China

China has vowed to refine its energy strategy and ramp up major engineering projects over the next five years, placing energy security at the heart of its new development blueprint. The National Energy Administration announced on Monday that it would introduce a new development framework this year, together with a series of sector-specific plans, as Beijing enters its latest five-year plan period. “The internal and external environment for building China’s new energy system is undergoing...

A senior officer with Hong Kong’s Auxiliary Medical Service has been suspended after being arrested and charged with indecent assault against a female colleague. Chief Staff Officer Alex Wong Ying‑keung was taken into custody this month, the South China Morning Post has learned. The victim was reportedly a senior female colleague. Wong has been charged with one count of indecent assault. The case is scheduled to be mentioned at Kowloon City Court on Wednesday. The investigation had been taken...

The deployment of the missiles would significantly enhance Iran’s strike capabilities and pose a threat to US naval forces in the region, two weapons experts said.

Geely Auto – assembler of mainland China’s bestselling pure electric vehicle (EV), the Galaxy Xingyuan – said it is betting on longer-range and faster-charging technologies, rather than price cuts, to consolidate its leading position in the world’s largest car market. Jerry Gan Jiayue, CEO of the firm’s car subsidiary, pledged that the carmaker, as a bellwether player, would “oppose involution”, while staying committed to driving the growth of China’s automobile sector. Involution refers to...

China’s maritime militia was deployed in “record-high numbers” across the disputed South China Sea in 2025, according to a US think tank report. However, the report also cited a concentration of civilian fishing fleets near less contested reefs, saying this suggested their waning strategic role for Beijing. The report was published on Monday by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) – a research programme affiliated with the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a...

Beijing is encouraging equity investors to pursue representative action against unscrupulous listed or delisted firms in an apparent effort to bolster confidence in the country’s stock markets, as trading resumed on Tuesday following a 10-day break. The Supreme People’s Court, mainland China’s highest judicial organ, also announced at a press conference that it would issue more edicts on civil compensation for insider trading and market manipulation to better safeguard retail investors’...

China’s Lunar New Year box office slid to its weakest level since 2020, weighed down by the absence of major breakout films, despite the country leading global single-market takings so far this year. Cinemas generated 5.75 billion yuan (US$831 million) over the nine-day holiday that ended on Monday, according to box-office tracker Dengta Data – a drop of nearly 40 per cent from last year’s record 9.51 billion yuan haul. The result marked the lowest Lunar New Year takings since 2020, when...

Human rights cannot be used to “whitewash hegemony”, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has told the UN, warning against any single country acting as a “human rights teacher”. Wang delivered his remarks via video link to a high-level meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council held in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday. “No country is qualified to act as the self-appointed ‘teacher of human rights’. No model of human rights should be proclaimed as ‘the sole prescription’,” a Chinese foreign...

Thailand led the list of destinations for Chinese tourists travelling overseas during this year’s extended Lunar New Year holiday, as former favourite Japan saw arrivals plummet amid a political dispute with China over Taiwan. The Southeast Asian nation saw roughly 250,000 arrivals from China during the holiday, which ran from February 15 to 23, according to the travel marketing and technology firm China Trading Desk. This year’s Lunar New Year holiday was expected to be a key period for global...

A scenic spot in northern China has ignited controversy by featuring live horses in a carousel ride, where six horses are secured to a rotating iron frame, raising significant concerns regarding animal welfare and public safety. The tourist attraction, located in the Shijingli Scenic Area of Xian, Shaanxi province, has stirred heated online debates since introducing the “Rotating Real Horses” attraction. Videos circulating on social media depict the six horses fastened to a metal carousel frame,...