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South China Morning Post

All the latest breaking news from Hong Kong, China and around the world

US and Iran now eyeing Oman for nuclear talks as tensions run high

Nuclear talks between the United States and Iran are expected to take place in Oman ‍on Friday, a regional diplomat said, with a possible confrontation looming as US President Donald Trump builds up forces in the Middle East. Trump has warned that “bad things” would probably happen if a deal could not be reached, ratcheting up pressure on the Islamic Republic in a stand-off that has led to...
Panama ports defeat shows China faces tougher test in Latin America

China said Panama risks paying a “hefty political and economic price” following the cancellation of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings’ contract to operate two major ports serving the Panama Canal. “The Panamanian authorities’ insistence on this despite widespread concerns is tantamount to shooting themselves in the foot,” China’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said in a commentary posted...
China and Spain in talks for PM Pedro Sanchez to visit Beijing – again

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is set to visit China later this year, as tensions with the United States prompt more European countries to rethink ties with Beijing. A source familiar with the talks said the two sides were discussing details of the trip. If it goes ahead, it will be Sanchez’s fourth to China in four years. Miguel Otero-Iglesias, a senior analyst at the Madrid-based Elcano...
‘Vibrant’ Hong Kong market to attract more listings from abroad, bankers say

When Malaysian civil engineering contractor BBSB International listed in Hong Kong last month, its offering was oversubscribed by a factor of nearly 11,000, and its shares rose more than fivefold from their offer price of HK$0.60 on the morning of their trading debut. BBSB is one of several non-Chinese companies that have flocked to Hong Kong to list recently, and banks expect more to follow...
Arrests for illegal use of e-bikes, scooters in Hong Kong up 17% to 760 in 2025

Hong Kong police intensified their crackdown on the illegal use of electric bicycles and scooters in 2025, leading to a 17 per cent jump in arrests to 760, according to transport authorities. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan on Wednesday also pledged to roll out a certification mechanism later this year for electric mobility devices, as such vehicles are known. Addressing the...
Thai funeral ‘food court’ blunder: tourists looking for buffet attend wake

Foreign tourists mistaking a funeral for an open air food court were given a taste of Thai hospitality when the hosts served them a meal anyway. In two posts uploaded on social media, Charantorn Chaloemkiad, an ethnic Chinese Thai who was at his family’s funeral, shared how the tourists innocently gatecrashed the funeral in the city of Nakhon Si Thammarat over the weekend thinking that it was...
New Apec chair China positions as global defender at ‘pivotal juncture’ while US retreats

China is seizing its role as the chair and host of Apec 2026 to position itself as a staunch defender of multilateralism, according to analysts, and they see the platform being used to elevate the nation’s economic governance initiatives to a global level. The strategic push was on display at the two-day Finance and Central Bank Deputies’ Meeting that began on Wednesday in Shanghai, where...
Chinese buyers top the list in Malaysia’s MM2H golden visa scheme

Chinese nationals accounted for the largest share of property buyers under Malaysia’s revamped “My Second Home” (MM2H) programme, the country’s tourism minister said on Wednesday, while cautioning against politicising the issue. Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing told parliament that 744 MM2H participants bought homes in Malaysia between 2023 and 2025, with another 2,637 still...
Youth support puts Japan’s Sanae Takaichi on track for landslide

The handbag she carries is sold out, her pink pen has gone viral and even her favourite snacks are in hot demand: Japan’s 64-year-old leader Sanae Takaichi has sparked an unlikely youth-led craze that could propel her to a big election win. Polls suggest sanakatsu, roughly translated as “sanamania”, can help give Japan’s first female prime minister a decisive mandate in Sunday’s general election...
Tibet’s exploitable green power could meet China’s energy needs: official survey

Tibet’s exploitable solar, wind and hydropower resources alone could theoretically meet all of China’s energy needs, government survey data suggests. According to researchers from the China Society for Hydropower Engineering and the state-owned Power Construction Corporation of China, the technically exploitable capacity of hydropower in Tibet could reach 178 gigawatts, and more than 100GW for...