SCMP News Digest
Tuesday, 27 January 2026
US ambassador to China says progress on agreements, Boeing deal among signs of better ties
The United States’ top diplomat in China has expressed optimism about US-China ties during a closed-door speech in Hong Kong where he said risks in the relationship have been controlled effectively and a Boeing deal is being negotiated, sources said.
Sources who attended the speech by David Perdue, America’s ambassador to China, said his message at Tuesday’s Goldman Sachs Global Macro Conference Asia Pacific 2026 was “comforting and reassuring” to hundreds of global business and finance leaders…
Hong Kong’s exports rose 15.4% in 2025 to ‘historical high’
Hong Kong’s exports in 2025 rose by 15.4 per cent year on year to a “historical high”, with authorities expecting sustained global economic growth, improved ties with new markets and strong demand for artificial intelligence-enabled products to continue supporting the city’s trade.
According to the Census and Statistics Department, the total value of Hong Kong’s export of goods rose by 15.4 per cent in 2025 compared with the previous year, while the value of imports increased by 15.5 per cent…
ICE agents get security role at 2026 Winter Olympics sparking outrage after deadly shootings
A branch of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will help with security for the Winter Olympics in Italy, it confirmed on Tuesday, sparking anger and warnings they were not welcome.
Reports had been circulating for days that the agency embroiled in an often brutal immigration crackdown in the United States could be involved in US security measures for the February 6-22 Games in northern Italy.
In a statement overnight, ICE said: “At the Olympics, ICE’s Homeland Security…
Hong Kong retiree spiked soft drinks with urine in year-long ‘prank’
A former property agent has admitted planting urine-spiked soft drinks among other goods in supermarkets repeatedly for more than a year, telling a Hong Kong court he had developed depression since his divorce and retirement.
Kowloon City Court heard that Franklin Lo Kim-ngai, 63, marked his discontent with supermarket staff by doctoring Coca-Cola Plus and 7-Up drinks with his urine and placing them in Wellcome and ParknShop outlets across the city between July 21, 2024, and August 6, last…
India, EU ‘make history’ as they seal trade pact amid US tariff pressure
India and the European Union on Tuesday announced a long-awaited free trade agreement that Prime Minister Narendra Modi described as the “mother of all deals”, as both sides moved to strengthen economic ties in a global trade order unsettled by rising US protectionism.
The pact, once implemented, is expected to create one of the world’s largest trading blocs and deepen commercial links between the EU’s 27 member states and the world’s most populous country.
The deal would cut or eliminate…
Hong Kong logs US$95 million worth of luxury home deals in a single day
Hong Kong’s property market on Monday logged HK$740 million (US$94.9 million) worth of luxury home deals, one of the city’s largest single-day hauls, as the residential segment shakes off a multi-year slump.
Records from the Land Registry showed that five upscale homes – from areas such as Mid-Levels, Wan Chai and Sai Kung – changed hands in deals valued between HK$93 million and HK$238 million.
The flurry of luxury home deals comes amid a recovery in Hong Kong’s residential property segment, as…
China’s Guangdong province exports record US$140 billion of tech, high-value goods
Exports of chip-manufacturing equipment, electric vehicles (EVs) and other high-value goods from China’s southern Guangdong province rose to a record high last year of over 1 trillion yuan (US$140 billion), highlighting the country’s progress in its quest for technological self-sufficiency in an ongoing tech war with the US.
The country’s leading manufacturing hub exported semiconductor equipment worth more than 800 billion yuan in 2025, an increase of nearly 20 per cent from a year earlier,…
Man arrested as Hong Kong police seize 800kg of illegal fireworks worth HK$1 million
Hong Kong police have charged a man with illegal possession of fireworks and firecrackers after seizing a haul worth HK$1 million (US$128,200) from a shipping container in Tuen Mun, three weeks ahead of the Lunar New Year.
Officers from the New Territories North regional anti-triad unit found 58 boxes containing 800kg (1,764lbs) of pyrotechnics during a raid in Tai Lam Chung at about 4pm on Monday, the force said.
Senior Inspector Kwok Man-wai said police found the goods in a container rented by…
China tightens rail approvals as Xi warns on overbuilding, waste and ‘operational’ trouble
China is tightening approvals for intercity railways and urban metro projects – long-standing pillars of fixed-asset investment – as policymakers pay closer attention to debt risks while shifting the growth model towards consumption.
The move comes as President Xi Jinping has specifically flagged operational strains at some high-speed rail stations and subway lines – a sign that the old growth driver may be further curtailed in the coming years.
According to an online statement on Sunday by the…
‘Who’s he?’ China vendor remains unfazed after receiving lai see from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang bought street snacks worth 65 yuan (US$9) at a market in Shanghai while giving its owner a lai see of 600 yuan (US$90), but the operator did not recognise the artificial intelligence (AI) chip mogul.
Huang recently sparked a storm on mainland social media thanks to his down-to-earth and friendly demeanour during a visit to a wet market in Shanghai.
It is his routine to visit his company’s offices in mainland China before flying to Taiwan before the Lunar New Year each…
Indonesia’s move to join Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ stirs debate on foreign policy shift
Indonesia’s decision to join US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” has raised eyebrows at home, with critics zeroing in on how it deviated from Jakarta’s values by serving the interests of only the US and Israel instead of Palestine.
Some observers, however, argue that the move is “consistent” with Indonesia’s proactive foreign policy stance and allows it access to major powers.
President Prabowo Subianto was among several world leaders flanking Trump at Thursday’s signing of the board’s…
Elephant rides at Indonesia’s Bali attractions banned over animal welfare concerns
Bali’s elephant-riding attractions have begun shutting down after Indonesia’s forestry authorities ordered conservation centres to end the practice, as local officials threaten to revoke the relevant permits for non-compliance.
The directive calls for the centres to stop elephant-riding “performances” and shift towards wildlife tourism that is more educational and ethical, according to a circular by the Ministry of Forestry’s Directorate General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation…
Trump faces Second Amendment backlash over ICE shooting of Alex Pretti
Prominent Republicans and gun rights advocates helped elicit a White House turnabout this week after bristling over the administration’s characterisation of Alex Pretti, the second person killed this month by a federal officer in Minneapolis, as responsible for his own death because he lawfully possessed a weapon.
The death produced no clear shifts in US gun politics or policies, even as US President Donald Trump shuffles the lieutenants in charge of his militarised immigration crackdown. But…
Hong Kong to deny teachers practising certificates with insufficient training hours
Teachers who fail to complete the required hours of professional development will be denied practising certificates, Hong Kong’s education authorities have said, ahead of a meeting next week to discuss details of the proposed scheme.
Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin said the proposal would also outline the requirements for rejoining the profession after registered teachers had left the sector for a period of time.
The proposed certificate was introduced as a new measure in Chief…
China’s Alibaba, Moonshot claim latest flagship AI models challenge OpenAI, Google
Alibaba Group Holding and Moonshot AI have unveiled their latest flagship artificial intelligence models, narrowing the gap with US industry leaders OpenAI and Google DeepMind.
The new models from two of China’s leading AI developers mark the first major Chinese model releases of this year, as industry observers continue to closely monitor the gap between the US and China in developing cutting-edge foundational models.
Alibaba Cloud announced its biggest-ever model, Qwen3-Max-Thinking, on…
World leaders flock to Beijing in search of trade deals
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is preparing to visit Beijing, following in the footsteps of other world leaders seeking to boost trade and investment ties with China without sparking reprisals from US President Donald Trump.
Starmer will be in China from Thursday to Saturday, according to a Chinese government statement. He will also make a brief stop in Tokyo, a UK government spokesman said.
The first official trip to China by a UK prime minister since 2018 reflects the huge opportunities…
Xi Jinping meets foreign leaders: tracker 2026
US allies are shifting their focus to Beijing as Donald Trump doubles down on his tariff threats. After fresh US warnings, the year has started with a diplomatic rush to Beijing as European, Asian, and North American leaders seek stability through bilateral engagement with China.
South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung kicked off the diplomatic pivot in early January. As the first South Korean president to visit China since 2019, his trip cemented a thaw in relations. Irish Taoiseach Micheál…
China’s Xi Jinping says major powers must set example amid world’s ‘risks and challenges’
Chinese President Xi Jinping said that major powers must set an example as the world faced “multiple risks and challenges”, during a meeting with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo in Beijing on Tuesday.
“Major powers in particular must take the lead in promoting equality, rule of law, cooperation and integrity,” Xi said, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
“China and Europe are partners, not rivals, with cooperation outweighing competition and consensus greater than differences,” he…
China’s Baidu merges key app businesses to drive consumer AI push
Baidu has merged two of its consumer app businesses into a new artificial intelligence-focused unit, stepping up its push into China’s fast-evolving and fiercely contested market for consumer AI applications.
The company combined its online document-sharing business Wenku and consumer-oriented cloud storage operation Wangpan to form the Personal Super Intelligence Business Group (PSIG), according to a source familiar with the matter. The move marks one of Baidu’s largest reorganisations in the…
Singapore jails, canes 6 Indonesians after illegal re-entry on sinking boat
Six men who had been sent back to Indonesia after immigration breaches tried to re-enter Singapore illegally on a sampan, but were caught when it sank.
On Monday, they were sentenced to jail terms of one year to one year and nine months, and between four and 10 strokes of the cane.
The group was led by 23-year-old Asrarudin, who steered the boat despite having no experience.
He was joined by 28-year-old Brick, a repeat offender who received the heaviest sentence of nearly two years.
Four other…