but less than 150km from the Strait of Malacca's western entrance.

Amid the Hormuz blockade, supporters of the Indian project, including some of the country's military veterans, argue it would enable New Delhi to "control" or disrupt Chinese supply chains and worsen its "Malacca dilemma".

The dilemma refers to Beijing's reliance on the Strait of Malacca for 80 per cent of its imported energy and two-thirds of its total trade volume.

According to prominent retired Indian Major General G.S. Rawat, "the Strait of Malacca holds even greater significance in terms of global trade and maritime movement".

"From an operational standpoint, controlling or having a strong presence near such routes enhances strategic leverage, surveillance capability and maritime security," Rawat recently told Indian media.

While India's opposition figures and activists have opposed the plan on environmental grounds, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has dismissed the concerns, labelling them "pro-China".

In recent years, Beijing has been studying the Indian Ocean through its vast network of survey operations, advancing its understanding of water conditions, currents and the seabed - all actions allowed under international law.

Yet, China's activities have alarmed India, which traditionally views itself as an Indian Ocean country, with a coastline exceeding 11,000km and more than 1,300 offshore islands.

Despite concerns over environmental degradation and the displacement of tribal communities, New Delhi is pressing ahead with its massive infrastructure drive to turn Great Nicobar into a strategic "unsinkable aircraft carrier".

The island would be equipped with a major container terminal, an international airport, a power plant and modern urban infrastructure.

According to an official note from the Indian government, the project is designed to "enhance India's national security, strategic and defence presence" and reduce "dependence on foreign transshipment ports".

"The Great Nicobar project is a strategic project which aims to strengthen India's presence in the Andaman Sea and Southeast Asia," the note said.

Nilanthi Samaranayake, an adjunct fellow at the East-West Centre in Washington, described the Great Nicobar project as the latest update in New Delhi's "20-year imperative to augment India's presence in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands".

"What's different now is that there seems to be more momentum behind this project."

As for China, analysts played down concerns that the project would pose a direct threat to Beijing's supply routes.

"Translating maritime presence into actual coercive leverage against China is far harder than our navalists claim," said Yogesh Joshi, director of the India Centre at the University of Central Florida.

"The national security argument has real merit, but let's not oversell it," Joshi added.

Apart from establishing its first overseas base in Djibouti in the Gulf of Aden in 2017, Beijing has made considerable investments in ports in India's neighbourhood under the Belt and Road Initiative, its China-centred trade and infrastructure network.

These include the ports of Gwadar in Pakistan, Hambantota in Sri Lanka and Kyaukpyu in Myanmar, as well as the Ream Naval Base in Cambodia.

China's port investments in the Indian Ocean form part of its broader worldwide strategy to expand maritime influence.

Meanwhile, New Delhi is upgrading its fleet, building new naval facilities and expanding its operational footprint through targeted exercises and reconnaissance, including in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. India is also actively deepening security and economic ties across its maritime area.

Joshi of the University of Central Florida said Beijing's rising clout in the Indian Ocean region gave New Delhi the "immediate rationale" to compete in the contested space.

He was referring to what many in India call a "String of Pearls" strategy, a phrase coined by a US-based consultancy in 2005 to describe China's growing network of commercial and military infrastructure in the Indian Ocean region.

However, Joshi maintained that the risk of bilateral conflict was low.

"Any Sino-Indian conflict will be short and sharp, salami-slicing under nuclear shadow. Maritime trade warfare takes too long to bite," he said, adding that even if India reached the Strait of Malacca, "we don't control it. Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore do".

Singapore was committed to keeping the strait open, the city state's top diplomat Vivian Balakrishnan said during his trip to Beijing this week.

Ivan Lidarev, a visiting research fellow at the National University of Singapore's Institute of South Asian Studies, said the Hormuz crisis might accelerate the maritime rivalry between China and India but was "unlikely to reshape" it, though India was likely to become much more active in the long run.

"New Delhi still has neither the capabilities, nor the strategic position in the Indian Ocean, nor a clear vision … to play an assertive role," Lidarev added.

Li Hongmei, a research fellow at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies' Centre for South Asian Studies, said China-India maritime competition would remain manageable, with their major risks of conflicts being on land in their border regions.

Li suggested that the Hormuz crisis, coupled with revived bilateral ties, afforded an opportunity for both sides to explore maritime security cooperation in the Indian Ocean.

"But the crucial prerequisite is for India to break away from its long-standing defensive and hostile mindset towards China and instead embrace the true confidence and mentality of a major power," she said.

China says it drove away Dutch warship near disputed Paracel Islands

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

China's military said on Wednesday that it had used measures including electronic interference to drive away a Dutch warship near the disputed Paracel Islands, and in a rare move accused the Dutch navy of triggering "miscalculation".

The People's Liberation Army's (PLA) Southern Theatre Command, which oversees the South China Sea, said in a post on its official WeChat account on Wednesday evening that the Dutch frigate De Ruyter had "illegally intruded into China's Xisha Islands" and that its shipborne helicopter had "repeatedly taken off and entered Chinese airspace".

The Paracel Islands, known as Xisha in China and Hoang Sa in Vietnam, lie just over 300km (190 miles) from Hainan, China's tropical island province.

The Southern Theatre Command "organised naval and air forces" and "took necessary measures including verbal warnings and warning electronic interference" to expel the ship, the command's spokesman Zhai Shichen said.

Zhai condemned the Dutch navy's actions as "seriously infringing on China's territorial sovereignty and the security of its sea and airspace, seriously violating international law and basic norms of international relations, and seriously undermining peace and stability in the South China Sea".

In a rare wording, Zhai said the Dutch frigate was "extremely liable to trigger misunderstanding and miscalculation".

"We firmly oppose this, and solemnly warn the Dutch side to immediately stop its infringing and provocative acts," Zhai added.

"Forces in the theatre remain on high alert at all times, and will resolutely defend national sovereignty and security and regional peace and stability," Zhai said.

The Netherlands has not issued a statement on the incident, and the Dutch defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Beijing claims sovereignty over most of the resource-rich South China Sea, while Southeast Asian countries including Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines have competing sovereignty claims over the islands.

The Southern Theatre Command has previously expelled foreign assets from the South China Sea on multiple occasions, including US warships and Australian military aircraft.

At the time the PLA expelled the Dutch warship, the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning and its strike group were conducting live-fire exercises in Pacific waters east of the Philippines, after the carrier had just concluded an extended deployment in the South China Sea.

The friction also came as China and the Netherlands were caught in trade tensions over control of the semiconductor maker Nexperia and over export restrictions on ASML's lithography equipment.

What is the Netherlands' De Ruyter ship doing in the South China Sea?

The Netherlands' De Ruyter frigate was commissioned in 2004 and, after upgrades, is now capable of launching Tomahawk cruise missiles.

According to a Dutch defence ministry announcement in February, the De Ruyter would from April undertake a five-and-a-half-month Indo-Pacific voyage, aimed at strengthening ties with countries in the region.

The De Ruyter made a port call in Manila from Friday to Sunday, conducting interoperability drills with the Philippine Navy including communications and manoeuvring, according to a Philippine media report.

The report added that the ship would head to Hawaii to join the 2026 Rim of the Pacific Exercise from June 24 to July 31.

The last time a Dutch warship was spotted in waters near China was in 2024.

In June that year, the PLA's Eastern Theatre Command scrambled fighter jets in the East China Sea to drive away the shipborne helicopter of the Dutch navy frigate Tromp, which was patrolling the area in support of a multinational UN coalition helping to enforce maritime sanctions against North Korea.

China's defence ministry at the time "sternly warned" the Dutch navy against "provocative" actions and urged restraint.

South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI), a Beijing-based think tank, said in a report released on Tuesday that countries including Britain, France and the Netherlands had "a long colonial history" in the Asia-Pacific and "close military, political and diplomatic ties with many countries in the region".

As a result, the report said, some European countries that "previously seldom participated in Asian security affairs", including the Netherlands, were reinforcing their military presence in the western Pacific.

China and Cuba hold agriculture talks as Beijing backs Havana amid US pressure

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

China and Cuba held talks on expanding agricultural cooperation in Beijing on Tuesday, the latest in a series of moves by Beijing to shore up support for the Caribbean island as Washington intensifies a campaign of sanctions, criminal indictments and military posturing against Havana.

Chinese Vice-Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Zhang Zhili met Cuban Deputy Agriculture Minister Telce Gonzalez to review joint projects and explore new areas of collaboration in the sector.

The Cuban embassy in China said both sides discussed opportunities to deepen ties as part of the construction of a "community of shared future" between the two countries, and described agriculture as a priority area in the bilateral relationship.

The meeting added a practical dimension to what has become an increasing Chinese effort to back Cuba at a moment of acute vulnerability for the island's government.

Over the past week, Washington has moved against Havana on several fronts. On Thursday, acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche announced criminal charges against former Cuban leader Raul Castro over his alleged role in the 1996 shooting down of two civilian aircraft operated by Brothers to the Rescue, a Miami-based exile group. The incident killed four people.

The indictment, unsealed in Miami, included charges of conspiracy to kill US nationals and four counts of murder against the 94-year-old former president and younger brother of the late revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, and five co-defendants.

It was the first time Washington had brought criminal charges against either of the Castro brothers.

"This isn't a show indictment," Blanche told reporters. "We expect that he will show up here by his own will or by another way and go to prison."

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel dismissed the charges as politically motivated and said Cuba had acted in "legitimate self-defence" during the 1996 incident.

The indictment was accompanied by broader rhetoric from the Trump administration framing Cuba as a security threat linked to China and Russia.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during remarks on Friday in Homestead, south of Miami, that Cuba hosted "Russian and Chinese intelligence presence" on the island.

"Cuba has consistently posed a threat to the national security of the United States," Rubio said, adding that Washington's preference was "always a negotiated diplomatic settlement" but that the president had "a right and an obligation to address that threat".

US President Donald Trump described Cuba as "a failed country" and suggested his administration would act where others had hesitated.

"Other presidents have looked at this for 50, 60 years, doing something. And it looks like I'll be the one that does it," Trump told reporters.

The US military also expanded its presence in the region, with the US Southern Command confirming the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and its strike group entered Caribbean waters, though officials did not explicitly link the deployment to Cuba.

How China is helping Cuba's food security amid US pressure

Meanwhile, China has combined material assistance with diplomatic backing. Also on Tuesday, Cuba confirmed the arrival of the first 15,000 tonnes of rice from a 60,000-tonne Chinese donation announced in January.

Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez called the shipment "a new display of solidarity and brotherhood between both nations in the current difficult context for Cuba and the world".

Diaz-Canel thanked Beijing publicly, writing on social media that the rice had been received "in the spirit of the firm political will to jointly build the Cuba-China Community of Shared Future".

Cuba's Minister of Internal Trade, Betsy Diaz, said the grain would be distributed across all provinces and in the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud. The remaining 45,000 tonnes are expected over the coming months.

At the Chinese foreign ministry, spokeswoman Mao Ning returned to the topic during her regular press conference. Asked to comment after Rodriguez denounced US military threats against Cuba at the UN Security Council during a session chaired by China, Mao reaffirmed Beijing's position.

"China always advocates respecting countries' sovereignty and territorial integrity, opposes the use or threat of force in international relations, and opposes violation of other countries' sovereignty and interference in other countries' internal affairs under any pretext," Mao said.

"China firmly supports Cuba in safeguarding its sovereignty, security and development interests."

It was the second time in a week that the Chinese foreign ministry had spoken out on Cuba.

Spokesman Guo Jiakun had earlier criticised what he called US "unilateral sanctions" and urged Washington to end "its blockade and all forms of coercion and pressure" against the island.

What to watch at Shangri-La Dialogue after Trump's China visit resets ties

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

The results of the Xi-Trump summit and their implications for regional security will take centre stage this week during Asia's largest defence forum, the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, according to analysts.

Zhu Feng, dean of Nanjing University's School of International Studies, said US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's speech at the forum would serve as an important gauge of how much the talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump had helped stabilise bilateral relations.

With the Iran war entering its fourth month, analysts said countries in the Asia-Pacific would look for signals about US efforts to end the conflict, which has sparked worries about its impact on Asian security commitments and economies.

A gauge of US-China ties

Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun is likely to be absent from the forum for a second consecutive year, reducing hopes for a high-level meeting between Beijing and Washington on the sidelines.

"US-China relations, how they may evolve, the fundamental perceptions and positions each side holds towards the other, as well as their respective views on a range of regional security issues will certainly be a major focus this year," Zhu said.

Asia-Pacific countries will be closely watching Washington's evolving strategy and commitment in the region, as well as Beijing's security posture and its positions on key issues including the South China Sea and Taiwan.

Beijing and Washington have traded accusations over those issues at the forum in recent years.

This year's forum comes two weeks after the meeting between Xi and Trump, during which both sides sought to stabilise ties. Analysts said any change in tone from the Chinese and American delegations at the security forum would be scrutinised.

Hegseth was among the officials who travelled to Beijing with Trump - a development that suggested "both Beijing and Washington are hoping to restart more regular military dialogue and consultations", Zhu said.

He added that efforts by both sides to keep US-China relations stable and manageable could still play a constructive role in regional security.

"From China's perspective, Pete Hegseth's remarks at the dialogue could help indicate whether the recent summit has contributed to managing disputes, stabilising the region, and advancing more constructive proposals for cooperation and peace," he said.

"But if his approach resembles last year's and focuses primarily on criticising China, it would suggest that the leaders' meeting may still have had only a limited impact on improving mutual perceptions within the two countries' defence establishments."

"In that sense, his speech will be a key gauge. To a large extent, it will also serve as an indicator of how far the summit has actually helped advance US-China relations," Zhu added.

Hegseth's trip to the Shangri-La Dialogue marks his fourth visit to the Indo-Pacific region as Pentagon chief.

He is expected to meet Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing, as well as take part in bilateral and multilateral meetings with regional allies and partners, according to the Pentagon.

Western-dominated narratives

China has yet to announce its participation in the forum.

Last year's Chinese delegation was led by Hu Gangfeng, a People's Liberation Army major general and vice-president of the National Defence University.

"China never likes the platform, as it is a stage where it is often subject to strong criticism … It almost feels like a trial," said a Chinese analyst, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Shangri-La Dialogue has been viewed as Western-dominated and largely shaped by US security narratives, while China is often the focus of scrutiny. France, Britain, Germany and Japan typically send high-level delegations.

"The reasons behind the decision not to attend are relatively straightforward to speculate on," said Shi Yinhong, an international relations professor at Renmin University in Beijing.

"Given the current state of relations between China and the US and Japan, and China's broader ties with other countries, Beijing would likely face intense scrutiny and criticism on security issues."

Beijing's relations with Tokyo have worsened since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested last year that a Taiwan conflict could be a "survival-threatening situation" for her country, justifying a military response.

Tokyo said on Tuesday that Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi would visit Singapore from Friday to Sunday to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue.

"The attendance of China's defence minister would likely encourage even stronger criticism and pushback against China," Shi added.

Pressing issues

The forum also comes amid continued tensions in the South China Sea, where Beijing has overlapping territorial claims with several Southeast Asian countries. Tensions with the Philippines have been particularly high, marked by repeated confrontations between vessels near disputed features.

Beijing generally prefers engaging Southeast Asian countries bilaterally or through mechanisms led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) rather than more public multilateral forums with a strong Western presence.

On the South China Sea, for example, Beijing has maintained that disputes should be handled through talks and negotiations while firmly opposing interference by external powers.

For Southeast Asian countries, the Shangri-La Dialogue offers an opportunity to seek clear signals on how and when the US may seek to end the Iran war, as the conflict has hit their economies hard.

"The continued and prolonged conflict involving Iran will inevitably generate spillover security shocks and wider security implications beyond the Middle East. As a result, it is something that participants will pay great attention to," Zhu said.

Why there's no point in signing a fourth China-US communique

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Despite recent signs that US-China ties are stabilising, veteran China watcher Li Cheng argues that the two superpowers should not rush to sign a new joint communique, suggesting this would add little value as Washington is not upholding its previous commitments.

The recent summit between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump produced a "dramatic change" in the countries' relationship, Li said in an interview published by Chinese news website Guancha.cn.

"From viewing each other as enemies to positioning each other as friends - nothing is more dramatic than this," said the professor at the University of Hong Kong's Centre on Contemporary China and the World, praising Trump's transactional approach and personal rapport with Xi.

Li welcomed the shift towards framing the relationship in terms of constructive strategic stability as "pragmatic and realistic", but expressed scepticism about a fourth communique.

"In my view, if he does not even implement the existing three communiques, what is the point of signing a fourth one?" he asked, without offering specific examples of how Trump had failed to uphold the agreements.

Li also cautioned that pushing for a new document could provoke anti-China forces in the United States ahead of the midterm elections.

The three joint communiques, signed between 1972 and 1982, form the bedrock of the diplomatic relationship between the United States and the People's Republic of China. The second communique announced the two states would establish formal relations.

Yet disputes over the implementation of the communiques, especially regarding US arms sales to Taiwan, have repeatedly strained ties. The documents were deliberately ambiguous on the status of Taiwan.

Chinese critics have long argued that US domestic law and Washington's informal assurances to Taipei undercut the spirit of the communiques.

Instead, Li recommended strengthening dialogue channels and crisis-management tools, emphasising that the priority should be practical mechanisms rather than symbolic documents.

He stressed that "time is on [mainland] China's side" when it comes to resolving the Taiwan issue and that a peaceful resolution remained Beijing's preferred course.

Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the United States, Taiwan's main international backer, do not recognise the self-governed island as an independent state. However, Washington is opposed to any attempt to take Taiwan by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.

Echoing Beijing's official line, Li dismissed speculation about imminent conflict across the Taiwan Strait, asserting that "the best way to prevent war is to prepare for war and hedge against it."

He added that the biggest danger lay in "miscalculation" rather than deliberate conflict.

The idea of a fourth communique has circulated for years in policy circles, especially during periods of tension, with proponents on both sides suggesting it could reduce risks.

In 2002, former US ambassador to the United Nations Richard Holbrooke, who helped to negotiate the second communique, called for a fourth document which would "update the relationship based on a new realism".

Harvard professor Graham Allison has been a prominent advocate in recent years. At the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, he raised the possibility of a document to codify the two sides' understanding on Taiwan.

According to Da Wei, a US-China relations expert from Tsinghua University, former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger also suggested in 2023 that the two sides could use such a document to "compare notes" and update their mutual understanding.

However, Da voiced doubts over the idea at an event held by the University of Hong Kong in March, noting that it was "very unpopular" in the US and that there was almost "zero chance" of the rivals reaching a broad agreement.

"We don't need a written communique - that's too difficult - but we do need more common understanding in the coming years," Da said at the event, which was hosted by Li.

Many experts on China have also cautioned over the years that deep distrust and profound differences mean major new deals are unrealistic in the short term.

The Xi-Trump summit in Beijing earlier this month produced agreements to manage differences under the banner of "constructive stability", but core issues - such as arms sales to Taiwan - remain unresolved.

In the wake of the summit, the acting head of the US Navy told Congress that the administration would pause a US$14 billion weapons package for Taiwan, citing the need to ensure sufficient stockpiles to prosecute the war with Iran. However, Taiwan's defence minister later said he remained "cautiously optimistic" that the sale would be completed.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's push on Tuesday to revive the Quad grouping with Japan, Australia and India was met with a rebuke from Beijing, which has long viewed the bloc as an incipient "Asian Nato" aimed at containing China.

"The most realistic trajectory for US-China relations is that the two countries will not yet become true friends and will still have certain gaps, but they can maintain a situation of both cooperation and competition," Li said in the interview.

However, he warned that "if they go to war, it will be humanity's misfortune. This possibility cannot be completely ruled out, yet it must be avoided at all costs."

China warns against 'third party' influence as Panama Canal port dispute simmers

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday said Beijing was ready to deepen cooperation with Panama City and that third countries should not influence their bilateral ties.

"China has always maintained that China-Panama relations are not directed against any third party and should not be interfered with by any third party," Wang said, according to a foreign ministry read-out on Wednesday.

Wang made the remarks while meeting with Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha on the sidelines of a high-level United Nations Security Council meeting in New York.

The meeting took place as the two countries continue to navigate their most significant rift since establishing ties, driven by a dispute over the operation of ports in the Panama Canal. The matter has drawn pressure from Washington.

Beijing's top diplomat also said China was "willing to work with Panama to uphold the original aspirations of establishing diplomatic relations, deepen pragmatic cooperation, eliminate external interference, and promote the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations".

Martinez-Acha told Wang that Panama was willing to work with China to resolve differences through dialogue and build solid trust, according to the read-out.

In a social media post, the Panamanian foreign minister said he had expressed to Wang a "readiness to advance in technical channels of maritime cooperation".

In April, while speaking about China, Martinez-Acha noted that Panama respected the sovereignty of all countries and asked that it receive the same treatment.

That followed a Panama Supreme Court ruling in January annulling the port concessions for Balboa and Cristobal at both entrances to the Panama Canal held by the Panama Ports Company, a subsidiary of the Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison.

Temporary operation of the ports was handed to subsidiaries of European shipping giants Maersk and MSC. In response, China at its ports ramped up inspections for Panama-flagged ships in a move Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino called a "political message".

Panama has one of the largest ship registries in the world, totalling more than 8,000 flagged vessels.

Washington has questioned Beijing's leverage over the canal, with US President Donald Trump even threatening to reclaim American control over the vital maritime route.

More than 40 countries, excluding China, have signed on to the 1977 Treaty of Permanent Neutrality and Operation of the Panama Canal, by which signatories respect the permanent neutrality of the canal and open passage to vessels from all nations.

In April, Mulino said Panama had been caught in a "tide" brought on by a problem between the US and China, adding that he had no interest in escalating the port dispute with Beijing.

On Tuesday, Wang said that in the nearly nine years since Panama and China established diplomatic relations, trade volume had doubled, "bringing tangible benefits to the Panamanian people".

Wang added that Chinese labourers in the 19th century went to Panama to dig canals and build railways, contributing to Panama's economic and social development.

He also said Chinese enterprises had been "deeply rooted" in Panama for many years and that he hoped the country would safeguard the rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.

Martinez-Acha said during their meeting that Panama remembered the contributions made by Chinese people in the early years of the Panama railway and canal projects, according to the foreign ministry read-out.

Panama was the first country in Latin America to join the Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing's China-centred trade and infrastructure network. But it withdrew last year amid bilateral tensions and US pressure.

Chinese scientists use supercomputer to cut new drug screening time from years to seconds

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

China has unveiled an artificial intelligence platform for drug discovery that can screen a vast library of chemical compounds, cutting the initial drug screening phase from months or years down to tens of seconds.

Developers said they expected the system to provide a novel method for identifying lead molecules to treat tumours, neurodegenerative conditions, rare diseases and emerging infectious diseases, as well as possibly speeding up drug research during public health crises.

Called GalaxyVS, the platform is powered by China's new generation of Tianhe supercomputers, the official Science and Technology Daily reported on Monday.

Its daily throughput in predicting how two or more molecules interact is six orders of magnitude higher - or a million times faster - than the existing world record for supercomputing molecular docking.

The breakthrough was announced by the National Supercomputing Centre in Tianjin, which developed the platform in collaboration with a team from Tsinghua University's Institute for AI Industry Research.

The Tsinghua team brought in DrugCLIP, their ultra-fast virtual screening method that was documented in the leading peer-reviewed publication Science in January.

In the latest development, the supercomputing team optimised the DrugCLIP model by leveraging the massive parallel processing capability of the new-generation Tianhe supercomputer to achieve superfast results.

According to Li Peishun, a researcher at the National Supercomputer Centre, "GalaxyVS is not simply an amplification of existing models".

Instead, it is "a complete platform that reconstructs a chemical space of nearly 100 billion elements, integrating AI models, supercomputing, high-performance retrieval and medicinal chemistry", Li explained.

"This platform effectively addresses challenges in traditional drug discovery, including a scarcity of active molecules, an insufficient screening space and the homogenisation of candidate molecules."

Innovative drug research and development typically takes more than 10 years to yield results and could require investments in the billions of US dollars.

A critical initial phase in drug development involves sorting through immense volumes of compounds to pinpoint active molecules capable of binding to specific biological targets.

But traditional experimental screening is costly and time-consuming.

And conventional methods of molecular docking - a computational approach to predict the binding of molecules - are limited in their efficiency and have a high rate of false positives.

As the library of synthesisable compounds grows to a scale of hundreds of billions or even trillions, existing virtual screening technologies face severe constraints in algorithms, computing power, storage and engineering capabilities.

The system's real-world tests showed that a single retrieval operation across a 100-billion-molecule library could be completed in less than a minute.

Its massive efficiency is reflected in its daily throughput, which reaches 16 trillion molecular dockings, according to the researchers.

As Iran war stokes water security fears, Central Asia could turn to China

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Central Asia is tilting more decisively towards China as geopolitical uncertainty deepens, with Beijing's expanding influence recasting the former Soviet states' strategic orientation. In the first of a three-part series, Laura Zhou looks at how vulnerabilities laid bare by the Iran war might make the region look to China for water security.

The US-Israel war on Iran has crippled global supply chains, choking off the world's energy supply alongside reserves of critical commodities like fertiliser and helium.

It has also exposed the vulnerability of the world's most indispensable resource: water.

The bombings of desalination plants in Iran, Bahrain and Kuwait since the conflict began three months ago have raised concerns about the security of infrastructure that keeps millions of people alive across the Middle East.

These risks could also resonate in neighbouring Central Asia, where governments grappling with worsening water shortages might look to China for help in modernising their irrigation systems and managing shared rivers, observers said.

Unlike Persian Gulf countries, which rely on desalination, landlocked Central Asia depends largely on glacier-fed rivers originating in the Tian Shan mountains shared with China.

Central Asia's water supplies are chronically strained due to "the same factors that have plagued Iran's water supply long before the onset of hostilities", according to Oleg Abdurashitov, chief policy adviser at Dubai-based independent public affairs consultancy Outpost Eurasia. These include climate change, population growth and increasing urbanisation.

The region's water crisis is partially shaped by the Soviet era, when rivers were diverted across the region to feed Uzbekistan's "white gold" - cotton. One consequence was the near-disappearance of the Aral Sea, once one of the world's largest lakes and now mostly a toxic desert due to the accumulation of pesticides used on cotton farms.

After the five Central Asian nations became independent in 1991, tensions over water use quickly escalated, particularly between the upstream countries of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and their downstream neighbours Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

In 2012, Uzbekistan responded to Tajikistan's planned construction of the Rogun dam - on a major Amu Darya tributary feeding the former Aral Sea basin - by cutting off gas supplies, among other measures, virtually paralysing its neighbour's economy.

Meanwhile, the fertile Fergana Valley - the agricultural heartland of Central Asia now divided between Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan - has long been a source of tensions, as Soviet-built canals pass in and out of the three nations' jurisdiction.

In April 2021, violence erupted in the valley between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan after a surveillance camera installed by Tajikistan at a water supply facility on the border was damaged by angry Kyrgyz. At least 55 people from both sides were killed over four days and over 30,000 locals were forced to evacuate.

Making the situation worse, water infrastructure built during the Soviet era has fallen into neglect, while climate change is shrinking the Tian Shan glaciers responsible for up to 80 per cent of the water flowing in the region's rivers.

The Middle East war might act as a wake-up call over the potential threats to Central Asia's water systems, said Jessica Neafie, an assistant professor at the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Kazakhstan's Nazarbayev University.

"The Iran war isn't going to completely transform Central Asia's water policy, but it is bringing infrastructure vulnerabilities to light," she said.

For example, coastal areas on the Caspian Sea in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan are already reliant on desalination plants.

"These systems are expanding because traditional freshwater sources are either over-allocated or geographically distant. That means they already have a similar infrastructure-dependent water security model to what we see in Bahrain and Iran," Neafie said.

This might also boost Central Asian policymakers' focus on water security, even as the region struggles with food security, energy planning and regional diplomacy as the United States, China and Russia continue to vie for influence.

"Desalination is a strategic asset and potential target. This affects Kazakhstan's future thinking: how to secure fixed, coastal, high-value water infrastructure in a more volatile geopolitical environment," Neafie noted.

These countries might increasingly turn to Beijing for the investment needed to strengthen their water security, she added.

Water cooperation with Central Asia is already high on the agenda for China, which sees the region as an important trade partner, a geopolitical buffer and a major supplier of oil and natural gas.

Hosting the first China-Central Asia summit in 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping categorically called for cooperation on water-saving irrigation and joint efforts to address the ecological crisis in the disappearing Aral Sea.

Collaboration on water-efficient technologies, reversing desertification and saline land reclamation were mentioned in the joint declaration released after the second summit in Kazakhstan's capital Astana last year.

Chinese companies already play a major role in infrastructure development in the region, particularly in renewable energy. Chinese businesses have taken on major hydropower projects in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as the construction and modernisation of smaller hydropower plants across the region.

Central Asian officials also regularly visit major water-saving technology companies in China. Since 2024, state-owned PowerChina has sponsored and trained 325 Kazakh water management professionals.

According to Abdurashitov, Chinese expertise in water conservation and irrigation is also on display in Uzbekistan, which remains the region's top cotton producer, and Kyrgyzstan. The Export-Import Bank of China provided Uzbekistan with a major loan to repair 400km (248 miles) of irrigation canals, with Chinese contractors working on the project.

Last year, China and Kazakhstan, which share 25 transboundary rivers, signed their first memorandum of understanding on water resources. Kazakhstan's water resources and irrigation minister, Nurzhan Nurzhigitov, said at the time that the deal might contribute to the "more efficient use" of water resources and the "implementation of advanced technologies for water metering and saving", as well as "advanced training of specialists in the water industry".

Neafie said Central Asian states might see China as a key player in their future water security, as a source of technology, engineering capacity and finance.

"So as the [Iran] war makes water security feel more urgent, the existing relationship may grow as Central Asian states seek to shore up defences. Particularly if Central Asian states expand desalination along the Caspian, Chinese firms could play a role in financing, construction, and digital management systems."

However, other observers said that paying the price for security would be the biggest challenge.

Infrastructure development is costly, usually funded by institutional loans running in the billions of dollars, according to Abdurashitov.

"While the region's economic growth continues to outpace most of the world - and thus enables investors' confidence to continue borrowing - it remains uniquely dependent on the fragile ecosystem already strained by the climate and overuse."

According to a recent study by scientists in Switzerland and Belgium, the Tian Shan glaciers are projected to lose around one‐third of their ice mass before 2040, compared with 2020 levels, and between 69 per cent and 93 per cent by 2100, depending on the climate scenario.

Neafie said Central Asia's water crisis was fundamentally transboundary, meaning that cooperation with China could not be a substitute for stronger coordination among the region's five governments.

There have been some positive moves - in March last year Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan announced that all territorial disputes between their countries had been resolved. Seven months later, the first Kyrgyz-Tajik water management commission met in the latter's capital Dushanbe. They discussed attracting investments to modernise key cross-border hydrotechnical facilities, according to Kazakhstan's news agency Kazinform.

After decades of tensions and periodic clashes, the five Central Asian states last year reached an agreement on sharing water from the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers for the 2025-26 non-growing season, setting specific quotas for each state and ensuring minimum flows through key hydrological points and the Aral Sea delta.

But the balance could be upset. Shortly after taking power in 2021, the Taliban government in Afghanistan, which is not part of Central Asia's regional mechanisms, started work on the Qosh Tepa Canal. If Kabul's plans come to fruition, the canal may divert one-third of the flow of the Amu Darya, which now mainly supplies Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan.

Also, while China and Kazakhstan began talks on their shared rivers in January, it remains unclear how far these discussions can go as Beijing has long regarded hydrological data as highly politically sensitive.

For Central Asian governments, the key goal is resolving water distribution problems, according to Yang Shu, director of the Institute of Central Asian Studies at Lanzhou University.

"Although there is cooperation with China, modern irrigation technology also requires significant funding. The core issue - one in which China cannot be involved - is the water distribution problem."

South Korea aims to join China, US at top tier of 'loyal wingman' combat drone race

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

South Korea's programme to develop engines that can power flying drones to serve as loyal wingmen for fighter jets suggests that Seoul has set its sights on competing at the top level in the global market for autonomous military systems, according to observers.

Hanwha Aerospace, one of the country's largest defence contractors, announced the programme on Tuesday - a joint project with South Korean space agency Kasa to develop a 4,500lb-class (2,040kg) turbofan engine by 2029.

The engine will be suitable for collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) systems and other unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms. It will be developed through matching-fund investment as part of the government-backed UAV propulsion portfolio.

This includes the development of a 5,500lb-class low-bypass turbofan for low-observable unmanned wingman aircraft and core technologies for a 10,000lb-class turbofan for stealth platforms.

Seoul's attempt to indigenise "the most complex" drone technology should be seen as a "deliberate bid to enter the top tier of UAV producers", said Liselotte Odgaard, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington.

Engines were key to shaping competitiveness and export potential, she said, adding that South Korea's indigenous UAV engine development was a significant step towards achieving the "most restricted and technologically complex subsystems".

This would address a "critical bottleneck" in autonomy and move South Korea towards becoming a sovereign end-to-end UAV producer, Odgaard added.

"By investing heavily and targeting dual-use, scalable propulsion systems, South Korea is positioning itself to compete with established leaders such as the US, China, Israel [and] Turkey, while leveraging its strengths in electronics and manufacturing," she said.

"Generally, this is less a symbolic step and more a structural entry into the global UAV industrial and strategic competition."

CCA systems that fly alongside manned fighter jets require significant power for computing, radar, electronic warfare and sensor operations. There are also other dual-use designs applicable to both military and civil aviation.

According to the Hanwha Aerospace announcement, evolving geopolitical conditions continue to drive demand for faster delivery timelines and greater affordability.

"As global demand for CCA and unmanned platforms grows, propulsion will be central to fielding these systems at scale," the company's press release said.

"This programme puts Hanwha Aerospace in a position to deliver the performance, affordability and delivery speed that customers need."

Yang Uk, a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, said the goal was to develop manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) technology for fifth- and sixth-generation fighter aircraft.

"It appears to be a strategy to start with UAVs for the full-scale development of turbofan engines for fighter jets," he said.

Bence Nemeth, a senior lecturer in defence studies at King's College London and executive director of the King's Centre for Defence Economics and Management, said the programme's target of indigenous propulsion was "one of the hardest parts of the problem".

According to Nemeth, the 4,500lb-class turbofan will be crucial for future unmanned combat aircraft and if South Korea wants CCAs and loyal-wingman systems at scale, it "cannot rely indefinitely on imported or adapted engines".

"The Hanwha programme should not be interpreted as South Korea trying to copy cheap UAVs like the Iranian Shahed model [of] cheap, propeller-driven, expendable systems," he said.

"Hanwha's announced turbofan is much more sophisticated and points towards CCA, loyal-wingman and higher-end unmanned aircraft," Nemeth observed.

"The war in Ukraine and Iranian drone operations have shown the value of mass and affordability, but they have also shown that propulsion is a critical bottleneck across the drone spectrum," he added.

"With this development, South Korea appears to be targeting the higher end of that spectrum, where its aerospace and defence-industrial strengths are more relevant."

MUM-T technology has become a central part of military combat aircraft development in recent years, with drones playing an increasing role, as seen in the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Both the US and China have been developing CCAs that fly alongside their respective crewed fighter jets to extend range, absorb risk and overwhelm enemy air defences, moving away from drones' previous roles in surveillance or precision strikes.

Anduril Industries' YFQ-44A Fury and General Atomics' YFQ-42A are competing for US Air Force selection later this year as the CCAs flying alongside the fifth-generation F-35 fighter jet or the sixth-generation F-47, currently under development.

China released a video in November of its GJ-11 stealth attack drone flying alongside and linked to the J-20 fifth-generation fighter jet, suggesting the integration of MUM-T technology into its air-superiority system development.

Nataliya Butyrska, an East Asia expert and senior fellow at the New Europe Centre in Kyiv, said South Korea's accelerated UAV development reflected the lessons of Ukraine and the Middle East, where drones have become a central instrument of modern warfare.

It also highlighted a "relative weakness" in the South Korean defence industry, which lagged behind in indigenous UAV engines, autonomous systems and combat drone technologies.

Meanwhile, North Korea has gained practical combat experience and technological knowledge on drones in the war in Ukraine, Butyrska pointed out.

"This programme represents an effort to narrow the technological gap … This should be viewed as a clear indication that South Korea intends to become a major player in the global drone market and in next-generation unmanned combat aviation," she said.

"The global UAV sector is rapidly becoming a strategic competition involving the United States, China, Turkey, Israel and Iran. South Korea appears determined not to remain dependent on foreign technologies while other countries establish dominance in autonomous warfare systems."

From wedding photographers to farm gadgets, Chinese campaign warns of spy risks

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Foreign spies have posed as wedding photographers near naval ports and used cars fitted with advanced radar, GPS and optical sensors to collect mapping data under the guise of autonomous driving research, China's top state secrets watchdog has cautioned.

The National Administration of State Secrets Protection's warning about foreign spies acting as "eyes in the dark" came in its latest anti-espionage documentary, with state broadcaster CCTV airing the first episode on Tuesday.

"In real life, the methods, tools, covertness and scope of espionage employed by foreign intelligence agencies [against China] far exceed what most people can imagine," the narrator said in the first instalment of the five-part documentary, titled On your guard: Be vigilant against the risks of leaks around us.

Foreign spy agencies were operating under a variety of covers, the programme said, acknowledging that China faced greater challenges in protecting its secrets amid the rapid advancement of technology innovation.

The episode, titled Eyes in the Dark, cited a case of a sea cucumber farmer in the northeastern port of Dalian. He had been approached by a foreign intelligence agency posing as an NGO, which offered him "seawater quality monitoring equipment for free".

It was later discovered that the equipment contained a 360-degree camera that continuously monitored military activity and maritime traffic in nearby coastal areas, with the data sent to foreign intelligence agencies.

Dalian serves as a strategic hub for the Chinese navy and supports a wide range of operations, from shipbuilding and aircraft carrier construction to submarine and air force deployments.

"What appeared to be a benevolent act of technical assistance was in reality a meticulously planned spying operation targeting sensitive areas of China. And this was just the tip of the iceberg of the many disguised forms of surveillance," the documentary said.

Other cases included spies pretending to be wedding photographers, setting up booths near naval ports for extended periods to observe China's naval deployments and port activities while purportedly taking romantic photos.

The programme also said that "intelligent driving" research was used as a cover for the mass collection of China's mapping data. Collected via cars equipped with high-precision radar, Global Positioning System (GPS) and optical sensors, this data was subsequently transferred overseas.

There were also cases of espionage under the guise of weather observation near military installations, arms suppliers or major grain-producing regions, to analyse military activity or crop production in China, the programme said.

"Sometimes, they even hack into and control our networked computers during international negotiations, secretly activating cameras and microphones to directly monitor internal discussions to [find out] our bottom line pre-emptively."

It noted that cutting-edge surveillance technologies were driving the evolution of these "eyes in the dark" - from traditional image capture to the "comprehensive acquisition of all kinds of information, forming a powerful surveillance network".

The programme cited a range of technological advancements aiding such espionage, including low-light and infrared night-vision devices, artificial intelligence-enabled radar with 3D sensing to track targets through walls, and software capable of extracting location data from eye reflections in images.

Also mentioned were hacking tools that can access data from mobile phones and computers, alongside advanced drone systems such as the US-developed Gorgon Stare, which can monitor vast areas in real time.

The programme further pointed to large-scale surveillance networks capable of intercepting and processing massive volumes of data from ground stations and satellite links.

The documentary also warned about the risk of state secrets being leaked by people who were "too curious" or had a desire to "show off".

It cited the case of a Chinese military enthusiast who took photos of a military airfield while on an outdoor adventure and shared images of China's new fighter jets as well as the entire runway, resulting in a major leak of classified information.

The programme also said that those in possession of confidential materials must not cite state secrets, work secrets or internal sensitive information in social media or chat groups. Taking pictures of classified documents and using software to extract the text for convenience was also forbidden, it added.

The National Administration of State Secrets Protection is China's principal authority for safeguarding classified information, and operates under the Communist Party's Central Secrecy Commission.

The documentary series is part of "Secret Protection Month", a public awareness and national security campaign observed each May.

It aims to educate the public and state employees on guarding state secrets, countering espionage and preventing data leaks.

AI is massively increasing China's new weapon development speed: scientists

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

While much of military AI globally focuses on autonomous weapons and large language models, a new study suggests Beijing may also be pursuing a quieter transformation: embedding artificial intelligence (AI) in the deepest layers of industrial manufacturing.

A study published last month in the Chinese defence engineering journal Acta Armamentarii described how researchers developed an AI-powered "bearing design agent" - capable of autonomously designing rolling bearings in advanced machinery.

The journal has long served as a leading publication platform for China's weapons industry, covering technologies linked to aerospace, missile systems, armour, guidance systems and military manufacturing.

Titled "Study on Rolling Bearing Design Agent Based on Large Language Models with Reasoning and Acting", the paper detailed an AI system called ChatBearing that combines large language models with engineering calculation tools and industrial databases.

Researchers from Chongqing University's State Key Laboratory of Mechanical Transmission for Advanced Equipment said the system could autonomously perform design requirement analysis, load calculation, bearing selection, life prediction, strength verification and report generation.

According to the researchers, traditional bearing design relies heavily on experienced engineers, lengthy trial-and-error processes and expensive testing under extreme conditions including high temperature, heavy load and high rotational speed.

Chatbearing was tested on "helicopter tail rotor gearboxes, wind turbine gearboxes and electric vehicle drivetrains", the team wrote.

Compared with traditional manual methods, "ChatBearing drastically reduces design time from two to three hours to under three minutes, while reducing total bearing weight by more than 4 per cent".

The significance of the study goes far beyond the bearings themselves, according to a China-based weaponry science and technology expert who asked not to be named, citing the sensitivity of the matter.

"The improvement in design efficiency and the effect of optimisation are impressive," he said. "It can effectively promote the transformation of weapons and equipment research and development from 'digitalisation' to 'intelligence'."

In the United States, defence AI discussions have largely centred on battlefield applications, such as for autonomous drones, AI-assisted command systems, sensor fusion and military decision-making platforms, and companies like Palantir Technologies have become closely associated with the Pentagon's deepening interest in operational AI.

Meanwhile, China may be developing a parallel bottom-up strategy focused on "AI plus manufacturing", using AI to strengthen industrial engineering, production efficiency and hardware development.

The distinction matters because military power ultimately depends not just on advanced weapons but on the ability to design, manufacture and sustain them at scale as well.

China already possesses the world's largest manufacturing base, extensive industrial supply chains and vast pools of engineering talent.

The world's second-largest economy also dominates several sectors closely tied to modern defence production, including drones, batteries, electric motors, precision machining, rare earth processing and industrial robotics.

AI could amplify those advantages by accelerating prototype development, reducing engineering costs, improving simulation efficiency and enabling faster design iteration.

The Ukraine war, now in its fourth year, has reinforced a growing lesson for military planners worldwide: industrial endurance matters.

Modern conflicts are increasingly shaped not just by which side has the more sophisticated weapons, but by which one can produce, repair and adapt systems more rapidly.

The bearing study reflects that broader industrial logic.

At first glance, bearings may appear far removed from the futuristic image of AI warfare. They are neither sixth-generation fighters, nor swarming drones or humanoid robots.

But they are among the most fundamental components inside tanks, missiles, naval propulsion systems, radars, aero-engines and drones.

In industrial terms, bearings represent foundational manufacturing capability - the hidden layer of engineering precision upon which advanced weapons depend, according to Huaiju Liu, one of the Chongqing University researchers.

"ChatBearing achieves overall scores that are 43.6 per cent and 21.1 per cent higher than those of Qwen3-235B-A22B and Gemini-2.5-Pro-0506, respectively, on design tasks," wrote Liu and his colleagues, referring to highly advanced, large-scale AI models released by Alibaba and Google.

Alibaba is the owner of the South China Morning Post.

The researchers' AI system integrates reasoning models, engineering standards, simulation tools and a database containing more than 4,500 bearing records sourced from Chinese industrial standards as well as Swedish ball bearing manufacturer Svenska Kullagerfabriken (SKF)'s rolling bearings catalogue.

The researchers said the system used a "reasoning and acting" framework that allowed the AI to plan tasks, call engineering tools, verify calculations and self-correct errors during the design process.

"This work not only provides a feasible technical path for intelligent rolling bearing design but also offers theoretical support and practical reference for the paradigm shift towards AI-driven design of core components in high-end equipment," Liu wrote.

By optimising something as fundamental as bearings, the country's industrial efficiency, weapons development speed and long-term military production capacity could be significantly enhanced.

Yet, even as China experiments with AI-assisted military engineering, formidable structural challenges remain.

The defence industry expert said current large language model systems were still largely unable to enter sensitive weapons development environments.

"China's defence system is a closed classified environment," he noted. "To truly enable AI-assisted military design, an entirely separate classified AI infrastructure would need to be built."

Most defence networks in China are physically isolated from the public internet, with strict internal permission systems limiting data access, according to the expert.

"We already have classified networks, but there is not yet an independent classified AI platform," he added. "Using large language models for weapons analysis and design will require the construction of an entirely new secure AI ecosystem."

The expert said that meant many current AI experiments in defence-related engineering remained exploratory and limited to non-sensitive or partially open research environments.

Chinese team finds 'garden-like' ecosystem blooming in deepest ocean trenches

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Scientists have discovered a thriving and previously unknown ecosystem in the planet's deepest ocean trenches, feeding on organic debris from above.

At those depths the pressure is enough to crush a submarine, and combined with perpetual darkness and temperatures near freezing, it makes the deepest reaches of the oceans among the least explored places on Earth.

Until now, researchers believed that only a few anemones, sponges or bacteria could survive under such conditions.

But an international research team supported by China's crewed submersible the Fendouzhe, or Striver, has uncovered an unexpectedly rich community living on rocks in trenches deeper than 9km (5.6 miles).

The team - led by Professor Peng Xiaotong from the Institute of Deep‑Sea Science and Engineering at the Chinese Academy of Sciences - reported their findings in the journal Science on May 14.

"Between 2020 and 2024, we used the submersible Fendouzhe to investigate seven hadal trenches, fracture zones and basins in the Indo‑Pacific region, uncovering previously unknown faunas inhabiting extreme hadal depths," Peng wrote in the paper.

The team recorded 32 species across six phyla, most of them new to science.

"The most unexpected components, however, were four new and much smaller (millimetre‑scale) species that occurred in high densities and dominated the hard‑substrate Kermadec Trench assemblages," Peng said.

These millimetre‑sized organisms are known as filamentous foraminifera.

Their forms can be thread‑like, tubular, chain‑like or dome‑like - creating what looks like miniature gardens on the rocky sea floor - and there could be up to 4,300 of them packed in per square decimetre.

Scientists once thought these tiny deep-sea organisms might get their energy from symbiotic bacteria, as creatures living near hydrothermal vents do.

But the new study shows they actually "eat dust" - meaning they are heterotrophs that feed on organic debris.

Through genome sequencing, the team found that while these foraminifera host multiple species of bacteria, the bacteria lack the genes needed for chemosynthesis.

Instead, they have genes for breaking down fats and proteins - a clear sign that they live a predatory or scavenging lifestyle.

The researchers also found pine pollen grains inside the organisms, many partly digested. These particles sink from the ocean surface and are carried by deep-sea currents, providing a food supply for these organisms.

Beyond Kermadec and Mariana, the research team has observed similar filamentous protist communities on rocks in the Aleutian, Kuril‑Kamchatka, Atacama and Mussau trenches. This suggests that this protist‑dominated ecosystem could be widespread across the world's deepest ocean trenches.

Peng estimated that the live biomass carbon of these foraminiferal assemblages amounted to some 2,300 to 14,000 metric tonnes, corresponding to about 2 to 11 per cent of the total eukaryotic biomass carbon in hadal environments.

"Our results suggest that hadal hard‑substrate faunas form an important carbon pool," Peng said.

"Despite their tiny size, their broad distribution yields a non-trivial eukaryotic biomass, representing a previously unrecognised carbon hotspot in hadal environments."

Peng's team previously discovered a new type of mud volcano in the Mariana Trench and they were the first to report that microplastics had reached its deepest point.

Last year, also using the Fendouzhe submersible, they observed the world's largest chemosynthetic life community near 10km deep.

China's Type 054B frigate makes carrier force debut with Liaoning for live-fire drills

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning and its strike group are holding a live-fire exercise in the Pacific east of the Philippines, following one of its longest deployments in the South China Sea.

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Kuznetsov-class carrier, along with at least four escorts, was spotted on Monday about 880km (547 miles) southwest of Okinotorishima, Japan's southernmost point, according to a statement from the Japanese defence ministry.

On Tuesday, carrier-based fighter aircraft and other assets were observed conducting take-off and landing exercises from the Liaoning, the statement added.

The first island chain, which runs along East Asia's coastline from the Kuril Islands through Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines down to Borneo, marks the Chinese mainland's near seas from the wider Pacific.

The Qingdao-based Liaoning entered the South China Sea on April 20 to monitor the Balikatan joint military exercise between the United States, the Philippines and other allies which began that day.

Commercial satellite photos showed that the Liaoning remained west of the Philippines for at least a few days after the exercise concluded on May 8.

The Liaoning's deployment in the South China Sea was only slightly shorter than in 2018, when the carrier entered the sensitive waters on March 20 and left on April 20.

Its next move was officially confirmed on May 19, when the PLA Navy announced the carrier would be conducting training in the western Pacific. Which route it would take to cross the first island chain was not specified.

In a rare preview, the navy revealed on its official social media account that the drill beyond the first island chain would include "far-seas tactical flight, live firing, support and cover, and integrated search and rescue, so as to test and enhance the realistic combat training capabilities of the forces".

Chinese state media had hinted that the J-35 stealth fighter could be adapted to the Liaoning's ski-jump deck, despite being originally designed for catapult launches.

However, the Japanese statement did not specify the type of carrier-based aircraft observed during the training. The potential deployment of the advanced J-35 fighters to the Liaoning remains speculative.

Alongside the 65,000-tonne carrier were the Type 055 guided-missile destroyer Wuxi, Type 052D guided-missile destroyer Kaifeng, Type 054B guided-missile frigate Luohe and Type 901 fast combat support ship Hulunhu, according to the release.

It is the first time a Type 054B, the PLA Navy's newest and most advanced frigate, has taken part in a carrier task group since the class entered service last year.

Notably, the Luohe and the Hulunhu sailed past the Miyako Strait from the East China Sea into the Pacific on May 18 before joining the Liaoning, according to the Japanese defence ministry.

The Liaoning, China's first aircraft carrier, is also the only one in active combat deployment. The Shandong is in dry dock for a major upgrade while the newly commissioned Fujian is in operational training with other vessels in the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea.

Before its South China Sea voyage, the Liaoning transited through the Taiwan Strait on April 20, which was seen as a response to the Japanese destroyer JS Ikazuchi's passage through the Strait three days earlier.

For a yuan in deeper markets, Fed ex-president cites dollar playbook amid risks, criticism

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

China has a unique window to internationalise its currency by deepening domestic financial markets, according to a former senior US central bank official who pointed to the evolution of the US dollar and the euro for lessons to be gleaned.

The comments from Charles Evans, former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, provide a fresh perspective in the growing discussion over whether and how the world's second-largest economy can transform the yuan into a global currency.

Speaking on the sidelines of the UBS Asian Investment Conference in Hong Kong, Evans highlighted the enduring advantages of the US dollar. His comments came amid growing criticism over the currency's weaponisation, US debt sustainability, and policies from the administration of US President Donald Trump.

"One reason why the US dollar plays such a strong role in financial market transactions, and also trade transactions, is the vibrancy of financial markets, the depth of capital markets, Treasury debt, and the fact that it's traded and it's useful for financial activities," he said on Wednesday. He also noted how internationalisation typically requires a currency to be fully convertible.

"Those are big issues for a country like China," he said.

Beijing has been steadily promoting the yuan's use overseas since introducing cross-border trade transactions in 2009.

The pace has accelerated in recent years amid growing concerns regarding US dollar weaponisation, with sentiment influenced by Washington's asset freezes and financial sanctions imposed on Russia.

Chinese authorities are now boosting overseas use of the yuan on multiple fronts, including bilateral currency swaps; yuan-denominated investment and commodity trading; and cross-border yuan payment infrastructure.

Total cross-border yuan transactions surged from 9 trillion yuan (US$1.33 trillion) in 2017 to 64 trillion yuan in 2024, according to a Goldman Sachs note this week.

The US investment bank's analysts said the yuan's usage worldwide still lagged the country's relative weight in the global economy, implying "solid potential to grow in the future".

Evans also acknowledged that China's economy, which accounts for about 17 per cent of the world's total and contributes to about 30 per cent of the global economic growth annually, had "the strength that would be sympathetic towards stronger yuan movements".

He also acknowledged the potential of central bank digital currencies to accelerate currency internationalisation, provided that "there weren't somehow hidden controls".

While the US Fed once explored the possibility of a digital dollar, Evans said the idea was shelved over concerns surrounding commercial bank deposits.

In February 2025, Jerome Powell, as Federal Reserve chairman, said the US would not have a central bank digital currency as long as he was in charge.

Powell had also said that the Fed had no interest in establishing accounts for individuals that would compete with the banking system. This month, the Senate confirmed Kevin Warsh as the next chair.

Meanwhile, China is a pioneer among major economies in piloting a central bank digital currency and is active in promoting cross-border trade through mBridge, a multi-country digital currency platform involving several central banks.

Evans, who once worked alongside Warsh, warned that surging energy and material costs would continue to haunt policymakers at the US central bank.

Such factors "are likely to hit the US inflation data a bit harder and perhaps longer than most would have expected", Evans said.

Mainland Chinese react as Hong Kong tightens access to offshore investment accounts

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

As news spread on Wednesday that Hong Kong banks were tightening scrutiny on mainland Chinese clients opening savings and investment accounts, Zhe Ye - an auctioneer based in the southwestern province of Yunnan - was stunned.

The former asset appraiser had been planning a trip to Hong Kong to open an account, hoping to buy overseas assets ranging from the Nasdaq and S&P 500 to shares in newly listed companies such as SpaceX.

"I really regret not opening a Hong Kong account earlier," Zhe said, adding that mainland China's prolonged stock market downturn over the past decade had eroded his confidence in domestic equities. "Even though A shares have performed better this year, I still remain sceptical about the mainland market."

Like Zhe, middle-class residents in mainland China have for years used the city as a gateway, opening bank accounts to capitalise on the booming United States and Hong Kong stock markets and to move some of their assets offshore. But that channel is now facing tighter controls, as Beijing intensifies broader curbs on grey cross-border financial activity.

In a statement issued on Friday, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority instructed banks to require prospective customers to declare that funds used in investment accounts had originated outside mainland China.

It also asked banks to complete independent reviews of suspicious accounts within three months, identify investment accounts opened with false documentation since January 2023 and suspend transactions where necessary.

Banks were further told to clear long-dormant, zero-balance investment accounts, while customers who failed to complete new identity verification procedures could face transaction suspensions or eventual account closures.

People are already struggling to make money in this environment

Marshall Ma, spot listing manager in Shanghai

The move is part of Beijing's wider campaign to strengthen regulatory oversight of cross-border capital flows as it looks to redirect funding back to its domestic stock market. Last week, the China Securities Regulatory Commission also imposed fines totalling more than US$330 million on three online brokerages, including Futu Holdings and Tiger Brokers, for operating in mainland China without licences.

But mainland investors complained that stricter regulations in Hong Kong had left them with fewer attractive options for asset allocation, as the property market remained weak, incomes were under pressure and mainland China's stock market continued to underwhelm.

In Shanghai, spot listing manager Marshall Ma had also planned to travel to Hong Kong next month to open an account.

"Unfortunately, this route for offshore asset allocation through Hong Kong now feels completely blocked," Ma said.

He added that the stricter checks would not directly affect him, as most of his funds originated overseas through holdings of USDT - one of the world's largest stablecoins - on the Binance platform.

"But my biggest concern - and it's the same for many friends around me looking at overseas asset allocation - is the signal behind the tighter scrutiny," Ma said. "It feels like the central government is stepping up oversight of residents' assets.

"People are already struggling to make money in this environment."

Some mainland Chinese users were reportedly discouraged from opening investment accounts at Bank of China Hong Kong on Tuesday, according to Chinese financial media outlet Caixin.

Leo Lin, a property sector worker in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, opened a Hong Kong account about a decade ago and said offshore investments had generated strong returns over the years.

"Back then it was very simple," Lin said. "I brought my travel permit, mainland bank statements and proof of address, and the account was opened quickly."

"But I think the tightening now is probably driven by concerns over capital outflows," he said. "I'm just so glad I opened my account much earlier."

As access tightens in Hong Kong, some mainland investors could look further afield. Zhe said he was shifting his attention to Singapore as his next potential overseas investment destination.

"Singapore is visa-free for Chinese passport holders and it's also a financial hub," he said. "I'm planning to go there and see what options are available."

Chinese premier tours oil, grain stockpiles as Beijing boosts Iran war response

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Chinese Premier Li Qiang inspected strategic oil reserves and grain stockpiles in one of China's main economic hubs earlier this week, as the world's second-largest economy steps up efforts to insulate itself from the Strait of Hormuz crisis.

During a trip to Zhoushan and Ningbo in China's eastern Zhejiang province, Li called for the accelerated construction of commodity distribution hubs to safeguard China's national security. He also stressed the need to maintain adequate reserves of essential commodities and materials and create more resilient supply chains.

"Maintaining adequate reserves of commodities and critical materials is of great significance for the stable operation of the economy and society," he said, according to a Xinhua report published on Wednesday.

"With grain in hand, one does not panic," the premier added, quoting a traditional Chinese maxim.

The visit comes as China grapples with severe disruption to global supply chains. The US-Israel war on Iran, now entering its fourth month, has upended international trade routes and sent commodities prices surging following the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

China relies on imports for most its oil consumption, with total crude imports reaching 577.7 million tonnes last year, according to Chinese customs data. A large chunk of those shipments came from the Persian Gulf: Barclays Research estimated in March that about 35 per cent of the oil China consumed passed through the Strait of Hormuz.

However, the country has been better able to shield itself from the energy shocks unleashed by the war than other economies, after expanding its oil reserves - bolstered by purchases from Russia - relying on its extensive renewable energy capacity, and using state-regulated pricing to insulate its domestic market from soaring global costs.

Food security has also been a top priority for Beijing during the crisis, which has strained global supplies of fertiliser and other agricultural products. In recent years, China has pushed to raise domestic crop production, develop new agricultural technologies and diversify its import sources to ensure resilience amid geopolitical and climate-related threats.

Li also visited the Zhejiang Mercantile Exchange, the country's first major commodity allocation hub, during his trip. Established in 2024, the facility covers critical resources including oil, gas and metals.

There, he emphasised the importance of connecting domestic and international markets for bulk commodities to strengthen China's influence on global commodity prices, according to Xinhua.

Following Li's visit, analysts from Zheshang Securities said they expected Beijing to deploy targeted fiscal support - including special sovereign bond quotas and low-interest bank loans - to fund the expansion of strategic reserve infrastructure.

To encourage private sector participation in the construction of the reserves and trading platforms, the government is likely to introduce tax incentives and land guarantees, according to a report by the company published on Thursday.

Beijing will also focus on boosting research and development related to smart warehousing, security protection and digital management technologies, the report predicted.

The policy drive is tipped to primarily benefit market leaders in storage facilities, commodity logistics and port operators, as well as firms in critical mineral and digital infrastructure, the analysts said.

China plans to embed AI in energy infrastructure to optimise power grid efficiency

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

With victory in the global race to build artificial intelligence capacity heavily dependent on resilient power systems, China is urging domestic enterprises to launch pilot projects that integrate the cutting-edge technology into the energy sector.

To support the plan, Beijing has released an official list of application scenarios ranging from smart grids to autonomous coal mines. Energy enterprises would be able to partner with artificial intelligence providers and jointly submit proposals for state-backed pilot projects, the National Energy Administration (NEA) announced on Wednesday.

Attendees at a Tuesday conference, where the scenario list was released, included state-owned giants such as PetroChina, State Grid Corporation of China and China Energy Investment Corporation, as well as prominent private firms including Alibaba Cloud, Tencent Holdings and Envision Group.

Alibaba Cloud is the AI and cloud computing unit of Alibaba Group Holding, owner of the South China Morning Post.

The announcement comes as soaring electricity demand from energy-intensive AI computing becomes a growing constraint worldwide. In China, the government is responding by accelerating efforts to embed the technology directly into energy infrastructure, aiming to manage surging power consumption through greater efficiency.

The definitive list of 51 "high-value" application scenarios spanned eight core sectors, including power grids, renewables, hydropower, thermal power, coal, oil and gas.

"By spelling out these explicit application scenarios, the government is pushing the industry to move from conceptual rhetoric to concrete implementation, marking a highly significant step forward," said Lin Boqiang, dean of the China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy at Xiamen University.

He added that real-world feedback from these pilots was likely to pave the way for more targeted policies, with new business models in the energy industry emerging as a strategic frontier.

Such models underscore a push towards "computing-electricity synergy" - aligning the timing of heavy data processing with periods of surplus power supply - alongside the development of "virtual power plants" that digitally aggregate dispersed power assets to balance grid loads.

At the conference unveiling the list on Tuesday, the NEA called AI "a vital engine for building an energy powerhouse" and urged deeper integration between computing networks and electricity systems.

"The GPU [graphics processing unit] is today's steam engine. The function remains the same - energy conversion, turning electricity into intelligence," said Zhang Lei, founder and CEO of Shanghai-based green tech company Envision Group.

Speaking at the conference, Zhang added that power systems were becoming the core infrastructure of AI, rather than merely a supporting layer. The underlying challenge, according to Lin, was not only fuelling AI's growing energy demand but doing so sustainably.

China had ample fossil fuel reserves to meet AI's power needs, but the priority was aligning it with the green transition, Lin said.

"If AI can more precisely forecast, dispatch and manage volatile clean energy sources like wind, solar and hydropower, it will be a breakthrough," he added.

The pilot programme announcement follows an action plan released in May by four central government departments, including the NEA, to significantly increase clean energy supply for AI infrastructure and maximise industrial AI adoption by 2030.

China unveils auto industry blueprint to set EV, AI vehicle and semiconductor standards

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

China is seeking to expand its influence over the future of the global auto industry through a sweeping regulatory blueprint covering core technologies ranging from vehicle chips, AI and batteries to autonomous driving and low-carbon development.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Tuesday released its 2026 work plan on automotive standardisation, outlining measures to tighten technical requirements as part of efforts to reinforce China's dominance in electric vehicles (EVs) and automobile manufacturing.

The plan called for completing a blueprint for the industry's standards system during the 15th five-year plan period. Among the priorities were rules governing the growing use of artificial intelligence in vehicles, including testing and security requirements for AI models used in automated driving systems.

It also urged the development of guidelines for large automotive models and end-to-end AI systems - technologies that carmakers are increasingly adopting to support advanced driver assistance and autonomous driving capabilities.

The ministry also pledged to accelerate the development of standards for automotive chips, while stepping up work on battery safety, charging systems and solid-state batteries.

Beyond the domestic front, the plan underscores China's ambition to play a greater role in international rule-making.

The ministry said it would deepen participation in UN automotive regulations, including rules on autonomous driving, electric vehicle safety and battery durability. It would promote new international standards, it added, while helping to establish an international automotive science and technology organisation, expanding cooperation and supporting Chinese carmakers in navigating overseas markets.

According to a report published by the overseas edition of the state-run People's Daily in August 2025, China was leading or developing nearly 50 international standards in areas such as electric vehicles, intelligent connected vehicles and vehicle safety.

In the same report, An Tiecheng, chairman of the China Automotive Technology and Research Centre, said the country's automotive industry had entered "a new stage of development" and that there was an urgent need to develop global standards and strengthen international cooperation.

According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, vehicle production and sales reached 34.5 million and 34.4 million units respectively in 2025, marking the 17th consecutive year that China ranked first globally in both categories. Separate data from the General Administration of Customs showed vehicle exports reached 6.41 million units in 2024.

The new plan also reflects a growing regulatory focus on safety, at a time when increasingly sophisticated technologies are entering the mass automobile market.

The ministry said it would accelerate safety standards for batteries, accident prevention, automated driving systems and data security, while advancing new technical requirements for charging compatibility, battery recycling and other crucial technologies.

The emphasis on automotive chips and AI also comes amid intensifying US-China competition in advanced technologies.

The ministry said it would seek to improve the reliability, functional safety, cybersecurity and information security standards governing these chips and related technologies.

China's date with once-sanctioned Dutch trade minister on cards for early July: source

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

A Dutch minister who was previously sanctioned by Beijing will lead a business delegation to China in early July, according to a source familiar with the planning, as the two nations navigate thorny bilateral issues such as newly proposed US export curbs on ASML chipmaking tools and the Nexperia ownership debacle.

Sjoerd Sjoerdsma, who was recently removed from Beijing's sanction list, will lead a four-day visit starting on July 6 with stops in Beijing and Shanghai. In the capital, the Netherlands' trade minister is expected to meet with Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao, followed by a meeting in Shanghai with the city's Communist Party secretary, Chen Jining, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Sjoerdsma is poised to be the second minister from the new Dutch government, sworn in on February 23, to visit China, after a trip this month by the agricultural minister, Silvio Erkens. The specific members of Sjoerdsma's trade delegation were not immediately clear.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs said "work is being done on a visit", but declined to share more information.

Beijing sanctioned Sjoerdsma in 2021 following his criticism of alleged human rights abuses in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region - charges that Beijing has long denied. The restrictions on him were lifted in recent months, a source told the South China Morning Post earlier, though no official announcement has been made.

The visit comes as the two countries are navigating a fraught relationship over control of semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia and export restrictions on ASML's lithography tools, both of which have been squeezed by Washington's efforts to tighten hi-tech curbs on China.

Frans-Paul van der Putten, founder of Dutch consultancy ChinaGeopolitics, said that an urgent topic of discussion between the two sides on the coming trip was likely to be the Multilateral Alignment of Technology Controls in Hardware (Match) Act.

The bill, tabled in the US Congress in April, seeks to further restrict US allies' ability to sell advanced semiconductor equipment to China. This includes Dutch manufacturer ASML's deep-ultraviolet (DUV) immersion lithography machines.

"It is unclear, though, what the Netherlands or China can do to prevent the Match Act from being adopted and used against ASML by the US," van der Putten said, noting that China could retaliate against Dutch companies or individuals if they disrupt Chinese supply chains under foreign pressure.

Sjoerdsma recently expressed his opposition to the Match Act in written answers to Dutch lawmakers published on May 12, noting that the Dutch government had raised objections with US lawmakers and the administration.

"The cabinet opposes the extraterritorial effect inherent in the American proposal. Every country is responsible for its own export-control legislation," Sjoerdsma said, adding that sweeping restrictions risked hurting semiconductor companies' revenues and market standing while damaging trade and investment stability.

ASML CEO Christophe Fouquet also warned recently that further US restrictions might backfire by forcing China to accelerate its efforts to develop its own tools.

The DUV machines that ASML sells to China are based on technology introduced in 2015, which is eight generations of chip technology ago, Reuters quoted Fouquet as saying last week.

Meanwhile, the legal battle continues between China's Wingtech Technology and Dutch chipmaker Nexperia over the firm's control. While the two governments could try to reach an understanding on what outcomes they find desirable or at least acceptable, the matter is now largely in the hands of the two companies and the Dutch Enterprise Chamber, according to van der Putten.

At the weekend, both sides exchanged fire over whether Nexperia obstructed Wingtech's audit work following Wingtech's announcement on Friday that it had filed a lawsuit against Nexperia and three of its executives under China's anti-foreign sanctions law, demanding the restoration of full control over Nexperia and 8 billion yuan (US$1.18 billion) in compensation.

First China, now South Korea: why Asian powers are turning to commercial Arctic shipping

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Months of disruption through the Strait of Hormuz have prompted a rethink of global supply chains, with South Korea now following China in pushing to commercialise the Arctic shipping route to Europe.

South Korea aimed to open a regular route through the waters by 2030, following a trial voyage set to debut later this year, according to a broader maritime development plan released on Tuesday by Seoul's Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

"To prepare for the Arctic shipping era approaching after 2030, we will phase in the opening of the route according to long-term national strategies," the ministry said, adding that a trial service between Busan and Rotterdam would launch in the second half of this year.

Seoul would also expand its national icebreaker fleet, train polar experts and strengthen international cooperation, it said.

The move would make South Korea only the second major Asian nation after China to explicitly develop the Arctic route as a commercial link to Europe.

Chinese carrier Sea Legend Line launched its China-Europe Arctic container express route last October, sending a vessel from Ningbo to the UK's Port of Felixstowe. The planned 18-day journey stretched to 20 days after a storm in the Norwegian Sea, yet it still held a significant advantage over the roughly 25 days required by the China-Europe Railway Express, the 40-day journey through the Suez Canal and the 50-day route around the Cape of Good Hope.

The Arctic shipping lane has also become a focal point in Sino-Russian ties. Following Russian President Vladimir Putin's state visit to Beijing last week, both countries pledged to deepen cooperation on developing the Northern Sea Route and boosting cargo volumes.

The Arctic shipping lane could become a crucial alternative as South Korea seeks new trade routes, South Korean Oceans Minister Hwang Jong-woo said at a press conference on May 14. He also voiced Seoul's opposition to Iran's push to impose a transit toll through the Strait of Hormuz, calling the move a "violation of international law", Korean news agency Yonhap reported.

Transits through the strategic waterway - which in peacetime handled about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas flows - have fallen to a fraction of pre-war levels since the US-Israeli war on Iran began.

Even so, the Arctic route is currently navigable for only three to four months a year - though Hwang said icebreakers could extend that window to as much as nine months by 2040. Preparations must begin now, he stressed.

Following the announcement, state-backed maritime finance agency Korea Ocean Business Corporation and the Korea Shipowners' Association selected Busan-based Panstar Line as the winning bidder for the trial voyage.

A 3,000 20-foot equivalent unit container ship would depart Busan, transit the Arctic and arrive in Rotterdam between August and September, depending on ice melt and weather conditions, according to late-April bidding documents.

The government said it would provide financial subsidies and port fee discounts to the operator.

How Southeast Asia's ambitious green transition strategy is a windfall for China

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Chinese energy companies are poised to play an important role in Southeast Asia's ambitious green transition plans, which will see countries across the region integrate their power grids, according to a senior Singaporean official.

The strategy could eventually lead to a cross-regional network running all the way from Singapore to southern China via nations including Malaysia and Thailand, according to Puah Kok Keong, chief executive of the Energy Market Authority of Singapore - the city state's top energy regulator.

"I think that possibility is very real," Puah told the South China Morning Post on Tuesday.

Grid integration will be vital if Singapore is to meet its decarbonisation goals. The city state currently relies on natural gas for 95 per cent of its power generation. With its scarce land, it has set a target of importing up to 6 gigawatts of green electricity by 2035 - enough to cover roughly one-third of its power needs, Puah said.

The effort will open up new opportunities for Chinese companies, which enjoy technological dominance in several related fields and are already involved in major projects in the region, according to the official.

Singapore has been working to advance cross-regional energy cooperation, including through a project to transmit up to 100 megawatts of hydropower from Laos to Singapore via Thailand and Malaysia using existing interconnectors.

Entities across Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia have also signed several agreements over the past year to jointly develop renewable energy projects and ease trade in low-carbon electricity.

China is "quite clearly the world leader" not only in deploying solar power and smart-grid energy storage solutions, but also in producing and exporting the core technology used in such systems, according to Puah.

When developers are looking to build solar-and-battery projects, the "fast, affordable and reliable" suppliers "tend to be Chinese companies", he said.

Chinese firms have recently confirmed deals to deliver several major energy infrastructure projects in the region.

In October, CRE International - a unit of the China National Nuclear Corporation - signed an agreement with Singapore's Equator Renewables Asia to build a solar photovoltaic facility with a maximum capacity of 900MW and a 1.2-gigawatt-hour battery storage system in Indonesia.

The project is set to be completed by 2029 and will generate 830GWh of clean energy annually. CRE International will invest in, construct and operate the project, Equator announced via its website.

Chinese battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd, meanwhile, will supply half of the battery storage systems for another massive solar-and-battery project in Indonesia, which is slated to export 300MW of clean electricity directly to Singapore once operational.

The tie-ups between China's energy firms and countries across Southeast Asia should prove mutually beneficial, Puah said.

Singapore will gain access to low-carbon electricity, while neighbouring countries will receive investment into their energy sector and a boost to their export revenues, he explained.

Property hunters: China regions mine ledgers for dormant riches in 'idle' assets

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Chinese provinces are scouring their balance sheets to revitalise idle state assets, seeking alternative revenue streams to counter intense debt pressures stemming from the prolonged property downturn.

In jurisdictions such as Jilin, Sichuan and Chongqing, which are leading this fiscal drive, local authorities are doubling down on meeting aggressive regional targets to repair strained finances.

Jilin's governor, Hu Yuting, on Tuesday said the province aimed to anchor an annual target of 100 billion yuan (US$14.75 billion) in inefficient assets to be redeployed, according to a government statement.

"We must … innovate disposal measures and intensify revitalisation efforts to continuously unlock the value of idle assets," Hu was quoted as saying at a meeting, characterising the campaign as transforming "dormant resources" into "development capital".

The focus of these provincial auditing campaigns includes underutilised public infrastructure and vacant administrative buildings. Under the new mandates, these properties are often disposed of or repositioned as commercial leases, affordable housing, tech hubs or tourism venues.

This form of asset-based financing has emerged as a critical fiscal lifeline for regional governments that had relied on land sales for the bulk of their income until that stream was cut off with the onset of China's property crisis.

As of February, Jilin had revitalised 345 properties belonging to provincial-level administrative departments, totalling 335,900 square metres (3.61 million square feet) and valued at 883 million yuan, according to the National Government Offices Administration.

Similarly, Chongqing's state-owned enterprises have revitalised more than 180 billion yuan worth of existing assets and recovered more than 70 billion yuan in funds. The southwestern metropolis in February announced a target to repurpose more than 100 billion yuan worth of state assets during the nation's 15th five-year planning period, which covers 2026 to 2030.

Meanwhile, Sichuan province's Nanchong city recently used an idle campus site to house a vocational college - a move that saved 120 million yuan compared with building a new facility, Xinhua reported last week.

This pursuit of revitalisation is bearing fruit, according to a May report by S&P Global. Its analysts estimated that revenue from state-owned assets accounted for nearly 8 per cent of total local fiscal revenue by the end of last year, nearly double the 2020 level. Meanwhile, land revenue made up around 14 per cent, down by half from 2020.

"This divergence marks a turn towards state-owned assets as a core pillar of local fiscal sustainability," the report said. "Their importance could continue to grow in the coming years."

S&P added, however, that long-term sustainability depends on how well local governments execute their plans. It warned that these revitalisation efforts could also increase debt if resulting cash flows fall short of expectations, potentially heightening credit risks rather than yielding solid investment returns.

China's hog prices, near decade low, seen squeezing profitability amid deflation risks

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Hog prices in China, a critical bellwether for the nation's inflation, remained at low levels over the past week despite signs of stabilising, with policymakers looking to ward off deflationary pressures.

Prices of live pigs have rebounded 15 per cent from a 10-year low in mid-April, according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on Monday, following voluntary supply cuts by farms and a government-led push to reduce breeding.

But even with the bounce, prices remain near one of the lowest points in nearly a decade, hitting 10.12 yuan (US$1.49) per kilogram last week - a marginal 0.4 per cent dip from the previous week and a 32.2 per cent slump from the same period a year earlier.

Falling pork prices are complicating Beijing's fight against deflation, while chronic overcapacity in the hog sector squeezes millions of pig farmers who also face rising costs for oil, grain and feed due to war in the Middle East.

"The price recovery in May was a result of hog farmers' decisions to reduce supplies voluntarily," said Wu Bingxin, an analyst at Orient Futures. "Demand [for pork] has yet to recover."

The aggressive cull at pig farms came as the sector was enduring significant financial distress from low pork prices.

According to public data, 19 listed companies in the pork trade collectively lost more than 7.6 billion yuan in the first quarter of this year. Wu estimated that a farmer could lose more than 330 yuan for every hog sold this month.

"So, they had no choice but to reduce capacity and supply," Wu said. "Meanwhile, some independent farms have chosen to exit the business."

A pig farmer in Jinshan district, Shanghai, who had been in the business for 42 years and owned 50,000 hogs, told the South China Morning Post that he had ceased operations due to continuous heavy losses.

The National Bureau of Statistics said that, by the end of March, China's breeding sow inventory fell by 1.35 million, or 3.3 per cent year on year, to 39.04 million. The breeding stock was said to have dropped for nine months in a row.

Some analysts said that an upwards trend was forming, aided by the central government's "scaled-up effort" to cut breeding capacity. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs recently lowered the target for the country's breeding stock to 37.5 million, down 1.5 million from two years prior.

Wu added that he expected a supply-demand balance for pork to be reached by the end of 2026. Last month, Goldman Sachs said that China's hog sector had likely hit the bottom of the current cycle.

While Beijing reduced the weighting of food and housing in its consumer price index in February, pork remains a primary driver of headline inflation due to its volatile price and central role in Chinese households' diets.

Consumer prices in mainland China rose 1.2 per cent in April from a year earlier, according to the statistics bureau.

China should learn household balance sheet lessons from US subprime crisis: report

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

China should draw on American experience to better understand the strains the property downturn and falling home prices are placing on households and compile more data on household balance sheets to aid policymaking, according to a new study.

The way the United States had tackled recent recessions - from the bursting of the dotcom bubble in the 2000s to the subprime mortgage crisis in 2007-08, and the Covid-19 pandemic just over a decade later - would be a good reference for China to improve preparedness, help households and defend financial stability, according to a report co-authored by a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS).

The report, first published in the magazine Financial Minds, was reposted by CASS on Monday.

"The evolution of household balance sheets throughout the three American crises can offer experience for China as we explore macro-level balance sheet management," the report's co-authors, CASS researcher Li Cheng and Zhang Xiaobo from Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, wrote.

Comparing the harm from China's protracted property slump to the way the subprime mortgage crisis crimped American consumption through a "home prices-mortgage loans-credit-consumption" mechanism, the report warned that if China's depressed home prices were compounded by macroeconomic challenges, households could decide to save even more, at the cost of consumption.

"This is out of a desire to guard against deterioration of balance sheets," they wrote. "This would, in turn, hurt demand and affect local government fiscal revenue."

The report said that since Chinese household leverage increase in the past decade was fuelled by housing loans, changes in home prices and mortgage cost would have an "outsize" impact on spending and financial stability, even though Chinese households' overall debt exposure was smaller than their US peers.

For contingency planning, the report suggested tracking property market trends and analysing household balance sheets to prepare for "extreme scenarios" like widespread mortgage defaults.

China should increase fiscal expansion in economic downturns, via direct financial support for households, SMEs and underdeveloped regions

Li Cheng and Zhang Xiaobo

Its proposals included mortgage repayment deferrals and loan restructuring for vulnerable groups, including the unemployed, self-employed and those working for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to alleviate debt pressure and control threats to financial institutions.

The report also suggested there was a need to compile more data to give policymakers a systemic grasp of household wealth, asset allocation and debt repayment patterns so as to identify risks and optimise policy choices.

At its fourth plenum in October, the Communist Party Central Committee mandated the compilation of a macroeconomic balance sheet to optimise asset and debt structures.

The report said household sector balance sheets should be compiled regularly, with a focus on key indicators like assets, income and housing loans.

The way the US government rushed to the aid of residents, especially the poor, in its response to crises should also be a model for Chinese policymakers, it said.

"US experience reveals direct cash relief often has an instant effect, especially in meeting consumption and debt repayment needs of the poor," Li and Zhang wrote.

"China should increase fiscal expansion in economic downturns, via direct financial support for households, SMEs and underdeveloped regions while adopting countercyclical and macroprudential measures for stability and curbing asset bubbles."

That said, the report also argued that lessons should be gleaned from the "severe wealth inequality" in the US, where debt problems and wealth distribution issues had become intertwined.

China's yuan gains ground in international trade with room to grow, Goldman Sachs says

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Goldman Sachs has found that trade settlement in the Chinese yuan has nearly tripled since 2019, at a time when Beijing is accelerating efforts to internationalise its currency through trade, cross-border payments and financial flows.

China-linked trade settlements in yuan grew from 13 per cent in 2019 to 30 per cent last year, although they still lagged the country's relative weight in the global economy, the New York-based investment bank said in a research note.

Total cross-border yuan transactions also rose "sharply" from 9 trillion yuan (US$1.32 trillion) in 2017 to 64 trillion yuan in 2024, according to the note by the bank's China economist Chen Xinquan.

Beijing's push for yuan internationalisation is seen as crucial to reducing dependence on US dollar-denominated channels amid strained bilateral ties with Washington and concerns over the weaponisation of the American currency. Top officials have adopted a more proactive tone in recent months, signalling increased efforts to promote the currency's global use, even as adoption remains relatively modest.

Yuan invoicing for goods imports had roughly doubled since 2020 across sample countries, but still accounted for only 1.5 per cent of the total in 2023, according to Goldman Sachs. The currency's share of global payments reached about 3 to 4 per cent over the past two years, Chen wrote, noting that it also made up about 2 per cent of official global reserves in 2025.

"RMB international use has improved but still trails China's global footprint, implying solid potential to grow in the future," Chen said.

Separately, Zhu Min, former deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund, was quoted earlier this month as saying that Beijing could further internationalise the yuan by expanding its use in industrial supply chains, trade and commodity settlements, as well as through a swap mechanism functioning as a "quasi-lender of last resort".

His comments, made at a Tsinghua University forum and cited in mainland media, ran counter to widely circulated market concerns that limited convertibility and capital controls were constraining the yuan's offshore potential.

Broader use of the yuan would require more stable offshore liquidity, better risk management tools and a broader yuan-denominated "asset pool", Chen wrote in the Goldman Sachs note.

He added that cross-border use of the yuan was also "becoming more investment-driven", while foreign participants needed yuan liquidity that was "easier to fund", tools that were "easier to hedge with" and yuan assets that were "more attractive to hold".

The shift could see Hong Kong playing a critical role in the next phase of yuan internationalisation, Chen argued, as Beijing was likely to prioritise gradual onshore opening and deeper offshore yuan markets over broad capital-account liberalisation.

EU firms in China starting to feel less gloomy as Beijing offers stability: report

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

European companies' confidence in the Chinese market is showing signs of rebounding for the first time since 2022, as Beijing is increasingly perceived as a "champion" of stability amid rising global volatility, according to a survey released on Wednesday.

After years of spiralling pessimism, the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China found that "the intensity of the deterioration in confidence in China's business environment has eased" among its members over the past year.

In the group's annual Business Confidence Survey - which polled more than 500 European firms operating in China - less than half of respondents said China's business environment had become more politicised, down from 52 per cent a year earlier.

While 68 per cent of the companies surveyed said business conditions had become more difficult in China, that represented an improvement from last year, when a record 73 per cent of respondents agreed with the statement.

Meanwhile, firms reported feeling more upbeat about their expectations for growth and profitability in the coming months.

The EU chamber conducted the survey between January and February, just before the outbreak of the US-Israel war on Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

"Some of these gains could be attributed to the fact that, in a year of intense global volatility, China has demonstrated itself to be a relatively stable manufacturing, sourcing and investment destination," the chamber said in the report.

The group described China as "the heavyweight champion of highly efficient and cost-effective supply chains", adding that "the capacity to provide a stable and predictable market has emerged as one of the most important" advantages that economies could offer businesses.

Ninety-four per cent of respondents still regard the country as an important sourcing destination, it added.

However, European companies continue to face challenges in China. Competition from domestic firms has become even more intense, with 48 per cent of respondents saying Chinese companies were now more innovative than their European competitors, compared with 24 per cent who said the reverse.

In many cases, European firms are becoming more deeply integrated into Chinese supply chains due to "economic necessity", as companies seek to remain competitive against rivals already embedded in China's manufacturing ecosystem, according to Jens Eskelund, president of the EU chamber.

"If you're going to compete with Chinese competitors on price and cost, you also become part of the Chinese supply chain," Eskelund said during a media briefing on Wednesday.

Concerns over market access and geopolitical tensions also remain widespread.

The EU chamber said firms in sectors viewed as strategic by Beijing faced the greatest barriers, citing localisation requirements and procurement policies favouring domestic suppliers. China has been pushing to reduce its reliance on foreign technology in recent years.

In medical devices and pharmaceuticals, 89 per cent and 84 per cent of European firms, respectively, said they had missed out on business opportunities in China due to regulatory or market-access barriers, according to the report.

EU firms also remain cautious about investing further in China, the survey found. Only 53 per cent of respondents ranked China among their top three investment destinations, the lowest level on record. Meanwhile, 14 per cent said they currently had no investment plans in the country, the highest proportion since the survey began in 2004.

Many companies were shifting investments to other markets to strengthen their supply-chain resilience and pursue growth opportunities elsewhere, the report said.

While welcoming Beijing's shift away from an at-all-costs growth model in its latest five-year plan, the EU Chamber expressed concerns about the plan's calls for increased self-reliance.

Overall, the latest results offered China "a strong foundation to build upon", but restoring confidence among foreign businesses would require reforms addressing market access, competition and regulatory transparency, it added.

How Shenzhen's growing population defies China's urban demographic shift

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Shenzhen recorded the largest increase in permanent residents among Chinese cities in 2025, a rare bright spot as some megacities lose their appeal amid a deepening demographic shift.

The southern tech hub added 259,000 permanent residents last year, bringing its total population to 18.25 million, according to a notice released by the local government on Monday.

Designated as China's first special economic zone in 1980, Shenzhen has since evolved into one of the country's most powerful population magnets, a trend analysts attributed to a mutually reinforcing relationship between sound economic policies and human capital.

He Yafu, an independent demographer, said the region's decades-long track record had underscored the broader economic benefits of a growing population.

"Shenzhen's development over more than 40 years shows that as long as there are sound economic policies, population growth benefits economic development," He wrote in a report on Tuesday.

"Human resources and talent resources are the most valuable resources."

The young, migrant-dominated city was followed by Dongguan and Guangzhou - all three in Guangdong province - which added about 229,600 and 123,000 permanent residents, respectively.

For decades, Beijing sought to curb population growth through measures such as the one-child policy - which officially ended in 2016 - in an effort to boost economic development and raise living standards.

But Shenzhen's experience challenged that model, emerging as one of China's wealthiest cities amid rapid population growth in recent decades. Last year, official data showed it recorded a per capita gross domestic product of 213,763 yuan (US$31,500) - more than twice the national average.

The megacity also registered a higher birth rate and a lower mortality rate than the national average, He noted, attributing this partly to Shenzhen's youthful demographic, with an average age of 32.5 in 2024.

Meanwhile, Shenzhen's robust tech sector - home to domestic heavyweights such as Tencent Holdings and Huawei Technologies - alongside residency-friendly policies and its proximity to Hong Kong, has fuelled an influx of talent.

The trend contrasts sharply with that of cities such as Beijing, historically the main economic draw for young professionals in northern China, but now characterised by a stringent residency system and tightening job opportunities.

The capital's permanent resident population stood at 21.8 million in 2025, declining by 32,000 from the previous year. Its annual statistical yearbook, released in March, showed that the population aged between 20 and 29 had nearly halved, from 4.62 million in 2015 to 2.49 million in 2024.

Workers are increasingly moving south to coastal hubs such as the Yangtze River Delta - which includes major cities Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou - and the Greater Bay Area, where Shenzhen is located.

Hangzhou, home to tech giant Alibaba Group Holding and fast-growing start-ups such as DeepSeek, added 76,000 permanent residents in 2025, bringing its total to 12.7 million, according to local government data. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

Shanghai's permanent resident population also grew, increasing by 51,500 to 24.85 million, official data showed.

Boring China: how Chinese firms are creating a new breed of tunnelling machine

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

A gigantic but highly flexible Chinese tunnel boring machine is helping to carve out Sydney's second major highway artery deep beneath the harbour, as China, dubbed an "infrastructure maniac", exports more of its advanced technologies and sophisticated machinery.

The machine is currently operating in the Australian economic hub for the construction of the Western Harbour Tunnel project, a 6.5km (4 miles) tunnel featuring three lanes in each direction, which is expected to be completed in 2028, Chinese state-owned broadcaster CCTV reported on Monday.

Named after Patyegarang, an aboriginal woman known for her role in facilitating communication between indigenous people and Australia's early settlers, the tunnel boring machine is operating in a complex underground environment with winding, S-shaped sections and a minimum turning radius of just 960 metres (3,150 feet).

Such conditions pose challenges for tunnel boring machines, which are typically very large and structurally rigid, making it difficult for them to navigate tight curves smoothly.

In response, the customised machine features a segmented body with a precision joint system, allowing the massive structure to bend at the waist and smoothly navigate curved routes with accuracy.

According to China Railway Engineering Equipment Group (CREG), which built the Patyegarang tunnel boring machine, it has an excavation diameter of 15.7 metres, making it the largest of its kind that China has ever exported overseas.

Once completed, the new tunnel will directly connect Sydney's inner west with its lower north shore, slashing travel time and reducing congestion on the harbour bridge and tunnel.

As a key tool for tunnel excavation, tunnel boring machines are specifically designed to adapt to local geological conditions while minimising surface disruption.

Despite China's rapid infrastructure development, it once had little choice but to rely on expensive large-diameter tunnel boring machines imported from overseas. China developed its first tunnel boring machine in the 2000s and only achieved full domestic supply of core components around 2021.

Now, China is the world's largest manufacturer of tunnel boring machines, according to CCTV. Machines produced in Zhengzhou, a major hub of China's tunnel boring industry, have been exported to 36 countries worldwide.

Following its shipment to Australia in August last year, Jacinta Allan, the state premier of Victoria, announced the government had ordered four more tunnel boring machines to carve the Suburban Rail Loop twin tunnels in Melbourne.

On Friday, CREG announced the completion of its latest tunnel boring machine for Singapore's Cross Island Line Phase 2, which will be used for construction at significant underground depth, including an interchange station that will become the deepest MRT station in Singapore once completed.

Less than 10% of Chinese public worried about AI destroying jobs: survey

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

China is better positioned than many other nations to lead in artificial intelligence due to the public's "strikingly positive" attitude towards the technology, according to a new survey by University College London.

Less than 10 per cent of respondents in China worried that AI would make it harder to find a job and about one-third believed the technology would create more high-skilled work, the survey found.

A whopping 96 per cent of Chinese people surveyed said they used AI at work every week and 79 per cent thought university students should be taught to use it "effectively", according to the findings released on Monday.

University College London conducted the poll in China in collaboration with the London-based consultancy Public First.

"Our research suggests that while there is global anxiety around AI, there is also a widespread belief among the Chinese public that AI can support future skills and higher-value work," Public First said in a statement.

"New polling … suggests the Chinese public are not only using AI widely, but are broadly confident about its impact on work, education and skills," it added.

Concerns about AI's potential to disrupt the job market have emerged in China over recent months. In early May, a Chinese court ruled it was illegal for a company to terminate a worker in favour of using a cheaper AI tool. Government advisers have also called on Beijing to set "red lines" to guide the industry's development.

But public attitudes in China appear "strikingly positive" compared with "global competitors" such as the United States, according to Public First.

In the US, 43 per cent of the public feels the risks of AI outweigh the benefits and 44 per cent said they felt AI was developing too fast, according to data released by the company. Nearly half said they believed AI would eliminate more jobs than it creates.

Meanwhile, 46 per cent of Americans said they would prioritise ensuring that AI was "safe and well-regulated even if that means China develops it faster", Public First said.

"The story we think this opens up is whether China can gain an AI advantage over the rest of the world through AI readiness and whether students, workers and institutions are willing to absorb AI into everyday learning and working life," it said in the statement.

China's BYD aims for zero accidents with 'God's Eye', vows crash cost coverage

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

BYD, the world's largest electric vehicle (EV) maker, has set its sights on achieving zero traffic accidents through self-developed autonomous driving technology, aiming to assemble next-generation cars affordable for mass consumers.

Founder and chairman Wang Chuanfu told a press conference in Shenzhen on Thursday that BYD's "God's Eye" advanced driver-assistance system would be priced at just 12,000 yuan (US$1,770). The system allows drivers to go "hands off", with BYD pledging to cover any costs from traffic accidents when the technology is activated.

"There are roughly 1.19 million people who die in traffic accidents globally every year, and tens of millions more are injured. Our first goal is to achieve zero traffic accidents," Wang said. "A car is equipped with more than a dozen cameras, lidar and radar - the equivalent of dozens of eyes - monitoring road conditions around the clock without blind spots. Advanced driver-assistance never gets tired."

Wang did not disclose a timetable for commercialisation.

The announcement underscores BYD's push to secure a leading position in the future of mobility, with ambitions to mass-produce smarter cars at lower costs. Wang said the company had built more than 6,100 flash-charging stations in total, the most among Chinese carmakers.

"The latest technologies BYD unveiled [send] a message that the company is embarking on technological advancements, instead of price cuts, to increase its market share," said Gao Shen, an independent analyst in Shanghai. "As a bellwether in the global EV industry, any drastic action taken by BYD could change the game since its competitors would have to either increase investment in new technologies or slash costs to keep their vehicles affordable."

Since mid-2025, Beijing has urged carmakers to refrain from discount wars that erode profitability.

Nick Lai, head of auto research for the Asia-Pacific region at JPMorgan, said manufacturers were now taking one of two paths: upgrading production techniques to lower costs and reduce prices, or offering consumers new models that outperformed existing ones at the same price.

BYD reported deliveries of 700,050 units in the first quarter of 2026, down 30 per cent year on year as the domestic market weakened following a rollback of subsidies and tax incentives.

Rising overseas sales helped offset the slump. BYD exported 120,083 units in March, its fifth consecutive month with shipments of more than 100,000 vehicles.

Overseas deliveries in the first quarter accounted for nearly 46 per cent of total sales, double the full-year proportion of 23 per cent in 2025.

A tug of war between BYD and Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL), the world's largest EV battery producer, on superfast charging technology has been escalating over the past year as both companies looked to further ease drivers' range anxiety.

In late April, CATL said its third-generation Shenxing battery charged from 10 per cent to 98 per cent in six minutes and 27 seconds, outpacing BYD's second-generation Blade battery, which takes nine minutes to reach 90 per cent.

ChinaAMC launches low-cost gold ETF as Hong Kong links bullion trading with blockchain

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

China Asset Management (Hong Kong) launched a new gold exchange-traded fund (ETF) on Thursday, giving retail investors low-cost access to physical gold as the city pushes to link traditional financial products with digital-asset infrastructure.

The ChinaAMC Digital Gold ETF, to be listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange on Friday, carries a 0.4 per cent management fee and a minimum board lot investment of about HK$355 (US$45) - lower than all existing gold ETF products in the city - as the firm seeks to lure younger investors.

The fund will trade in Hong Kong dollar, US dollar and yuan counters, tracking the London Bullion Market Association's morning gold benchmark price through holdings of physical gold stored in Hong Kong vaults.

"Its value is relatively independent because the underlying asset is the physical gold itself rather than exposure to a company or issuer, which makes it more attractive to investors," said Don Ng, director of digital assets at ChinaAMC (HK), at a media briefing on Thursday.

The launch comes as gold prices fluctuate amid geopolitical tensions and macroeconomic uncertainty, with investors shifting between safe-haven demand and pressure from a stronger US dollar. Physically backed gold ETFs in Hong Kong attracted a record US$732 million in inflows in April, according to the World Gold Council.

For most retail investors, the listed ETF will function like a traditional physically backed gold ETF traded on the stock exchange. The tokenised element currently applies only to the fund's unlisted share class, which is built entirely on the Ethereum blockchain and accessible through regulated digital channels with a minimum investment starting from US$1.

Executives said the product stood out because its entire unlisted share class had been tokenised rather than only part of the fund structure, positioning it for potential features such as blockchain-based secondary trading, faster settlement and smart-contract applications if regulations evolved.

"When the time comes where blockchain technology and its advantages can actually be utilised and offered to the public, we will be ready," Ng said, adding that there was no timeline yet as the market remained at an early stage.

The launch follows HSBC and Hang Seng Investment's roll-out last month of Hong Kong's first tokenised unlisted gold ETF class, as banks and asset managers expand regulated tokenised real-world asset products.

Hong Kong authorities have been promoting the city as both a gold trading centre and a digital-assets hub, saying gold could serve as a "potential bridge" between conventional and new finance through blockchain technology.

"I think that it cannot be more extreme in this case … we are tokenising the gold to make it available to the general public," said Pierre Mengal, Hong Kong head of financing and securities services at Standard Chartered, which is providing custody, tokenisation and digital wallet services for the product.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka‑chiu set a three‑year goal in his 2025 policy address to help the Airport Authority and financial firms establish facilities for more than 2,000 tonnes of gold. A central gold clearing system is expected to start later this year, while Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) plans to relaunch gold futures in the coming months as a hedging tool for investors.

HKEX on Wednesday also announced a one-year waiver on trading fees for its US dollar gold futures contract from July, alongside incentive programmes aimed at reviving trading activity and building liquidity.

CATL set to boost global energy storage with world's largest testing facility in Xiamen

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL) hopes to use its energy-storage business to build on its global dominance in electric vehicle (EV) batteries, as the global oil crisis creates a surge in demand for its technologies and products.

The company, which commands nearly 40 per cent of the world's EV battery market, announced on Thursday the official launch of a 3 billion yuan (US$442.52 million) research facility in Xiamen, a city in China's southeastern Fujian province.

The Xiamen Energy Storage Validation Research Institute (ESVL), which CATL said is the world's largest and most comprehensive one-stop testing and validation platform in the industry, will allow energy storage system (ESS) stations to undergo testing in extreme conditions, before their use in local grids.

The testing platform - which is expected to open to the whole industry - may help China-made products expand overseas, according to Chen Xiaobo, head of ESVL, as regulators in Western grids typically have higher standards for safety and technology.

"If the products of domestic integrators expanding overseas can perform well in quality, reliability, safety and connection with local grids [at ESVL], I believe this will rapidly enhance their overall competitiveness," Chen said at a media briefing on Thursday.

By working with global certification agencies, ESVL can test the energy storage stations based on international grid standards, Chen said. Overseas demand for so-called turnkey projects - referring to ready-to-use facilities - was increasing and could boost company profits, he added, but noted that domestic suppliers currently face an "enormous" profitability gap compared with US giant Tesla.

CATL aimed to use the ESVL to raise industry standards and quicken the validation process to the pre-delivery stage, said Wu Kai, the company's chief scientist.

Compared with the current on-grid tests, the facility may be able to shorten the validation process by up to two months, according to CATL.

The ESVL facility comprises five laboratories and was designed based on multiple existing testing centres across the world. Chen said the new facility would achieve higher precision, lower current fluctuations and voltage and would have rapid response capability required by artificial intelligence data centres (AIDC).

Amid the energy transition and the investment frenzy for AIDCs globally, ESS demand is on the rise, as it can stabilise an established electricity network and support the adoption of new energy - like solar and wind - as well as reduce energy costs. Lithium-ion batteries form a critical role for AIDCs, an area where CATL is a world leader.

Besides its dominance in EV batteries, CATL also ranked No 1 worldwide in the five years up to 2025 in sales of 121 gigawatt-hour energy storage batteries, achieving a global market share of 30.4 per cent.

But in the ESS market, CATL was out-performed by the industry's top suppliers, with Tesla, Sungrow, BYD, Huawei and CRRC Zhuzhou Institute taking the top five spots for global shipment volume last year, according to the Taipei-based InfoLink Consulting.

To attract more partners, CATL's ESVL plans to initiate a small-group alliance and offer discounts for testing services in its early stage.

The data from testing at the site will assist CATL, Chen said, but will also help the whole ESS industry to improve products and technology.

"Only by working together to get the whole industry strong can we all have opportunities," he said.

HKEX revamps US$812m headquarters with new entrance, finance museum in Central

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) will revamp its HK$6.3 billion (US$812 million) headquarters in June next year, as the bourse operator upgrades its facilities in a bid to boost its competitiveness as a leading initial public offerings market and a fixed-income and commodities trading hub.

The project aims to create "a future-ready, globally recognised hub in Hong Kong's capital markets" and "more prominent branding in the heart of Central," said Paul Chow Koon-ying, group chief sustainability officer at HKEX.

"We want to build a recognisable and permanent home here, a home which reflects our local roots and our global reach," Chow said on Thursday. The bourse operator hosted a gong-striking ceremony to mark the 40th anniversary of the merger of four small local exchanges into the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong, with Cathay Pacific Airways becoming its first listing in May 1986.

The stock exchange later merged with the futures exchange and their related clearing houses to form HKEX in 2000. It has operated at Exchange Square in Central for decades by leasing the offices.

In April last year, however, it announced a plan to purchase its own headquarters from Hongkong Land for HK$6.3 billion, including the top nine office floors and some retail space.

The projects include a new entrance and a grand reception area. There are also plans to renovate Connect Hall, which was previously the trading hall until 2017 but is now mainly used for conferences and gong-striking ceremonies for new listings.

"We want to improve our listing experience for our issuers and the guests - the arrival experience - so that when they come here and list with us, we will have more space for our issuers to greet their guests when they wait for that important gong-striking ceremony," Chow said.

HKEX chairman Carlson Tong Ka-shing said the new projects would also include a new finance museum to showcase the history of Hong Kong's capital markets to the public.

"At HKEX, while we celebrate 40 years of our modern stock exchange at Exchange Square, we are also busy preparing for the next 40 years and beyond," Tong said.

The project will be completed by June of next year, but a photo exhibition will be held at Exchange Square in October.

When Hongkong Land Holdings built the Exchange Square complex in the early 1980s, the government commissioned it to build a trading hall for the combined bourse then called the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong. It also marked the start of the modern era with over 1,000 traders - all wearing red jackets - given telephones and other equipment.

This put an end to the city's fragmented markets, where traders went about their business with chalk sticks and blackboards at four small exchanges.

Tong recalled that when Cathay Pacific became the first company to list its shares on the new, modern stock exchange, long queues formed outside HSBC branches to obtain application forms.

"This is a scene which we do not see these days because it can be done online," he said.

China's brokerage crackdown: banks cut stock forecasts for Futu, Tiger

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Analysts lowered their valuations on Chinese online brokerages after Beijing unveiled a crackdown on unauthorised cross-border securities businesses, warning the tighter rules could slow profit growth and raise overseas customer acquisition costs.

CCB International on Wednesday cut its target price for Futu Holdings by almost a third to US$150 from US$220, although it maintained an "outperform" rating on the stock.

"Regulatory scrutiny is a hit to target valuation, though we view the penalty amount and upcoming loss of business as being manageable for Futu," said Lawrence Chen, a Hong Kong-based analyst at CCB.

Eight Chinese regulators led by the China Securities Regulatory Commission last week unveiled a rectification plan targeting unauthorised cross-border securities, futures and fund operations. Authorities proposed penalties of 1.85 billion yuan (US$272 million) for Futu and 410 million yuan for Tiger Brokers.

US investment bank Goldman Sachs on Tuesday halved its 12-month target price on Futu to US$102.13 from US$210.47 and downgraded the stock to "neutral", citing "elevated regulatory uncertainty" following China's latest campaign against unauthorised cross-border securities businesses, which could involve up to US$32 billion in assets.

Goldman also maintained a "sell" rating on UP Fintech, operator of Tiger Brokers, with a target price of US$4.10. Goldman cut its 2026 net profit forecasts by 25 per cent for Futu and 60 per cent for Tiger.

Goldman said the regulatory impact would likely be concentrated in the second half of 2026 as brokers dealt with fines and remediated non-compliant mainland accounts. The bank also warned that overseas expansion could pressure profitability, because acquiring clients in new markets would become more expensive while assets under management per client would decline.

CCB estimated that mainland Chinese customers accounted for about 13 per cent of Futu's total customers and 17 per cent of its client assets, adding that mainland-related business could be wound down by the first quarter of 2028.

Still, Citibank China equity strategist Pierre Lau said at a media briefing on Wednesday that the latest regulatory measures were unlikely to materially change the sector's long-term outlook, because the ban on soliciting mainland investors offshore was not new.

In an earlier report, the bank said the regulatory overhang on mainland brokerage accounts could gradually fade after the announcement of the crackdown, with sharp share-price declines presenting a potentially attractive entry point for investors.

Gold continues decline as inflation fears outweigh hope of end to Iran war

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Gold extended its downturn despite rising hopes for a diplomatic solution to Middle East tensions, as investors priced in a sticky inflationary trend that is being driven by the continued disruption of energy supplies and the resilience of the US economy.

The price of the precious metal has dropped by more than 4 per cent this month, declining nearly 20 per cent from its all-time high in January. The de-escalation of the US-Israel war on Iran has done little to stem the sell-off, with investors shifting their focus towards the Federal Reserve's plans to combat inflation.

Gold has lost its lustre since the outbreak of the war in the Middle East at the end of February, as the US dollar strengthened and the odds of monetary easing decreased after the surge in oil prices fuelled global anxiety about stagflation. As a non-yielding asset, the metal moves in the opposite direction to interest rates, with higher borrowing costs raising the cost of holding it.

But while oil prices retreated below US$100 a barrel after the US and Iran went back to the negotiation table, the fallout from the fuel price spike would last longer than expected, according to Stephen Innes, a managing partner at SPI Asset Management. This would also keep inflation at elevated levels and leave the Fed and other global central banks cautious about pivoting to financial easing, he said.

"Oil may have retreated from panic highs, but the transmission mechanism is already moving through the global economy via freight costs, shipping insurance, supply chains, industrial inputs and consumer expectations," he said. "Inflation was never just about the spot price of crude. The energy shock was like a stone thrown into a lake, with the ripple effects spreading to every corner of the economic system."

Rates traders have greatly reduced their bets on interest-rate reductions in 2026 and instead expect an increase at some point this year if the resurgence in inflation is not curbed.

Meanwhile, consumer prices in the US rose 3.8 per cent in April, the fastest pace in nearly three years, partly reflecting a robust economy supported by a strong labour market and massive AI infrastructure investments by hyperscalers.

The mix leaves the Fed with little room to loosen its monetary policies. Its new chairman, Kevin Warsh, is under public scrutiny to maintain the credibility of the world's biggest central bank and resist pressure from the Trump administration, which has called for lower costs to reduce the debt-servicing payments on federal debts totalling US$39 trillion.

Gold fell 1.5 per cent to US$4,415.30 an ounce on Thursday, while the US dollar index rose 0.3 per cent to 99.46.

However, some market participants said that gold's long-term uptrend remained intact because of demand from global central banks and concerns about the fiscal sustainability of the world's key economies.

"We do not expect the current gold price consolidation to alter its medium-term trajectory," said Kiran Kowshik, a currency strategist at Swiss private bank Lombard Odier.

"Cooling investor sentiment does not undermine the structural case for gold, but instead shifts focus back to slower-moving drivers including central bank demand, portfolio allocation and fiscal uncertainty."

Appeal of China assets keeps rising among global investors, JPMorgan research says

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Global investors' appetite for Chinese equities, companies and assets continues to rise owing to rapid technological advancements and low valuations in the world's second-largest economy, according to JPMorgan Chase.

Kwang Kam Shing, Hong Kong CEO and chair for North Asia at the biggest US bank, said that there remained significant potential for growth in foreign investment across Hong Kong and mainland China, as investors continued to demonstrate strong interest in uncovering new opportunities, recognising distinct differences between the markets.

"There is still a noticeable gap between the markets," Kwang said. "Valuations here are considered appealing compared with other regions."

The statement came after a JPMorgan survey of investors showed 57 per cent were considering investing in China, up from 51 per cent in the same period last year.

The poll was conducted during JPMorgan's Global China Summit in Shanghai last week, which drew more than 2,900 executives, regulatory officials and institutional funds from over 30 countries and markets.

Kwang said international investors were set to increase their exposure to China for asset diversification.

At present, the forward price-to-earnings ratio of the S&P 500 stocks is about 21, compared with nearly 13.5 for Hong Kong-listed companies.

Leading Chinese technology firms in the fields of artificial intelligence, robotics, renewable energy, electric vehicles and biotechnology are now actively sought after by global investors because of their strong research and development capabilities and cost advantages in production.

Some companies in those sectors are viewed as world-beaters and can easily attract investors if they raise capital abroad to support their global expansion strategies.

Kwang said most investors attending the summit came to China for face-to-face communication with local entrepreneurs and for on-site tours of production facilities in Shanghai and its neighbouring cities like Hangzhou, home to hundreds of innovative tech firms.

"No matter how much discussion takes place, perceptions only begin to shift when investors experience the environment first-hand," Kwang added. "One of our speakers articulated it perfectly during the summit: seeing is believing."

The enthusiasm among global investors aligned with Beijing's efforts to bolster high-productivity sectors to combat an economic slowdown, according to Kwang.

The JPMorgan survey also found that most investors viewed interest rates, geopolitics and AI disruption as the key factors affecting capital market movements.

If global crude prices rose further due to the US-Israel war with Iran, China would also become a victim of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of oil and natural gas is transported, said Luis Oganes, head of global macro research at JPMorgan.

"If oil prices go up more, that is going to hurt growth around the world," he said. "If growth decelerates, there's going to be less demand for Chinese exports. No country on the planet is going to be completely immune to the crisis."

Paul Uren, JPMorgan's Asia-Pacific investment banking head, said last week that a liquidity drain caused by SpaceX's gargantuan US share sale was not likely to ripple into regional markets, including Hong Kong, because of global investors' push to diversify and their growing interest in future profit stars.

His upbeat view contrasts with concerns among other institutions and asset managers about fund outflows triggered by the potential US$75 billion Nasdaq initial public offering.

Hong Kong overtakes Switzerland as world's largest cross-border wealth hub, BCG finds

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Hong Kong has overtaken Switzerland as the world's largest cross-border wealth hub, driven by an initial public offering (IPO) bonanza and capital inflows from mainland China, according to Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

Cross-border wealth booked in Hong Kong climbed 10.7 per cent in 2025 to US$2.95 trillion, narrowly beating Switzerland's US$2.94 trillion after rising 7.6 per cent last year, the international consultancy said in its latest global wealth report released on Wednesday.

"These shifts are reshaping the geography of global wealth," said Michael Kahlich, a managing director at BCG and a co-author of the report. "Hong Kong's rise reflects the growing gravitational pull of Asian wealth and capital markets."

He added that cross-border capital flows had concentrated into a smaller number of globally connected hubs.

BCG's finding represented an endorsement of Hong Kong's "superconnector" role as a vital link between mainland and international capital markets.

Over the past three years, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) has deregulated equity financing, debt financing and commodity trading to facilitate cross-border investment and trading, aiming to build a multi-asset platform consolidating Hong Kong's status as an international finance hub.

"Hong Kong is cementing its role as China's gateway to global markets, though that same concentration ties its trajectory tightly to economic and regulatory developments on the mainland," the report said. A cross-border wealth growth of "around 9 per cent annually is projected through 2030".

That pace would be enough to secure Hong Kong's leading position over the next five years, with Switzerland's cross-border wealth expected to rise at an annualised rate of 6 per cent during the same period, BCG said.

"This is only natural for Hong Kong to earn this well-deserved credit," Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Christopher Hui Ching-yu said in a LinkedIn post.

Hong Kong-domiciled Securities and Futures Commission-authorised funds recorded net inflows of HK$357 billion (US$45.6 billion) in 2025 - a 119 per cent year-on-year increase - and another HK$97 billion in the first quarter of 2026, according to Hui.

"I firmly believe that in the face of a prevailing uncertain global landscape, Hong Kong will continue to be the premier destination for asset owners to allocate investments and pass on family wealth across generations, leveraging its multiple distinct advantages," Hui said.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said the rapid development of technological innovation and industries related to artificial intelligence would bring about additional growth in wealth, and that demand for asset and wealth management in mainland China and across Asia would accelerate.

"It is expected to create greater development opportunities for Hong Kong's asset and wealth management industry," Chan said.

Last year, Hong Kong reclaimed the global IPO crown for the first time since 2019, with 114 listings raising US$37.2 billion.

The city retained pole position as the world's largest IPO market by proceeds in the first quarter of this year.

A total of 37 companies raised about US$13.26 billion on the Hong Kong stock exchange's main board in the three months to March 31, according to data from LSEG Data and Analytics. That represented a 453 per cent increase from a year earlier.

About 500 listing candidates, most of which were mainland-based, were now waiting to raise funds in the city, up from 300 at the end of last year, HKEX data showed.

The BCG report also found that global financial wealth increased 10.7 per cent last year to US$333 trillion despite trade tensions and geopolitical instability.

Including real assets, global net wealth climbed to nearly US$550 trillion. Cross-border wealth increased 8.4 per cent globally to US$15.7 trillion, with the top 10 booking centres capturing almost 90 per cent of new offshore flows.

Singapore and the US ranked third and fourth in terms of cross-border wealth, while the UK placed fifth, according to BCG.

Singapore continued to strengthen its position as Asia's most diversified offshore wealth centre, benefiting from safe-haven flows and continued expansion of its wealth-management ecosystem, the report said.

A 30% rally in BOE Tech shows how AI buildout can galvanise Chinese LCD maker

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

BOE Technology is on investors' radar screens again after announcing its foray into a business linked to artificial intelligence infrastructure, causing the stock price of the Chinese maker of liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) to rally following years of listlessness.

Yuan-denominated shares of the world's biggest LCD maker have surged more than 30 per cent in Shenzhen over the past week after the company said last week that it would partner with Corning, the US manufacturer of optical fibres and cables, in the fields of glass-substrate packaging, optical interconnects and foldable glass.

Investor reaction was so enthusiastic that BOE had to quickly issue a clarification to downplay the effects of the business collaboration on short-term earnings. That followed its shares surging by 10 per cent on two consecutive days last week, the maximum daily swing allowed by the Shenzhen exchange.

BOE's sudden jump shows how AI can lift an old-economy company almost forgotten by investors and thrust it back into the limelight. The company fits well into the evolving narrative of the global AI trade, where investors are shifting to companies that stand to benefit from the AI infrastructure buildout, ranging from optical fibres to memory chips and printed circuit boards.

"BOE is riding on the wave of the AI infrastructure buildout, as the market is identifying the relevant companies whose shares haven't soared much," said Wang Chen, a partner at Xufunds Investment Management in Shanghai. "Its cooperation with Corning is a catalyst for the business that would fuel more upside room for the stock. But it remains to be seen whether the new business will turn into a driver for growth."

BOE was founded by entrepreneur Wang Dongsheng in 1993 and started from a struggling vacuum tube factory in Beijing. It acquired the display business of South Korea's Hyundai in 2003, a critical decision that eventually helped it achieve its current stature. But with growth of the flat-panel business stalling in recent years, BOE has shed nearly 60 per cent of its value since its peak in 2008. Wang left BOE in 2019 to start a new semiconductor maker.

The stock fell 0.9 per cent to close at 5.72 yuan on Wednesday, snapping a four-day, 35 per cent gain.

BOE signed a three-year memorandum of understanding with Corning to forge a long-term strategic partnership and begin cooperation in the areas both sides were strong in, according to an exchange filing on May 20.

The company invested nearly 1 billion yuan (US$147.5 million) in a trial production line of glass-substrate packaging in 2024, which proceeded to the technical test stage without achieving mass production, the statement said.

Glass substrates are seen as the next-generation base material in chipmaking to replace the traditional organic base, which is nearing its physical limits. Glass substrates are stiffer and smoother, allowing chipmakers to pack more small interconnected chips closer together without the risk of connection failures. In this area, BOE faces competition from Intel and Samsung Electronics, which are also racing to bring the product to mass production.

While BOE clarified in a statement to the Shenzhen exchange that such products would require capital expenditure and would not materially impact earnings for the next two or three years, this did little to dissuade investors enthralled by the increased focus on AI buildout suppliers.

Shares of Corning have surged 124 per cent in New York this year as the massive investments by hyper-scalers fuel explosive demand for optical fibres used in data centres. In Asia, the rallies in SK Hynix and Samsung have contributed to the bulk of the 95 per cent gain in South Korea's Kospi index in 2026, with the prices of memory chips manufactured by the two companies surging.

For now, BOE's tie-up with Corning alongside its ambition to diversify into AI has been enough to ignite investors' imagination in what could be a turnaround story. It has continued even after the company announced last month that its first-quarter profit increased less than 6 per cent year on year, prompting China International Capital Corp to cut its full-year earnings forecast by 36 per cent due to the falling demand for LCDs used in mobile phones and personal computers.

The tie-up with Corning would help BOE reduce its reliance on the maturing and cyclical display panel business in the long term, though the revenue contribution from the new segments would be limited this year, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.

"BOE's partnership will give the world's largest display panel maker an entry into AI infrastructure, especially glass substrates and optical interconnects," it said in a report. "By co-developing these products, BOE is set to tap into advanced chip packaging and optical networking supply chains, which have significantly higher growth potential."

China's drug regulator clears wave of home-grown innovative medicines amid biotech boom

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Home-grown innovative drugs make up most of the medicines China's drug regulator has approved for sale so far this year, underscoring the country's biotech boom.

Of the 19 innovative drugs cleared by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), 15 came from domestic companies, according to the regulator's website as of May 21. These include sonrotoclax, developed by global biopharmaceutical firm BeOne, for treating certain adult blood cancers.

The regulator overhauled its approval process to accelerate the path to market for home-grown innovative drugs, state media reported on Wednesday.

Biotech companies are ramping up research and development (R&D) spending. Fosun Pharma, for example, invested 4.3 billion yuan (US$634 million) in innovative drug R&D last year, up about 16 per cent from 2024 and accounting for more than 80 per cent of its total research budget.

The country elevated the pharmaceutical sector to a national economic growth engine in this year's government work report for the first time. Last year, China approved 76 innovative drugs, up from 48 in 2024.

Chinese biotech firms struck a record US$60 billion in cross-border licensing deals in the first quarter of 2026 as multinational corporations snapped up early-stage drugs from the country's pipeline, according to NMPA data. The figure marked a 73 per cent year-on-year surge and equalled nearly half of the US$135.7 billion in total out-licensing agreements signed in 2025.

Global pharmaceutical corporations "need to have a Chinese strategy", said Stephen Farrelly, managing director and global lead for pharmaceutical and healthcare at ING, a Dutch financial services group overseeing about US$15 billion in pharmaceutical and healthcare assets globally.

"It can be a partner, or it can be [competition], but you cannot be passive because this market is evolving at the speed that you simply must pay attention to it."

The "NewCo" model - where financial sponsors acquire Chinese drug assets and spin them into stand-alone companies for overseas development - had emerged as a growing way for Chinese biotech firms to expand globally, according to a May report by L.E.K. Consulting. Deal activity increased from two in 2024 to 16 in 2025, accounting for about 12 per cent of out-of-China licensing deals by value last year.

Chuan Sun, managing partner at law firm Morrison Foerster's Shanghai and Hong Kong offices, said at the ChinaBio Partnering Forum 2026 on April 28 in Shanghai that cross-border biotech transactions increasingly needed to account for both Chinese and US regulatory considerations, including export controls, concerns related to the US Biosecure Act, and data-transfer rules.

Life sciences, however, remained in a relatively stronger position than sectors such as semiconductors or artificial intelligence, because medicines that addressed disease were harder to frame as national security risks, Sun added.

China accounted for about 30 per cent of the global early-stage drug pipeline, according to a January report from consultancy McKinsey & Company.

Hong Kong home prices reach 30-month high in April, while rents set another record

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Hong Kong's lived-in home prices rose for the 11th consecutive month to a 30-month high in April, even as the rate of growth slowed compared with March, while rents in the city rose to another record high.

Analysts said home prices in both primary and secondary markets would continue to improve this year and next, amid growing buyer confidence.

According to the Rating and Valuation Department's data, the private lived-in home price index in the city rose to 316.6 in April, representing a 0.89 per cent rise month on month. The growth was smaller than the 1.4 per cent jump in March. Lived-in home prices have increased 10.51 per cent year on year.

Rents rose 0.59 per cent to an index of 203.4. They grew 4.9 per cent year on year.

"Strong momentum in the primary market is driving a wider recovery across the sector," said Eddie Kwok, executive director for valuation and advisory services at international property consultancy firm CBRE's Hong Kong office.

"Secondary home prices are also increasing as growing buyer confidence spreads across the residential market," Kwok said.

In mid-sized flats, the price growth momentum was stronger. Prices for units sized between 753.5 sq ft (70 square metres) and 1,075.3 sq ft rose 10.36 per cent. Larger homes, sized 1,076 sq ft and above climbed more gently, up only around 0.25 per cent.

The first-hand residential market is exhibiting robust absorption rates. Sustained demand has shifted pricing power back to developers, as seen in recent price increases in new project launches, according to Kwok.

In the latest example, Sun Hung Kai Properties sold out all 87 units on offer at the Lime Spark project in Tsuen Wan in the New Territories on Saturday, with one buyer spending more than HK$40 million (US$5.1 million) to purchase six two-bedroom units, according to both Midland Realty and Centaline Property.

A steady inflow of capital continues to support the market. This ample liquidity was boosting overall economic activity and helping to fuel the current wave of optimism in the real estate sector, Kwok said in response to the government's home price index rise.

"Supported by a combination of stable demand, improving sentiment and ample liquidity, we expect overall residential property prices to record an increase of around 8 to 10 per cent for the full year, with a steady and positive growth trend," Kwok said.

The recovery in Hong Kong's residential market triggered Morgan Stanley to upgrade its home price increase forecast this year from 10 to 12 per cent. The US investment bank also predicted another 5 per cent jump in Hong Kong home prices next year.

Moody's said home prices had rebounded since mid 2025, supported by lower mortgage rates and demand from mainland Chinese buyers.

At the end of April, home prices had increased around 13 per cent from the end of 2024, though they are still 19 per cent below their peak in August 2021, according to Morgan Stanley.

Though sentiment is largely optimistic about the Hong Kong real estate market, one analyst said they would expect growth to slow later this year due to interest rate hikes.

"Overall, the housing market outlook remains positive," said Norry Lee, a senior director at JLL, a global real estate and investment management firm.

"However, as interest rates may rise, a faster increase in rates may slow price growth in the second half of the year, with gains likely lower than in the first half. At the same time, supported by talent admission schemes, residential rents are expected to continue rising and reach record highs," Lee said.

Xiaomi out to scalp Musk's bestselling SUV in China with its upgraded and low-cost model

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Xiaomi, the first Chinese Tesla killer after its SU7 sedan outsold Model 3, is now aiming to unseat Model Y, China's bestselling SUV, with its upgraded YU7 due to its low-cost advantage.

This followed the firm's first-quarter net profit missing market estimates, as rising memory chip costs continued to drag its smartphone businesses, leaving its electric vehicles (EV) - Xiaomi's second-largest revenue contributor - to keep growing.

Xiaomi's shares dived to a 12-month low of HK$28.24 on Wednesday afternoon, before recovering slightly to finish 4.6 per cent lower for the day at HK$28.40. The stock has lost more than 29 per cent this year and stands roughly 54 per cent below its 52-week high.

The Beijing-based tech giant said on Tuesday that it had started deliveries for the standard edition of the Xiaomi YU7, priced from 233,500 yuan (US$34,400), 30,000 yuan lower than the refreshed rear-wheel-drive Tesla Model Y.

"In terms of configuration, driving range and technology, I think we have won (Model Y) across the board," Lu Weibing, partner and president of Xiaomi, said at an earnings call on Tuesday evening. "Therefore, I also believe that the introduction of this standard version will give us a very significant advantage in competing against the Model Y."

Notably, Xiaomi's new SU7 recorded April sales of 26,826 units, dragging down Tesla's Model Y to become the second bestselling model across all power trains, trailing only the Geely Xingyuan at 34,727 units, according to data from automotive content platform Dongchedi. In contrast, Model Y sales for April plunged 42 per cent month-on-month to 22,990 units.

For the first quarter, Xiaomi's EV deliveries rose 6.6 per cent year-on-year to 80,856 units and the company maintained its full-year delivery target of 550,000 vehicles for 2026.

However, China is facing a slowdown primarily due to subsidy pullback. Despite oil crises bolstering interest in EVs, retail sales in the world's largest EV market fell 17.2 per cent year-on-year to 2.76 million units in the January-April period, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

This market pressure dragged profits down by double digits for established domestic giants like BYD and Geely during the first quarter, despite their aggressive overseas expansion.

Xiaomi's automotive sector was not immune to these headwinds. While its first-quarter EV revenue grew 5.1 per cent year-on-year to 19 billion yuan, the average selling price contracted by 1.3 per cent to 238,301 yuan per unit.

The gross profit margin for the segment - which includes EV, AI and other new initiatives - dropped to 20.1 per cent from 23.2 per cent a year earlier.

The core smartphone division faced stiffer pressures, with first-quarter revenue declining 12.5 per cent year-on-year to 44.3 billion yuan. The smartphone gross profit margin fell to 10.1 per cent in the first quarter from 12.4 per cent one year ago.

In the first quarter, Xiaomi's total revenue fell 10.9 per cent year-on-year to 99.1 billion yuan, largely in line with market forecasts. Net profit, however, tumbled 56.5 per cent to 4.73 billion yuan, missing consensus estimates.

The company attributed geopolitical uncertainties, significant price spikes in memory and commodities and aggressive domestic competition to the disappointing earnings.

To support its equity value, Xiaomi announced on Tuesday a plan to buy back up to HK$20 billion (US$2.55 billion) worth of its shares over the next 12 months.

Alain Lam Sai-wai, vice-president and chief financial officer of Xiaomi, noted on Tuesday that the new repurchase programme exceeded last year's full-year buy-back of over HK$6 billion, marking it as the second-highest buy-back programme in the Hong Kong stock market. Lam said the buy-back's scale reflected management's long-term confidence in the company's financial performance despite near-term volatility.

China's Zijin Mining outlook raised to positive on stronger output and cost edge: S&P

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

S&P Global Ratings has revised its outlook on Zijin Mining, mainland China's largest mining company, to positive on the back of expanded production and stronger cost management.

The outlook was raised from "stable" to "positive", with S&P maintaining its "BBB" long-term issuer credit rating for Zijin, according to a statement on Tuesday.

The upgrade reflected expectations that Zijin could rank among the world's top three gold and copper producers by 2028, supported by a robust pipeline of projects and solid execution, it added.

The company is targeting production of 1.5 million to 1.6 million tonnes of copper and 130 to 140 tonnes of gold in 2028.

S&P's bullish forecast comes despite Zijin's Shanghai-listed shares falling 4.6 per cent so far this year to close at 32.90 yuan on Tuesday, while its Hong Kong-traded H shares have slipped 0.8 per cent this year to HK$35.38.

Copper production growth would be driven by upgrades and expansions at its mines in Serbia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and its Julong mine in Tibet, China, while gold output would be bolstered by capacity increases in Guyana, Papua New Guinea, and China, according to S&P.

"Zijin Mining will maintain its competitive cost position, sitting in the first quartile of global cost curves, for both copper and gold," S&P said. "The company's advanced technology, efficient project development, and use of low-cost domestic equipment support its competitiveness."

The agency said Zijin's risk management capability could help offset pressures from higher raw material, labour and fuel costs.

Chinese manufacturing companies, from electric vehicle makers to electronic gadget producers, have accelerated their global expansion pace over the last two years, propelled by technological and cost advantages.

In late March, Zijin announced it would acquire controlling shares in China-based Chifeng Jilong Gold Mining for 18.26 billion yuan (US$2.64 billion). Two months earlier, the Fujian province-based company proposed to buy Canadian Allied Gold for 28 billion yuan.

Through its subsidiary Zijin Gold, the acquisition was structured in two primary tranches, Zijin said in a Hong Kong stock exchange filing. Zijin would purchase 242 million A shares from Li Jinyang, the controlling shareholder of Chifeng Gold, and affiliate Zhejiang Hanfeng Venture Capital at 41.36 yuan per share. Li was the spouse of Chifeng's late founder, Zhao Meiguang.

Zijin has also agreed to subscribe to 311 million newly issued H shares of Chifeng Gold at HK$30.19 per share. Upon completion, Zijin Mining's total stake will rise to 25.85 per cent, granting it effective control and allowing full financial consolidation of the company.

"We believe Zijin Mining's strengthened cash flow will somewhat cushion its elevated investments," S&P said. "The company's cash flow from operations rose more than 50 per cent in 2025. We expect this momentum to continue into 2026, with operating cash flow reaching 107 billion yuan, supported by expanded output and resilient metals prices."

Insilico teams up with US firm to build AI models predicting disease decades ahead

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Hong Kong-listed artificial intelligence drug-discovery company Insilico Medicine has struck a collaboration with US-headquartered Human Longevity to co-develop what they describe as "the industry's first large-scale" AI foundation models capable of predicting diseases - such as cancer - decades before clinical symptoms appear.

The partnership was announced as the global longevity market, fuelled by an ageing population and rising consumption demand, was valued at about US$5.3 trillion and projected to reach US$8 trillion by 2030, according to a recent UBS report.

Insilico founder and CEO Alex Zhavoronkov, in a written reply, framed the tie-up as the world's two leading companies in the AI and longevity fields joining forces, adding they "have developed a conceptually new type of personal longevity AI that will not only let you live longer, but also help you and others discover new longevity drugs that work for everyone."

Neither party disclosed the exact investment amount. They described the arrangement as "a multimillion-dollar AI co-development collaboration".

Shares of Insilico declined 4.21 per cent to HK$48.28 apiece on Tuesday and slipped a further 0.4 per cent to HK$48.10 on Wednesday. The company raised HK$2.28 billion (US$291 million) in its initial public offering in December. Its self-developed AI platform spans the entire drug discovery process, from identifying disease targets to designing drug candidates and predicting clinical outcomes.

The collaboration will be executed through Human Life Foundation Models (HLFM), a newly launched company set up by Human Longevity.

Based in San Diego, Human Longevity was co-founded in 2013 by J. Craig Venter, the scientist who first sequenced the human genome. He died on April 29 at age 79.

Under the arrangement, Insilico would contribute "model architecture, benchmarking, training guidelines, and computational algorithms", while Human Longevity would provide genomic datasets compiled from thousands of individuals, according to a statement.

The partnership was aimed at developing an AI system able to detect age-related diseases, predict health risks and discover personalised treatments to extend healthy lifespan, it added.

"We aim to build a next-generation AI system capable of decoding the biology of ageing," Zhavoronkov said in the statement. "Human longevity and healthspan represent one of the most complex challenges in biology."

By having HLFM partner with Insilico Medicine, "we are taking a major step towards creating a true foundation model for human health and longevity, one that can help predict complex disease decades before it occurs and guide interventions to extend healthy lifespan", said He Wei-wu, executive chairman of Human Longevity, in the statement.

In a separate interview, He said Human Longevity had invested US$600 million over the past 13 years to create a longevity algorithm.

"The goal is to use modern technology, genomics and omics to help people live longer, healthier lives," he said. "We are using MRI scans, CT scans and all kinds of imaging in our technology." Omics refers to large-scale studies of biological molecules such as genes, proteins and metabolites, analysed together to understand systems biology.

Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton, widely regarded as one of the "godfathers of AI", joined the company's scientific advisory board in April, according to He.

Tech strength to lift Chinese firms' overseas revenues to record high within 5 years: UBS

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

The technological competitiveness of Chinese companies is set to accelerate their overseas expansion, especially in the power and carmaking sectors, with offshore contributions projected to reach a record high within five years, according to UBS.

Mainland-listed non-financial companies were estimated to derive 25 per cent of their revenue from offshore markets by 2030, which would be up from 18.7 per cent last year and mark the highest level since 2003, according to the Swiss bank.

The latest round of go-global expansion was shifting from top-down policy pushes to "bottom-up" profit-driven motivations, as competition in the domestic market remained intense, said Robin Xu, head of China research at UBS Securities.

China's heavy investment in research and development (R&D) had already boosted its competitiveness against global rivals, reflected in tech hardware-led exports so far this year, Xu said at a briefing on Tuesday, which was part of a five-day forum through to Friday that has attracted 6,000 global heavyweights.

Expecting R&D spending to continue technological catch-up, Xu projected exports to developing markets - including those under Belt and Road Initiative - to rise further.

China's R&D to gross domestic product ratio reached 2.8 per cent last year, exceeding the average of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development for the first time, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. In 2024, enterprises contributed 77.7 per cent of the total.

Xu added that deeper overseas expansion would lift Chinese firms' gross profit margins and improve cash flows. Profitability, especially in manufacturing, has been squeezed by fierce domestic competition in recent years.

The biggest motivation for Chinese companies to go global was the vast opportunities, he said. "China is a big country, but then the rest of the world is much bigger than China," Xu said. "So for Chinese companies, they are ready to expand outside China."

Morgan Stanley also highlighted the industrial advantages built by Chinese enterprises in recent years, forecasting China's share of global exports to rise to 17 per cent by 2030, with emerging technologies accounting for one-third or more.

UBS expected the power and car supply chain sectors to outperform in this round of overseas expansion, with wind equipment, energy storage and new materials projected to record compound annual growth rates of around 25 per cent or higher through 2030.

Despite trade frictions, China's exports of electric vehicles and wind equipment are already surging, with first-quarter outbound shipments jumping 120 per cent and 45 per cent year on year, respectively.

With global demand for energy transition and the investment boom in artificial intelligence continuing to play a critical role, Xu said China's cost advantage in these sectors would support further expansion.

The "China+1" strategy - where firms keep part of their manufacturing in China but expand into at least one other country to reduce reliance and hedge tariff risks - would remain another source of overseas revenue growth, with Southeast Asia, Latin America and Europe the key regions, he said.

Africa's mining and infrastructure opportunities also provided potential, with investment there shifting towards bottom-up initiatives, Xu said.

"The globalisation of Chinese companies is undergoing a fundamental transformation - shifting from pure export-led expansion to deeper localisation in overseas markets," he said.

Unitree's IPO progress spurs stock buying of firms with exposure to humanoid robot maker

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Unitree Robotics' progress on its domestic initial public offering (IPO) has sparked a buying frenzy of stocks with exposure to the humanoid robot juggernaut, as traders snapped up shares of its pre-IPO investors and business partners.

Investors were navigating one of the most important thematic investments this year after Unitree took a step closer to a listing on Shanghai's tech-heavy Star Market. Unitree said Monday that the exchange authority would vet its application next week.

Shares of Shanghai Dazhong Public Utilities, a supplier of power and gas, jumped to 6.03 yuan on Tuesday, a 10 per cent increase, the maximum daily swing allowed by the Shanghai stock exchange for companies listed on its main board. Property developer Beijing Capital Development surged 5.2 per cent to 5.02 yuan, while chemical firm Kingfa Science & Technology climbed 5.5 per cent to 18.57 yuan. All three companies earlier disclosed they had invested in Unitree through either subsidiaries or venture funds.

Jiangsu Azure Corp and Hunan Meihu Intelligent Manufacturing, two companies involved in Unitree's supply chain, also surged. In sharp contrast, China's benchmark CSI 300 Index ended the day 0.5 per cent higher.

The buying sentiment underscores investors' enthusiasm for Unitree, which has grown in visibility after its robots danced and performed martial arts at the annual state-sponsored Spring Festival Gala celebrating the Chinese New Year. Investors see China as holding a technological edge in the humanoid robot market compared to Western countries, as the world's largest economies compete to develop cutting-edge technologies.

"The humanoid robotic industry is now at a new moment of moving from technological breakthroughs to scaled commercialisation," said Cai Zilin, an analyst at Wanlian Securities, a Chinese brokerage. "With policy support and the AI large models, humanoid robots are expected to become an emerging industry with huge potential. The year of 2026 is a critical window to corroborate mass production and adoption."

Companies like Dazhong Public and Beijing Capital are set to benefit from soaring values of their investments in Unitree, if the Shanghai exchange approves its IPO. The 609 companies trading on Shanghai's Star Market traded at an average of 101 times earnings, compared with 14.3 times for the main board-listed ones, according to the data from the Shanghai exchange.

Dazhong Public said earlier that it invested in Unitree through a Shenzhen venture-capital firm, without giving more details, while Beijing Capital said that one of its subsidiaries held a 0.3 per cent stake in the robot maker.

Unitree suppliers also performed well on Tuesday. Jiangsu Azure Corp, which sells lithium batteries to the Hangzhou-based company, rallied 10 per cent to 22.35 yuan. Hunan Meihu Intelligent Manufacturing, which provides Unitree with decelerator accessory parts, jumped 6.3 per cent to 33.60 yuan.

Unitree plans to raise 4.2 billion yuan (US$618.8 million) from the IPO, according to its prospectus. First-quarter profit slumped more than 50 per cent from a year ago on increased research expenditure and sales expenses.

Xpeng's driverless cabs; Tesla launches FSD in China; Nio slams price wars: 7 EV reads

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

We have put together stories from our coverage on electric and new energy vehicles from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.

1. Chinese firm Xpeng builds driverless cabs, challenging Tesla's FSD software

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Xpeng has begun mass production of autonomous cabs powered by its own chips, likely to mount yet another challenge on Tesla as both companies pursue a leading position in self-driving.

2. Oil shock fuels BEVs to 9 of top 10 in sales, with China brands overtaking Tesla

Surging oil prices are prompting Chinese buyers to shift to battery electric vehicles (BEVs), which dominated April sales rankings by taking nine out of the top 10 spots - a new high in China's electrification drive.

3. China's Chery plans for 1m EVs sold abroad amid global energy crisis

Chery Automobile, China's largest car exporter by deliveries, expects its overseas sales of electric vehicles to jump as much as 27 per cent this year, as a global energy crisis spurs demand for battery-powered vehicles.

4. As Chinese EV makers expand in Europe, are local suppliers set to benefit?

European automotive suppliers are set to benefit from an influx of Chinese carmakers, thanks to growing demand for electric vehicles and persistent local protectionism, according to Vulcan Energy Resources, a lithium and renewable energy producer in Germany.

5. Global growth of pure EVs faces hurdles in insurance, charging gaps: BNP Paribas

The global energy crisis may be pushing the balance towards pure electric vehicles amid worries about surging petrol bills, but BNP Paribas is cooling down expectations as a lack of charging infrastructure and high insurance costs remain major stumbling blocks.

6. Tesla's FSD launch in China heats up competition with domestic EV makers

Tesla has announced the widely anticipated roll-out of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system in China, just one week after company founder and CEO Elon Musk travelled to Beijing as part of a state visit by US President Donald Trump.

7. China's Nio slams EV price wars as costs surge, defying cuts by rival Li Auto

Chinese electric vehicle maker Nio has staked out a contrasting position on pricing to its domestic rival, Li Auto, with a top executive suggesting that carmakers must prioritise profitability as material costs climb.

Alibaba, Tencent lead pivot from chatbots to embodied AI for robotics

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Chinese tech companies are racing to deploy artificial intelligence models into robots, shifting the battleground for generative AI from digital chatbots to physical autonomous systems.

Alibaba Group Holding's Qwen3.7-Max model, launched last week, features "tool-calling" capabilities that allow the AI model to act as a digital brain to trigger external software and hardware components. The company said the model could be used to control robots by orchestrating physical actions like navigation, obstacle avoidance and task planning.

The tech giant has also released a suite of supporting AI models for robotics, including a robotic gripper agent, a navigation model and a vision-language system designed for physical-world interaction. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

This comes after embodied AI start-up Zeroth announced earlier this month that its M1 humanoid had become the first mass-produced robot to integrate Tencent Holdings' OpenClaw AI agent framework, allowing large language models to interpret human speech and immediately translate them into robotic movements.

The race to integrate AI software with robotics hardware underscores an evolution in AI development.

"The past few years of large language model development have mainly focused on solving problems in the digital world," Wu Bangyi, chief data officer at Chinese tech company Tianyu Shuke, was quoted as saying in a Securities Daily report on Monday.

"Physical AI is about how AI understands the real world and completes tasks in real-world environments. The core of physical AI is enabling AI to evolve from cognitive intelligence to action intelligence."

UBS analyst Carl Berrisford noted in a September 2025 report that investors increasingly viewed embodied AI and autonomous agents as one of the next major growth areas for the sector.

Despite the momentum, the industry faces a major hurdle: a shortage of physical training data.

In a report on Tuesday, Goldman Sachs said that "high-quality real-world data" had emerged as one of the primary bottlenecks in embodied AI development.

Yao Maoqing, a co-founder of AgiBot, recently highlighted the industry's data constraints by comparing embodied AI with large language models. He said that while GPT-5 was trained on data equivalent to roughly 10 billion hours, the entire robotics industry had access to only about 500,000 hours of high-quality embodied AI data.

To bridge this gap, several Chinese robotics companies have expanded investments in data-collection infrastructure and real-world testing environments.

Chinese embodied AI start-up X Square Robot said last week it had partnered with home-services platform 58 Daojia to launch robot-assisted household cleaning services in Beijing and Shenzhen.

Under the programme, robots would work alongside human cleaners in residential settings, a move designed to harvest high-quality, real-world interaction data to further train the start-up's models, X Square Robot said.

Nearly 30 training facilities and data centres focused on embodied AI have either been established or are currently planned across China, according to the Embodied AI Development Report (2025), jointly released by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology and Tsinghua University's Department of Electronic Engineering.

Why MuleRun could be the next craze: new Alibaba AI agent platform promises safer adoption

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

A new Chinese artificial intelligence agent platform is looking to replicate the "lobster craze" sparked by AI agent tool OpenClaw earlier this year, while avoiding some of the privacy and security risks associated with the open-source software.

MuleRun, developed by Chinese tech giant Alibaba Group Holding, offers a one-stop service for users to access a range of different AI agents.

The platform, showcased at the Alibaba Cloud summit on May 20, has been billed as an "always-on AI workforce" that can help users easily tap AI agents for research, reports, coding and other complex tasks.

Who is behind MuleRun?

The platform was developed by a team led by Chen Yusen, a vice-president at Alibaba Cloud and a graduate of the prestigious Zhejiang University, the alma mater of many other Chinese AI heavyweights including DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Chen joined Alibaba in 2023, first as a researcher in the CEO's office before overseeing the global expansion of the Hangzhou-based company, including a stint in Mexico City.

What can MuleRun do?

Initially launched last September as an "AI agent marketplace", MuleRun has since transitioned to a broader AI productivity platform offering agents for different tasks, including video generation, stock analysis and social media management.

One of its main features is that it operates like a virtual computer that remains active even when the user is away. Users can schedule workflows to run overnight and assign tasks that execute on a recurring basis.

MuleRun's name reflected the idea of AI agents acting as mules that completed "repetitive and trivial" tasks for users, Chen said at the Alibaba Cloud conference.

How does MuleRun differ from OpenClaw?

OpenClaw, an open-source AI agent tool, also performs autonomous tasks on behalf of its users. However, the high security risks and permissions required to run OpenClaw on local devices introduced high barriers to adoption for ordinary users.

MuleRun, by contrast, lets users access AI agents through natural-language prompts, without downloading additional software or needing coding skills.

Who is using MuleRun?

The company said MuleRun currently served businesses and users in 43 countries including China, Brazil and Mexico. Among paid users, more than a third spend over US$200 per month, completing an average of 13 end-to-end tasks weekly.

Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

China's MiniMax records 1-million client base, fivefold growth in half a year

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company MiniMax says it recorded a fivefold surge in its global enterprise and developer client base over the past six months, highlighting the sharp expansion of its international footprint, even as the Hong Kong-listed firm grapples with widening financial losses.

The number of clients and developers using MiniMax recently surpassed 1 million, up from about 200,000 half a year ago, co-founder and president Yun Yeyi said at the UBS Asian Investment Conference in Hong Kong on Thursday.

The Shanghai-headquartered firm also said that its global user base reached 300 million, while its annual recurring revenue (ARR) - a key metric that projects current monthly subscription income over a 12-month period - more than doubled over the past two months.

According to CEO Yan Junjie during an earnings call in March, MiniMax's ARR had reached upwards of US$150 million by February, driven by surging demand for its generative AI products.

MiniMax, along with Beijing-based competitor Zhipu AI, will be added to Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng Index after the market close on June 5, following a quarterly review. The company's shares have surged nearly 500 per cent since its initial public offering in January.

While MiniMax's 2025 revenue rose nearly 159 per cent year on year to US$79 million, its total losses swelled by 302 per cent to US$1.87 billion, though much of this was due to fair value losses on financial liabilities, according to financial results filed in March.

Founded in 2021, MiniMax is known for its M-series large language models and popular consumer applications, including the video-generation tool Hailuo AI.

Its latest flagship MiniMax M2.7 model currently ranks eighth among open-weights models on the Artificial Analysis benchmark, trailing domestic rivals Moonshot AI, Xiaomi, DeepSeek and Zhipu AI.

MiniMax in recent days has teased the imminent release of its next generation M3 series, which is expected to feature a new "sparse attention" mechanism designed to reduce computational costs and improve cost efficiency. Yan said in March that the M3 series would be developed with "much greater" resources than its predecessor.

On Tuesday, the company published a technical paper outlining the development of its M2 series, which suggested that its models were showing early signs of "self-evolution", a process where AI systems automate parts of the research and development process to help build more powerful iterations of themselves.

US banks charge ahead with American AI in Hong Kong despite geopolitical tensions

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Leading American banks are rolling out advanced artificial intelligence tools powered by US technology in their Hong Kong offices, charging ahead with adoption even as escalating geopolitical tensions threaten to shut the Chinese city out from top-tier software.

In a prime example of this push, Citigroup Hong Kong this month began trying out a new in-house AI agent platform called Arc, initially targeting local software developers and engineers, according to a source.

The bank has said that Arc marks a step-change improvement over the firm's previous in-house AI tools, allowing for greater end-to-end automation of complex tasks such as client prospecting, which typically requires hours of gathering portfolio data, analysing market trends and modelling scenarios.

Senior management had been "aggressively" encouraging AI adoption since last summer, according to a Citigroup employee in Hong Kong who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

"AI agents are the new thing that really makes me feel like everything could change," the person said. "Previously, I would have to prompt the AI through multiple turns, but now it looks like the AI agents can do this on their own."

However, this rapid adoption comes at a fraught time. US AI giants OpenAI and Anthropic have both not made their models available to users based in Hong Kong and mainland China, forcing banks to navigate a compliance minefield.

Just last month, Goldman Sachs barred its Hong Kong bankers from using Anthropic's Claude due to a strict reading of its contract with the AI vendor, which has tightened restrictions in the region, the Financial Times reported.

Citigroup's proprietary in-house AI platform, Citi AI, uses both Google Gemini and Claude. Gemini was made widely available in Hong Kong in March, while Citigroup routes its Hong Kong employees through its overseas servers, including one in Japan, to access Claude, according to a source.

Despite geopolitical friction, the aggressive AI push is getting strong tailwinds from local regulators. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority issued a circular in March identifying agentic AI as a major catalyst for the city's financial services sector.

Other Wall Street heavyweights are matching the pace.

Morgan Stanley continues to offer Hong Kong employees access to Claude and OpenAI's GPT across several divisions, according to a source. At an internal "global technology expo" at its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong in late April, six different divisions showcased more than a dozen AI-related innovations.

According to a conference agenda seen by the South China Morning Post, members of the local tech team demonstrated how AI tools like Claude, GPT, xAI's Grok and Microsoft's Copilot could be used by employees to raise productivity in everyday tasks.

The firm's cyber data risk and resilience team also introduced local staff to a tool called CyberMind, at a time when AI's impact on cybersecurity is expanding following the release of Anthropic's Claude Mythos Preview in April.

CyberMind uses the reasoning capabilities of AI models to orchestrate AI agents to not just answer employee queries about cybersecurity issues, but also provide practical troubleshooting guidance and even act upon them.

The rapid deployment of these tools highlights a starkly widening gulf between US institutions and their Chinese counterparts in the same city - as well as a divide within US firms' own cross-border workforces.

Mainland Chinese lenders operating in Hong Kong remain wary of internal AI usage due to long-standing data compliance concerns and bureaucratic obstacles, according to two employees of different state-owned banks in the city. Their in-house AI tools remain largely limited to basic AI chatbots used for simple internet searches, the people said.

Such compliance concerns have also extended to the mainland operations of US banks. Despite Citigroup's rapid roll-out of Citi AI and Arc in Hong Kong, the firm had yet to roll out any of its in-house AI tools to mainland employees, according to a Citigroup employee on the mainland who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"It's frustrating that we are not even allowed to use the basic generative AI tools when we also have lots of mundane tasks to do," the person said. A source noted that Citigroup was "actively looking" at introducing Citi AI for its mainland employees, although a specific timeline was not disclosed.

Citigroup and Morgan Stanley did not respond to requests for comment.

Peking University unveils 3D design tool to power Huawei's chip ambitions

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Researchers at Peking University have claimed a breakthrough in microchip design software, purportedly offering critical support to Huawei Technologies as the tech giant attempts to build cutting-edge semiconductors despite US-led trade restrictions.

The innovation, unveiled on Tuesday, comes in the form of a prototype tool for electronic design automation (EDA), according to an announcement by the university's School of Integrated Circuits. EDA is the highly specialised software that engineers use to design and test microchips before they are manufactured.

Developing a domestic alternative has become a top priority for Beijing because the global EDA market is dominated by Western players such as Synopsys and Cadence Design Systems.

The university's new EDA tool is compatible with Huawei's LogicFolding architecture introduced on Monday.

The company's goal is to produce chips by 2031 that match the performance of advanced 1.4-nanometre technology - all without relying on Western chipmaking tools that are subject to China export bans under US export restrictions.

For decades, the global semiconductor industry followed a simple rule: make chips faster by shrinking transistors to pack more onto a silicon wafer.

However, after Washington blocked China from buying the advanced lithography machines needed to produce leading-edge chips, Huawei was forced to change its approach.

Instead of making the hardware smaller, Huawei's new strategy - dubbed the Tau (τ) Scaling Law - focuses on speed. It aims to accelerate how fast electrical signals travel across a chip by reducing resistance and tightening the internal wiring.

To make this short cut work, however, engineers needed a new kind of EDA software to draw the blueprints.

That is where Peking University's innovation becomes useful. Traditional EDA software works like an architect designing a skyscraper floor by floor, mapping out each 2D layer before stacking them on top of one another.

The university's new prototype tool takes a "true-3D" approach, according to researchers. It treats the multilayer chip as a single structure during the design process, allowing it to optimise the entire vertical stack for better performance.

In early tests on open-source, industry-grade designs, this 3D EDA method achieved a 30 per cent reduction in total wire length inside chips, as well as improved performance and heat management compared to using traditional design software, according to the university.

While EDA software is a critical link in the semiconductor value chain, China's domestic chip design tools still trail behind global leaders in performance and market dominance.

Beijing has been pushing for self-sufficiency in the sector, as Washington imposed restrictions on EDA sales to China, a measure that the US rescinded in July.

Peking University's EDA prototype marks a step towards Huawei's successful mass production of high-end chips, which requires new solutions in various steps in the supply chain to support the LogicFolding architecture.

However, Huawei admitted there were challenges ahead in executing its ambitious road map.

"If we look at the upcoming decade, no single company can address all these challenges alone," He Tingbo, chairwoman of the Huawei Scientist Committee and president of the company's semiconductor business department, said in a media briefing on Monday.

Alibaba's new AI model scores higher than OpenAI, Google rivals in coding ranking

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Alibaba Group Holding's latest artificial intelligence model has clinched a top-tier spot on a major global coding leaderboard, making the Chinese technology giant the only developer other than Anthropic to break into the ranking's top five spots.

Qwen3.7-Max, Alibaba's latest AI model, scored 1,541 on the Code Arena ranking to claim the fourth spot globally, placing it ahead of rival models from OpenAI and Google. The other four spots in the top five were held by various iterations of Claude models by AI powerhouse Anthropic.

Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

The ranking comes as Chinese AI developers are increasingly pivoting from general-purpose chatbots towards specialised coding agents and other autonomous systems, which investors view as the most commercially viable applications for generative AI.

Unlike traditional coding benchmarks such as HumanEval or SWE-bench, which rely on standardised tests, Code Arena users test how well models can independently build complete, interactive web applications from scratch, based on user prompts.

Users then vote on anonymised outputs in blind comparisons, meaning the leaderboard closely reflects the preferences of real-world developers.

The benchmark is run by Arena, an organisation founded by researchers from the University of California, Berkeley in collaboration with University of California San Diego and Carnegie Mellon University.

The industry's growing focus on coding follows the success of US companies like Anthropic, whose Claude models and coding features have emerged as some of the first AI products to demonstrate sustained user engagement and meaningful revenue potential.

A survey conducted last year by Stack Overflow, a popular question and answer website for programmers, showed that 84 per cent of developers had used or planned to use AI tools, while 51 per cent of professional developers used AI tools daily.

Qwen3.7-Max was designed for autonomous tasks, allowing it to manage long-running workflows, use software tools and write code on its own. In a WeChat post, Alibaba said the model could handle complex tasks for up to 35 hours straight and use software tools more than 1,000 times in a row - all without human intervention.

The move reflects a broader industry shift away from conversational chatbots towards independent AI systems that can complete multi-step projects with minimal human supervision.

Several of Alibaba's domestic rivals are also ramping up efforts in their coding units. Beijing-based DeepSeek recently announced two new positions related to coding agents - a product manager and a software engineer.

DeepSeek senior researcher Chen Deli said on social media that the new hires would work on a project "essentially benchmarking against Claude Code". The goal, he said, would be to develop a coding "harness" - the crucial software infrastructure required to transform a standard AI model into an autonomous AI agent.

Because software development relies on globally standardised programming languages, the segment lowers the barriers for Chinese models looking to gain international adoption, compared with consumer-facing internet services.

For now, however, US products such as Cursor, GitHub Copilot and Claude Code continue to dominate the global software development workflow.

Still, industry leaders, including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, have predicted that the long-term AI race will ultimately depend less on leaderboard scores and more on which companies can successfully embed their models into a developer's daily routine, to become the default infrastructure for software creation.

Kuaishou beats estimates as Kling AI video generator's revenue jumps 300%

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Chinese short-video company Kuaishou Technology beat estimates with 33.7 billion yuan (US$5 billion) in revenue in the first quarter, driven by the rapid commercialisation of its flagship artificial intelligence video generator, Kling AI.

Overall revenue grew 3.4 per cent, but Kling's revenue surged more than 300 per cent to 650 million yuan in the period, the company said on Wednesday.

"AI technologies continued to provide the momentum for our content prosperity, business growth and organisational efficiency improvement," Kuaishou said, adding that Kling had claimed the top position in the App Store across 42 markets, including Brazil and Germany.

Kuaishou, whose main business is in short video, where it competes with ByteDance's TikTok and Douyin, has described Kling as the source of its "second growth curve".

Kuaishou co-founder and CEO Cheng Yixiao said in an earnings call on Wednesday that Kling's fast growth was driven by both corporate and individual users, and that the AI tool had found wide use in marketing, film, television, short drama and games.

The company reported a profit of 3.4 billion yuan for the quarter, down 26 per cent from a year earlier but beating the estimate of 3 billion yuan.

Chief financial officer Jin Bing said the company expected capital expenditure to reach 26 billion yuan for the year, adding that it had "taken proactive measures to build advanced procurement and inventory buffers amid rising computer power prices".

Shares of Hong Kong-listed Kuaishou dropped 1.1 per cent to HK$45.30 on Wednesday before it announced its earnings.

Kuaishou was in talks with potential investors, including Tencent Holdings, to raise US$2 billion to spin off Kling, according to a report by Chinese technology news outlet The LatePost earlier this month, citing anonymous sources.

The AI unit currently had an annual recurring revenue (ARR) run rate of roughly US$500 million in March, Kuaishou said on Wednesday.

Kling has been making progress in terms of monetisation, as its ARR reached US$300 million in January, and the company expected the service's revenue to "more than double" in 2026, Cheng said on an earnings call in March.

The company was planning an initial public offering for Kling in 2027, according to another report earlier this month by The Information, citing anonymous sources.

In response to the reports, Kuaishou said that it was "assessing a proposal to restructure" Kling that could involve external funding.

Designed to rival OpenAI's Sora and Google DeepMind's Veo, Kling AI quickly climbed the global rankings after its debut in June 2024. Earlier this year, consultancy Artificial Analysis ranked it as the world's top model for image-to-video generation and second in the text-to-video category.

However, the landscape of AI video generation has evolved quickly over the past few months, with the rapid rise of ByteDance's Seedance and Alibaba Group Holding's HappyHorse - as well as the abrupt exit of Sora.

Seedance 2.0 currently tops the text-to-video ranking on Artificial Analysis, followed by HappyHorse 1.0. Kling 3.0 currently ranks third.

Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

China adds AI chips to secure technology assessment list amid US curbs

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

For the first time, China has included artificial intelligence chips in its official "secure and reliable" technology assessments, expanding the scope of a state-backed drive to adopt domestic alternatives to Western products.

The China Information Technology Security Evaluation Centre and the National Secrecy Science and Technology Evaluation Centre released the latest batch of assessments on Tuesday evening, creating a new category for "AI training and inference chips". The certifications were valid for three years, according to the announcement.

As the country's official assessment bodies for information security and secrecy-related technologies, their approvals are widely viewed as the definitive procurement catalogue for party and government agencies, central state-owned enterprises and other state-linked customers under the Xinchuang initiative.

Xinchuang, which translates as information technology application innovation, is Beijing's long-running campaign to purge foreign hardware and software from sensitive and strategically important information systems.

The move highlights how China's technology replacement drive is pivoting towards AI infrastructure. Initially focused on phasing out US suppliers like Intel and Advanced Micro Devices for central processing units (CPUs) and Oracle for databases, Beijing is now targeting Nvidia and other foreign suppliers of AI computing power.

The push has gained urgency following successive rounds of US export controls that restricted Chinese access to advanced graphics processing units (GPUs).

Last week, the National Development and Reform Commission said China would guide domestic large language models to increase adaptation to home-grown computing chips, while promoting the integration of AI with the broader economy and society.

The newly certified chip products include Huawei Technologies' Ascend 310 and Ascend 910, Alibaba Group Holding's T-Head Zhenwu M530 and M890, as well as GPUs from Biren Technology, Hygon Information Technology, Iluvatar CoreX, MetaX and Moore Threads.

Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

Notably absent from the list were two of China's most prominent AI chip developers: Cambricon Technologies and Baidu-backed Kunlunxin.

A person familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly, said the exclusion from the list could affect business opportunities in some procurement scenarios with Xinchuang requirements.

However, each company can decide whether to submit their products for testing, as different chips have different market positionings, the person said. If submitted for assessment, products can only be added to the list after passing tests under the Anke V3.0 requirements.

Anke is shorthand for "anquan kekao", or "secure and reliable" in Chinese, a term often used interchangeably with Xinchuang in China's domestic technology replacement campaign.

Cambricon and Kunlunxin did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.

The Xinchuang initiative started to accelerate in government procurement around 2020, before expanding after 2022 into sectors such as finance, energy, telecommunications and other state-linked industries.

What began as a policy slogan has transformed into a procurement market spanning the core layers of China's information technology stack, from CPUs and operating systems to databases, middleware, office software and servers.

For domestic suppliers, inclusion in official or semi-official catalogues can help with the bidding process and customer qualification systems, particularly in projects where security and local control are explicit requirements.

The secure and reliable assessment list is one of the certification mechanisms that supports Beijing's localisation push. China first published such assessment results in December 2023, covering CPUs, operating systems and centralised databases.

Having a product on the list is likely to matter the most in Xinchuang-related procurement, where government agencies and state-owned enterprises often require formal certification or catalogue inclusion. The larger commercial market for AI chips, however, is still expected to be driven by cloud service providers, whose procurement decisions are shaped more by factors such as chip availability, performance, software compatibility and total cost of ownership.

Domestic AI chip demand is expected to rise sharply as China's AI industry shifts from model development to broader deployment. JPMorgan said in an April report that China's indigenous AI chip demand, measured by units, could grow at a compound annual rate of about 40 per cent through 2030, driven largely by rising token consumption from inference workloads rather than incremental training demand.

Supply remains one of the biggest constraints for Chinese AI chip designers. JPMorgan said wafer fabrication capacity was a key bottleneck because of lower production yields and the difficulty of building leading-edge manufacturing capacity. Some suppliers had relied on existing inventory to meet demand, while significant shipments of locally produced chips were expected to begin in the second half of 2026, the broker said.

Hong Kong finalises crypto regulatory framework to lock in global hub ambitions

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Hong Kong has finalised its regulatory framework for the digital asset industry, wrapping up a public consultation on a new licensing regime for firms advising on and managing virtual assets.

Signalling a milestone in the city's quest to become a global crypto hub, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (FSTB) and the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) said on Tuesday that the proposed rules received "broad market support" and would head to the Legislative Council later this year.

The regulators launched the one-month consultation in December, modelling the new requirements after existing frameworks in the traditional securities market.

SFC chief executive Julia Leung Fung-yee said the conclusion of this consultation marked the "final leg of our journey to complete the regulatory framework for digital assets".

Under the new rules, firms providing advice or market analysis on virtual asset trading must meet strict capital requirements. Companies that do not hold client assets must maintain a minimum liquid capital level of HK$100,000 (US$12,762). All other firms are required to hold at least HK$5 million in paid-up share capital and HK$3 million in liquid capital.

Advisory and management firms must also comply with know-your-client protocols, conduct virtual asset knowledge assessments for clients, and adhere to marketing restrictions regarding the Hong Kong public.

The city previously put in place licensing regimes for centralised crypto exchanges and stablecoins, and in December completed consultations on regulating providers of custodian services and virtual asset dealing services, the latter formerly referred to as over-the-counter trading.

The conclusion of the latest public consultation represented "the final piece of the policymaking puzzle" for the city's virtual asset ecosystem, said Andrew Fei, a Hong Kong-based partner at law firm King & Wood.

The new regime would be codified as part of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance, regulators said on Tuesday.

Hong Kong's regulatory push comes amid a broader push to position itself as a globally competitive centre for digital asset businesses. Officials have increasingly signalled ambitions for greater global influence, occasionally contrasting the city's regulatory certainty with the fragmented political landscape in the US.

The delay of the major US crypto market bill, called the Clarity Act, and upcoming midterm elections had created uncertainties for the industry, while Hong Kong offered a "steady progressive build-up" of regulations, Duncan Chiu Tat-kun, a Legislative Council member for the Technology and Innovation functional constituency, said last month at an industry conference in Hong Kong.

The Clarity Act earlier this month advanced from the Senate Banking Committee and is now heading to the Senate floor for a vote, receiving fresh momentum after a long stalemate. The bill would aim to protect consumers while keeping innovation in the US, according to the committee.

Meet He Tingbo: Huawei's 'chip queen' trying to rewrite China's semiconductor playbook

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

When He Tingbo took the stage in Shanghai this week to unveil Huawei Technologies' Tau (τ) Scaling Law, the message was about more than a new chip development framework.

It was also a statement, showing how the most prominent Chinese technology company to have been subjected to US sanctions wants to compete in semiconductors when access to the world's most advanced chipmaking tools remains restricted, and when the industry's decades-old reliance on shrinking transistors is becoming more difficult.

For He, a Huawei veteran who heads the company's semiconductor business, the idea was born from constraints. Speaking to reporters after the announcement, she recalled a period of frustration after US sanctions hit Huawei, saying there was a time when she felt there was "no way out".

But she said she later drew inspiration from Dujiangyan, the ancient irrigation system in Sichuan province built more than 2,000 years ago without electricity or modern machinery, and began to view sanctions not simply as restrictions, but as engineering constraints to be solved.

That mindset now sits at the centre of Huawei's semiconductor narrative.

He, who has been dubbed China's "chip queen", appeared at the IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems in Shanghai on Monday to present the Tau (τ) Scaling Law, a framework Huawei says can guide chip development as Moore's Law - which said the number of transistors on a microchip would double every two years or so - weakens.

Instead of relying only on geometric scaling - the process of shrinking transistors to pack more of them onto a chip - Huawei is proposing to improve performance by reducing delays across devices, circuits, chips and computing systems.

The concept puts He, one of Huawei's most important but low profile technology executives, back in the spotlight after seven years. In 2019, when Huawei was added to the United States' Entity List and cut off from key foreign technologies, she told employees in an internal letter - widely circulated at the time - that years of work on backup chips had suddenly become the company's lifeline.

Now, she is again being cast as the face of Huawei's chip strategy - this time not in a moment of emergency, but as the company tries to set out a longer-term path for Chinese semiconductors.

He joined Huawei in 1996 and has spent much of her career in the company's chip operations, working across development, research, architecture and supply chain roles. She later served as research and development chief and president of HiSilicon, Huawei's chip design arm, as well as president of Huawei's 2012 Laboratories. She is now one of only two women on the company's 17-member board of directors, chair of the Huawei Scientist Committee and president of its semiconductor business.

Over more than two decades, He helped turn Huawei's semiconductor team from a small internal chip design group into a sprawling operation covering smartphone processors, base station chips, artificial intelligence processors, general-purpose computing chips, optoelectronics, advanced packaging and supply chain management, the company said. Its portfolio includes Kirin smartphone processors, Kunpeng general-purpose processors, Ascend AI processors and Tiangang base station processors.

That breadth has become more important as Huawei tries to rebuild after US restrictions damaged its once-dominant smartphone business and limited its access to leading-edge chip production. Huawei said He's team had redesigned more than 380 chips over the past six years using a series of new approaches, helping the company maintain products across its carrier, enterprise, consumer, cloud, automotive and digital power businesses.

The Tau (τ) Scaling Law is Huawei's attempt to turn that survival experience into a broader technological thesis. He said on Monday that the economics of chipmaking had changed after the 7-nanometre node, as the cost of manufacturing each transistor began rising and advanced lithography tools became both expensive and, for Huawei, not necessarily available. She said the Tau (τ) Scaling Law offered a more cost-effective path by seeking performance gains from system-level and circuit-level optimisation rather than only from more advanced process nodes.

One of the key technologies under that framework is LogicFolding, which Huawei says differs from conventional three-dimensional stacking or advanced packaging. He said the approach required far denser connections between chip layers, allowing circuits to be designed more like a unified logic system rather than separate components linked through packaging.

The claims are ambitious and remain far from proven as a broad substitute for cutting-edge lithography. Analysts said Huawei still faces major challenges in manufacturing yield, thermal management, electronic design automation tools, advanced packaging and supply chain depth. Global leaders including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), Samsung Electronics and Intel continue to push towards more advanced nodes, while Chinese foundries remain behind in frontier manufacturing.

Whether the Tau (τ) Scaling Law can become an industry path, rather than a Huawei-specific workaround, remains uncertain. But for He, who once described the sanctions-era pressure as a set of constraints for engineers to solve, the Shanghai presentation showed how Huawei is trying to shift the conversation from what it cannot buy to what it can still build.

Another 'DeepSeek moment'? Huawei milestone alters China trajectory in chip race: analysts

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Huawei Technologies' unveiling of a chip architectural workaround to bypass US sanctions marks a major step towards China's semiconductor self-sufficiency, giving Beijing powerful new leverage in its tech tug of war with Washington, analysts say.

The Chinese tech giant captured global attention on Monday by introducing the new Tau (τ) Scaling Law, which it said lay the groundwork for Huawei to achieve transistor density equivalent to a 1.4-nanometre process in high-end chips by 2031. If proven, the advancement would significantly narrow the gap with global semiconductor leaders at the cutting edge of chip development.

With the new law, Huawei is targeting significant performance improvements in both smartphone chips and artificial intelligence computing systems.

"The US will have less leverage over export control as China becomes more self-sufficient," said Gary Ng, senior economist at Natixis Corporate and Investment Bank, although he cautioned that the law still needed to be "tested in practice".

US-led sanctions currently block China's semiconductor industry from accessing the most advanced chipmaking technologies, notably extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines needed for 3nm nodes and below.

Huawei's new trajectory promises to bypass this critical bottleneck. He Tingbo, chairwoman of the Huawei Scientist Committee and president of its semiconductor business department, said cutting-edge EUV tools would no longer be necessary to achieve these advanced nodes.

Chinese state media hailed the breakthrough. Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily likened the struggle against US sanctions to "the most tragic and brave Long March in the history of science and technology" - a historical nod to the military retreat that preserved the party's core forces and resources.

"Instead of getting stuck in a rut, why not try a different approach?" the paper wrote on Monday.

The implications extended far beyond a single technical milestone, signalling China's broader adaptation to Western technology restrictions, according to James Lambert, head of Asia consulting at Oxford Economics.

"Developments like this may be viewed as evidence that Chinese firms are having success in investing heavily in alternative domestic AI and semiconductor ecosystems, rather than remaining dependent on Western technology pathways," Lambert said.

Beijing has poured massive capital into its chip self-sufficiency drive, encouraging firms to work around Western bottlenecks. Recently, it has also restricted foreign access to its market, with the government yet to approve domestic sales of Nvidia's H200 AI chips in the country.

Wall Street research firm Bernstein described the announcement as "another DeepSeek moment", predicting it would inject confidence into China's semiconductor industry if executed successfully.

"Just like the DeepSeek innovation on algorithms encouraged China to invest in AI and build a whole AI-stack locally, Huawei's Tau Scaling Law now will give the industry a lot more confidence to invest in China semis and build a whole semis-stack locally," Bernstein analyst Lin Qingyuan wrote in a note on Monday.

Analysts expected the impact from Huawei's breakthrough to reverberate globally.

"Nvidia is likely the most concerned by this development," said He Hui, director of semiconductor research at research firm Omdia. "Having already lost half of its market share in China, Nvidia now faces a reality where domestic chip performance has nearly closed the gap with the H200."

The breakthrough comes at a critical juncture in the US-China AI race, where both countries face an insatiable appetite for computing power. Liao Heng, chief scientist at Huawei's semiconductor department, said the company's new path directly addressed this supply crunch.

"By 2035, our single chip module performance can be expected to increase by 100-fold, and system level performance can be expected to increase by 1,000 times," Liao said.

"This path has effectively tackled the question of the challenge around computing power availability because that is an anxiety existing in China [and] around the world as AI continues to evolve."

Additional reporting by Eunice Xu and Coco Feng

Will China's lead in AI regulation force the US to rethink its approach under Trump?

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Citing the need to maintain America's competitive edge against China, US President Donald Trump last week scrapped plans to sign an executive order directing government agencies to review advanced artificial intelligence models amid rising AI safety concerns.

"We're leading China, we're leading everybody, and I don't want to do anything that is going to get in the way of that lead," Trump told reporters last week, according to CNBC. "I really thought [the order] could have been a blocker."

While the White House walked back its AI model approval plans because of its fierce AI rivalry with China, the latter had already implemented a registry system since 2023. Here's how China regulates its growing number of large language models and AI services as the two countries consider opening a dialogue on the rapidly advancing technology.

What are Chinese firms required to do before releasing their AI products?

AI model and application developers in China need to report their products ahead of release to the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), China's top internet regulator, under a complex, layered registration framework.

In a process known as generative AI services filing, large language model developers such as DeepSeek, Zhipu AI, Alibaba Group Holding and Tencent Holdings are required to submit a comprehensive set of documents to the authorities. Alibaba is the owner of the South China Morning Post.

Filing documents include a security self-assessment report, a keyword interception list and testing questions. The company must first send them to the provincial level CAC for review, followed by the central CAC. The generative AI services filing procedure usually takes three to six months, according to a blog post by AllBright Law Offices in March.

Firms offering AI applications such as AI agents that use the application programming interface of approved third-party models, on the other hand, follow a simpler framework known as generative AI services registration. This does not require a security self-assessment report and is only reviewed by the provincial-level CAC.

As of April this year, there were 868 filed generative AI services and 530 registered ones in China, according to updates the CAC publishes every few months.

Meanwhile a CAC framework for algorithm filing applies to all companies offering algorithm-driven services with "public opinion attributes or social mobilisation capacity". This process covers most AI model developers, and usually takes one to two months to complete.

What are the Chinese regulations governing AI models?

In July 2023, the CAC, along with six other regulators, published the Interim Measures for the Management of Generative Artificial Intelligence Services, which put in place the model filing framework.

With a focus on content compliance, the regulation required AI model developers to "adhere to core socialist values", avoid discrimination based upon factors including ethnicity, faith, country and gender, and also respect intellectual property rights.

Two regulations the CAC released in 2022, the Internet Information Service Algorithmic Recommendation Management Provisions and the Deep Synthesis Internet Information Services Management Provisions, govern the algorithm filing process. This framework, which predates the AI generative boom, is a mandatory prerequisite for any company launching algorithm services.

Chinese authorities have also released a number of technical standards and guidelines for AI safety and AI ethics, and are drawing up a "comprehensive" legislation on AI, covering the protection and regulation of data, computing power, algorithms, intellectual property rights, cybersecurity and supply chains.

How do the US and China differ in their approaches to AI governance? And what lies ahead amid heightened risks?

Trump's planned AI executive order last week called for a system where developers voluntarily submit their advanced AI models for review by federal agencies as early as 90 days before releasing them, emphasising that it would not create mandatory governmental licensing.

China has built "a largely systemic approach with strong central coordination" that combines content-centric rules for public-facing AI services with evolving standards and frameworks for societal and frontier AI risks, according to Kristy Loke, a fellow at MATS Research focusing on China's AI governance. Meanwhile, the US remains more market-driven, with federal government efforts focused on the voluntary testing of frontier models, she said.

But this appears to be changing post-Mythos, Loke said, referring to the Anthropic model that rattled the world last month because of its ability to identify and exploit cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

"If the US moves towards stronger, formal pre-deployment testing for frontier models, it is plausible that Beijing - keen to keep pace with global governance norms and with Chinese models now only months behind the frontier - could also strengthen pre-release oversight for its frontier models," she said. That could lead to "noticeably tighter guardrails" in both countries over the next few years, she added.

China and US will hold a formal dialogue on AI governance, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said last week after Trump's state visit to China. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that "the two AI superpowers are going to start talking" and "set up a protocol" on best practices for AI, to make sure non-state actors do not get a hold of the frontier models.

Huawei's new chip scaling law aims to sidestep ASML chokepoint but hurdles remain: analysts

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Huawei Technologies has engineered a workaround to one of China's most crippling chipmaking bottlenecks, but analysts warn that the nation's path to semiconductor independence is still constrained by manufacturing challenges.

The US-sanctioned tech giant on Monday introduced a new scaling law and a chip architecture designed to deliver products equivalent to an advanced 1.4-nanometre processing node by 2031.

If true, the innovation marks a significant milestone for Huawei, which has been cut off from advanced semiconductors, leading lithography machines from Dutch supplier ASML, and cutting-edge electronic design automation (EDA) tools since 2019.

The company's new Tau (τ) Scaling Law proposes a major shift in how chips are built. For decades, the industry advanced by physically shrinking transistors to pack more onto a silicon wafer. Huawei is betting instead on a concept called "time scaling".

Rather than trying to make the hardware components smaller, the firm aims to boost performance by compressing the effective time constant (τ) - essentially speeding up how fast signals travel across devices, circuits and systems.

Under this new path, improvements in lithography tooling - the critical chokepoint in China's semiconductor ambitions - are "not necessary", according to He Tingbo, chair of Huawei Scientist Committee and president of the company's semiconductor business department.

"In the short term, this may indeed alleviate Chinese chip manufacturers' urgent reliance on ASML's top-tier extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography systems, thereby placing some structural pressure on ASML's future orders and market expectations," said Arisa Liu, chief director and research fellow at Taiwan Industry Economics Services, a unit of the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research.

However, Liu cautioned that design workarounds could only go so far. Huawei's new law provided "architectural optimisation gains" within physical limits, but it was not a total replacement for hardware, she said.

Only by combining Huawei's architecture with future, domestically produced high-end lithography systems can China "push transistor density and computing power to their true limits" - making indigenous lithography "an indispensable foundational security line" for the country's chip industry, according to Liu.

For decades, the semiconductor industry has followed Moore's Law - the observation that the number of transistors on a microchip doubles roughly every two years.

But as transistor sizes approach atomic limits, this traditional scaling trajectory has drastically slowed. Pushing processing nodes from 7nm down to 3nm and 1nm has historically required ASML's EUV and deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography systems.

With US-led sanctions blocking Chinese access to this machinery, top executives from China's largest chipmakers, including Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), and Yangtze Memory Technologies, co-authored an article earlier this year, calling for a nationwide push to build a domestic competitor to ASML.

"Huawei's breakthrough is not so much a replacement for systems like DUV and EUV as a long-term workaround to get greater performance for the most advanced chips such as for smartphones and AI", said Paul Triolo, a partner at DGA-Albright Stonebridge Group who is its tech policy lead for Asia and the Americas.

But a critical question remains for Huawei: can the company find a domestic foundry capable of manufacturing its sophisticated designs amid strict US export controls?

The world's leading contract chipmakers are already locked in a fierce race to reach the 1.4nm node. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) plans to start mass production in 2028, while Samsung Electronics and Intel are expected to follow in 2029.

While Huawei's 2031 timeline indicates it still lags behind global rivals by a few years, Liu noted that achieving this level of innovation while "totally isolated and unable to access top-tier Western equipment" demonstrated "exceptional resilience" and gave Huawei significant bargaining power in the smartphone and AI sectors.

Huawei's He said on Monday that the new methodology was "manufacturing friendly" and would not impose major new hurdles for foundries, though she conceded that certain challenges remained a "work in progress".

Triolo, however, struck a more cautious tone.

Achieving 1.4nm equivalence "does not mean Huawei has solved the underlying manufacturing, yield, thermals, power delivery, metrology, inspection, defect management and process integration problems associated with true 1.4nm-class semiconductor production", he said.

Beyond lithography, industry observers expect advanced chip packaging to become more important in the supply chain.

Huawei's LogicFolding architecture boosts performance by reducing the electrical resistance that slows down signals, allowing different parts of a chip to connect and communicate much more quickly.

Huawei's He said LogicFolding differed from traditional 3D chip stacking in that it connected the circuits with a logic die at a "very small gear ratio" - a measure similar to the relationship between two gears engaged with each other.

By compressing various logic paths, Huawei can make the chip's internal wiring density much tighter, creating a shorter, faster path for data to travel.

"We are the first in the world to truly have practised logic folding from the point of electronics design," she said.

This shift may "create new demand for packaging and testing equipment", analysts from Soochow Securities wrote in a research note on Monday.

As Moore's Law hits a cost-efficiency wall below 1nm, generative AI is driving massive demand for multi-core high-performance computing, making chip-to-chip connectivity vital, according to Ethan Qi, associate director of the Greater China team at Counterpoint Research.

"Huawei's long-standing expertise in communication protocols is a major advantage," Qi said. "In the age of AI, whoever masters the die-to-die protocols will be able to secure a market dominance like Nvidia."

Alipay launches payment tools for AI agents that shop for you

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Chinese fintech giant Ant Group is betting its future on a world where smart glasses are able to autonomously order, customise and pay for your coffee before you even step into a cafe.

The Hangzhou-based company on Tuesday launched a new suite of artificial intelligence payment tools, aiming to position its ubiquitous Alipay network as the foundational transaction infrastructure for an emerging wave of autonomous AI agents capable of shopping, booking services and completing payments on behalf of users.

The roll-out represented a "full-stack" AI solution designed to smooth how money flows among AI model developers, retail businesses and everyday consumers in the AI era, according to Ant Group.

As part of this ecosystem, the company introduced two flagship products.

The AI Wallet is a consumer-facing interface within the Alipay app designed to let users monitor, manage and authorise tasks carried out by AI agents before, during and after a transaction.

Meanwhile, Token Pay is a specialised business-to-business product engineered for AI model providers to seamlessly handle subscription models, in-agent token top-ups and complex micro-transactions.

"Alipay is building a new generation of AI payment services to accelerate the growth of the agentic commerce ecosystem," said Cyril Han Xinyi, CEO of Ant Group. "Agents execute payments, while tokens carry value," said Han at a Tuesday afternoon corporate conference, explaining the essence of AI Pay.

"We see this stage as more of a responsibility," said Li Jiajia, vice-president of Ant Group, in a sideline interview at the event. "No commercial ecosystem can function if payments are not there as the foundation."

He said Ant was focused on getting more developers and merchants to adopt AI payment services, while building consumer trust through "product improvements, compensation mechanisms and risk-control capabilities" - steps needed to make the agent economy work.

Ant Group is an affiliate of the Alibaba Group, which owns the South China Morning Post.

The move marks Ant's latest attempt to dominate the transaction layer of the emerging "agent economy" - where AI services evolve from merely answering text prompts to independently executing real-world tasks.

The technology is already moving past the conceptual stage. Alipay said its AI payment services have been tested across a variety of hardware and software ecosystems, including Alibaba's Qwen app, where users can complete their purchases via AI-assisted interactions. It was also tested on Taobao, where consumers can ask an agent to automatically buy an item once its price falls below a preset threshold.

Its AI payment services have also been used in AI glasses and smart cockpits, as well as retail and enterprise scenarios such as Luckin Coffee, ByteDance's AI development platforms Coze and Alibaba's counterpart Qoder, and "one person companies" run by solo entrepreneurs.

According to Ant Group, its preliminary AI Pay product surpassed 100 million users in February and has successfully processed over 300 million transactions to date - around 90 per cent are from the Qwen app.

But as AI takes the wheel on consumer spending, security remains a major hurdle. To combat user anxiety about autonomous spending, Ant Group also unveiled its Agentic Commerce Trust Protocol, which aims to create a "common language" for collaboration between AI and service platforms, as well as a security system for AI payments to provide foundational safeguards for every AI agent-driven transaction.

On the developer side, Chinese AI unicorns MiniMax and Stepfun have signed on as early adopters of Token Pay, using the infrastructure to manage token distribution, membership subscriptions and targeted marketing campaigns.

Unitree Robotics reports plunge in first-quarter profits days before crucial IPO hearing

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Unitree Robotics, a luminary in China's humanoid robot boom, has reported a sharp plunge in first-quarter profits just days before its crucial listing hearing, casting a shadow over its Star Market initial public offering (IPO) as soaring expenses and a brutal price war catch up to the industry's hype.

The Shanghai Stock Exchange's listing committee is scheduled to review Unitree's IPO application on June 1, according to an exchange notice on Monday. The company, based in Hangzhou, the capital of China's eastern Zhejiang province, is seeking to raise 4.2 billion yuan (US$618.94 million) to fund robot body development, embodied AI models and manufacturing facilities.

The milestone step towards the IPO sparked a buying frenzy in mainland Chinese markets on Tuesday, as retail investors aggressively chased listed companies with direct exposure to Unitree, including its pre-listing shareholders and upstream suppliers.

Ahead of that hearing, however, an updated regulatory filing released late on Monday revealed a company caught between rapid scaling and shrinking margins.

While Unitree's first-quarter revenue surged over 68 per cent year on year to 422.8 million yuan, its adjusted net profit, excluding non-recurring items, plummeted more than 52 per cent to 40.3 million yuan, down from 84.8 million yuan a year earlier. The company blamed the profit squeeze on a significant spike in research, development and sales expenses.

The company also attributed the slowdown to a cooling of the broader humanoid robotics hype, a much higher revenue base following an explosive 2025 and increasingly fierce competition.

Unitree told investors that if the commercial adoption of general-purpose robots stalled, or if the short-term robot leasing market weakened, the firm's growth and margins could face further pressure.

Still, the company saw a silver lining on the horizon, with the financial bleeding expected to slow in the second quarter.

First-half revenue is projected to rise between 35.6 per cent and 45.4 per cent year on year, reaching 1.05 billion yuan to 1.13 billion yuan, while the first-half profit decline is set to narrow to a loss of between 6.4 per cent and 22 per cent. However, the company noted these estimates were not profit forecasts or performance commitments.

These new figures contrast sharply with the eye-popping growth narrative presented in Unitree's original prospectus. Revenue exploded to 1.70 billion yuan in 2025, up from just 392 million yuan in 2024. In the same year, adjusted net profit rocketed to 590.8 million yuan, up from 78.5 million yuan in 2024. Gross margins climbed to 60.1 per cent in 2025, up from 44.2 per cent in 2023.

Founded in 2016 by Wang Xingxing, Unitree makes humanoid robots, quadruped robots, robot components and embodied intelligence models. Wang attended a high-profile private-sector meeting chaired by Chinese President Xi Jinping in February 2025 and Unitree's robots drew broad public attention after appearing in a dance performance during the Spring Festival Gala.

The company said it had shipped more than 30,000 quadruped robots between 2022 and September 2025, while humanoid robot shipments exceeded 4,000 units over the same period. For the full year 2025, Unitree said its humanoid robot shipments reached 5,500 units.

In the updated filing, Unitree also highlighted rising competitive risks. It cited Tesla's Optimus project and the entry of Chinese carmakers and consumer electronics companies into humanoid robots as factors that could increase pressure on pricing, market share and profitability.

The company also disclosed that its patent portfolio remained relatively small because it had historically prioritised confidentiality of technical expertise. As of January 31, it had 262 registered patents in China and abroad, including 20 domestic invention patents, a level it said could limit its ability to protect core technologies through intellectual property rights.

Japan bans all photography at beach volleyball over voyeurism; China swimsuit mum could sue

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

The swimmer whose wardrobe malfunction was shown online has said she might sue organisers, while a total photography ban at a beach volleyball tournament in Japan has opened up a fresh debate about athlete protection.

At the annual Xing-Quan Dishui Lake Swim-Crossing Challenge, several three-quarter shots of a female swimmer accidentally exposing herself were displayed on an official tournament platform for more than 10,000 users for over an hour.

The victim, Ms Chen, said it had taken four days for the Shanghai Triathlon Club to call her, but there were still images of her online.

"I saw people asking under some videos if anyone had this photo, and others claiming they did. I hope to completely stop the dissemination of the photo," she said in an interview.

Organisers have claimed the sheer number of contestants made monitoring every image impossible, a defence rejected by legal experts.

Li Weijie, a partner at Shanghai I-LAND Law Offices, said the incident violated privacy rights and organisers who had an "obligation to vet uploaded photos" could face administrative penalties.

The local backlash triggered by the incident coincided with another troubling incident in Japan, where sports governing bodies took a hard line against voyeurism and sexually suggestive photography targeting female athletes.

Following an incident on the first day of the two-day Nagoya Hekinan round of the 2026 Japan Beach Volleyball Tour last weekend, the Japan Volleyball Association announced a total ban on all recording devices, including smartphones.

The ban will continue into the main round this weekend.

Officials said there had been evidence of "malicious filming behaviour" and that "inappropriate recording" had not improved despite repeated warnings.

The association said players taking part in the tournament, which doubled up as part of the selection process for this year's Asian Games, had complained.

"Our highest priority is to protect an environment where competing athletes can concentrate on the competition with peace of mind," the JVA said.

Although voyeuristic photography with sexual intent has long plagued Japanese sports, particularly beach volleyball, such strict bans remain rare in professional events because tournament officials find it difficult to bar fans whose social media posts helped promote events and boost exposure.

While Japan has enforced zero-tolerance policies, Chinese sports events still lack digital privacy regulation.

Even after a 2010 incident where a training video of Olympic diving champion Guo Jingjing was leaked, officials took no substantive action beyond calls to "strengthen management".

Sixteen years later, most domestic competitions lack binding protocols, relying instead on basic media manuals that merely ban taking images in locker rooms, despite the China Photographers Association issuing a Code of Professional Ethics in 2024 that urges sports photographers to respect privacy and refrain from publishing intrusive images.

UFC Macau: China's Song Yadong out for statement win against Brazil's Deiveson Figueiredo

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

There is more at stake for Song Yadong this weekend than just making sure he puts on a show for his home fans when he takes on Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Macau.

Coming into the bantamweight bout, which is headlining Saturday's event at Galaxy Arena, the Chinese fighter needs a statement win to keep himself in the conversation over who gets to challenge division champion Petr Yan of Russia.

A highly controversial loss to Sean O'Malley last time out at UFC 324 leaves Song (22-9-1, 1 no-contest) with two defeats in his past three fights and facing a former flyweight champion in Figueiredo (25-6-1) with title aspirations of his own.

Still, the fifth-ranked 28-year-old does not think he needs to prove himself after a unanimous decision he sincerely believes went the wrong way.

"I just need to win the next fight, next fight, next fight," Song said. "I'm very close to these guys. I lost because of small points. One or two fights and I'll get a title shot.

"Grappling or striking I can totally beat this guy, I'm so confident. I'm going to show all the fans I'm still a contender in my division."

Considered one of the most powerful and explosive strikers in his division, Song's opponent is not exactly unknown for his power.

And while Figueiredo is coming into the fight on the back of his own unanimous decision defeat in Las Vegas, where he missed weight ahead of his clash with Umar Nurmagomedov, Song will not be underestimating the seventh-ranked Brazilian.

"For his last fight, I don't think he [Figueiredo] was in very good shape because of weight cutting," Song said. "And during the fight, he was too uptight. I think in the fight this week, he's in much better shape, because he's been in China before.

"But, I believe in my power. I'm stronger, I'm faster. I'm better than him everywhere. I could win by knocking him out or win by decision. But you know he's a very tough guy and it's not easy to knock him out."

It's been eight years since Song last fought in China, when as a relatively new arrival to the promotion he beat Vince Morales at UFC Fight Night: Blaydes v Ngannou 2 in Beijing.

Admitting that he had been waiting for this moment "for a long time", Song said he did not feel as though there was any extra pressure to perform in front of a packed home crowd.

"I feel excited to show the fans what a top-five ranking athlete has," he said. "Actually, I feel much [more] comfortable fighting back at home. I had many big fights in the United States, places I had never been to, not many friends around me, [but] now I'm back in Macau. Very nice hotels, a good environment, good weather, all the fans, and friends are coming, so I feel more comfortable."

There is comfort too in facing an opponent he shared a training camp with before their respective fights in Nevada, and while not exactly friends, Song called his 38-year-old rival "a good guy".

The pair shared a lighthearted moment during the pre-fight face-off on Tuesday, and while Song said it felt as though they were "tourists to Macau", it would not make what comes next harder.

"It's no big deal, it's our job," Song said. "But even if it's a friend of mine, it's my occupation. I have to be professional and I will knock him out."

Hong Kong picked as site for Fifa Museum as it is 'amazing starting point' to Asia

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Fifa Museum executives picked Hong Kong as the first city in Asia to have an official museum because its status as an international hub made it an "amazing starting point" in the region.

Fifa Museum managing director Marco Fazzone, who was in the city with Italian 2006 World Cup winner Marco Materazzi for the grand opening on Thursday, also believed there would be more locations around the world in the next decade.

The city's Fifa Museum, which will be open for six months, is one of five operating during the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Alongside the main facility in Zurich, others have been placed in Miami, New York and Vancouver.

"From Hong Kong, you embrace the whole world. It's vibrant, full of energy here. You have business, sports, culture, design. You have everything here," Fazzone said.

"Our ambition is to share the magic of football with the entire world. And Hong Kong, for us, with the story, with the city, with the infrastructure, with the member association and partners, here is an amazing, beautiful starting point in East Asia."

Located on the fourth floor of Times Square in Causeway Bay, the museum has replicas of both the Women's World Cup trophy and the Jules Rimet Trophy, which was awarded to men's winners until Brazil were allowed to keep it after their third triumph in 1970.

The current World Cup trophy could be available for a limited period in September.

Among the rainbow of jerseys on display in the city are the 1966 one worn by Pele and the 2022 top belonging to Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.

Other various items on show include one of Pele's old passports, the ball used in the shoot-out between Italy and France in the 2006 final, and the boots Olga Carmona wore when she captained Spain to their 2023 World Cup triumph.

Individual shirts from greats of the game such as Diego Maradona, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Sun Wen and Alex Morgan can also be seen in 6,000 sq ft space in the heart of Hong Kong.

Interactive experiences allow visitors to test their reflexes in the goalkeeper challenge, put themselves in a referee's shoes, or get their adrenaline going on the penalty spot.

Two Fifa films, The Final and The Path of Champions, will screen in the museum's cinema, each immersing the viewer in the magic of the World Cup.

Hong Kong football was celebrated, too, with recognition for Chan Yuen-ting, who in 2015-16 became the first female head coach to win a men's professional top-division title as boss of local Premier League club Eastern, and goalkeeper Yapp Hung-fai, the owner of a city-team record 112 international caps.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Fifa Museum has welcomed more than 2 million visitors worldwide since 2016.

In his current role since 2018, Fazzone said more could be expected from Fifa in the future.

"There are many countries that are interested in building up, setting up football-related museums at the moment," he said. "That's amazing because we support all kinds of cultural initiatives related to football and museums and art.

"We're exploring the best way that we can reach out to people in a fast, efficient way. The rationale behind that is, it's not expecting the people will come to Zurich from everywhere, but we can reach out to the world."

Sky Jewellery and Raging Blizzard the leading lights as John Size sets sights Group Three double

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Champion trainer John Size is enjoying the ride with Sky Jewellery as his rising star looks to climb another rung of the Hong Kong ladder in Sunday's Group Three Lion Rock Trophy (1,600m).

Last season's Champion Griffin won three of his five starts in his debut campaign and came into this term a hugely exciting prospect, but his supporters were made to wait for his return after he bled from both nostrils in a trial at Sha Tin in November.

He made his reappearance in April by making a mockery of Class Three rivals, sprinting clear from the rear of the field to win by a very easy one and a quarter lengths, and he took the rise into Class Two company seamlessly on his next start.

His win in the Members Cup (1,600m) was an eye-catching performance, as he came through difficult soft ground conditions with the minimum of fuss to beat the likes of Beauty Eternal and subsequent winner Packing Angel.

Andrea Atzeni reported that he had not handled conditions that day, which does not bode well for his next set of rivals, but Size is having to be cautiously optimistic with the threat of his health issues re-emerging.

"I don't know how long his good form is going to last - we will certainly enjoy the moments as they are coming, but you just have to hold your breath and hope that he can sustain that run of good races," Size said.

"He's certainly one of the better horses, that's for sure. If his health holds up, I hope he'll just keep progressing, but it's a huge concern. You just hope the horse can deal with it."

Size also has a strong duo prepared for the other Group Three on the card, the Sha Tin Vase (1,200m), where Raging Blizzard will look to step out of the shadow of Ka Ying Rising following six runs behind the world's best sprinter.

A dual Class Two winner last season, the Per Incanto gelding has run with great credit in Group One company this term, including a recent third in the Chairman's Sprint Prize (1,200m) behind Ka Ying Rising and Satono Reve.

"It looks a good opportunity for him. It's always nice if you've got a horse coming from Group company back to handicap, you've usually got some advantage even though it looks very bad on the weight scale," Size said.

"Hopefully he's got another good effort in him and he might put himself in the finish. He deserves a win, but you don't always get one just because you deserve it."

In the same race, Size also runs 1,000m specialist Stellar Express, who has won three times on the straight course this campaign, including the Group Three Bauhinia Sprint Trophy. He has found it tougher going away from his beloved track and trip, but Size was quick to remind about how good his season has been.

"Being a track specialist is never a bad thing. He's won five races and some people would probably think that's pretty good. Some people would like to have a horse like that," Size said.

"We've seen recently a couple of the horses have gone to the front and have actually won the race, so it can happen in circumstances of the day - you never know."

Another with a strong chance for Size on Sunday is the enigmatic Crossborderpegasus, who bids for a first win of the season in the Class Three Hong Kong Ka Ying (Meizhou) General Chamber of Commerce Cup (1,200m).

The son of Rich Enuff has provided Size with quite the headache, with all three of his wins last season being in spite of the fact he hung markedly in when placed under pressure.

The issue persisted on his return this campaign and stewards sent him back to trials, where he failed five in succession before being allowed back to racing. The issue seems to be subsiding, however, and Size is hoping he can smash out of the gates on this occasion.

"He's got a few things going on, but he's got some ability, certainly and he should be in Class Two by now, but he's not," Size said. "He's had some interruptions because of his racing manners, but lately he's been fine.

"If he can get out of the gates on terms or not be so far away from the leaders, he's probably got a winning chance."

Horse of the Year debate rages on, but Ka Ying Rising stands out over Romantic Warrior

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

With no disrespect to Romantic Warrior and what he has achieved this season, the Horse of the Year is clearly Ka Ying Rising.

The debate has raged since star jockey James McDonald made his case for Romantic Warrior in the wake of his Group One Champions & Chater Cup (2,400m) triumph, which sealed Triple Crown redemption and added another chapter to his legacy as an immortal of Hong Kong racing.

McDonald and Ka Ying Rising's jockey, Zac Purton, went head to head on Australian radio on Thursday, stating their cases for their respective champion gallopers.

But when it's all said and done, it is difficult to imagine the Horse of the Year voting panel - which consists of three Jockey Club officials and three members of the media - siding with Romantic Warrior over Ka Ying Rising.

THE FREAAAAAAAK!! 🤯🤯🤯

World's best Ka Ying Rising sets ANOTHER 1200m track record (1m 07.10s) at Sha Tin, securing his 20th consecutive win with @zpurton for David Hayes...#FWDChampionsDay | #LoveRacing | #HKracing pic.twitter.com/EByZABkjCC

— HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) April 26, 2026

While some expected Voyage Bubble to claim the award for his Triple Crown glory - the first horse to achieve the feat in 31 years - last season, it was Ka Ying Rising that was crowned Horse of the Year after continuing his stunning rise with eight wins, including four Group Ones, from as many starts.

This term, David Hayes' superstar has risen to new heights, adding a famous victory in the world's richest turf race - the A$20 million (HK$111.5 million) The Everest (1,200m) at Randwick - to his second straight unbeaten campaign.

"Now I know you're going to make the argument [Romantic Warrior] won the Triple Crown, Voyage Bubble won the Triple Crown last year and didn't win Horse of the Year," Purton told SEN Radio.

"Just because you're unbeaten doesn't mean you're going to win it. Just because you've won the Triple Crown obviously doesn't mean you're going to win it.

"But if we look at Ka Ying Rising and what he did this season - he had eight starts for eight wins, he was unbeaten, five Group Ones including The Everest down there in Australia, so he travelled overseas to win an international Group One race against the best sprinters in the world.

"He won HK$92 million in season stakes, that's more than the HK$74 million that Romantic Warrior won.

"He's judged the highest-rated horse in the world by the Longines World's Best Ratings on a rating of 130. Romantic Warrior's rating is 126.

"Timeform rated Ka Ying Rising the best sprinter in the last 50 years - better than Black Caviar. So, for people in Australia who thought Black Caviar was the best horse in the world, Ka Ying Rising has to win Horse of the Year in Hong Kong.

"Ka Ying Rising broke the track record three times in Hong Kong. He's now the highest-rated horse in Hong Kong history domestically on a rating of 142, so when you look at everything that Ka Ying Rising's done this season, compared to Romantic Warrior and Romantic Warrior is an incredible horse, it's not even a debate for Horse of the Year."

Purton's case is compelling. McDonald claimed Romantic Warrior's record-extending fourth consecutive Group One Hong Kong Cup (2,000m) win, record-extending four Group One QEII Cup (2,000m) successes and becoming only the third horse to claim Triple Crown glory made him a "no-brainer" pick for Horse of the Year.

While Hayes said earlier this week that Ka Ying Rising and Romantic Warrior should share Horse of the Year honours, both Purton and McDonald believe it is an award that should not be shared. That view is shared by the Jockey Club on all of its annual awards.

Wong's Valley breakthrough

The long wait for a Happy Valley victory is finally over for Britney Wong Po-ni after the apprentice booted home Tony Cruz's Son Pak Fu on Wednesday night.

Wong, who has ridden 28 winners at Sha Tin over the past two seasons, took her first ride at the city circuit last November and was delighted to snap a frustrating streak of placings at the famous track.

"I am very glad and before this win I had ridden eight seconds here already, so we were that close but not winning," Wong said.

"I'm very happy that we got the win today and I'm very grateful for Tony's support and it's such a great honour to be riding winners for him - and to get my first winner here at Happy Valley."

Notorious Chinese ref shows 'playful' side as RedNote signs World Cup TV deal

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Controversial Chinese football referee Ma Ning is not known for having a fun side, but that might all be about to change.

The 46-year-old, who is notorious for his strict handling of players that step out of line, has launched an account on one of the country's largest social media platforms days before he heads to take charge of games at the Fifa World Cup.

And it's fair to say the image presented on the new RedNote account on Wednesday was decidedly different from the one fans expected.

For his profile picture, Ma holds up a red card while staring directly into the camera, shot from a fisheye, high-angle perspective that many users described as "playful" and "cute".

"This profile picture does not look like a football referee," one user wrote, while another joked: "Why did I receive a red card as soon as I opened RedNote?"

Ma's account gained more than 25,000 followers and over 6.7 million views on related topics within three hours of his first post on Wednesday.

In his debut video, Ma greets users in a relaxed tone. "You usually see me on the pitch, but now I'm on RedNote," he says. "In a few days, I will head to the World Cup. If there's anything you want to see, let's meet here."

The tone marks a clear departure from his previous public presence on Weibo, where he used images of his uniform as profile picture and disabled comments to avoid online abuse from fans.

Ma's entry into RedNote coincided with reports that the social media platform had become the only platform in mainland China, alongside state-owned media CCTV and Migu, authorised to distribute coverage of this summer's tournament.

With ambitions to grow beyond its current 170 million daily active users to 200 million by the coming World Cup, the platform has been targeting sports - particularly football - to attract more male users, having already made inroads into sports broadcasting, streaming events such as the German Super Cup in August 2025, and securing Bundesliga rights for the 2025-26 season.

Despite the warm welcome online, Ma remains one of the most divisive referees in Chinese football. Nicknamed "card master" by fans for his frequent use of yellow and red cards, his decisions in domestic and international matches have often drawn scrutiny.

His performances have drawn sharper criticism overseas, most notably in Saudi Arabia during the AFC Champions League Elite. In April's quarter-final, Ma disallowed a goal for Al-Ittihad, prompting an angry reaction from players and staff. Post-match tensions escalated, with objects thrown towards officials and defender Ahmed Al-Sharahili sent off after confronting him.

Al-Ittihad coach Sergio Conceicao said after the match that "the worst team on the field was the refereeing crew", while local media reported Ma had been sidelined. The Asian Football Confederation later backed the key decisions as correct, and Chinese media came out in his defence.

Despite such incidents, Ma continues to enjoy strong backing from fans in China, particularly for his role in representing the country at major international tournaments.

One widely shared comment online read: "Ma Ning is the most suitable referee for the World Cup. It does not matter if he offends the whole world, because China's men's team will not qualify anyway."

Caspar Fownes reclaims championship lead as Zac Purton is made to wait for 2,000

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Caspar Fownes reclaimed the lead in the trainers' championship with a double at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, while Zac Purton was made to wait at least another four days to secure his 2,000th Hong Kong win after moving to within one of the milestone.

Fownes drew level with Shum on 56 wins after Audacious Pursuit and Elegant Life's victories, but he jumped back to the top of the table by virtue of more seconds than Shum.

With just 13 meetings left this season, Mark Newnham is close behind Fownes and Shum on 53 wins while Francis Lui Kin-wai (50) and David Hayes (49) are also in contention.

"We're trying our best, that's for sure," Fownes said.

Joao Moreira had the biggest haul of his late-season stint since a Valley four-timer last month, guiding Fownes' pair to victory before sealing a treble on Cody Mo Wai-kit's Lucky McQueen in the first section of the Class Four Ciron Handicap (1,200m).

Fownes heaped praise on the Brazilian star for his masterful ride on Audacious Pursuit, who capitalised on a dream run in the box seat to get up on the inside of leader Withallmyfaith in the final 100m to beat that galloper by a neck in the Class Four Rhine Handicap (1,650m).

"It was perfection by Joao to get him on the rail and save the ground. When you just win by a small margin, that's everything really, it's what you need," Fownes said.

"You need good rides, good draws and the rest takes care of itself. It's why I said Hong Kong racing is so exciting."

Fownes revealed Audacious Pursuit had a minor mishap on the morning of his Valley debut.

"The amazing part is this morning, this horse spread his shoe and was quite sore, so we had to get the top farrier Luke Thompson and my team, plus my farriers, to get the shoe back on and make him comfortable. We've got to go work hard behind the scenes and no one knows these things," Fownes said.

"We all work hard to get him there and when we get that winning result, we can really enjoy the special moment."

Elegant Life secured the crucial double for Fownes in the second section of the Ciron Handicap, producing an impressive turn of foot to win his second race of the season.

Parked in midfield by Moreira, he began to stoke his mount up as the field turned out of the back straight and that proved to be a race-winning move, as the pair saved all the ground and emerged with clear running in the straight.

Elegant Life powered clear of Dan Attack in the closing stages for a two-and-a-half-length success, suggesting there could be plenty more to come.

"It's a good feeling. I got on some nice horses today. I believed it was meant to be because they got good gates," Moreira said.

"I'm so happy to be getting opportunities and to be getting them up."

Purton inched towards his 2,000th Hong Kong win in the middle of the card when Armor Golden Eagle soared to success in the Class Three Sauternes's Cup (1,650m), but was not able to double up to reach the accolade.

It was a facile success to bring up Armor Golden Eagle's third win from his last four starts, travelling kindly behind the leading pair throughout before unleashing a smart burst in the middle of the track to win going away by a length and a quarter.

"He was in the ideal spot. It was a carbon copy of last start, really, just in the right spot - they put them away well. He's a good improving horse," Newnham said.

Meanwhile, apprentice Britney Wong Po-ni notched her first win at Happy Valley when Son Pak Fu swooped to win the Class Three Seine Handicap (1,200m), giving trainer Tony Cruz a double in the process.

Sat towards the back of the pack on the rails throughout, Wong never left the rail aboard the Fighting Sun galloper and it proved to be a winning decision, with the inside opening up like the Red Sea in the straight.

Wong did have to be brave when the gap began to close near the 100m pole, but Son Pak Fu had all the momentum and picked Gummy Gummy's pocket close home by a short head.

It was the second leg of a double for Cruz, with Superb Capitalist winning the Class Three Garonne Handicap (1,000m) under Angus Chung Yik-lai.

Conquering the Great Wall in record time a labour of love for expat cycling duo

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

When English photographer Sean Gallagher has decided he is keen on something, there is no going back.

Intrigued by China as a child, when his father would return home from business trips armed with "trinkets and photos", Gallagher duly relocated to the country at 26.

Spending countless hours on his bike during Covid, he grew into a "cycling addict".

It made sense to 46-year-old Gallagher, then, that he should mark the 20th anniversary of his move by embarking on a ride that celebrated his "long, deep connection with China".

Which was how, along with friend Ben Schuessler, who has also been on the mainland for 20 years, Gallagher recently came to establish the fastest known time for pedalling the length of the Great Wall of China.

The pair survived sandstorms, freezing rain, perilous roads and extreme fatigue to complete their journey in nine days, around 48 hours after they had unwittingly gatecrashed a wedding reception atop a mountain pass.

"A group of riders five years ago took 10 days to do it," Gallagher said. "We thought, 'maybe, working together, we can shave a bit off that.'

"It was also about more than cycling, we wanted to showcase the diversity of China, so more people are inspired to explore the country.

"Photography has provided me with opportunities to help people understand China ... and I want to get the word out that there's a strong cycling community here."

Although the Great Wall spans more than 21,000km, the straight-line, west-to-east route, from Jiayuguan in Gansu Province to Laolongtou covers 2,458km.

Originally targeting an eight-day finish, Gallagher said: "We were already riding around 300km a week, so pretty fit, but neither of us knew if we could do eight or nine successive days of 250-to-300km, with lots of climbing.

"The physical and mental fatigue builds every day, so there was some uncertainty. We were going into the unknown."

Gallagher narrowed his focus to cycling when the pandemic put paid to triathlon events.

"We were still allowed into the mountains, as long as we didn't leave the city area, so I started doing more cycling for my mental health," he said.

"Four years ago, I founded a cycling club [Beijing West Cycling]. There were two or three of us, now we have more than 600. Last year, some of us managed a 1,000km ride in 48 hours. Cycling, long-distance cycling, especially, has become an addiction."

From England's Ribble Valley in Lancashire, Gallagher began the Great Wall challenge in "determined but realistic" mood.

"You have to believe you'll complete it, but you have to be prepared for the fact you might fail," he said. "Lots can go wrong: medical breakdowns, accidents or extreme weather."

German Schuessler, 42, punctured in Inner Mongolia. "It was just grasslands as far as the eye could see, we were completely on our own," Gallagher said. "But you have to think clearly to resolve the problem, and believe you'll get out of that difficulty."

A daily video diary produced by Gallagher showed fast-moving trucks overtaking hair-raisingly close to the pair.

"One day in Gansu Province, about half an hour after we'd experienced a sandstorm, it started to rain as we were going over a mountain pass," Gallagher said. "We had all these trucks going past within a metre or two, as we were getting soaked going downhill.

"Some of those moments were scary. We had to dodge potholes, too, so safety was always a priority."

While the cheerier truck drivers would "peep and wave", and one "stopped and tried to give us food", Gallagher and Schuessler were especially grateful for the generosity of strangers on the seventh day of their journey.

On course to achieve their eight-day goal, they encountered sharply deteriorating conditions as they climbed a mountain pass near the city of Zhangjiakou, close to Beijing.

"There was a gale-force wind coming down from Mongolia, the rain was getting heavier, and the temperatures dropped," Gallagher said.

"We arrived in a small village and sought shelter in a restaurant, where a wedding reception was happening.

"We were these two bedraggled, wet, tired foreigners, and all the guests looked at us like we were aliens who'd stepped off a spaceship."

The restaurant owners provided food and drink, and a room to dry clothes and warm up.

"They saved us in the middle of the storm, and all the lovely people who helped us were among the highlights of the trip," Gallagher said.

The pair decided to wait for conditions to ease before continuing their ride the following day.

"We had to be pragmatic, and making the right decisions helped us reach the end," Gallagher said.

"The farther we got into the journey, the more we were determined to push through any mental and or physical difficulties. The idea of giving up became an impossibility."

The two men's shared ability to "not get too high, nor too low" prevented any fallouts, and, "hobbling like two old men" after nearly 83 hours in the saddle, they "hugged, shook hands and tried to take in what we'd done".

"It was a feeling of utter joy," Gallagher said. "We reflected on what we'd achieved, but also what we'd experienced."

Waking up at home with his wife and children back in Beijing the next day, Gallagher was "completely relieved".

"It was surreal being back in normal life, and felt like it had been a dream," he said. "When you remember it did happen, there's an overwhelming sense of pride. Now we're talking about what's next."

Hong Kong FA Cup final dilemma for Tai Po boss, key players set to join opponents

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Lee Chi-kin has been presented with one of the biggest dilemmas of his long managerial career ahead of Tai Po's FA Cup final date with Eastern District on Saturday.

Already without two outgoing attackers, James Temelkovski and Lucas Silva, who have both left Hong Kong, Lee is considering whether to pick influential winger Michel Renner, who is expected to join his final opponents this summer.

The Cup winners will play AFC Champions League Two football next season.

With more Tai Po players expected to follow Renner to Eastern District, Silva among them, Lee said that some "will go there, maybe others will leave".

"But wherever you go tomorrow, you need to do your best today," he added. "It's hard to say any more. Hong Kong football is very small, and players move around."

Amid prevailing uncertainty over Tai Po's plans for next season, Lee has hauled the club out of a mid-season trough to win eight straight games.

Champions last season, this term they accumulated seven ACL 2 points, won the Senior Shield and were league runners-up to Kitchee.

Given a relatively tight schedule over the opening half of the season, a catalogue of injuries, and the exits of regular starters Remi Dujardin, Daciel and Ngan Cheuk-pan to China, Lee could fairly claim in the event of victory this weekend that his side had eclipsed their title-winning campaign.

Expecting to be in charge next season, Lee said: "We gave 100 per cent to ACL 2 because we had to fight for Hong Kong.

"I don't want to say I gave up the league but I made the choice to rest players when we were playing soon after [Asian matches].

"I spoke many times to the FA [about fixture demands], and I've tried my best to manage some difficult moments.

"We need to win one more game to go back to ACL2, and I'm hungry for it."

Named in a 23-man Hong Kong squad on Wednesday for games next month against Mongolia and Cambodia, goalkeeper Tse Ka-wing is facing the prospect of watching the Mong Kok Stadium final from the bench.

Long recovered from a thigh injury, Tse has been unable to budge deputy Lo Siu-kei, who recorded five clean sheets in Tai Po's past 10 games.

"When [Lo's] chance came he proved himself and there is no reason to change," Lee said. "This will also be good motivation for Ka-wing."

Igor Sartori, the Tai Po forward, is hoping to deliver a blockbuster final to persuade casual fans among an expected bumper crowd to keep coming back.

"First, we want to win, we have experienced players who understand that we need to get to ACL2," said Sartori, who won the Cup with Kitchee in 2023, following final defeats as a player at Tai Po and R&F.

"But to get the result we want, we need to perform in a way that fans will like and talk about, and want to come back."

Ordinarily, underdogs Eastern District would be capturing the headlines after reaching a major final in their first season as a Premier League club.

"It's really good for Hong Kong football that they got to the final," said Sartori, who is committed to Tai Po for next season. "I want more teams, more investment and more quality players in the league."

Helio Goncalves, who joined Eastern District last summer after 11 years with Kitchee, acknowledged the campaign had been "way better than I expected."

Five times an FA Cup winner with his former club, Goncalves said: "It'll require more focus and concentration to win [for Eastern District], but I'll be encouraging the others to believe and fight until the end."

"The opportunity to qualify for ACL2 is there and we'll go for it. Tai Po are strong, but we have our weapons."

Grandfather proves age is just a number after breaking 80m hurdles record in China

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Proving that age is just a number, an 82-year-old grandfather broke a national age-group record in the 80m hurdles at the 2026 China Masters Athletics Championships.

At the event held in Changsha this month, the nearly white-haired Ding Ming stood at the starting line in lightweight sportswear, his posture slightly stooped yet firm.

Once the starting gun fired, he blasted off with a steady, solid stride, clearing the hurdles with crisp efficiency that defied his advanced years.

Clocking 16.73 seconds, Ding, a retired technician who maintains his fitness out of pure passion, beat his own 2024 national record in the men's 80-84 age category, drawing roars of applause from the crowd.

"When I was running, I didn't know I could break the record," Ding said, attributing his peak form to a relaxed mindset.

"I never compete for rankings. I only look to have fun, meet like-minded friends, and stay healthy. That is enough."

Hailing from Anshan, Liaoning province, the veteran runner competed in three events, including the high jump and shot put, following a four-gold sweep at the 2019 Asia Masters Athletics Championships.

Ding noted in a recent interview that his passion for sports began in childhood, but he never stopped exercising during his 20 years of retirement.

He maintained his flexibility through indoor stretching during sub-zero winters before gradually restoring his training intensity on the track when the weather improved.

Footage of Ding's agile performance went viral on mainland Chinese social media, earning widespread admiration from young netizens who jokingly expressed feelings of inadequacy.

"Compared to this grandfather, I feel more like the 82-year-old," a 36-year-old man commented.

Another user wrote: "Watching him, I silently put down my phone to go jog two laps downstairs, though I might not even manage that."

"I didn't expect the video to spread so widely. Over a million netizens across the country liked it. I was surprised and honoured when others told me this statistic," Ding said with a smile.

"Young people today are busy with work and a fast-paced life, so it is understandable they neglect exercise. Actually, there is no need to envy me; as long as you are willing to take the first step, it is never too late to start exercising."

He was delighted that he could inspire more people to focus on sports and health. Ding, however, maintained strict principles for his year-round training.

"When you get older, you must never push yourself too hard. Do everything within your limits, exercise safely, do not blindly follow trends, and staying uninjured is the right path," he said.

Ding will travel to South Korea with his teammates in August to compete in the World Masters Athletics Championships.

China women's volleyball team hit by injuries as key players pull out of Nations League

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

The Chinese women's team were in the midst of an injury crisis after key members pulled out of the coming Volleyball Nations League (VNL), prompting fans to question the high-intensity training associated with the so-called "women's volleyball spirit".

Just one week before the first stop of the VNL in Nanjing, head coach Zhao Yong admitted that injuries were hampering preparations.

In a recent interview, Zhao confirmed that 23-year-old rising outside hitter Wu Mengjie required knee surgery due to a training injury and would miss the entire tournament.

Wu was China's leading attacker in last year's VNL, averaging 18.92 points per match.

Another key outside hitter, Li Yingying, remained in Tianjin for rehabilitation following a severe right ankle injury sustained during the 2025 domestic league playoffs, failing to reach match fitness despite her inclusion in the 30-player VNL team.

Young opposite hitter Ji Yuxiao also left the squad due to injury, ruling her out of the coming campaign.

"Injury issues are currently the biggest challenge for the team," Zhao noted.

Meanwhile, Zhao said that young player Zhou Yetong from Jiangsu was called up to the training camp to boost the squad.

Zhao stated that the training camp, which began in early April, yielded positive results despite the injuries. Overseas-based veterans like Gong Xiangyu and Wang Yuanyuan, along with Diao Linyu and Wang Mengjie, joined the team midway through.

China's plan for the League was to use younger players in the earlier games to give them experience, while the veterans were expected to ease back into competition gradually, potentially sitting out the first two stops.

"The veterans led by example with high standards, bringing positive energy to the team mentally and during training while mentoring the youth. Inspired by them, the younger players fully committed to tactical training, improving their individual skills and teamwork. The team's overall spirit was commendable," Zhao said.

The 2026 VNL Nanjing will be held June 3 to 7, where China will face the Czech Republic, Thailand, Serbia and Poland.

Along with the coming VNL, fans were also anxious about the team's ability to perform in the Asian Championship in late August, where the winner will secure qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

"They say the same thing every year about testing new players," one fan said.

"One injury is an accident, but when two or three get hurt, they need to rethink their support system," another added.

Netizens also questioned whether the current training schedule overemphasised collective unity and cast doubt on the revered concept of "the spirit of the Chinese women's volleyball team".

The concept, forged during the team's historic five consecutive world titles in the 1980s, evolved into a nationwide symbol of resilience, famously encapsulated by former coach Lang Ping as the relentless drive to win despite adversity.

"We are the only ones holding long-term training camps every day. Doesn't it cause boredom and fatigue? Do they have to train us to death just to demonstrate the women's volleyball spirit?" a user commented.

Many fans also urged the team to recall Zhu Ting, who plays in a top European professional league at a world-class level, but tournament registration deadlines prevented her immediate return.

SCMP Best Bets: Armor Golden Eagle can soar at Happy Valley

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Jay Rooney

ARMOR GOLDEN EAGLE - R5 (2)

Easy last-start winner and looks well placed to repeat

Owen Goulding

TOURBILLON GOLFER - R 6 (3)

Should get his own way in front and can lead them from pillar to post tonight

Olivia O'Sullivan

HONEST WITNESS - R9 (9)

Dominant when following up maiden win and can cope with rise in grade

Phillip Woo

SON PAK FU - R9 (1)

Can break through after placing second last start at this level

Trackwork Spy

HORSEPOWER - R8 (1)

Has been knocking on the door with back-to-back seconds and gets his chance

Racing Post Online

ARMOR GOLDEN EAGLE - R5 (2)

Looked to have plenty in hand when scoring last time

Tom Wood

MR DESIRA - R8 (10)

Freshened off a good trial with the visor being applied from a low draw

Put in the hours and always think of others, Thierry Henry advises Hong Kong youngsters

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

French football legend Thierry Henry has urged the younger generation to put in the hours and to put others ahead of themselves if they want to be successful in whatever they are pursuing.

Speaking to 600 pupils aged 10 to 18 at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Amphitheatre on Tuesday, the former Arsenal and Barcelona star also advised them to evolve as they grow, and to be open to advice.

A prolific striker who retained his composure in front of goal, Henry said confidence was all down to working hard and repeating drills in training.

"Repetition creates habits, it brings that instinct you saw [in me]," said the 48-year-old. "If you saw me when I was young, you'd laugh because I was never hitting the target.

"What I did have was a work ethic; I worked hard with or without a goalkeeper or a coach, on rainy or snowy days, field or not field. Even when I mastered [my finishing skill], I was still working at it … It's instinctive that you will do it because of what you did before; it will come naturally. I was composed [in front of a goal] but that came after hours and hours of failure."

Appearing at the UBS Asian Investment Conference in Hong Kong, the Frenchman also said reflecting on himself while also always thinking of others was the one most important lesson he had learned and which still helps him to this day.

"The way I approach life and the game is I always see it as, what can I do for you?" said the World Cup and European Championship winner. "Even though I technically might see that the situation wasn't my fault, there is always a tiny bit of, you must have done something for someone to react a certain way.

"So ask yourself the right questions. 'What did I do?' and see what you could have changed to have a better connection with the person that you're dealing with or a situation.

"It's not always easy because we're all kind of stubborn in a way, and it's not always easy to work on yourself first before you attack others."

Widely regarded as one of the best players to play in the English Premier League, with 366 career goals throughout his club career, Henry was used to dumping his defender and going on to do what he did best, thanks to his being able to evolve as time passed.

"I battled against some great defenders. I beat them, they beat me," said Henry, the only player in Premier League history to win the Golden Boot for being top scorer four times. "But along the way, you need to be able to absorb [the occasions you lose] and make sure that you can do something about it and see how you can approach it a different way.

"The thing that will make a difference is how you think about it. You always have an answer if you start to think. If you ask yourself the right question, you will find the right answer.

"You also need to be coachable. That's something that kids or athletes sometimes don't take well. When the coach wants to coach you, it's not always easy to accept what he has to say about you, especially when you think that you are on the field and you saw maybe a situation that he didn't see the same way. But you have to be coachable."

Chinese event organisers slammed after displaying photos of swimmer's wardrobe malfunction

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Photos of a female swimmer who suffered a wardrobe malfunction were displayed on an official race platform for more than an hour during a mainland open-water event, with organisers blaming the vetting lapse on the high volume of contestants.

Another athlete, surnamed Zhang, condemned the "inappropriate photography" at the 2026 Xing-Quan Dishui Lake Swim-Crossing Challenge on her social media account three days ago, but organisers had not issued an official statement or apology by Tuesday.

The race, an annual open-water endurance and triathlon event held at Dishui Lake in the Lin-gang Special Area of Shanghai, China, was hosted by the Shanghai Triathlon Association and operated by the Shanghai Triathlon Club.

In her post, Zhang recounted browsing the platform for her own photos when she discovered five consecutive images without any blurring or cropping of another contestant, whose upper body was fully exposed because her swimsuit had opened up by accident. The images were close-up shots of the female swimmer, rather than an accidental capture of a bystander.

The images were displayed on a public platform that had more than 10,000 active viewers at the time.

While such real-time photo streaming by third-party vendors is common in mainland races, these platforms usually require payment or restrict access to participants. However, the portal for this race was entirely public, requiring no login to view, and Zhang noticed that while most of the photos bore the photographers' names, these five were marked "none".

"I think this is very outrageous. First of all, they should not have been taken, and yet they were posted online," Zhang said in an interview.

To prevent further dissemination and harm, she immediately contacted customer service to demand the prompt deletion of the photos. However, instead of an apology, she received blame.

According to chat logs, a staff member argued that the matter might have gone unnoticed originally, and that Zhang's post actually amplified the impact, harming the affected participant.

"The other party blamed me for blowing things out of proportion instead and reported my post everywhere," the whistle-blower noted angrily.

The flagged images remained online for more than an hour before they were removed, during which time they were freely downloaded and shared. The affected swimmer was neither notified nor offered an apology.

Following the exposure of the incident, a media outlet contacted a staff member at Shanghai Triathlon Club, who merely explained that the large crowd made screening difficult.

"We had nearly 3,000 contestants competing that day, so it was impossible to screen every single photo before uploading," the employee stated.

The staff member claimed it was "unavoidable" for photographers and "definitely not intentional", attributing it to real-time uploads, which sometimes happen with fixed cameras on the shore.

However, the individual admitted this was not the first time the event or the host had encountered such an issue.

Zhang dismissed these reasons as unreasonable. Beyond the suspicious lack of photographer attribution for these five images, she noted that interactions with photographers on-site proved they were not automated or uncontrollable.

Another contestant also posted an audio recording transcript of a phone call with staff confirming the photos were shot manually. This netizen reported the incident to the police that night, but authorities declined to file a case because the caller was not the victim.

Some members of the online community also refused to accept the organiser's explanation.

"It was not just one or two photos, but five. Can that still be called an accident? And it was posted anonymously," one web user questioned.

Many internet users argued that the responsible individuals must be severely punished to prevent future incidents, emphasising the need to identify the photographer and determine if the incident was deliberate.

"A criminal case should be opened for investigation over the suspected dissemination of obscene materials," a netizen stated. "I support the victim filing a lawsuit; if they are not dealt with strictly, they will dare to do it again."

On Tuesday morning, the affected swimmer finally learned of the incident through news reports and contacted Zhang to express her gratitude, adding that her mind was still in a blur.

Lyle Hewitson and championship-leading trainer Danny Shum combine at Happy Valley

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Lyle Hewitson and championship-leading trainer Danny Shum Chap-shing will partner with three chances at Happy Valley on Wednesday, including Happy Shooter, Fantastic Fun and Winning Champion.

Shum currently sits on 56 wins for the season, two above the next highest placed trainer Caspar Fownes.

The in-form handler will be looking to continue his momentum after Romantic Warrior added the Triple Crown to his resume on Sunday at Sha Tin with a 15th Group One victory in the Champions and Chater Cup (2,400m).

Happy Shooter leads the charge for the Hewitson and Shum combination in the first section of the Class Four Ciron Handicap (1,200m). While the Deep Field galloper has taken time to put it together on the track, he has proven his potential this season with a win and three second placings.

The four-year-old has also shown improvement in the barriers after an incident at Happy Valley last season saw him declared as 'took no part' when rearing and becoming cast in the gates after the start was effected.

"He's in great form, he's been progressively getting better in the starting gates because that's where his issue was. He has always shown ability and although he's only won one this season, I think all his runs have been pretty promising, barring maybe one or two only," Hewitson said.

"He's been very consistent and he deserves to pick up another one this season. We wanted to go back to the dirt again because he performed so well last time, but there was a long gap in between and we thought it gave us an opportunity to try Happy Valley again. So that's the reason for trying around there, which I'm sure he will handle."

While Happy Shooter will jump from barrier eight, he has proven to put in solid runs from wide gates in the past and can utilise early speed.

"He's been able to overcome the draw once or twice, but most of the time he has had favourable draws. But with that said, if he can get out of the gates like he has been, he should be able to put himself in a prominent spot."

Hewitson will reunite with Fantastic Fun in the Class Three Sauternes's Cup (1,650m) where the Justify gelding will have his best chance to win in the grade from barrier one. The five-year-old has won three races over the course and distance this season, but has struggled with the step up from Class Four.

"He's one of those that just seems to struggle to get the job done in Class Three, then he's just too good for them in Class Four - it's kind of a little bit of a grey area for him. But off the back of a win, he went and performed well," Hewitson said.

"He's got draw one, so should get every chance and, hoping for a good performance. I think it'll probably be hard for him to win, but he's another one that just performs consistently all the time, so I expect another good run."

Winning Champion will be looking for his breakthrough victory in the second section of the Class Four Ciron Handicap (1,200m) where he will have the benefit of carrying just 116lb, but has the caveat of jumping from barrier 12.

The son of Alabama Express put in a solid effort last time to lead all the way until being run down in the final stretch and beaten two lengths by Thunder Prince.

"I thought he ran a great race last time, the horse that beat him was off a really good mark and had the back of him into the straight, and he wasn't disgraced," Hewitson said.

"The difficult part now is the draw. I think if he was drawn inside, I'd probably be pretty confident that he'd have a solid winning chance. Now it's just about overcoming the wide gate.

"He's well-proportioned, he's nice and strong, but I do think the light weight on his back has obviously been a benefit to a smaller horse like him. But he's well-balanced and he's a tried horse.

"I think the blinkers on last time definitely sharpened him up, and he's showing a lot of speed too. He's ticking all the boxes, if he can overcome the draw he's still a lively contender."

Hewitson will also step out on the Mark Newnham-trained King Lotus in the Class Three Seine Handicap (1,200m), where they will look to put their third win on the board together.

The Royal Meeting galloper has been tested over longer trips this season but will drop back to his winning distance of 1,200m.

"He's obviously been disappointing of late, but we thought just to go back to his winning distance and start from there again. He seemed like a horse that wanted further, but maybe he's just more appreciative of being a get-back sprinter. So we're going to test that option again and see how he goes, but he needs to bounce back to form," Hewitson said.

"He's just put in some maybe lacklustre performances, and then we thought to freshen up and have a go again, but he's just been a little bit disappointing to what he showed earlier on. So now the option is just to get back to the 1,200m and see him quicken up and hit the line, and whether he's ready to get back to winning ways or not, we'll have to find out."

The Francis Lui Kin-wai-trained Graceful Heart caps off Hewitson's book of rides in the third section of the Ciron Handicap.

Gazza and the 'Dentist's Chair': England's infamous 1996 trip to Hong Kong - SCMP archive

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Thirty years ago, England's national football team played a friendly match in Hong Kong as part of their preparations for Euro 96. The match itself was an uneventful 1-0 victory for England over a Hong Kong Golden Select XI. What happened after the match entered English football folklore for the behaviour of the players in the bars of Hong Kong and on a Cathay Pacific flight back to London. Here's how the SCMP covered those stories in 1996.

Night before Gazza & Co's riotous flight

by John Flint

This article was first published on May 31, 1996

Just 24 hours before England soccer star Paul Gascoigne allegedly let loose on Flight CX251, he was having a ripping time in a Hong Kong bar ... tearing teammates' shirts off and downing Flaming Lamborghinis.

Gascoigne, in hot water over claims he wrecked two video screens with karate kicks on the flight back to London, was in the thick of the action when some of the players hit The Jump bar, Causeway Bay.

He and several other players left topless after a night of merriment and cocktails.

An insider said: "When Gascoigne and Teddy Sheringham were not drinking beer, they were hosing each other down with mouthfuls of it.

"Gascoigne ripped the shirts off several of his teammates, who responded in kind."

The Jump's spokesman Shonali Rodrigues said: "They were in high spirits having just finished the match, and were also celebrating Paul Gascoigne's birthday. They all danced, drank and enjoyed themselves and were very boisterous - but well behaved."

Gascoigne braved the bar's "Dentist's Chair', lying back and having tequila poured down his throat. Others, including Les Ferdinand, Jamie Redknapp and Dennis Wise, enjoyed Flaming Lamborghini cocktails.

Duty manager John Thirlway said it was a pleasure having the team there and said they obliged customers' requests for autographs and pictures.

Cathay Pacific last night said it was still investigating damage to the TV screens and a folding table on the Boeing 747.

HK$60,000 claim over Gascoigne

by John Flint

This article was first published on June 1, 1996

Cathay Pacific yesterday (May 31, 1996) instructed its lawyers to seek compensation for alleged drunken vandalism by Paul Gascoigne on a flight from Hong Kong to London.

Reports have emerged of more trouble on the plane carrying the England football squad home from their Far East tour on Monday night.

There are claims that a drunken Gascoigne tried to barge his way into the cockpit but was restrained by cabin crew. A stewardess was said to have been particularly upset by his behaviour.

The airline wants the Football Association to pick up the HK$60,000 bill for two smashed TV screens and a broken meal tray in the upper deck of the Boeing 747 where the 27-strong squad were seated. Gascoigne allegedly kicked the TV screens during boozy birthday celebrations.

Players had been out the night before at The Jump bar in Causeway Bay, where Gascoigne knocked back tequila while strapped into a dentist's chair. He ripped teammates' shirts before leaving bare-chested at 2am.

British newspapers have given wide coverage to the scandal, which has further tarnished the image of English football. There have been calls for England to pull out of next weekend's Euro 96 tournament, which it is hosting.

Cathay Pacific has pressed ahead with legal action against the Football Association, apparently furious at the lack of an apology.

A spokesman said: "We have completed our initial investigation into the incident involving members of the England squad and can confirm we are continuing to seek compensation for damage. We have instructed the company's solicitors to deal directly with the Football Association on this matter."

The Football Association last night said it would be unable to respond to the allegations until coach Terry Venables returned to Britain tomorrow. He is watching European opposition teams on the Continent. Gascoigne had gone on a week-long fishing trip, his agent said.

Zac attack: Purton has 8 chances to make history as race to 2,000 resumes

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Zac Purton has eight chances to make history at Happy Valley on Wednesday by riding the two winners required to bring up an unprecedented record of 2,000 Hong Kong victories.

Purton will become the first jockey to reach the magic milestone after smashing Douglas Whyte's previous all-time record of 1,813 wins in January 2025.

The eight-time champion jockey has already celebrated his 11th Hong Kong century after hitting 100 victories for the season at Sha Tin, and came within two more of the landmark number on Sunday after winning on each of his first three rides.

And while fans will wait excitedly for history to be made, the Australian Racing Hall of Famer said he took the same approach to any ride, no matter what was at stake.

"I'm just trying to win every race, that's all it is, just going out there trying to give every horse the best chance I can give it," Purton said. "At the end of the day, if that happens, then a few of them will win and the numbers will start adding up."

Despite the expectations, the 43-year-old remained cautious about his chances of reaching the accolade ahead of what could become a red-letter day on Wednesday.

"At Happy Valley it's always tricky, and even more so recently because we've had so much track bias there," Purton said.

"It's really hard to go to the races with a lot of confidence until you get there and you can see how the track is playing and riding, because it can change the chances of your horses dramatically.

"It's a little bit of a look and see, but if I can get the right runs on the horses, then hopefully I can ride a couple of winners and get the job done - and people have something else to talk about."

Honest Witness and Armor Golden Eagle could provide Purton with his best chances to get the celebrations started.

Purton teams up with the trainer of the world's best sprinter, Ka Ying Rising, when David Hayes' Honest Witness lines up in the Class Three Seine Handicap.

The four-year-old will look for three victories in a row after beating Golden Friendship by a large margin in his last start over 1,200m at the track.

"He always showed a little bit of ability, but like a lot of horses he sort of took a few runs to feel a little bit more comfortable, and hopefully now that he's had a couple of wins he can continue on with it," Purton said.

Hayes and Purton will also combine when Purton takes the reins on Withallmyfaith for the first time in the Class Four Rhine Handicap.

Armor Golden Eagle will seek back-to-back wins in the Class Three Sauternes's Cup for Mark Newnham after recording two victories and a placing from his previous three starts.

"He just drew the right gate and had the right run last start, everything fell into place for him and he did a really good job," Purton said.

"It's never easy at the next start when the scenario might be a little bit different and you've gone up so much in the handicap, but he's an improving horse as well, and hopefully can keep getting on with it.

"He can work himself up a little bit before the race, so it's a matter of just trying to keep him as relaxed as I can so that he hasn't burned himself out before the gates have opened."

Newnham and Purton will also pair up with Exceed The Wish in the Class Five Dordogne Handicap.

Horsepower, Crossborderdude, Spirit Of Peace and Management Folks round out Purton's book of rides on Wednesday night.

East gets West: the surprising friendship between Chinese and German table tennis stars

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

German table tennis great Timo Boll sees Fan Zhendong as a sensitive and open-minded individual with a constant desire to explore, learn and improve, both as a player and as a person.

The now-retired former World Cup winner also said that his friendship with China's Olympic champion, who is 16 years his junior, had evolved into something far beyond the sporting realm ever since they first competed against each other in Suzhou in 2015.

Boll was unable to beat his close friend in 11 attempts, but said they always had "great, exciting matches" that were always "fair and respectful".

The pair had got to know each other "off the table", Boll said, and realised they had the same hobbies, such as football.

"We went to dinner together and realised that we have similar mindsets and like each other," Boll added. "It's a nice friendship, and I'm happy to be able to help him now that he is in Europe, exploring together."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Timo Boll (@timoboll)

Despite the age gap, Boll and Fan also bonded over more than just the sport they both played and excelled in.

"He is very sensitive. As a player, he feels everything in the game and recognises every small detail. If you're like that in table tennis, then you're also like that in your normal life," the 45-year-old from Erbach told the South China Morning Post. "He is also very open-minded when he feels comfortable. He likes to explore and learn.

"He is not shy of a different culture and is very eager to get to know the world. He is interested in everything and eager to learn many different things; it's nice to do that together. He is also never satisfied, and is always in the mood to improve himself."

Facing ups and downs in his game, overwhelming doubts and an extremely competitive environment within the team before the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Fan was under immense pressure. It was Boll who reached out to him.

The four-time Olympic medallist drove six hours - with his mum's handmade apple pie - and took Fan to a Bundesliga home game in Dortmund.

"Those were special moments because the talk with him was very interesting for me also to get to know his story and mindset," said Boll. "It's very interesting if sportsmen talk to each other about how they feel during, after and before a competition.

"And when you talk to someone who performs at such a high level, the topics are very intense, and I really enjoy talking to him not only about sport, but also about life."

From dropping out of the world rankings at the end of 2024, to deciding to play in Germany, and announcing his imminent switch from 1. FC Saarbrucken - where he had already won the German Cup and Champions League - to Borussia Dusseldorf, Fan has shaken up the world of table tennis time and time again in recent years.

Boll, who retired just before Fan's arrival in Germany last year, believed that it is not up to other people to speculate about what he will do in the future, and supporters should just enjoy watching him play.

"It's entirely up to him to talk about his future," the iconic German table tennis player said.

"As for my view of him, I can only say: as a fan, I love watching him play. Even as an opponent, I admired him.

"Every opportunity to watch him play is always a joy, as is the case right now in the German league. Of course, international table tennis misses him. But he'll have his reasons, which I have no right to speculate about."

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A post shared by Timo Boll (@timoboll)

However, Boll, who recently visited China for the All In Caravaning Fair in Beijing, was sure of one thing.

"I cannot come back. I'm not in shape any more. I retired and I'm happy with that decision," he said. "So there's no chance that I will come back [and play with Fan in the doubles in the league].

"I had the great luck and joy to have a very long career, so I don't look back and think I stopped too early. I am just happy with how my career went.

"I am now an ambassador for several companies, including Borussia Dortmund. I still travel a lot, especially to China. I have a good balance right now between spending more time with family, friends and hobbies, while still working a little and keeping up with what's going on in the table tennis circuit."

5 of the best things to do in Hong Kong this weekend, May 29-31

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

The final weekend of May features many exciting events to keep Hongkongers entertained before summer truly begins.

Whether you are queuing for a glimpse of Mads Mikkelsen, catching the Hong Kong debut of Broadway royalty, relaxing with a gong bath or watching the latest zombie movie, this weekend has something in store for you.

Read on to find out more.

1. Hong Kong Comic Con 2026

Pop culture will take centre stage at Comic Con Hong Kong 2026, which runs from May 29 to 31 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

A star-studded line-up of celebrity guests is sure to excite fans. Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, Giancarlo Esposito, Christopher Lloyd and Daniel Logan are among those who will make appearances on all three days, while other celebrities have slots on select days.

Beyond the main stage, the convention is designed for immersive exploration. Attendees can wander through the Pop Culture Exhibition and Artist Alley, discovering exclusive IP releases, original artwork, free video game demo zones and dedicated cosplay areas.

Collectors will be catered to with a treasure trove of exclusive toys, figurines and a dedicated zone for trading card games. Organised by the "Superfan Committee", the trading space will feature industry veterans and top collectors.

For more information, click here.

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, 1 Expo Drive, Wan Chai

2. WestK Cabaret Festival 2026

The Xiqu Centre will host the WestK Cabaret Festival from May 30 to June 7, presenting a programme of original performances spanning music, dance, comedy and immersive storytelling.

Major acts include three-time Tony Award winner Patti LuPone, who will make her Hong Kong debut with her internationally acclaimed musical memoir A Life in Notes. Irish-Australian stage sensation Bobby Fox will share the stage with a local band led by Nate Wong. Paris's Paradis Latin will present the family-friendly Mon Premier Cabaret, a show blending comedy, magic and the traditional French cancan.

There will also be dance parties and a pop-up bar in the atrium featuring festival merchandise.

For more information, click here.

Xiqu Centre, 88 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui

3. House of Healing

House of Healing, a curated two-day wellness retreat of restorative, meditative and energising sessions, will return to the Upper House hotel on May 30 and 31, bringing together practitioners and therapies to nurture both individual well-being and foster a deeper sense of community.

Guests can customise their day by selecting two wellness experiences. These include an infrared-heated Hot Sculpt session by And Sculpt, traditional Chinese acupuncture by Chain's Medicare Centre, posture consultations by the Up Health chiropractic clinic, and red light therapy by 10x Longevity.

Those drawn to more spiritual practices can opt for mini soul readings by Stone & Star or a combined tea ceremony and gong sound journey led by sound practitioner May Nogoy. There will also be full-day group programmes, including a healthy "Lunch and Learn" session hosted in The Green Room by Omni Vitality and OM Health Hub.

One-day passes are priced at HK$988, while two-day passes cost HK$1,788. The Upper House is also offering a room package, allowing guests to book an in-room alignment session.

For more information, click here.

The Upper House, 88 Queensway, Admiralty

4. Sips by the Sea

The "Sips by the Sea" series at K11 Musea's sixth-floor Sculpture Park will conclude with its third and final weekend of guest shifts from Asia's 50 Best Bars on May 29 and 30.

On May 29, guests will have a rare chance to taste drinks from Seoul's legendary speakeasy Alice Cheongdam, which will make a one-night-only appearance. Hidden behind an unassuming exterior in Seoul's Gangnam neighbourhood, Alice Cheongdam is celebrated for its elegant cocktails, including "Mellow Dream" - an aromatic gin sour elevated by plum and Italicus liqueur with a soft, honeyed finish.

Hong Kong wine bar ThinkWine will also offer a selection of wines, and premium Scotch whiskies will be available courtesy of RareDram. Bangkok's Opium Bar will also be shaking up a selection of exclusive cocktails.

For more information, click here.

K11 Musea, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

5. Colony

Korean superstar Jun Ji-hyun makes her long-awaited return to the big screen in Colony, an action-packed zombie thriller that sees director Yeon Sang-ho revisit the undead mayhem that made his name.

The film just had its world premiere in the Midnight Screenings section of the Cannes Film Festival earlier this month - a prestigious bow that neatly mirrors the debut of Yeon's genre-defining blockbuster Train to Busan exactly 10 years prior.

Set apart from the wider Train to Busan franchise, which also includes Seoul Station (2016) and Peninsula (2020), Colony unfolds over a single day and almost entirely within the confines of central Seoul's Doongwoori Building.

As mindless, high-octane entertainment, Yeon's latest effort unleashes a slick, acrobatic dose of blood- and vomit-spattered mayhem that recalls everything from 28 Days Later to The Last of Us and even the Alien franchise.

Whenever it pauses to contemplate themes more cerebral than brain-eating, however, Colony proves somewhat dead behind the eyes. Read our full review; interview with director Yeon.

Colony is now showing in Hong Kong cinemas.

Backrooms movie review: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve star in a liminal space nightmare

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

4/5 stars

Twenty-year-old YouTube creator Kane Parsons delivers an astonishing debut with the unsettling analogue horror film Backrooms.

Adapted from his own web series that was inspired by a popular online "creepypasta" recounting labyrinthine liminal spaces, the film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve as a pair of unfortunate souls trapped in a network of seemingly impossible subterranean rooms.

Revered tastemakers A24 greenlit the film, with horror veterans James Wan (The Conjuring) and Osgood Perkins (Longlegs) among its producers.

The film is set in 1990, where failed architect Clark (Ejiofor) runs a furniture showroom. After his marriage collapses - in part due to his excessive drinking - he moves into the showroom's bedding department full time, where he witnesses strange nighttime phenomena affecting the store's power.

Upon investigation, Clark discovers an invisible doorway in one of the walls that leads into a bizarre yellow room filled with discarded furniture. The room is connected to a series of interconnected spaces, and Clark enlists his reluctant assistant manager Kat (Lukita Maxwell) and her boyfriend Bobby (Finn Bennett) to help him document his discovery.

Clark has also been meeting with psychiatrist Dr Mary Kline (Reinsve) in an effort to manage his alcoholism and anger issues. Mary, who has written a self-help book purporting that we are all the product of our own compounded memories and experiences, appears to be wrestling with deep-seated traumas of her own.

When Clark stops showing up to therapy, Mary takes it upon herself to investigate. All the while, the audience is teased by images of a surveillance team - led by a mysterious scientist played by Mark Duplass - observing the back rooms from an undisclosed location.

Parsons cites the first-person video game series Portal as a major influence on his style, but the idea of impossible spaces and endless corridors leading to nowhere extends back significantly further.

Everything from C.S. Lewis' Narnia novels to the Tardis in Doctor Who has introduced similar notions in markedly different ways, with Mark Z. Danielewski's astonishing form-breaking novel House of Leaves being perhaps the definitive example of this idea.

Gliding between surreal Lynchian horror and mind-bending unquantifiable sci-fi, Backrooms draws its audience in with assured ease - until we too become lost in its riddles and repetition, yet remain all too eager to continue venturing deeper.

When pressed to explain what is going on, the film threatens to lose its way amid a tangle of shallow psychological theories. But even if the destination proves slightly less satisfying than the deeply disorientating journey, Backrooms has already succeeded by introducing its fresh-faced creator to the world as a bold new voice in horror.

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Your Hong Kong weekend drinks guide for May 29-31

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

This weekend, we're visiting Bar Tincture, a housemade tincture and bitters concept in Foco in Central that opened in April. Meanwhile, Jean-Pierre is spotlighting a special liqueur as La Compagnie du Mieux Boire takes over the tribute to French bistro culture, and Monkey Shoulder kicks off a month-plus-long campaign celebrating signature drinks using Speyside blended scotch.

Friday, May 29

Bar Tincture opens with a focus on extracts and classics

Bar Tincture - helmed by ex-Bar Buonasera bartender Bone Cheng - quietly opened last month on the 23rd floor of Foco in Central with a foundation in precise, Ginza-style mixology and a focus on an underrated staple of that philosophy. A tincture is a concentrated extract of herbs, spices, flowers and fruits that can add whole new layers of dimension to a cocktail. Unsurprisingly then, the concept takes housemade tinctures, amaro, bitters and botanical infusions and uses them to craft modern twists on classics, seasonal fruit cocktails and a robust bespoke cocktails programme.

Where: 23/F, Foco, 48 Cochrane Street, Central

When: 5pm-2am

Saturday, May 30

Escale a Hong Kong - Jean-Pierre x La Compagnie du Mieux Boire

For one night only, Paris' La Compagnie du Mieux Boire - a boutique dedicated to artisanal French-produced spirits - joins hands with Black Sheep Restaurants' homage to Parisian bistro culture. From the former, Fab Moze collaborates with Jean-Pierre's master of cocktails Suraj Gurung to build three drinks. The HK Highball combines the Escale a Hong Kong liqueur with Bowmore 12, Perrier sparkling water and Spray de Coriandre. Similarly, the HK Martini features the same liqueur with vodka, yuzu, dry vermouth, ginger and lychee; while the Escale Spritz features elderflower, tabasco, champagne and soda.

Where: Jean-Pierre, 9 Bridges Street, Central

When: 6pm till late

Sunday, May 31

Monkey Shoulder celebrates the Old Fashioned

In case you missed it, Monkey Shoulder has joined hands with Draft Land Causeway Bay to launch three draft cocktails focusing on the blended Speyside scotch, available until June 25. The Funky Monkey combines banana and chocolate with Da Hong Pao tea, the Stoic Monkey blends the whisky with cold brew coffee, sherry, hojicha and bitters, while the Warrior Monkey combines blood orange, yuzu and fresh ginger in a highball-style pour.

If that's not enough for you, Monkey Shoulder is extending festivities through the rest of the summer. A long list of bars - Bar Anima, Draft Land, Jean-Pierre, Avenue 75, Buenos Aires Polo Club, Nojo Ramen x Izakaya, The Pearl, Room 3, Uncle Ming's Whisky Bar, Varga Lounge, Dead Poets, V Bar & Lounge and Dio Cafe Bar (phew) - are serving signature Monkey Shoulder cocktails, ranging from simple Old Fashioneds to unique concoctions like Dio's Canton-Boulevardier and Dead Poets' Vetiver.

Where: Multiple locations

When: Various dates from now till July 31

Vicky Cheng's new Estuary restaurant in Macau is French dining but not as we know it

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

"You'll hear the word 'nourishing' a lot during this meal," Vicky Cheng tells us as we sit down for a preview meal at Estuary, his new restaurant at Macau's Capella hotel that officially opens on May 29.

It is an accurate note - the dinner is a sophisticated calibration of temperature and seasonality, where ingredients seem chosen for their healing properties as much as flavour and prestige. We leave feeling satisfied, but not bogged down.

As French meals go, this is as far as it gets from the traditional tendency to bolster courses with rich, fatty indulgence and palate-blasting moments designed to be washed down with powerful, full-bodied wines.

Of course, there are still the hallmarks of French fine dining here: Dauricus caviar is judiciously layered in the opening coda, combining fresh tunes of spring with Japanese kabu and just-trimmed chervil that is muddled tableside into an a la minute sauce.

Blue lobster is a signature item, gently cooked in lobster butter and still springy. Its intense umami is excellently tempered with a crystal clear shellfish consomme that is given zing, acidity and just the tiniest hint of funk from fermented pineapple dice (peek behind the kitchen and you will see a whole cabinet of pickles, garums and other ferments made in-house). Freshness is added by way of paper-thin slices of sweet courgette.

Estuary marks the chef's return to his French culinary roots, the name a nod to the inevitable convergence of his life's experiences and his decision to focus on ingredients from both fresh and saltwater.

The Hong Kong-born, Canada-raised, France-trained chef first made his mark with VEA in Hong Kong's Sheung Wan neighbourhood, crafting his version of French-Chinese cuisine. Several years later, his follow-up, Wing, saw him diligently explore and evangelise the techniques and ingredients of purely Chinese cooking.

Now, Estuary represents a full-circle moment, where he returns to focus singularly on French gastronomy. Inevitably, however, there are still hints of Asia by way of dishes like fish maw, which is brushed with black garlic and grilled to a delightful smoky stickiness - like the best part of a fatty cut of char siu - served with a distinctive sand ginger beurre blanc sauce and tangle of vibrant cordyceps mushrooms and ginkgo seeds, looking like a deconstructed Chinese broth on a plate .

Cheng admits that his inspiration can come suddenly, something his team - a youthful ensemble led by Cheng's long-time protege Harvey Hsieh - has to live with. One is a palate cleanser that eschews the usual format of a tart fruit sorbet (so expected, so dull) and instead is presented as a small mixed bouquet of tender leaves and herbs, to be dipped in a lush parsley sauce emulsified with trout belly oil and sherry vinegar.

In classic French fashion, gueridon service is used frequently, most impressively towards the end of the meal when a trolley piled high with fresh seasonal fruits and inset steel tubs of housemade ice cream is offered after the dessert course. Tea and coffee are also presented similarly, with freshly ground coffee and herbal teas prepared on the spot.

It is five-star service with the inevitable five-star price tag. The six-course menu, at MOP2,688 (US$333) per person without wine and gratuities, is punchier than VEA's version at HK$1,880 (US$240) - though it is noted that the fish maw and caviar option at VEA commands a HK$1,280 supplement, while Estuary's menu is all-inclusive. But if your pockets run deep enough, go wild.

Michelin will surely be paying a visit later this year for its annual anonymous reviews. While it has always been puzzling that Cheng's Chinese restaurant Wing has never received a star from the famously finicky inspectors, perhaps this French-led offering will be more to their taste.

Estuary, G/F, Capella at Galaxy Macau, Estrada da Baia de Nossa Senhora da Esperanca, Cotai, Macau

How sitarist Anoushka Shankar broke her creative block after the pandemic

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Sitarist and composer Anoushka Shankar's latest work, Chapters - a deeply personal trilogy written and released between January 2023 and March 2025 - was born from an intense post-pandemic creative block.

"I had this notion that after the pandemic I needed to make the most significant work of my life," Shankar says. "So, of course, as a result, I had nothing."

The paralysis broke on a New Year's morning in India. Staring at the ocean with her journal, she decided to strip away the pressure of a traditional album by breaking the music into three distinct chapters and collaborating with a different producer for each instalment to keep herself tethered to the present moment.

"Start with the first one, and let the first one lead you to the next," was her motto.

On June 3, the 14-time Grammy-nominated sitar player and daughter of renowned Indian classical musician Ravi Shankar will perform her three Chapters albums - Forever, For Now; How Dark it is Before Dawn; and We Return to Light - in Hong Kong, with new orchestral arrangements alongside the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong and guest conductor Robert Ames.

A joint commission from the BBC Proms, her performance is set to combine the Indian traditions of the sitar with Western strings.

Although she remembers performing in Hong Kong as part of her father's ensemble decades ago, her coming performance will be her first time headlining in the city.

Forever, For Now captures the fleeting moments of joy required to survive a painful life period. How Dark it is Before Dawn took her to California, where she looked to the womblike nature of the ocean to write an intimate soundtrack for inward healing. That metaphysical night gave way to We Return to Light, a rhythmic celebration that captures the heat and optimism of Indian sunlight.

"There was some painful stuff going on in life where I didn't want to dig right into it - that felt too bold. So I just decided to write around it," she says of her cathartic writing process.

She received two nominations for the 2026 Grammy Awards: one for best global music album for We Return to Light, and another for best global music performance for "Daybreak", a song on that album. How Dark It Is Before Dawn received a nomination for the 2025 Grammys in the best new age, ambient or chant album category.

Performing such vulnerable material live night after night can be challenging for her.

"Sometimes I'm on stage years later playing a song and that period comes alive again. It's not like going right back into depression, but there's a little opening of something - there's a twinge," she says.

"And sometimes the same piece of music has [become] alive in its own way. I don't need to go back to the event."

For decades, conversations about Anoushka Shankar inevitably invoked the shadow of her father, who died in 2012. Ravi Shankar was a musical pioneer who introduced Indian classical music to the Western consciousness, even directly influencing The Beatles after teaching the sitar to guitarist George Harrison. The influence of Indian music is perhaps most salient in the band's 1965 song "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)", in which Harrison plays the sitar.

"[My father] was bringing Indian classical music to the world. People were hearing this whole world of music for the first time," says Shankar, who is also the younger half-sister of jazz musician Norah Jones. She notes that her father's orchestral compositions meticulously preserved the strict framework of the raga: a melodic framework for improvisation and composition in Indian classical music.

But as a diasporic "third-culture" individual, Anoushka's philosophy on cross-cultural collaboration has evolved from his legacy.

"Now I'm coming from a much more fluid, integrated space where multitudes just exist, and they don't need these kinds of separations and justifications and analysis," she says. "It's just everything that exists within me, or within my instrument or within my music … it feels like you're not answerable to anything or a concept."

Her music today mirrors this integration, effortlessly shifting between classical Indian folk, jazz, electronic and even sudden bursts of punk and metal. Alternative rock band Gorillaz released a series of songs featuring Shankar on their 2026 album The Mountain.

"Damon [Albarn] was just really open. It was a really open-ended recording process," she says of the band's main vocalist. Her sitar ended up featuring on seven different tracks across the album.

The coming performance with the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong feels like a poetic culmination of the Chapters journey.

"The phrase 'cultural exchange' feels a little heavy-handed, but there is something really extraordinary about being taken to parts of the world to play music. I'm really looking forward to just getting to share a part of myself with a whole new demographic of people," she says.

But beyond the stage, she is eager to explore the city between a hectic tour and rehearsal schedule that can often feel like "survival". She aims to test out Hong Kong's culinary reputation.

"I'm very, very excited to eat a lot of food. Oh my God, I've heard such amazing things," she says, laughing.

While a packed slate of events awaits her back home in London, she is already plotting her next artistic evolution, eyeing commissions to score for theatre, television and film. In the future, it may mean stepping back from the very spotlight that defined her.

"Maybe it doesn't even involve the sitar necessarily," she says. "That feels like the next phase."

Your Hong Kong weekend food guide for May 29-31

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

As the heat continues to rise this weekend, new openings and menus provide a worthwhile escape from the outdoors: Sai Ying Pun's candlelit Don Pedro and LucAle's new Italian brunch menu. Meanwhile, The Butterfly Room at Rosewood Hong Kong brings a leisurely Sunday with its new seasonal afternoon tea.

For more dining recommendations, check out the 2026 100 Top Tables Guide.

Friday, May 29

Don Pedro is Sai Ying Pun's new candlelit steakhouse and wine bar, soft opening on Second Street on May 20 as a personal project by Chris Mark and Vidur Yadav, one of Black Sheep Restaurants' co-founders and his business partner and protege. Inspired by Buenos Aires' relaxed parrilla culture, the 35-seat neighbourhood spot pairs butcher-led precision with a room designed for long dinners, steady conversation and malbec by the glass. An exclusive malbec flight underscores the restaurant's focus on Argentina's signature grape.

The menu moves from house-made charcuterie and chorizo flambe to handmade beef empanadas, plancha-cooked rib-eye and tenderloin aged in-house, while dessert keeps things simple with freshly made gelato with walnuts and whisky.

The restaurant is currently walk-in only, although it will begin accepting bookings from June 2.

Where: Shop E & Shop F, G/F, Tung Cheung Building, 1 Second Street, Sai Ying Pun

When: 5-11pm, Tuesdays to Sundays including public holidays

Saturday, May 30

LucAle's new setting gives its Michelin Guide-recognised trattoria a fresh backdrop for a generous weekend brunch built around family-style Italian comfort.

The four-course menu begins with sharing plates like burrata with 24-month aged Parma ham, porcini mushroom cake and smoked salmon, before moving into handmade pastas including squid and shrimp ragu gnocchi, tortellini with liquid carbonara, and chitarrino with black truffle and Pienza pecorino cream. Mains range from basil-crusted black cod to half baby spring chicken, cuttlefish stew or baked tomino cheese, before finishing with tiramisu or coconut semifreddo.

Where: 5-8, G/F, Hang Fai Building, 28-32 Pok Fu Lam Road, Sai Ying Pun

When: Weekends, 12-3pm

Price: HK$498, with drinks packages from HK$180. Kids under eight eat for HK$168

Sunday, May 31

And lastly, ideal for slow Sundays, The Butterfly Room at Rosewood Hong Kong unveils a new seasonal afternoon tea by chef Jonathan Soukdeo. Running until early July, the set includes his new Hokkaido chocolate flan, a dedicated caviar trolley with selections for the caviar French toast, and a refined spread of savouries and sweets ranging from green pea soup with jalapeno and celeriac pudding to guava lychee cake and lemon verbena tartlet.

Where: 2/F, Rosewood Hong Kong, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

When: From now until early July

Price: HK$598

How do therapists protect their own mental health? 3 Hong Kong experts share tips

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

More Hongkongers are experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety, recent studies suggest.

Up to one-third have moderate to severe symptoms, according to a recent joint study by the Chinese University of Hong Kong and The Mental Health Association of Hong Kong. This is driving demand for support through local counselling services.

For the professionals taking care of others, the pressure intensifies. We asked three Hong Kong therapists about their demanding careers and how they protect their own psychological well-being.

Dr Kim Carder is a clinical psychologist dedicated to promoting positive mental health in every member of the family through every stage of growing up.

She has always loved working with children. She began by supporting children with special needs as a Saturday job while in high school. The experience taught her that, to support children, you must also take care of their parents. Now a mother herself, she has learned that no parent can support their child's mental and emotional health if their own is poor, or they do not understand their child's struggles.

Like all psychologists, Carder witnesses a lot of distress. "The pressure got to me [at first]," she remembers. "People sharing stuff they don't share with others, that can be scary - but that's where training is so important."

That training helps doctors like Carder keep a distance without losing empathy. "I remind myself that people are here to get better, and that's quite positive."

Building community

While she never feels fear with a client, "I often feel sad for people, about the loads some of them carry. I am always humbled by that and often impressed at how they manage to deal with challenges."

Carder allows herself to be "emotionally touched", but to stay strong to deal with whatever trauma or challenge comes into the room.

That is why she looks forward to doing fun things in her spare time, "something I can look forward to, something that creates ways to spark joy". Her husband is supportive, and they like to party together, she says.

She also recognises the importance of a healthy mind-body connection. She exercises regularly and religiously - "when I exercise, I go quite hard; I need the intensive outlet" - and is a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which she also coaches to women.

"My women's class is visible and I can build a community out in the open."

Community is key for a therapist who must keep all work confidential and cannot share thoughts about a case, especially if, like Carder, they work for themselves on their own.

Winnie Chiu is a counselling psychologist and psychotherapist. She has more than two decades of experience in supporting adults, children and teenagers who face battles with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, post-traumatic stress disorder and complicated grief.

Chiu worked in IT before she became a therapist. She made the switch when she found the IT work did not bring satisfaction, and realised she had to quit when she struggled with insomnia.

She was curious about what made people tick, so she took up life coaching. Realising she wanted to go deeper - "I still felt I was missing something" - she chose to study psychology, earning a master's degree and then closely following a mentor for seven years.

Chiu credits her significant training with understanding how to draw boundaries in her clinic, so that a client's distress does not distress her. She also underwent therapy herself, "so I would know how to hold a client's emotions without letting them fuse with my own".

Regulating emotions, balancing emotional energy

It is important to be aware of our emotions, Chiu says, but also to be able to regulate them. Discipline, exercise and social support are all crucial to that.

"Talking to other psychologists in the same field can help," she says, but she relies on complete breaks to support her own emotional and mental health - a good holiday is great, but a good book is useful, too.

Chiu has a good rest each week to recharge without feeling depleted.

Michael Beckham is a Hong Kong-based, US-trained psychotherapist with 20 years of experience in anxiety, couples counselling, intimacy - he is a certified sexologist - and relationship issues of many kinds.

His therapy journey was "far from traditional". He came to the profession late, after working as a cook, and in marketing and finance. When he had saved up enough money in the corporate world, he was able to pursue his true passion and earned a graduate degree in psychology. His internships included three years at a rape crisis centre and five in a university counselling centre.

Beckham credits his ability to manage boundaries in clinical work with the fact that he graduated when he was more mature and had experience in the corporate world. That has taught him how to focus on what is within his control.

In the beginning, he worried that he might have missed things that a client was too afraid to tell him. But years of experience have changed that.

"My philosophy for balancing my emotional energy as a therapist became, 'I have 50 minutes a week with each client. I'm going to be present, calm, focused, as if there is nothing else happening in the world, just that client and I talking, and then trust the process that the client and I will work together to meet the client's needs,'" he says.

"Once I had this new philosophy, I didn't carry many feelings of burden."

Because Beckham has struggled with anxiety and attention deficit disorder since he was young, he has had cause to use the coping skills he advocates in professional practice.

"When I feel myself beginning to get upset or irritated, or my anxiety flares up, I step back and ask myself what is in my control in this situation. This helps me focus and keeps me out of my head," he says.

He also exercises four to five times a week, which lessens his anxiety levels and boosts his overall mood.

Being a bit older, he says, the "crazy" years are behind him. He does not drink alcohol or coffee, saying that "caffeine is an immediate anxiety trigger". To stay focused in the present moment, he meditates and does breathwork exercises.

The key is for everyone "to find what works for them".

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Hong Kong Gen Z artists show rebellious youthful aesthetic at 'Free Radicals' exhibition

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Artists do not tend to follow templates. But the will to forge new trajectories is all the more pronounced for a new generation of Hong Kong artists coming of age in a time of great change.

Three young artists, who graduated into an era of algorithmic hyper-efficiency and a rapidly realigning world, confront the anxieties of adulthood in a new exhibition entitled "Free Radicals - New expressions from an untethered generation".

The fledgling practices of Bethany Man Hoi-ying, Elizabeth Li Shan-shan and Aidan Ng Ho-long are not commercially driven and their art has the wild rebelliousness of youth that makes them all the more authentic, says Kim Lam, co-curator of the show and founder of the gallery Parallel Space.

The fact that the artists graduated between 2023 and 2025 - all from the Chinese University of Hong Kong - makes them representative of a new, "untethered" generation, Lam adds.

Lam and fellow co-curator Enid Tsui, the South China Morning Post's arts editor, named the exhibition after the biochemical term for an unstable type of molecule that is highly reactive and necessary for sparking critical changes - as is art that resonates with society.

Spanning 10 new mixed-media works, the exhibition at the Goethe Gallery and Black Box Studio, on the 14th floor of the Hong Kong Arts Centre, sees Gen Z cynicism meet the fiery spark of youth.

Immediately greeting visitors at the exhibition entrance is one of Ng's works, Curtain. The sculptural installation features strings of blinking fairy lights encased in a clear acrylic frame.

"Fairy lights are often used to create a joyful atmosphere. It's as if they set up a protective boundary that says, 'You can relax here,'" Ng says. "I wanted to talk about this duality - how its decorative nature is a form of protection. But at the same time, I find it very enforced."

The youngest of the three artists, Ng likes to transform daily objects to explore the friction between control and comfort. He has other nuanced, emotion-laden works at the exhibition, such as a handrail trapped inside a box and a make-up mirror that does not reflect.

What does it mean for Ng to be a free radical? "For me, a more grounded way to achieve something radical is to quietly observe society or one's own state of mind," he says.

Next to Curtain is a tonally very different work. To create Pillars' Society, Man pulped exhibition literature from Hong Kong galleries and used the resulting liquid to repeatedly write the Chinese for "pillar of society" across a wire mesh. After the pulp had dried and hardened, she shaped it into a pillar. Visitors are invited to slap on stickers or messages to express what they are passionate about.

Another of Man's installations is Retired A-frame. It is made with a wooden ladder bought in the early days of a "super-duper independent art space" called Noii that she co-founded in Sham Shui Po after she graduated in 2023. Now too unstable to use, the ladder has been transformed and allowed to have its "warm, human presence" gracefully retire at the exhibition.

In the gallery's Black Box Studio, visitors enter a world of "dreamcore" and its ethereal yet unsettling aesthetic. Here is Li's video work Homely, inspired by Sigmund Freud's theory of the uncanny. A disorienting overlap of reality and fiction, it was made by mixing real photographs with AI visuals. It destabilises the idea of what home means, as well as embraces nightmares as essential outlets of the subconscious.

Although AI is a controversial creative method, Li believes its use is simply inevitable and that it helps her affordably achieve her artistic vision. Originally, she planned to shoot Homely on location, but that would have required a much larger budget. The use of AI also allowed her to construct a Barbie-esque dream house that helped to highlight psychological dread.

"If this piece echoes the theme 'Free Radical', it's about a desire for freedom in life," Li says. "In daily life, you might feel everything is going well, but you still have repressed desires that haven't been released - and those things surface in your subconscious, or in your dreams.

"So perhaps being 'free' means that you can only be entirely free to be yourself or let strange, special things happen within a dream."

"Free Radicals - New expressions from an untethered generation", until June 20. Goethe-Gallery and Black Box Studio, 14/F Hong Kong Arts Centre, 2 Harbour Road, Wan Chai. Free admission. More details are available here.

The rise and fall of Hong Kong comics, once a 50-million-copy-a-year industry

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

There was a time when young people in Hong Kong were gripped not by their smartphones, but by weekly comic books.

Throughout the 1980s and 90s, local comic books - known as maanwaa ("free-form drawings") in Cantonese and manhua in Mandarin - had a huge following, shifting hundreds of thousands of copies each week. Successful comic artists became millionaires and their works were turned into blockbuster films, like The Storm Riders (1998), which was based on Ma Wing-shing's bestselling Fung Wan series.

According to a 2016 research paper published by Lingnan University titled "Hong Kong comics after the mid-1990s", industry sales during the 1980s totalled 50 million copies a year. Industry revenues hit US$13 million annually, and individual top-tier comics commanded single-issue circulations of 80,000 to 200,000 copies.

Elvis Yeung Chi-kong, a former comic story writer who joined the industry in the late 1990s, can still recall the heady days of comics in Hong Kong.

"At its height, Ma Wing-shing's Chinese Hero series [1980-1995] was said to sell 200,000 copies a week. The titles I worked on sold around 50,000 copies a week."

Circulation was impressive. Cheung Chi-chung, a comic book seller based in Choi Hung, describes how it was hard to keep up with the new titles that appeared every day.

"There were over a hundred titles in all; there would be a new one every day. I would need to employ staff to go to different publishers to bring back the stock," he says.

Yeung and Cheung agree that the popularity of Hong Kong comics went hand in hand with the sale of unlicensed Japanese comics.

"There wasn't any copyright enforcement of Japanese comics back then, so publishers could translate panels in Chinese and resell," Cheung says. "They didn't have to pay royalties, not even for big titles like Dragon Ball or Captain Tsubasa."

The local comics scene may have lost much of its glow since then, but there are still artists producing noteworthy works in the field. Two in particular - Man Tsang and FCP - will hold a signing session at the inaugural edition of Hong Kong Comic Con (May 29-31). Tsang is the artist behind The Zeros and was selected by Disney to adapt Star Wars: Thrawn, a novel about villain Grand Admiral Thrawn, into a comic series. FCP penned local comics such as CAT Confidential Assassination Troop and is the animation artist behind the award-winning film Another World (2025).

The rise of Hong Kong comics

Hong Kong comics have a history dating back to the early 20th century, when Shanghai cartoonists such as Zhang Guangyu and Ye Qianyu migrated to Hong Kong and brought with them the foundation for the satirical and political cartoons that appeared in newspapers.

In the 1950s, comic strips were widely popular in the former British colony. Then, in 1962, Wang Ze created the much-loved Old Master Q series, which used humour and satire to depict various aspects of Hong Kong society at the time. It became a sensation throughout the Chinese-speaking world.

During the 1970s and 80s, local comics reached their pinnacle. Much of the content shifted from earlier slice-of-life stories to action-packed, masculine themes.

This movement was pioneered by Hong Kong comics "godfather" Tony Wong Yuk-long, who created and published the groundbreaking Oriental Heroes in 1970. The series brought a unique style to Hong Kong comics, introducing characters with muscular physiques, vibrant colours and exaggerated fighting effects.

Comic collector Fernando Wong remembers first seeing a copy of Oriental Heroes on a trip to Macau with his mother.

"I was afraid to ask her to buy something like that - it seemed like something she wouldn't approve of. I saved up money to buy my first copy when I was 10; it cost HK$2.50 in the 80s."

Hong Kong comics continued to fascinate Wong - now a prolific comic book collector for more than 40 years - after his family migrated to Sydney, Australia, when he was in primary school.

"Back then, it was very difficult to buy Oriental Heroes; it was so popular that as soon as it hit the shelves of the stationery stores in Chinatown, it would be sold out," he recalls.

Asked what attracted him to Hong Kong comics, his response is simple.

"I liked the action and the illustrations. There wasn't a lot of entertainment when we were kids [in Australia], and reading Hong Kong comics connected me with my hometown."

The process of making a comic

Yeung says veteran comics artist Tony Wong Yuk-long pioneered a 12-step, assembly-line style of comic production in Hong Kong.

"When the deadlines got tight in a week, sometimes there would be no written story, just a voice recording," he recalls.

After a story was broken down to pages and panels, different artists would work on detailing the faces, bodies and costumes. This was followed by inking, which added depth and contrast and was done in tandem with another person who did the background.

Someone else would work on action lines that indicated a scene's movement, while another person worked on hair. After all this, someone cleaned up the panel with a kind of correction fluid, while another person worked on the lettering from the story script.

"Before the digital age, colouring was done by hand. It was an outsourced, separate business," Yeung recalls. "Prior to the invention of Apple's iMac in the late 90s, [when] this process was digitised, the black and white panel would be projected onto film and coloured by hand with chemicals, which would then be printed in colour."

The influence of maanwaa reached far and wide, and it was only a matter of time before some titles found their way onto the big screen.

"Young and Dangerous and Feel 100% [both 1996] were both based on comics," Wong says. "On the other side of the coin, God of Gamblers [1989] and All for the Winner [1990] were made into comics in the 90s, based on the films."

A digital downfall - for some

Then came a digital disruption, changing youth cultures and bringing about a creative stagnation that halted Hong Kong's comic industry within a few years. Yeung says the tipping point came around 2010.

"There was a vast amount of pirated scans of Hong Kong comics that were readable on desktop, and it was difficult for the industry to adapt."

Publishers in South Korea and Japan facing similar difficulties made moves to overcome them.

In 2011, Korea's Naver introduced Line Manga in Japan, which standardised an app model with daily free-to-read chapter rotations. In 2013, South Korean tech giant Kakao launched comic app Piccoma in Japan, introducing a freemium monetisation scheme - in which the first few chapters of a comic were free and readers could wait a day for the next free chapter or pay to read right away. This scheme is credited with revolutionising how digital comics are monetised and consumed.

In 2014, Japanese publishing company Shueisha launched Shonen Jump+, an app serialising digital-first mega-hits like Spy x Family and Kaiju No. 8.

Digital comic sales in Japan overtook physical ones for the first time in 2017, signalling a successful market shift from physical books to digital.

Efforts from Hong Kong publishers, however, were ineffective, and in 2011 and 2012, Yeung watched many of his compatriots switch industries. He himself had to start taking on additional jobs.

"Many moved to advertising or design, while some even went to drive taxis. I know some publishers launched apps for digital reading, but there just wasn't enough critical mass to make it profitable," he explains.

Physical comics aren't dead

Readers like Fernando Wong felt it almost immediately. "The last stationery store in [Sydney's] Chinatown closed down around 15 years ago, when people stopped buying physical books and magazines and started reading everything online. I couldn't subscribe and buy comic books any more," he recalls.

"When the publishers started making less money, they discontinued a lot of titles and it made Hong Kong comics a lot less interesting. There were only wuxia titles left. You went from a variety of genres to almost one, and it got very bland."

Yeung suggests, however, that the piracy that killed Hong Kong comics potentially gives them a future.

"I have met a lot of Cantonese-speaking people in the [Greater Bay Area] who are huge fans of Hong Kong comics. They all read pirated versions online, but they are fans. There are about 20 million people in the [Greater Bay Area], which is a big audience for Hong Kong comics," he says.

There are still people, like Australia-based Wong, who continue to collect Hong Kong comics, and their love for the genre continues.

"I've found a reseller on Facebook. I subscribe to five titles right now, and she ships 20 to 30 books to me a month. She charges HK$426 [US$54] for shipping, and it takes a month to get here, but I still subscribe. It's nostalgic to me."

95-year-old dim sum chef launches menu of forgotten items at Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Hong Kong dim sum restaurant chain Tim Ho Wan has launched a nostalgic dim sum series with the help of 95-year-old veteran master Foo Shing.

The series recreates five different dim sum dishes built from the chef's personal recipe records that have almost disappeared from Hong Kong menus, with small adjustments to cater to modern tastes.

"I met Chef Foo at a networking event," says Cheung Yat-sing, Tim Ho Wan's global product innovation director. "He told me he still kept his dim sum recipes, so I flew to Singapore to learn from him."

Foo's life has been an astonishing one.

Born in 1931 in Guangdong, he entered the kitchen as an apprentice in Hong Kong at the age of 13.

"It was a really tough life," he recounts. "We would wake up at 2am to start work to make dim sum for breakfast that opened at 5am. We'd work all day, and even after we cleaned the kitchens, we still had to help the restaurant make food deliveries.

"We'd lay a board on top of the dim sum steaming baskets and sleep there, and we'd wake up at 2am and start all over again. Sometimes, we'd only get two hours of sleep a night."

He adds that apprentices would have to "get on the good side of the dim sum chefs" to learn, and that they would do all kinds of odd jobs - including washing the senior chefs' underwear - in hopes of currying favour.

Foo is a fourth-generation dim sum maker with a culinary family history that stretches back to the Qing dynasty, when dockside, open-air tea halls sprang up as rest stops for the working class.

"Barbecued pork buns, [and] shrimp and pork dumplings were the classics. Another was beef siu mai," Foo says of the popular dim sum at the time.

When World War II descended on Guangdong, Foo and his grandmother made a three-day journey to Hong Kong.

"It was a tough journey; my grandmother had bound feet. We paid a guide to help us get to Hong Kong, and we'd stop by crude motels to spend the night. We'd eat lard with rice and a bit of sugar for sustenance," he recalls.

While the combination sounds indulgent at first, the chef explains that the meal was quite pragmatic.

"Fatty cuts are the cheapest cut of pork, so to give you oil to flavour the rice, it is the cheapest option. Blocks of cane sugar were something we could carry when we were travelling, and we would flavour the rice with it for the energy boost. We needed the calories to make the journey back then."

Testing a dim sum chef

Foo spent seven years in the kitchen under the tutelage of master chefs before he became a dim sum chef. The difference between dim sum then and now, he says, is that everything was made by hand.

He adds that the test of a true dim sum chef's mettle is in the making of beef siu mai. "If you can't make a proper beef siu mai, then the rest of the dim sum they make won't turn out that great," he says.

According to the veteran chef, there was - and still is, for those who are making it by hand - a particular method for preparing beef siu mai.

"It wasn't easy [back then]; we had to hammer eight layers of dough together to get the right consistency."

This technique creates a thin, textured skin that does not absorb too much water, helping achieve what is described as a dry-steamed effect.

"How the skin of a siu mai absorbs the water is what gives it its dry texture after steaming," he explains.

Another key element is how the chef retains and balances texture and bite. Half the beef is chopped, the other is minced, then slowly folded with water and oil.

"The surface of the beef should obtain a sort of lychee skin pattern, which shows that there is a perfect balance between the chopped and minced beef, to achieve a springy bite and smooth texture," Foo says.

For the Tim Ho Wan menu, Cheung worked with Foo to recreate the nostalgic quail egg siu mai, but they added basil to the pork filling and topped it with XO sauce.

"We are mindful that diners want something less heavy on the palate, so we added basil and XO sauce to balance the richness," Cheung says.

The duo have also revived the lard bun, a classic dim sum dish that has largely disappeared from menus due to the negative health connotations of eating pork fat. A lard bun is also a Cantonese euphemism used to describe people who are tardy or dawdle.

At Tim Ho Wan, it has been reborn as a crispy nut dessert lard bun, featuring a lard-infused dough and a slow-sauteed, house-made sesame filling. The buns, glazed with a blend of syrup, soy sauce, Pu'er tea and lard, have a toasty exterior and a fragrant, nutty interior.

Dim sum trivia

Foo shares other dim sum trivia, such as the difference between a cha lau, which means tea hall, and a zau lau, or banquet hall. Today, the two - which serve almost the same selection of dim sum - are often used interchangeably.

However, the chef explains that in his day, they were very different entities.

"Cha laus were a lot more casual. They only served breakfast and lunch. Zau laus served breakfast to dinner and sometimes supper."

The food served at these restaurants was also vastly different.

"Cha laus served more baked goods, such as an assortment of betrothal cakes that used different grains. These places were in the business of selling betrothal cakes for proposals, but would serve superior tea to attract people to dine there.

"Zau laus, on the other hand, made the bulk of their money through banquet events, so they had to attract patrons through the lunch crowd with yum cha and served more steamed dim sum and meat items. This is how you get some of the older patrons who would come with their own tea, because zau laus weren't known to have a good tea selection.

"These institutions were so different that they were represented by different trade unions back then."

Foo, who has hundreds of dim sum recipes recorded in notebooks and files, reveals that he never attended a school like the institutions of today. He went to an old village school where, for three years, he learned by memorising the words of poems recited by teachers known for punishing students with a cane or ruler.

"There was a poem that I memorised to encourage myself to be innovative with dim sum for decades: 'Living to your seventies is something rare, I'll be flying if I reach my eighties, my steps will be wobbly in my nineties, but I'll still chase to reach 100 years.'"

The 95-year-old chef adds: "I don't doubt I will reach my 100th birthday."

Unexpected Courage movie review: Rene Liu lacks agency in a flawed pregnancy drama

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

2/5 stars

Unexpected Courage sees an ambitious workaholic learn on her 45th birthday that she is pregnant and will need to be in hospital for the remainder of her term.

Drawing heavily from personal experience, Taiwanese writer-director Shawn Yu Shao-hsiang's well-meaning but poorly conceived drama examines the conflicting expectations faced by women in today's career-driven society.

In a performance that earned her a Golden Horse Award nomination, Rene Liu Ruo-ying stars as Le-fu, a successful talent manager in the midst of a media crisis who suddenly collapses and is rushed to hospital.

Despite an earlier operation that removed a portion of her uterus, the relentless career woman discovers she is four months pregnant. Her condition is incredibly unstable, however, and will require constant treatment - unless she wishes to terminate the pregnancy.

Le-fu's long-term boyfriend, Po-en (Hsueh Shih-ling), is 12 years her junior and eager to keep the baby. She is less convinced, especially as her boss (Lee Lieh) has just offered her a promotion running the company's Beijing office.

Inevitably, Le-fu chooses to see out the pregnancy, but this proves to be the first in a string of difficult decisions she will be forced to make in the coming months.

Beyond giving the main characters names that clumsily sound like "Love" and "Born", as if their primary goals needed more obvious signposting, the film's chief issue is the lack of agency afforded to Le-fu.

She is confined to a bed for almost the entire duration - a challenge Liu accepts with aplomb - but the audience is given precious little insight into her internal struggle.

Instead, the narrative frequently prioritises Po-en's considerably more trivial perspective, as he reels from being trapped in a situation beyond his control.

From its opening moments, Unexpected Courage manufactures drama and conflict between its protagonists by having them behave ridiculously, while also denying them the opportunity to engage with one another in a simple, mature conversation to voice their concerns about this life-changing event.

The film embraces a worrying assumption that, regardless of her age, health or relationship status, Le-fu "should" have this baby, as though any other road taken would be a failure on her part as a woman.

This is reinforced in numerous ways, not least by the inclusion of another, younger couple - played by Patty Lee Pei-yu and Hans Chung Cheng-han - who are desperately attempting to conceive using IVF treatment.

The notion that, even in 2026, independent, professional women can only find true success by becoming mothers, and that Le-fu's actions are somehow courageous rather than dangerous, is a deeply concerning message that should be considered with extreme care before being brought into the world.

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Dish in Focus: Pate en croute i caille at Terrace Boulud

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Terrace Boulud, Daniel Boulud's contemporary French brasserie, opened in March, bringing the chef's decades-long pursuit of elevated brasserie dining to Hong Kong. With this new venture, he pairs French techniques with the city's social rhythm on the rooftop of Prince's Building in Central.

In partnership with Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, the restaurant has quickly established itself as a breakfast-to-midnight destination, with a menu led by executive chef Aurelie Altemaire and anchored by French classics reinterpreted for the city.

A stand-out from the menu, the pate en croute i caille, is a slow-made terrine that turns a traditional Lyonnais staple into a luxurious, layered signature that's distinctly Terrace Boulud.

"The dish holds particular personal significance for chef Boulud," Altemaire shares. "The flavour profile was developed during our menu creation period in New York. The process was a collaborative effort, shaped with the guidance of Arthur, chef Daniel's award-winning charcutier. Together, we focused on achieving balance, precision and respect for classic technique while adapting the dish to our contemporary menu."

Boulud has described the restaurant as part of a dialogue between cultures. Both the dinner a la carte and lunch dejeuner menus are built around that idea, grounded in French staples and shaped by seasonality and precision.

The pate en croute embodies this idea of cultural exchange thanks to the addition of quail and foie gras alongside pork belly and local chicken liver. "It is a very classic dish that brings back memories and showcases a lot of skill," Altemaire says.

The dish is a study in patience. It takes four days to make, beginning with the dough, which rests overnight before being rolled, filled, sealed and decorated by hand in a traditional moule a pate pan. On day two, the pork belly is trimmed and marinated, the quail is diced, raisins are soaked in Madeira, and chicken livers are sauteed with shallots, deglazed with cognac and turned into a rich gratin mixture.

By day three, those elements are folded into a melee and baked inside the pastry shell, which is topped with a "chimney" to let steam escape. After baking, the pate rests before clarified jelly is poured through the chimney tube to fill the gaps left as the meat contracts, then it is chilled overnight and left to set completely before service.

Altemaire notes that the texture is "delicate", with moist meat and flavours retained by cooking inside the dough, while the crust adds depth and the pickles bring crunch. In other words, it is the kind of dish that feels traditional and classic, but still lands with enough modern elegance.

That balance extends to the plating. "We cut a generous, thick slice of the pate en croute, then halve it to achieve the ideal portion size and shape," she says. "This approach allows for a better eating experience, highlighting the contrasting textures while maintaining the right balance between the filling and the crust."

The pate is then served with an apple and Medjool date jam plus house-made vegetable and fruit pickles. "To balance this, we add house-made vegetable and fruit pickles using seasonal, locally sourced produce," Altemaire adds. "The acidity and crunch lighten the dish, providing contrast and ensuring each bite remains vibrant and precise."

Anatomy of a Dish

Name: Pate en croute i caille

Restaurant: Terrace Boulud

Price: HK$248

Main ingredients: Pork belly sourced from Japan, quail and foie gras from France, local chicken liver, raisins soaked in Madeira, shallots, cognac, seasonings, clarified jelly, apple and Medjool date jam, vegetable and fruit pickles.

Presentation: A thick slice of pate en croute is halved and served with apple and Medjool date jam, house-made pickles, finished with edible flowers, seasonal vegetables and pickled fruit.

Flavours: Rich and savoury with delicate quail and foie gras notes, a soft meat filling, buttery pastry depth, sweet fruit from the jam and bright acidity and crunch from the pickles.

Japan enacts law centralising intelligence gathering amid privacy fears

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Japan's parliament enacted a law on Wednesday to establish a new National Intelligence Council to centralise information gathering in response to overseas threats, marking a first step in plans to boost capabilities that have raised concerns over civil liberties.

Establishing the council is a key aim in the governing agenda of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, a security hawk who has pledged to strengthen intelligence and counter-espionage capabilities in response to what her government calls the most complex security environment since the end of World War II.

The move, made possible by support from some opposition parties in the House of Councillors where the governing coalition lacks a majority, marks a significant first step in the government's plans to expand Japan's counter-espionage architecture through further legislation.

Takaichi has said a system for registering agents of foreign governments engaged in lobbying activities should be considered, and that Japan needs to establish its own foreign intelligence agency.

The new law lacks provisions for parliament to monitor intelligence activities, leaving questions regarding democratic oversight unresolved.

Speaking to reporters at her office, Takaichi maintained the new law will not raise risks to privacy, saying it will "establish the foundations of Japan's intelligence capabilities" and strengthen the country's ability to "protect public safety and the national interest".

Regarding further intelligence measures, she said the government will "proceed with our deliberations carefully and steadily while listening to a wide range of views".

Devised in response to national security concerns, including cyberattacks and election interference via social media disinformation, the council will be chaired by the prime minister and composed of nine other Cabinet members, including the chief Cabinet secretary and foreign minister.

It will centralise a fragmented intelligence apparatus, with the law stating the council's secretariat, the National Intelligence Bureau, will comprehensively coordinate intelligence gathered by the National Police Agency, the Foreign Ministry, the Defence Ministry and other organisations, with the authority to ask them to share information.

The government could establish the council and bureau as early as July and set up an expert panel to discuss counter-espionage legislation. It is expected to formulate policy with an eye to submitting a bill during the regular parliamentary session in 2027.

Controls on lobbying on behalf of a foreign power already in place in Britain and the United States, for example, require such actors, including their own citizens, to disclose their activities and funding. Failure to report can result in fines or imprisonment.

Support for the legislation in the upper house on Wednesday came from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, its junior partner the Japan Innovation Party, as well as opposition parties including the Democratic Party for the People, Komeito and Sanseito.

Speaking to reporters, JIP co-leader Fumitake Fujita said the law is "the first and most significant legislation to strengthen intelligence functions" agreed in the coalition deal reached last October.

Among the parties opposing the bill in the upper house over concerns about rights infringements and politicised intelligence activity was the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. Its stance differed from that of its ally, the Centrist Reform Alliance, which backed the bill in the House of Representatives.

Addressing the upper house ahead of the vote, CDPJ lawmaker Makoto Oniki said that "if intelligence agencies cannot be properly controlled and are left to go unchecked, they risk severe and unjust infringements on the rights of the public".

In response to concerns over civil liberties, Takaichi told an upper house committee on Tuesday the government plans to draw up a medium- to long-term policy outline for intelligence activities, adding she intends to "discuss specific measures to avoid unnecessarily infringing on personal information and privacy".

Meet Victoria Beckham's lookalike niece, Libby Adams, who just turned 28

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Libby Adams has always been her auntie Victoria Beckham's mini-me. For the influencer's 28th birthday on May 24, the Spice Girls icon shared a photo of Libby as a child on her Instagram Stories. The snap showed the little girl lounging in the sun alongside her famous relative. Victoria captioned it playfully, declaring that Adams "learned from the best". In another photo, a very young Libby can be seen in the fashion designer's arms while David Beckham embraces them both.

So, who is Liberty, aka Libby Adams?

Who are Libby Adams' parents?

Libby Adams was born in England to Victoria Beckham's younger sister, Louise Adams. Not much information is available about her father. She has three siblings: Tallulah, Finlay and Quincy, and is close to her cousins, Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper Beckham. Adams was even a bridesmaid at Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz's wedding, per Hello! magazine.

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More recently, Libby attended her grandfather, Anthony "Tony" Adams' 80th birthday bash at the Hotel Cafe Royal in central London. "80 years of Papa. 80 of a legend," she wrote on Instagram, sharing photos from the night, where she posed with her sisters, Tallulah and Quincy.

What does Libby Adams do?

Adams is an influencer with almost 60,000 followers on Instagram at the time of writing. Her content mainly revolves around beauty, travel, food and lifestyle. In a recent Instagram post, she shared her love for the Victoria Beckham Beauty Colour Wash Blush Water Tint, writing, "If you buy one product, make it the VB Beauty Colour Wash." Her 52-year-old aunt lovingly commented, "So beautiful xxx."

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According to her Instagram bio, Adams is also in freelance production and is the co-founder of a creative collective called The Thirty Three. She's interested in photography and shares her point-and-shoot snaps on her second IG account, @libsvisualdiary. Adams also joined her cousin, Cruz Beckham, on his first tour with his band Cruz Beckham & The Breakers as a photographer earlier this year.

She's a budding fashionista

Adams must have inherited her aunt's sense of fashion. Fans have noticed the starlet sporting luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Cartier, while also making labels like Topshop, Zara and H&M work.

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Adams has attended Victoria Beckham's fashion shows in the past and even shared photographs from VB's 2019 London Fashion Week presentation on her Instagram.

Who is Jonathan Andic, son of Mango founder Isak Andic, arrested over his father's death?

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

The death of Isak Andic, founder of Spanish fast-fashion retailer Mango, on December 14, 2024, was initially ruled as an accident after the 71-year-old reportedly fell while on a hiking trip with his eldest son, Jonathan Andic.

However, just last week, Jonathan was named as a suspect in the investigation into his father's death, and was arrested. In an open letter published on May 26, the 45-year-old announced that he was stepping down from his role as the vice-chair of Mango temporarily and strongly defended his innocence, writing, "A public narrative has been constructed that is one-sided, taken out of context and distorted, and which has created a perception of guilt that bears no relation to reality. I know that dismantling it will require time, effort and intense dedication."

Jonathan's relationship with his father had allegedly deteriorated over the years. Andic Jr's WhatsApp messages reportedly expressed "feelings of hatred, resentment and thoughts of death, and blaming his father for his situation", per the judge's writ.

Jonathan was named the fashion group's executive vice-president in January 2025, six weeks after his father's passing, and is currently out on bail after paying €1 million (US$1.16 million).

So who is Jonathan Andic? Here's everything you need to know about Mango's heir apparent.

Who was Isak Andic?

Isak Andic was born in a Sephardic Jewish family in Istanbul. When he was only 14 years old, his family fled to Catalonia in Spain to escape a military coup in Turkey.

In Barcelona, Isak and his brother Nahman would sell clothes out of their car to make a living. The business would go on to help the brothers co-found Mango and open their first shop in Barcelona's Passeig de Gracia, one of the city's most luxurious shopping avenues, in 1984.

Isak married Neus Raig Tarrago in the 1970s and they welcomed three children, Jonathan, Judith and Sarah. The pair eventually split in the 1990s and Isak went on to date Catalan stylist Zenaida Bufill Comadran for 10 years. At the time of his death, he was dating former professional golfer Estefania Knuth, who reportedly testified that Isak and Jonathan had had a strained relationship before his death.

Forbes estimates Isak and his family's fortune at the time of his death to be US$4 billion.

What did Jonathan Andic do at Mango?

Jonathan studied audiovisual communication in the United States before returning to Spain in 2005 to join Mango, where he first managed the Mango Man line.

He took on more operational responsibility in 2014 but reportedly clashed with his father over his role in the company, especially after it suffered huge losses and declining sales towards the end of 2018, per The Times. Isak reportedly resumed tighter reins over the company and demoted Jonathan back to Mango Man.

Jonathan's younger sister Judith joined Mango's design department after studying fashion. Isak's youngest daughter, Sarah, briefly worked at Mango too, leading the brand's social responsibility work. She now focuses on the company's investments. The three siblings are reported to jointly own 95 per cent of Mango, per CBC.

Who is Jonathan Andic married to?

Jonathan wed Paula Navarro Tarres in September 2024. She is the co-founder of a creative consultancy and public relations firm named All About Management and MesAmies. The couple welcomed their first child in September 2025.

The Crown composer Hans Zimmer just scored Euphoria Season 3: here's what to know about him

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

One of the reasons why HBO's Euphoria became a cult favourite is the show's soundtrack. Composed primarily by Labrinth, the series featured a blend of techno, hip-hop and gospel music that fit the show's moody, intense and occasionally psychedelic nature. Certain songs featured in the show, like "Mount Everest" and "Still Don't Know My Name", did numbers on social media platforms such as TikTok.

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So fans were understandably shocked when Labrinth announced in March, just a month before the show's April 12 season three premiere, that he was "done with this industry", adding, "F*** Columbia [Records]. Double f*** Euphoria."

"People will comfortably lie in this industry and still call themselves honest people," the British musician later wrote in an Instagram Story. "So, no cap, I decided to remove whatever music I had in it. I spoke to HBO, as far as I know, we are cool. I left because, last truth, when I work for someone, their vision is paramount to me. But I don't let people treat me like s***."

Following his exit, Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer - who is known for Interstellar, Inception and the Dune films - stepped in as the sole composer for season three's soundtrack. He previously also composed the main title theme for Netflix's hit show The Crown.

And while Labrinth is missed, so much so that some fans have even begun to edit over Zimmer's score with the singer's music, Zimmer has brought his own spin on Euphoria. Here's everything you need to know about the German composer.

What is Hans Zimmer's family like?

Hans Florian Zimmer Man was born in September 1957 to a Jewish-German family in Frankfurt. His mother was a musician and his father was an engineer. Growing up, Zimmer dreamed of becoming a fireman, but turned to music after his father died when he was only six years old.

"I didn't have a choice. I didn't actually want to be a composer. I wanted to be a fireman," he explained during an interview with the Algemeiner, a Jewish newspaper based in New York City. "But after my father died, the only family I had was my mom. She was so devastated and the only thing that ever put a smile on her face was when I played the piano. I was compelled to play the piano. I was incapable of having a job of any description other than I could play a bit of music and I could invent things."

How did Hans Zimmer get into film music?

Zimmer fell in love with composing at 12, when he watched Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) and was taken by Italian composer Ennio Morricone's film score. "Not only was the film an overwhelming experience, but the music completely got me and set me on my path, and I knew what I wanted to do," he told Gramophone.

Before Zimmer became the world-famous composer he is today though, he was kicked out of eight music schools. His big break came when he was tapped by Barry Levinson, Euphoria creator Sam Levinson's father, to compose the score for Rain Man (1988) starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman.

Since then, Zimmer has composed scores for over a hundred films, including Disney's The Lion King (1994), which earned him his first Oscar.

Who is Hans Zimmer married to?

Zimmer is currently engaged to Dina De Luca after he proposed to her on stage at the O2 Arena in London in June 2023.

The 68-year-old was previously married twice and shares four children with his ex-wives. He had his eldest daughter Zoe with first wife Vicki Carolin, and three children with his second ex-wife Suzanne Zimmer.

Meet Megan Lawless, who plays Sarah in Obsession, Curry Barker's hit horror film

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

Obsession is the internet's latest, well, obsession. Twenty-six-year-old director Curry Barker's hit horror film, starring Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Megan Lawless and others, had a budget of less than US$1 million, but has grossed an astonishing US$74 million worldwide at the time of writing, per Variety.

The film follows a young man named Bear Bailey (Johnston) whose crush on his friend and colleague, Nikki Freeman (Navarrette), turns fatal after he uses a mysterious One Wish Willow stick to make her love him "more than anyone in the f***ing world".

Boasting a 95 per cent Rotten Tomatoes score, Obsession shot its cast to global fame. There's the newly minted scream queen Navarrette, and also Lawless, who plays Nikki and Bear's friend Sarah Harper. In one of the most memorable moments from the film (spoiler alert), Sarah, who is interested in Bear, is killed by Nikki.

"I just feel honoured to have such an iconic death scene in this film that no one will forget," Lawless told The Hollywood Reporter. The scene was originally much more brutal in the cut that was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival, but was edited to avoid an NC-17 rating.

So, who is Megan Lawless?

She's biracial

Lawless' mother hails from Taiwan, per Mochi Magazine, an Asian-American-focused digital publication. "I grew up in the south, and everyone would always ask me, 'What are you?' and I'd be like, 'Oh! I'm from Georgia, I was born in DC.' And they'd be like, 'No, but what are you really?' and I'd say, 'Well I'm half Chinese and half white,'" she told the publication. She considers her mother her role model.

Her father is Irish-American, according to her bio on the We Audition website, which allows aspiring actors to find scene partners to run lines with them before an audition.

What is Megan Lawless' family background?

Lawless said on We Audition that she comes from a family of actors. She started acting herself at the age of 13. "I've gotten rejected and failed so many times in the industry, but my mom and I worked through it. We just stopped caring about the failure aspect of it," she told Mochi Magazine.

She eventually landed roles in shows like Play by Play and The Girl from Plainville as well as the films The Hate U Give (2018) and The Death That Awaits (2024). She has also acted in commercials for brands like Chick-fil-A and Coca-Cola.

What else does Megan Lawless do?

Lawless has a bachelor of arts degree in economics and Chinese from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is trained in classical music, per Timid Magazine. She's also a dancer, a martial artist, plays the guitar and piano, and can speak Mandarin.

How Gen Z gave fountain pens a second act, from Montegrappa to Omas

Fri, 29 May 2026 02:20:01 +0800

"While the fountain pen is still a useful tool, how many people really need one? Almost nobody," concedes Patrick Yandell, brand manager of Italian pen-maker Omas. "But the fountain pen represents something more than that - it speaks to the need for tactility, [a different kind of] creativity in a digital world. I'd hesitate to say using one is therapeutic, but that's what it is. You really have to get someone to try a fountain pen to understand its effect."

Unexpectedly, perhaps, more and more people are doing just that. Sure, Montegrappa, another Italian maker, will provide you with a fine rollerball. Yet half of its sales are now fountain pens. Indeed, the company has just added three more models to its online "configurator", which allows users to design their own pen from millions of combinations.

"We used to sell a lot of fountain pens but as gifts, only a few of which would likely be used," says Giuseppe Aquila, the third generation of his family to head Montegrappa. "The difference now is that people are actually using them again. We've often been told that, with the rise of digital tech, fountain pens will die out. But that just isn't happening."

Certainly it's said that because a fountain pen requires little to no pressure, it's far easier to write for extended periods. It also forces a slower writing speed, and so encourages more consideration to be given to the words put down. One reason why the fountain pen continues to thrive has been not just recent years' new-found obsession with stationery design - with notebook makers the likes of Moleskine and Smythson also launching their own fountain pens - but also the rise of journaling. Furthermore, fountain pen technology may have matured, but today's models are robust, extremely unlikely to leak, write without any scratchiness, and are much easier to refill than they were. The lever system is now a throwback, with many models piston-filling directly into a cavity carved into the pen, a system both more convenient and offering greater capacity.

But it's not just the pleasure of writing with a fountain pen - or "writing instrument", as those in the industry sometimes rather pretentiously prefer to call it - that's a draw. As Aquila points out, collectors typically have far more pens than they can use - he has over 1,000 himself. What they're also taken with is the fountain pen as a craft object: the engineering, but also the decoration and use of materials, from the lacquerwork of a brand like Namiki, through to Montegrappa's experiments with carbon fibre, ceramic, mammoth ivory (sourced from the preserved tusks of woolly mammoths found in the Siberian permafrost), a proprietary resin and, while stocks last, the cellulose more typically only found in vintage models of pen. This year, for example, sees the release of an update of Omas' classic 360 - distinctive for its triangular barrel - as well as a line inspired by the work of famous architects.

In this way the fountain pen shares the appeal of the mechanical watch: ostensibly redundant, with much cheaper options available, but offering pleasures beyond its function. "Why buy a prestige watch when you can buy a plastic digital for [a few dollars]? Why buy a fountain pen when you can buy a Bic?" asks Alastair Adams, managing director of British pen-maker Conway Stewart. "The appeal of both goes much deeper than their utility."

Indeed, like watches, fountain pens are nostalgic for some older customers, but are winning the attention of those younger and quietly yearning for slower, analogue times. Surprisingly, much fountain pen appreciation is now driven by twenty-something enthusiasts on social media. Perhaps, contends Adams, the fountain pen hits the same psychological spot as do vinyl records, board games, film cameras or even - whisper it - printed magazines.

But, contends Herman Chan, founder of Singapore's Elephant & Coral pen shop, like any luxury good, the fountain pen inevitably also speaks to status. "Back in the 1970s fountain pens were slim, but since the [new millennium] especially it's seemed that bigger is better," he explains. "The fountain pen became a symbol of power - an object that expressed that power when it was pulled out in a meeting. In the same way that a letter handwritten on proper paper signifies effort and carries far more meaning than an email, it's the fountain pen that gets attention when everyone else is just tapping into their cellphones."

The fountain pen absolutely suggests status when inside the glove compartment of a Rolls-Royce - such as the model designed by Conway Stewart to be held in place there by a magnet. Or as with the model the company recently created for the whisky maker Glenfiddich, complete with a cork-lined secret compartment that retains the aroma of your favourite tipple.

"So if you see someone start sniffing their fountain pen, maybe it's one of those," laughs Adams. Still, better that than them trying to squirt you in the eye with its ink, as Sean Connery does to dispatch a baddy in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), using one of the company's pens, a replica of which is available. As one of the characters in the film quips, "The pen is mightier than the sword." Even in the smartphone era, that still looks to be the case.