ByteDance accounts for roughly one-fifth of China’s delivered data centre capacity, making the TikTok owner the country’s largest tenant and a main driver of its artificial intelligence buildout, according to new estimates by research firm SemiAn...

An escalating diplomatic row over Ukraine’s disclosure of a North Korean prisoner-of-war transfer is threatening to jeopardise South Korea’s future ties with and support for Kyiv, analysts say, even as it hands fresh ammunition to the political o...

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Nio has deepened its partnership with Zhejiang Geely Holding Group after agreeing to sell a stake in its battery swap subsidiary to the automotive conglomerate in a deal that values the unit at 16 billion yuan (US$...

The Chinese and US embassies in the Philippines have exchanged sharp accusations following Washington’s defence of its treaty ally after a stand-off in the South China Sea last week. In a statement issued on Sunday, the US embassy in Manila backed ...

Tokyo on Monday rebuked Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov after he voiced opposition over the weekend to Japan’s drive for permanent membership of the UN Security Council, claiming the country was on a “path of militarisation”. Lavrov’s ...

Singaporean Najwa Alhabshi remembers spending her teenage years poring over literary classics such as F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and George Orwell’s 1984. The books introduced her to ideologies, philosophies and the American dream whi...

Hong Kong marine authorities have launched an investigation after a yacht sped directly towards a boat rowed by six athletes during a race in Sai Kung over the weekend, with one of the rowers alleging the act was “deliberate”. The incident came t...

Six Singaporeans, including journalist Kirsten Han and Phua Chu Kang actors Lim Kay Siu and Neo Swee Lin, were charged on Monday with taking part in public assemblies. The assemblies were held in prohibited areas, with one held outside the State Cour...

In the latest milestone for China’s heavy-duty gas turbine manufacturers, Shanghai Electric has secured a turnkey contract to supply equipment to a power plant in Malaysia, giving it a foothold in a market dominated by established foreign suppliers...

Mainland Chinese visitors made nearly 440,000 trips to Hong Kong over the extended Mid-Autumn Festival weekend, with a tourism industry representative expecting hotel occupancy to exceed 90 per cent in popular districts during the coming National Day...

Hong Kong businessman Jason Poon Chuk-hung and his wife have been granted bail after facing charges for allegedly defrauding a government financing scheme for businesses out of HK$6 million (US$765,000) during the Covid-19 pandemic. Construction busi...

Amid intensifying debate over the risks posed by rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, Chinese developers dominating the open-weight ecosystem are grappling with a unique problem: how to ensure their user-modifiable models remain safe once t...

Republicans are pouring money into ⁠more than three dozen US House races previously considered “safe” after internal polling showed they could be vulnerable in the November 3 election, according to three Republican operatives familiar with the ...

Malaysia is pushing to take durian, whose powerful smell delights its lovers and repels its haters, beyond its roadside stalls and family orchards to convince fans of the spiky fruit that its varieties are worth seeking out. Devotees savour durians l...

Embattled Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic resigned on Sunday in a well-telegraphed move as he seeks to transition to the role of prime minister as a way of staying close to power in the Balkan nation. Parliamentary Speaker Ana Brnabic, his ally, w...

Eighty years ago, former World War II pilots Roy Farrell and Sydney de Kantzow registered Cathay Pacific Airways in Hong Kong. Operations began with a single, converted Douglas DC-3 nicknamed “Betsy” which initially flew much-needed goods between...

Zhuhai Amicro Technology, a Xiaomi-backed chipmaker, is preparing to begin premarketing for a Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO) of more than US$100 million as early as this week, according to people familiar with the matter. The company passed ...

At least two people had been killed and 14 remained missing after an avalanche at Nepal’s Himlung peak, an official said on Monday, as rescuers resumed their search. The avalanche swept through the base camp of the 7,126-metre (23,400-foot) peak ne...

Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways has extended its suspension of passenger flights to the Middle East until the end of January next year, marking the third postponement since the US-Israel war on Iran began. The airline said on Monday tha...

Malaysian police were set to begin questioning 10 former Negeri Sembilan state officials on Monday over a disputed bid to remove the state’s long-time ruler. It comes a week after Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir dismissed the 10 ex-members of the exec...

We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. What Trump and Xi revealed in the body language w...

Donald Trump asked President Xi Jinping whether Beijing wanted to buy American weapons, the US ambassador to China said on Sunday, prompting the State Department to quickly rule out any such deal with Washington’s principal strategic competitor. �...

China has produced an electron beam using a cutting-edge electron gun, taking a step towards building a “super microscope” that could help drive breakthroughs in everything from Alzheimer’s research to advanced microchips. The Hefei Advanced Li...

Seventeen people have been injured in Hong Kong after a minibus collided with a truck on Fanling Highway in the New Territories during the peak-hour commute. Emergency services were called to the scene at around 9am on Monday after the minibus, which...

The High Court has discharged a recently empanelled jury from the murder trial of slain Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi Tin-fung’s former relatives after one member asked to be excused for health reasons, leading to a delay in proceedings. Deputy Jud...

Hong Kong will celebrate the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China on October 1 with a string of offerings for locals and visitors. The National Day “golden week” holiday in mainland China, which runs from October 1...

Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, the wife of former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, died on Monday aged 100. Her family confirmed her death after she was admitted to the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur. The cause of death was not immed...

City Developments (CDL), the Singapore property group controlled by one of the country’s wealthiest families, said it wants to invest S$5 billion (US$3.9 billion) in Singapore, China and Japan by 2029 as part of measures to regain investor confiden...

A handful of leading firms from emerging industries are expected to receive preferential policy packages and set up operations in Hong Kong within the “next couple of months”, the city’s finance chief has said, as part of efforts to attract inv...

China has unveiled an overhaul of its university system, urging institutions to develop distinct roles as demographic change, a tighter job market and industrial upgrading alter the country’s skills needs. The general offices of the ruling Communis...

An elderly resident in southern China sparked online outrage after cutting a high-altitude worker’s safety rope to use it as a washing line. The incident occurred when Liu, a worker from Foshan, Guangdong province, was repairing the exterior wall o...

A proposal to upgrade meals for foreigners awaiting deportation at Incheon International Airport has divided immigration officials, with frontline officers raising safety concerns and some questioning whether better food is appropriate for those orde...

This year’s haze crisis has added to the heat woes squeezing livestock farmers in Malaysia and Indonesia, as they struggle to keep their animals cool, fed and productive. While it is difficult to separately assess the effects of haze-related smoke ...

When Hong Kong’s first chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa, announced his housing plan in 1997, the ambition was extraordinary. The government would produce at least 85,000 flats a year across the public and private sectors, and raise the home ownership...

Around 100,000 ornamental koi carp ready for sale were swept away after heavy rain caused by a typhoon breached some levees at a lake in Chiba prefecture near Tokyo, it has been revealed as authorities assess the widespread damage to local farming an...

Competition between China and the US will persist, but increased dialogue between the two economic superpowers will provide greater global certainty and ease geopolitical concerns, with Hong Kong positioned to play a unique role, the city’s financi...

Italy is becoming a magnet for wealthy property investors thanks to its high quality of life and flat tax regime, and interest is also on the rise among mainland Chinese and Hong Kong buyers, according to property agents. Rome introduced a flat tax r...

Indonesia is considering lifting a statutory cap on government spending that has been in place for more than two decades, as President Prabowo Subianto pushes for faster economic growth. Supporters argue that greater room to borrow and spend would le...

Supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado took to the country’s streets on Sunday to demand her safe return and presidential elections that could lead to a democratic transition in Venezuela. The government has been widely acc...

France’s far-right National Rally (RN) party and its allies secured a record 14 seats in the right-wing dominated Senate in polls Sunday, effectively quadrupling its number in the 348-seat chamber just months before a presidential election. RN pres...

Scott Kennedy is a senior adviser and trustee chair in Chinese business and economics at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. His areas of focus include China’s hi-tech drive, US-China relations and global economic governance. Open Q...

South Korea’s presidential office has demanded an official explanation and apology from Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of disclosing the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea and then falsely denying ‌that the two sides had agreed ...

For all the solemnity of the B-2 flyover with four F‑22 Raptors and a silent South Lawn drill, the real business of US President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week was narrower than the choreography. The Chinese re...

Russian drones set ablaze a market outside the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Sunday, killing two people, while three others died in strikes by Moscow’s forces in different regions and Kyiv itself also came under attack, ‌local officials said. Ukraini...

Scott Kennedy is a senior adviser and trustee chair in Chinese business and economics at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. His areas of focus include China’s hi-tech drive, US-China relations and global economic governance. SCMP P...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ⁠visited Abu Dhabi and met with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan on Sunday, a senior Israeli official told Reuters. There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu’s office and the UAE’s f...

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he expects talks with Iran to resume in the coming week, despite his rejection of a truce proposal put forward by Tehran. Iranian officials brought with them to the UN General Assembly in New York a plan ...

Three people were killed and four more were injured when an argument led to gunfire at an after-hours strip club Sunday morning in Detroit, officials said. Police responding to the 7.21am shooting on a largely residential street found three men who h...

Britain’s ruling Labour Party on Sunday launched its first annual conference under Andy Burnham’s leadership, buoyed by his debut as prime minister as he pledged to take the tough decisions needed to tackle looming challenges. The former mayor of...

Swiss voters on Sunday roundly rejected a proposal to tighten their country’s neutrality, final results showed, dismissing an initiative championed by the hard-right and dubbed “pro-Russian” by opponents. While the Swiss widely embrace their ne...