China

Hong Kong’s leader has pledged to foster an inclusive society for people with autism, with a Unesco official saying the city has the potential to become a global hub for support services. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Thursday highlighted the importance of a better understanding and acceptance of autistic people at an event marking the United […]

Hong Kong’s New World Development (NWD) has shelved plans to acquire the remaining stakes in three commercial sites in Causeway Bay, signalling continued caution among developers despite signs of improving demand in the core office market. The company, which has been selling assets to reduce debt, said it would “exercise prudence as appropriate, having […]

More than 40,000 Hong Kong taxi drivers have adopted major electronic payment platforms AlipayHK and WeChat Pay HK, easing a protracted pain point for mainland Chinese visitors who are expected to arrive in droves during the coming Ching Ming Festival break. AlipayHK, a subsidiary of Ant International, an affiliate of Alibaba Group Holding, which owns the […]

Anyone in Hong Kong found carrying more than five vape pods or 100 heat sticks in public will face a maximum fine of HK$50,000 and up to six months in jail from April 30, while those with smaller quantities will receive a fixed penalty of HK$3,000. The amended tobacco control law also provides for a future territory-wide ban on such products although no […]

LANZHOU, April 2 (Xinhua) -- A new study by Chinese researchers has helped people better understand how microplastics "move" on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and has sustained plastic pollution prevention and control efforts, according to the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources (NIEER) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.Through in situ sampling […]

by Xinhua writers Gui Tao and Huang HaoranNANCHANG, April 2 (Xinhua) -- My encounter with Jingdezhen, an eastern Chinese city with over 1,700 years of ceramic-making history, began, improbably, with a lump of clay.In a modest workshop, tourists gathered to experience the ancient pleasure of shaping earth by hand. The clay spun obediently at first, then […]

New Delhi [India], April 2 (ANI): IndiGo has revised its fuel charges for both domestic and international routes, effective for all new bookings made after 0001 hours on April 2, 2026. The airline confirmed this adjustment, citing a sharp increase in Air Turbine Fuel (ATF) prices as the primary driver behind the decision. According to the company, the move […]

BEIJING, April 2 (Xinhua) -- As soaring fuel prices accelerate consumer shifts towards electric vehicles (EVs), Chinese automaker BYD has vowed to prioritize win-win cooperation and technological innovation as it deepens its global footprint.Overseas demand for Chinese new energy vehicles is rising amid the latest oil shock, reflecting market-driven choices […]

(260402) -- SHENZHEN, April 2, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Tourists visit Shenzhen International Garden and Flowers Expo Park in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, March 24, 2026. In recent years, Shenzhen has enriched citizens' park experience by adding diverse functions to traditional parks. As part of this effort, the city has launched the "Park BOX" […]

A Discovery Bay resident has lodged a complaint with the city’s ombudsman over authorities’ handling of a proposal to allow unrestricted taxi access to the resort-style seaside community in Hong Kong. A petition bearing 1,700 signatures from concerned residents has also been submitted to the Transport Department calling for proper public consultation […]

NANNING, April 2 (Xinhua) -- In the world of Chinese mini-dramas -- the addictive, vertically shot serials that pack romance, revenge and rags-to-riches plots into fast-paced one-minute episodes -- a mysterious metropolis known only as "City A" has become the genre's classic backdrop.To millions of viewers, its gleaming skyscrapers look like any typical […]

(260402) -- BEIJING, April 2, 2026 (Xinhua) -- People stroll and have fun along the riverside of the Liangma River where flowers are in full bloom, in Beijing, capital of China, April 1, 2026. Many riverbanks in Beijing are dotted with blooming flowers, attracting numerous citizens and tourists to come for sightseeing. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)

Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) [India], April 2 (ANI): Tibetan leadership and members of India's strategic community came together in Dharamshala for a closed-door roundtable on 'India-Tibet-China & the Shifting World Order,' focusing on the evolving geopolitical dynamics in the Indo-Pacific and their implications for regional security. The roundtable […]

Washington DC [US], April 2 (ANI): Geopolitical risk advisor Colonel Douglas MacGregor (Retd) dismissed Pakistan's bid to act as a mediator in the ongoing conflict in West Asia, asserting that Islamabad's efforts will not lead to 'anywhere'.Speaking in an interview with ANI, MacGregor questioned Pakistan's credibility as a diplomatic intermediary in the […]

New Delhi [India], April 2 (ANI): India's manufacturing PMI eased to 53.9 in March from 56.9 in February, according to the HSBC India Manufacturing PMI report released on Thursday.This deceleration indicated the weakest improvement in overall business conditions in nearly four years, with the headline figure slipping below its long-run average of 54.2. As […]

The head of Hong Kong’s Catholic diocese has urged the government to offer young offenders a “second chance to start anew” and to introduce legal provisions to help those with minor criminal records pursue their careers. In his Easter message on Thursday, Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan also encouraged authorities to reduce the use of key performance […]

NANCHANG, April 2 (Xinhua) -- William Shakespeare's King Lear is often associated with the grand theaters of London's West End or New York's Broadway. But on a winter night in Leping, a county-level city in east China's Jiangxi Province, the tragic king takes an unexpected form as Li Er, brought to life through Ganju, a centuries-old local opera […]

Hong Kong’s CLP Power is distributing HK$100 (US$13) consumption coupons to about 600,000 eligible customers, including elderly people receiving concessionary tariffs, using HK$60 million from the company’s Community Energy Saving Fund. The initiative follows the power company’s earlier announcement that it would raise its fuel cost adjustment (FCA) […]

An 89-year-old Hong Kong man has been rescued after he was discovered clinging to the exterior wall of a care home in To Kwa Wan following a fall from a second-floor window. Care home staff filed a report with police at around 8am on Thursday, stating the man was hanging off the building at the intersection of Lok Shan Road and Ma Tau Wai Road. The force […]

New Delhi [India], April 2 (ANI): Delhi Public Works Department Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh on Wednesday, April 1, initiated the phased removal of 1.4 lakh Chinese-origin CCTV cameras installed across the city during the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) tenure.Under PWD, a total of 2,74,389 CCTV cameras were installed in two major phases -- 1,40,000 in Phase 1 […]

This article was first published on April 3, 1986. By Jerry Norton Debut-day is full of contradictions Considering the historic nature of yesterday’s share market trading, a strong rally might have seemed appropriate. Instead, the first session in the new unified stock exchange saw prices finish sharply down from Thursday’s close. But most brokers still […]

Hong Kong’s property transactions crossed 7,000 for the sixth consecutive month in March – the first time in four years that monthly volumes stayed above this level – despite a slight fall last month, according to official data. Residential transactions declined by about 5.3 per cent to 6,316 from a month earlier, while their month-on-month value […]

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. An independent committee investigating the cause of Hong Kong’s deadliest inferno in decades wrapped up its first round of hearing sessions on Thursday, with the role of the property management firm at blaze-hit Wang […]

(Photo credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images)Top-seeded Jessica Pegula held off a stiff challenge from Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva and rallied for a 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 win in the second round of the Credit One Charleston Open on Wednesday in Charleston, S.C.The match featured a whopping 37 break points, with Pegula converting seven of her 18 chances while […]

Thousands ran a peach blossom-themed 10K in Yangshan, Wuxi, blending sport with rural tourism. The scenic race drew 5,000 runners and boosted local business, showcasing how events can drive agriculture, culture and economic revitalization.by sportswriter He LeijingNANJING, April 2 (Xinhua) -- On a brisk spring morning, thousands of runners in […]

John Hau, a 66-year-old Hongkonger, was frustrated by the government’s decision to revamp the HK$2 (26 US cents) transport subsidy scheme. The discount allowed him to pay just HK$4 to make the round-trip rail commute from his home in Sham Shui Po in Kowloon to Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island, where he works as a security guard at a hotel. From Friday, he […]

(260402) -- HONG KONG, April 2, 2026 (Xinhua) -- John Lee, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, speaks at the opening ceremony of the 4th Women Power Forum in Hong Kong, south China, April 1, 2026. The 4th Women Power Forum held here on Wednesday convened 380 representatives from 27 countries worldwide for dialogues on pushing […]

(260402) -- ROME, April 2, 2026 (Xinhua) -- People visit the exhibition "Metamorphosis" in Baths of Diocletian of the National Roman Museum in Rome, Italy, April 1, 2026. The exhibition presents the contemporary Chinese artist Wu Jian'an's reflection on the theme of transformation through a dialogue between Eastern and Western traditions. (Xinhua/Wang […]

A major feature of Hong Kong’s legal profession is the division between barristers and solicitors. Barristers specialise in court work and legal advice relating to litigation, and can generally only be engaged through a solicitor. Solicitors provide a broader range of legal services, covering both contentious and non-contentious matters. Some solicitors […]

Hong Kong is preparing its own medium-term development blueprint alongside China’s coming 15th five-year plan, which officials have described as a “golden strategic period” for the city. This is more than a procedural shift. For the first time, Hong Kong is attempting to align its policy cycle in advance with national planning priorities, yet […]

TAIYUAN, 2nd April, 2026 (WAM) -- Four people who had been trapped following a coal mine accident in Shanxi Province in northern China were confirmed dead early Thursday, according to local authorities.The incident occurred in Xingxian County in Shanxi at 21:15 on Wednesday, when a roof collapse in the coal mine trapped four individuals, whose bodies were […]

VIENTIANE, April 2 (Xinhua) -- At 7 a.m., before the morning mist had lifted, villagers of Hatkeep village in northern Laos' Luang Prabang province carried buckets to the local water supply station. As they turned on the taps, clear water gushed out. The buckets were glittering with light, reflecting the villagers' contented smiles."This water is so clean […]

Shortly before the evening rush hour recently, chaos erupted at Hong Kong’s Wu Kai Sha MTR station when a wild boar stormed through the concourse. The animal, about 1.2 metres long and weighing around 40kg, knocked down an elderly man. The charging boar left a trail of blood on the station floor, injuring three other residents in a frenzied dash towards a […]

Taipei [Taiwan], April 1 (ANI): The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) called on Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairwoman Cheng Li-wun to seriously acknowledge the pressure and coercion exerted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on Taiwan, refrain from supporting its political agenda, and avoid its 'united front' strategies designed to create internal […]

Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) [India] April 1 (ANI): Tibetan monk Dargye, who was detained and forcibly taken away by Chinese police from Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, on August 5, 2021, was secretly handed a seven-year prison sentence, according to a report by Tibet Times (TT). The Chinese authorities accused Dargye of performing prayers and making […]

By Amrashree MishraNew Delhi [India], April 1 (ANI): With Pakistan pushing for a mediation role in the West Asia conflict which has entered the second month, former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria has said that Islamabad has been chosen as a messenger for yet another US manoeuvre to keep channels open with Iran and this would not be the […]

TOKYO, Japan: Japan's deployed its first long-range missile at a southwestern army camp, officials said on March 31. With the country pushing to bolster its offensive capabilities, the upgraded Type-12 land-to-ship missiles, developed and produced by Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, became operational at Camp Kengun in Kumamoto prefecture. Japan's […]

At the Umbeluzi Agricultural Station in Maputo Province, Mozambique, vast rice fields have entered the harvest season. The site is a comprehensive rice production base jointly established by the fourth batch of Chinese agricultural experts assisting Mozambique and the Mozambique Agricultural Research Institute.MAPUTO, April 1 (Xinhua) -- At the Umbeluzi […]

(260401) -- BEIJING, April 1, 2026 (Xinhua) -- People enjoy the spring break at an agricultural expo park in Jurong, east China's Jiangsu Province, April 1, 2026. As spring blossoms across China, primary and secondary school students in several regions are set for their first-ever spring break, which will see them heading beyond the classroom to travel and […]

A housewife in Hong Kong has lost nearly HK$2.5 million (US$320,500) in an online shopping scam after she tried to buy collagen drinks for HK$530, according to police. The victim saw a Facebook post advertising collagen drinks and transferred HK$530 via Faster Payment System, police said on their CyberDefender Facebook page. The seller later claimed the […]

HEFEI, April 1 (Xinhua) -- When a newborn stirred in the night, a sensor clipped to the edge of the diaper quietly went to work, sniffing, sensing and logging data.Within minutes, the caregiver's wristband buzzed and received the latest information about the baby, including the need to change the diaper and the infant's upset stomach.This gadget, jointly […]

(260401) -- MAPUTO, April 1, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Li Yuhao (R), a rice and agro-processing expert with the fourth batch of Chinese agricultural experts assisting Mozambique, explains rice cultivation techniques to a local agricultural technician at the Umbeluzi Agricultural Station in Maputo Province, Mozambique, March 19, 2026. TO GO WITH "Feature: Chinese […]

(260401) -- JOHANNESBURG, April 1, 2026 (Xinhua) -- South African Minister of Trade, Industry, and Competition Parks Tau speaks to the media during the sixth South African Investment Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, March 31, 2026. TO GO WITH "South Africa welcomes Chinese investment to boost economic development, says minister" (Xinhua/Chen Wei)

(260401) -- CHENGDU, April 1, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, learns about the development of the hydro-wind-photovoltaic multi-energy power base at Yalong River Hydropower Development Company, Ltd. in southwest China's Sichuan […]

Staff at the property management company at Hong Kong’s inferno-ravaged Wang Fuk Court housing estate acted with disregard for legal requirements, taking such actions as deactivating the fire safety system despite knowing they needed a registered contractor to do so, an evidential hearing has been told. Victor Dawes, lead counsel for an independent […]