Two sessions 2026: Chinas zero corruption, financial superpower push

Centuries ago, Indian merchants rode monsoon winds across the seas, their cargoes stitching together a maritime world stretching from East Africa to Southeast Asia. Today, as container ships queue outside clogged ports and great powers quarrel over access and tariffs, India is trying to sail back into that history – this time as a modern…

For years, the global race for artificial intelligence has been framed as a contest between Washington and Beijing. The United States commands the frontier models, cloud ecosystems and venture capital that shape global innovation; China, backed by scale, engineers and state coordination, is catching up fast. But the world’s next frontier for AI power will…

A Hong Kong court has ordered the liquidation of a scandal-plagued Christian charity for failing to repay HK$61 million (US$7.8 million) granted by the government to renovate a defunct boarding school for drug addicts. In a written judgment on Monday, the High Court granted the Department of Justice’s petition to wind up the Christian Zheng…

Hong Kong’s development minister has vowed to learn from the experience of Super Typhoon Ragasa and review coastal facilities, saying that flood mitigation measures will be introduced for high-risk areas such as Tseung Kwan O and Aberdeen. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho made the pledge on Saturday, three days after Ragasa inundated low-lying and…

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. PLA holds drills around Taiwan in warning to ‘separatists’ after US arms deal The large-scale drills are being conducted by the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command. Photo: AFP The People’s…

Hong Kong authorities have shelved a controversial reclamation project to build three artificial islands in the sea off Lantau, with the development minister saying the government does not have the “necessary conditions” to start. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho made it clear for the first time on Wednesday that the current administration would not…