China’s coastguard has carried out an exercise featuring water cannons and drones near two disputed reefs at the centre of its simmering South China Sea contention with the Philippines to prepare for “foreign infringement”, according to state media. A China Coast Guard flotilla “recently” conducted “comprehensive maritime law-enforcement training” in the waters around Second Thomas Shoal and Sabina Shoal, according to state broadcaster CCTV, which did not specify dates. The official television...

Hong Kong’s security chief has expressed confidence that a new joint task force led by him will eradicate the decades-long problem of bid-rigging, while denying that the reforms came too late after the deadly Tai Po fire. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung also said on Friday that law enforcement officers would attend meetings of owners’ corporations where the risk of bid-rigging was deemed high to gather frontline intelligence and intervene early. Authorities also hope to pass new...

Hong Kong will be the exclusive host of Vinexpo Asia from 2027 to 2031, ending the international wine and spirits trade exhibition’s rotation with Singapore. The organiser of the fair, Vinexposium, confirmed its five-year commitment to the city on Friday, signing a memorandum of understanding with the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB). HKTB chairman Peter Lam Kin-ngok called the strategic partnership a milestone that underscored a commitment to strengthen Hong Kong’s position as Asia’s leading...

Hong Kong cinema has always thrived on a certain kind of beautiful madness – precisely the quality local audiences cherish most. However, when the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (Cepa) opened the mainland Chinese market to Hong Kong co-productions in 2004, cross-border film collaborations surged. Hong Kong filmmakers zealously partnered with mainland companies, drawn by bigger budgets, lower production costs and the prospect of reaping financial rewards from a massive new audience. But...

China’s top 10 provincial economies by gross domestic product had a major part in propping up national growth for the first three quarters of 2026, analysts say, putting the regions in a crucial role to help the country meet the economic targets reaffirmed by political leaders at the just-concluded fifth plenum. The top 10 provinces were likely to continue their lead for the rest of the year and going into 2027, analysts said, giving Beijing economic confidence and offsetting sluggish...

South Korea will file criminal complaints against students caught cheating on a national university entrance exam with smart glasses and toughen penalties for their use, a government official has said. Sales of smart glasses – which allow the wearer to shoot photos and videos and interact with an AI assistant among other abilities – are growing worldwide. But so is a backlash around the gadgets, including concerns over people being filmed without consent and their use by exam cheats. South...

Indonesia is looking beyond Singapore for petrol supplies as it seeks to reduce its dependence on a single source, but analysts say diversifying imports will do little to address the country’s fuel production shortfall without faster refinery modernisation and investment in alternative fuels. Indonesia has long sourced petroleum products from Singapore, including RON 90 petrol, which has a minimum octane rating of 90 and is marketed domestically as Pertalite. Singapore’s geographic proximity,...

China on Friday hit out at reported US intelligence allegations that a suspected Chinese spy had targeted Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang, dismissing the claims as “groundless speculation” aimed at smearing Beijing. “The relevant report is based on groundless speculation and [is] purely aimed at smearing and slandering China,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular media briefing in Beijing. The pushback came after US outlet The New York Times reported on Thursday that...

Recent school attacks across Malaysia have shone a light on a troubling trend of teenagers joining an online subculture that glamorises real-life killers, according to a prominent security analyst. Three violent incidents in Malaysian schools – in Kuching on October 21, Banting in July and Bandar Utama in October last year – could be linked to the True Crime Community (TCC), said Munira Mustaffa, founder of Kuala Lumpur-based security consulting firm Chasseur Group. In the Kuching case, the...

Japan-South Korea ties are on the upswing. After a recent decade of some of the tensest relations since normalization, Seoul and Tokyo appear to be setting aside their differences as they enter a new phase of closer cooperation and active diplomatic initiatives. Under Kishida Fumio and Yoon Suk-yeol, the countries signed a pact with the […]

The post Is Japan-South Korea rapprochement finally built to last? appeared first on Asia Times.

In November 2023, three engineers left a South Korean semiconductor testing-components company for a Chinese employer offering twice their previous salaries. According to South Korea’s Intellectual Property Office, they allegedly took proprietary probe-card designs, arranged for a Korean design firm to modify them, and used the technology to develop products in China. By December 2025, […]

The post What Taiwan can teach South Korea about China’s chip tech theft appeared first on Asia Times.

Chinese people use the phrase “yao chan wan guan,” or “carrying ten thousand strings of cash around the waist,” to describe wealth. But how much was a string of cash, and what could one buy in ancient China? Guan was a traditional Chinese unit of account. Literally referring to the string used to thread coins together, it emerged alongside the round coin with a square hole, which first appeared during the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC). A guan generally equalled a string of 1,000 individual copper or...

Elizabeth Holmes is back in the spotlight, thanks to Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s hit new documentary, You Can See Everything (2026). Since its release on October 16, the film has proven a massive box office success, grossing over US$45 million worldwide. The film, which follows the disgraced Theranos founder, 42, and her long-time partner, Billy Evans, 34, during the days leading up to her imprisonment for criminal fraud, also features her parents, Christian and Noel Anne Holmes. Her...

As tightening US visa restrictions and geopolitics lock out Asian researchers from Western institutions, South Korea is emerging as a new academic sanctuary for top talent. According to Yoo Ji-beom, president of Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) in Seoul, that reflects a broader trend that has seen the West giving way to Asia after decades of dominance – particularly in the field of applied technology in China, Japan and South Korea. “Technological competition and global talent mobility are...

Soaring artificial intelligence revenues have failed to shield Intel, Amazon and Google’s parent company Alphabet from a brutal Wall Street sell-off, as their latest quarterly results deepened investor jitters over mounting capital spending and delayed returns. Intel plunged about 23 per cent in extended trading on Thursday, while Amazon shed 7.3 per cent. Alphabet tumbled 12.6 per cent during the regular session in its worst day on record, dragging the Nasdaq Composite down 1.4 per cent and...

More than a month after sparking public outrage by soiling herself during Hyrox Beijing, Australian athlete Joanna Wietrzyk has announced she is “super excited” about returning to competition. In a new video posted on her social media, the 24-year-old said the past several weeks gave her an opportunity to re-examine the incident and learn from it. “So I’ve had some time to reflect over the past six to eight weeks of everything that happened in Beijing,” she said, offering another apology. “I...

Saudi Arabia said on Friday it intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels near Islam’s holiest city, a claim the Houthis denied. A coalition spokesman, Major General Turki al-Malki, said the drone was intercepted in the region surrounding Mecca, Islam’s holiest city and a destination for millions of Muslim pilgrims each year. In a statement, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree denied carrying out any operations targeting Mecca, saying the group’s military...

Eight companies have applied for licences to provide ride-hailing services in Hong Kong under the new regulatory regime ahead of Friday’s deadline, the Transport Department has confirmed. US-based Uber, Singapore-based Tada, Amap and Didi Chuxing, all of which currently serve the market, confirmed to the South China Morning Post that they had submitted applications. Amap is operated by Alibaba Group Holding, which owns the SCMP. “Drawing on its global operational experience and local track...

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] Madrid may be known as a city destination, but beyond its immediate hub there is much to embrace, taste and live. Europe’s beating heart deserves its unspoken, vibrant pulse to be felt, and its rhythm to course through the soul. For the discerning global traveller, Madrid unfolds, layer upon layer, to reveal a choreography of culture, heritage and modern indulgence. Time must be spent here to explore, discover,...