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Latest
China
Economy
Hong Kong
Asia
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Tech
Lifestyle
People & Culture
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In Focus | Race for UN top job enters final stage: choice may ‘make or break’ bloc

A strong, visionary leader is needed as next secretary general as Iran war rages during one of most ‘unpredictable times geopolitically’.

Illustration: Henry Wong

Economy

Europe hails AI gigafactory plan, but industry fears deeper US tech reliance

Science

Chinese breakthrough paves way for production of graphene-based quantum chips

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Law and Crime

Hong Kong weighs dedicated offence to tackle persistent child sex abuse

Security chief Chris Tang also reveals over 90 per cent of respondents back proposed overhaul of laws tackling sex crimes during consultation.

Hong Kong’s security minister has said that authorities will actively study calls to introduce a stand-alone offence covering persistent child sexual abuse. Photo: Getty Images
Hong Kong recently wrapped up a public consultation on plans to overhaul sexual offence laws. Photo: Jelly Tse
The reform package also includes proposals to redefine consent, strengthen protections for victims and update offences involving children and mentally incapacitated persons. Photo: Getty Images

Science

China plans to increase mine output in world’s largest rare earth deposit by 50%

Chinese mining company to invest US$74 million in Bayan Obo in Inner Mongolia, expanding its output from 10 million to 15 million tonnes.

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A view of a rare earth mine in Bayan Obo mining district of Baotou, in China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region. Photo: VCG via Getty Images

Global Economy

Despite Trump’s visa crackdown, Chinese students vie for US university spots

Survey finds that 65 per cent of higher-education institutions have seen increases or no drop-off in number of applications from China.

The US Department of State website’s student visa page on the screen of a smartphone. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Diplomacy

Where do China-Israel ties stand after closure of Chengdu consulate?

Amid recent bilateral friction, Beijing has no intention of maliciously damaging relations with Middle East country, analyst says.

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China has repeatedly criticised Israel and the United States over their military actions against Iran this year and urged immediate ceasefires. Photo: Shutterstock

Business

How UOB is turning regional scale into customer relevance

In partnership with:UOB
UOB aims to become the primary bank for all of its customers by providing a single point of contact for financial needs ranging from everyday transactions to wealth planning. Photo: UOB

Politics

Chinese fraud ring helped candidates cheat their way to government-funded jobs

Candidates for postings in Henan were found to have paid officials for an advance look at the questions in an entrance exam.

Chinese graduates face fierce competition for prized civil service jobs. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Politics

1,230 times the size of Hong Kong: China deploys drones as Typhoon Dolphin nears

Coastal provinces halt shipping and activities and evacuate fishermen as storm targets Zhejiang and Fujian.

A satellite image shows Typhoon Dolphin approaching Japan’s Okinawa on August 6, 2026. By Friday morning, it was about 820km from China’s east coast. Photo: CSU/CIRA & JMA/JAXA/Reuters

People

Thai teen kills at least 5 in school, after shooting grandparents at home

The 14-year-old suspect, who later killed himself, had used a gun that belonged to his grandfather, authorities say.

Family members of a teacher who was killed in a school shooting are led to an ambulance in Bang Kruai district, Thailand’s Nonthaburi province, on Friday. Photo: TNS
Students run following a shooting at a school in Nonthaburi province, Thailand, on Friday. Photo: Reuters
Police officers work at the building where the shooting occurred at Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Nonthaburi province, Thailand, on Friday. Photo: Xinhua
A teacher reacts while embracing a person at Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Thailand. Photo: Reuters
Police gather outside the house where a teenage suspect is suspected of killing his grandparents before carrying out a school shooting in Thailand’s Nonthaburi province on Friday. Photo: AFP

Banking & Finance

Don’t panic: China says 20% offshore insurance tax does not target Hong Kong

Beijing urged the market not to overreact to the policy – which it stressed was not new – after reports of the tax triggered a sell-off in Hong Kong.

The share prices of major financial firms in Hong Kong dipped on Thursday, after reports of that Chinese authorities had started levying a 20 per cent tax on gains from offshore insurance policies. Photo: SCMP/Sam Tsang

Society

Tai Po inquiry sheds more light on final moments of firefighter Ho Wai-ho

Government-appointed independent committee releases interim investigation report from separate task force, including images of Ho’s gear.

A picture from the published report showing where Ho was discovered. Photo: Handout

United States & Canada

US court blocks Trump’s US$400 million White House ballroom project

The appeal court placed its ruling on hold for 14 days to allow the Trump administration to appeal to the US Supreme Court.

Construction of a helipad and ballroom at the White House seen from a window at the Washington Monument, in Washington, DC, on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

Big Tech

Cambricon posts 108% surge in revenue amid China’s massive AI chip drive

The Chinese AI chip giant saw revenue reach 6 billion yuan in the first half of the year, as Beijing pushes to replace foreign hardware.

People visit the booth of Chinese AI chipmaker Cambricon Technologies at an expo in Shanghai. Photo: Getty Images

China Economy

Lab-made diamonds ride AI demand for chip cooling as China leads industrial boom

Exports surge in first half of year, as the superior heat dissipation of diamonds expands market beyond jewellery, positioning China for further growth.

A worker checks a diamond at a facility in China’s Henan province. Photo: Xinhua

Diplomacy

Despite South China Sea clashes, Chinese and Philippine police boost cooperation

Philippine National Police and their Fujian province counterparts agree to share intelligence to tackle cross-border crime.

Philippine police chief Jose Melencio Nartatez Jnr (right) hosts Wang Xizhang, executive director general of Fujian’s Public Security Department, on Tuesday. Photo: Facebook/Philippine National Police

Banking & Finance

Hong Kong’s US dollar peg faces fresh calls for review – but is change feasible?

Economists and financial analysts warn abandoning the anchor would pose risks that far outweigh potential rewards.

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The Hong Kong dollar’s peg to the US dollar was introduced in 1983 to stabilise the local economy. Photo: Shutterstock

Policy

China’s Kimi K3 AI model escapes a closed cyber test: researchers

Kimi K3’s escape did not involve the hacking of an external system, unlike recent breaches by OpenAI and Anthropic models.

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The Kimi K3 incident follows similar ones involving closed frontier models from OpenAI and Anthropic. Photo: Getty Images
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Infographic

Infographic: a powerful new El Nino cycle begins. Is the world ready?

Discover the history and science behind El Nino, the ‘Pacific fever’ that turbocharges extreme weather globally.

Infographic: a powerful new El Nino cycle begins. Is the world ready?
OPINION
Alex Lo
Opinion |

The world that made Confucius – and the China he made

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Juan Fernando Herrera Ramos
Opinion |

Why China’s trade partners may question value of economic integration

7 Aug 2026 - 4:30PM
Juan Fernando Herrera Ramos
Bernard Chan
Opinion |

Why underdogs like Alexandra Eala, Cabo Verde, Dear You fascinate us

7 Aug 2026 - 9:30AM
Bernard Chan
Chris Tang Ping-keung
Opinion |

Criticism of Hong Kong’s economy and rule of law is baseless

7 Aug 2026 - 5:30AM
Chris Tang Ping-keung
Letters |

Heat resilience should be baked into buildings across Hong Kong

7 Aug 2026 - 11:30AM
Editorial |

As scams plague Hong Kong, vigilance should be the watchword

7 Aug 2026 - 7:15AM
Harry’s View | 8 Aug 2026
August 8, 2026
More Opinion
Latest

United States & Canada

US court blocks Trump’s US$400 million White House ballroom project

Law and Crime

Hong Kong designer sues Prada for US$5m over abandoned Rolls-Royce project

Football

Bayern beat Villa in Hong Kong as Emery is left with financial puzzle to solve

Diplomacy

In Focus | Race for UN top job enters final stage: choice may ‘make or break’ bloc

Society

Typhoon Dolphin: Hongkongers stuck in Okinawa prepare for low supplies, power cuts

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SCMP SeriesUS at 250

How America’s 250-year China dream became its greatest strategic challenge

Historians trace how US hopes of trade, reform and friendship gave way to rivalry with the power it once sought to transform.

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Did Trump’s tariffs paint the US into an economic corner?

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Politics over progress: how US-China tensions slow scientific advancements

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Open Questions series-
Global experts discuss US-China ties, the Chinese economy and more.

Open Questions | ‘Surprising’ how fast China’s military is closing US gap: analyst Lyle Goldstein

Beijing’s challenge is to resist temptation to build the PLA into a ‘hammer looking for a nail’, former US Naval War College professor says.

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Illustration: Brian Wang

Open Questions | China’s military goal is to stand neck and neck with US: ex-PLA colonel Zhou Bo

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Open Questions | Nobel laureate Simon Johnson on the AI race and China’s ‘over-automation’ risks

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Open Questions | Citic Capital’s Zhang Yichen on the ABCs of China’s markets: IPOs, M&As and AI

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Big Tech

Slapped with reality: why Huawei’s top chip scientist embraces war-hero mindset

In viral interview, Liao Heng talks navigating US curbs to make Ascend processors, placing innovation over nanometres for chip self-reliance.

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An image of a semiconductor displays the name of Huawei Technology’s chip-design unit, HiSilicon. Photo: handout

Big Tech

Cambricon posts 108% surge in revenue amid China’s massive AI chip drive

Policy

China’s Kimi K3 AI model escapes a closed cyber test: researchers

4

Tech Trends

Beyond lithography: Chinese chip toolmaker achieves wafer polishing breakthrough

SCMP SHORTS
Indonesia holds military-style boot camps for minimarket workers as part of job training
Indonesia holds military-style boot camps for minimarket workers as part of job training
Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing breaks out of diplomatic isolation with Thai state visit
Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing breaks out of diplomatic isolation with Thai state visit
Residents sign directives as new end-of-life law takes effect in Hong Kong
Residents sign directives as new end-of-life law takes effect in Hong Kong
‘Lyrical Maverick’ Peter Lai, who wrote multiple hits for Cantopop stars, dies at 76
‘Lyrical Maverick’ Peter Lai, who wrote multiple hits for Cantopop stars, dies at 76
Bangkok airport apologises after boarding gate clash involving Chinese tourists
Bangkok airport apologises after boarding gate clash involving Chinese tourists
SCMP Spotlight

Military

In Focus | Why China’s military is laser-focused on ‘disruptive’ technologies

From artificial intelligence to quantum technology and hypersonic weapons, the PLA is in a race to define the next era of warfare.

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Illustration: Henry Wong

Military

Why is China’s Communist Party intent on control over the military?

25

Politics

Did the Ukraine war spark China’s ban on most civilian drone flights in cities?

Tech Trends

Insert token: how China’s surging AI use is turning compute into currency

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