China News

Taiwan’s participation in next year’s Apec summit in Shenzhen as a regional economy will depend on its adherence to the one-China principle, Beijing said on Wednesday, amid growing cross-strait tensions. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning was responding at a briefing to a Reuters question about Taipei’s claim that Beijing had imposed “numerous additional conditions” on its attendance at the 2026 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. “Participating in Apec as a regional economy under the...

From China - South China Morning Post via This RSS Feed.

More than 80 years ago, high above the jagged peaks of the Himalayas, American and Chinese pilots braved the perilous “Hump” air route from India to China. They flew weapons, fuel and medical supplies into China to support its fight against Japan during World War II. They returned with Chinese strategic minerals – including tungsten and tin – that fed Allied weapons factories and helped secure victory. That wartime cooperation between China and the United States was a two-way lifeline, forged...

From China - South China Morning Post via This RSS Feed.

TikTok parent ByteDance has pulled the plug on US technology firm Anthropic’s Claude artificial intelligence models on its Singapore-based coding app Trae after the American AI firm began restricting services to Chinese-owned entities anywhere in the world. Trae confirmed in a post published to its official Discord channel on Wednesday that it had discontinued access to the Claude model, citing an “interruption of the Claude series model”. Trae said that its integration of other top models from...

From China - South China Morning Post via This RSS Feed.

The delayed return of three astronauts on board China’s space station – while safety checks are carried out after a suspected small debris strike – came hard on the heels of a freshly baked meal of chicken wings and black pepper steak with the incoming crew. In the early hours of Tuesday, state news agency Xinhua reported that the six astronauts shared a meal prepared with a hot air oven brought by the incoming Shenzhou-21 crew, as part of efforts to improve living conditions in orbit. Also on...

From China - South China Morning Post via This RSS Feed.

The saga of Netherlands-based and Chinese-owned chipmaker Nexperia, caught up in broader geopolitical tensions between the United States and China, is rekindling a debate about foreign investment in Europe and is likely to lead to further scrutiny by EU countries on future Chinese investments in the bloc, according to analysts. After The Hague seized control of Nexperia from its Chinese owners on September 30, citing national security concerns and invoking a law that had been sitting idle since...

From China - South China Morning Post via This RSS Feed.

Regional hot-button issues amplified by great power rivalry, such as the South China Sea and Taiwan, have contributed to more Australians “than ever before” being exposed to foreign intelligence operations, Canberra’s top spy has warned. Australia’s social cohesion faced “unprecedented” tests, with international dynamics playing a role, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) director general Mike Burgess said in a speech on Tuesday. The country had been among the targets of...

From China - South China Morning Post via This RSS Feed.

A religious ceremony honouring the Chinese sea goddess Mazu, which was promoted by Beijing as a symbol of cross-strait ties, has caused fresh concerns in Taiwan. The goddess is revered as a protector of fishermen and sailors and has millions of worshippers in eastern and southeastern parts of the Chinese mainland as well as in Taiwan. Last Wednesday, the authorities in Meizhou, a city in the mainland province of Fujian where Mazu is believed to have been born, staged a celebration to mark the...

From China - South China Morning Post via This RSS Feed.

We have put together stories from our coverage on science from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.

1. PLA releases photo of hypersonic ‘morphing’ missile that changes shape at Mach 5 Chinese military scientists have unveiled a rare glimpse into one of the most advanced frontiers of aerospace technology: a prototype of a morphing hypersonic vehicle capable of flying at speeds exceeding Mach 5.
2. China reaches...

From China - South China Morning Post via This RSS Feed.

In a move authorities said would curb infiltration, Taiwan has revoked the citizenship of 50 individuals who also held mainland Chinese passports and household registrations. The action was essential to safeguard security amid deepening cross-strait tensions, according to the island’s government. Critics, however, said the measure was part of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) broader push to discourage identification with the mainland and weaken the historical links between the two...

From China - South China Morning Post via This RSS Feed.

China’s energy industry has passed a new milestone, with the expansion of the Yangtze River Delta’s Beilun Power Station making it the largest thermal power station in the country by installed capacity. The plant’s one gigawatt coal-fired Unit Nine has commenced operation after a 168-hour full-load trial, state-owned China Energy Investment Corporation announced on Monday. That raised the total installed capacity of the power station, in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, to 7.34GW – surpassing the...

From China - South China Morning Post via This RSS Feed.

China’s top internet regulator has launched a sweeping campaign to clean up social media for the National Games. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) on Tuesday announced its “Clean and Bright: Online Environment Rectification” campaign, targeting issues such as doxxing – the leaking of personal information of athletes, coaches and referees. It is also aimed at fan-led smear campaigns and conflicts that the CAC said could “disrupt preparations or disrupt the smooth operation of the...

From China - South China Morning Post via This RSS Feed.

The Chinese military’s top general has pledged to crack down on “fake loyalty” and “two-faced men” and to speed up weapons development in the next five years. General Zhang Youxia, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission and a Politburo member, made the remarks in an article published as part of a collection supporting the Communist Party’s policy recommendations for the 15th five-year plan from 2026 to 2030. The articles – written by dozens of senior officials from all policy areas –...

From China - South China Morning Post via This RSS Feed.

China has postponed the return of the Shenzhou-20 space mission following a suspected impact by small space debris, the China Manned Space Agency said on Wednesday. The agency said it was carrying out an impact analysis and risk assessment. “To ensure the safety and health of the astronauts and the success of the mission, it has been decided that the Shenzhou-20 return mission, originally scheduled for November 5, will be postponed,” it said in an announcement. The incident has occured days...

From China - South China Morning Post via This RSS Feed.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has pledged to further open the country’s vast consumer market to international businesses after Beijing and Washington reached a significant trade deal that was expected to help restore normalcy to global supply chains. Addressing about 1,000 government officials, business leaders and merchants at the opening of the China International Import Export (CIIE) in Shanghai on Wednesday, the premier said Beijing remained resolute about supporting globalisation and...

From China - South China Morning Post via This RSS Feed.

US President Donald Trump signed an order on Tuesday to lower fentanyl-related tariffs on Chinese products, formalising a key part of his deal with Chinese leader Xi Jinping after their first face-to-face talks in years. Shortly after returning to the presidency this year, Trump imposed additional tariffs of 20 per cent on goods from China over its alleged role in the fentanyl supply chain. But China has since committed efforts to halting the flow of precursors used to make fentanyl into the...

From China - South China Morning Post via This RSS Feed.

Less than a week after a high-profile summit between President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump – a meeting that cooled the trade conflict between Beijing and Washington after months of heated recriminations – American exhibitors are expected to be more visible at this year’s China International Import Expo (CIIE). More than a dozen agricultural producers from US breadbasket regions will display their wares at a special pavilion at the high-profile trade show, and several of the...

From China - South China Morning Post via This RSS Feed.

At last month’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit, China and the bloc upgraded their free trade pact in the areas of environmental protection, product quality and support for small businesses. Premier Li Qiang contextualised the agreement in light of “greater development challenges” facing Asean nations, as they are “unfairly subjected to steep tariffs”, an indirect criticism of the erratic measures unleashed across the region by US President Donald Trump. Another noteworthy...

From China - South China Morning Post via This RSS Feed.

When US President Donald Trump fired the opening salvoes of his country’s trade war with China in his first term, Beijing’s currency was on the front lines. By 2019, the yuan had tumbled past the benchmark value of seven per US dollar for the first time in over a decade, rattling investors and fuelling speculation that Beijing was allowing depreciation to mitigate the effects of tariffs. As Washington and Beijing began to lock horns once again, with Trump’s second White House foray bringing with...

From China - South China Morning Post via This RSS Feed.

The prolonged US federal government shutdown has been affecting the release of key data that policymakers need to assess the trade war’s effects and gauge price and labour market trends, further complicating ongoing rate decision disputes between US President Donald Trump and the Federal Reserve. Speaking at the Brookings Institution on Monday, US Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook joined other colleagues to warn how the lack of government data has challenged their decision-making at the US...

From China - South China Morning Post via This RSS Feed.

Cuts to federal research would weaken America’s scientific edge against Beijing, warned Raja Krishnamoorthi, the top Democrat on the US House committee focused on China, who is pressing budget chief Russ Vought on whether his office has assessed their impact. “While the United States is dismantling the very foundations that have sustained our STEM and innovation leadership for generations, Beijing has announced its plans to continue accelerating its investments in science, technology, and...

From China - South China Morning Post via This RSS Feed.

The European Commission says a “worst case scenario” has been averted, after China’s commerce ministry engaged with European companies in recent days to restart the flow of semiconductors that had been disrupted by a crisis surrounding the company Nexperia. The saga, which saw the Dutch-headquartered company cut off from its Chinese processing facilities following a dispute between The Hague and Beijing, threatened to throw Europe’s automotive industry into disarray. Dutch authorities ousted the...

From China - South China Morning Post via This RSS Feed.

Chinese scientists have made a “historic leap” in developing a chip that can cope with extreme levels of radiation. The Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) chip has a wide range of potential uses, including satellite command and control systems, spaceborne computers and weapons systems. Its hardware can be reconfigured after manufacturing to perform a wide variety of specific tasks. This flexibility makes FPGAs useful for custom computing applications and electronic systems that may need to be...

From China - South China Morning Post via This RSS Feed.

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.

1. China, US must take action after Xi-Trump summit, avoid ‘new disruptions’: envoy China’s top envoy to the US said the top priority for both countries is to translate recent outcomes from meetings in Busan and Kuala Lumpur into concrete actions without “causing new disruptions”.
2. Lead scientist of China’s thorium reactor project died working on the...

From China - South China Morning Post via This RSS Feed.

Amap, the mapping and local services business under Alibaba Group Holding, is expanding its global footprint in tandem with the overseas drive of Chinese carmakers, potentially challenging the dominance of Google Maps. Amap on Monday unveiled an international version of its AutoSDK, a software toolkit designed to support carmakers in developing in-car navigation and cockpit systems for foreign markets. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post. Chinese car brands had long struggled to adapt...

From China - South China Morning Post via This RSS Feed.

Another high-stakes face-off between the United States and China has come and gone. The much-anticipated summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump in Busan, South Korea, resulted in agreement on several points. The US agreed to reduce its so-called fentanyl tariffs on China by 10 per cent, suspend recently tightened technology restrictions for a year and suspend an investigation into Chinese shipbuilding practices. China, according to a White House fact sheet,...

From China - South China Morning Post via This RSS Feed.