China

Hong Kong’s hygiene authorities are investigating two officers caught smoking in public while in uniform, an act that is strictly prohibited, adding that such behaviour will result in disciplinary action. A viral clip circulating on social media platform Threads shows two men in uniform smoking cigarettes in what appears to be a back alley during […]

Hong Kong authorities have slashed the time required for environmental impact assessments by up to half using artificial intelligence, with an official saying that AI adoption reduced wait times for some public services by up to 90 per cent. The first batch of 30 projects aimed at enhancing efficiency was announced on Monday. It involves 13 government […]

(260817) -- BEIJING, Aug. 17, 2026 (Xinhua) -- A grand gathering is held to commemorate the birth centenary of late leader Jiang Zemin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 17, 2026. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- China is leveraging nationwide capabilities to forge a locally tailored but nationally coordinated AI industry landscape to generate fresh momentum for broader commercial deployment.The latest economic data from the 31 provincial-level regions presents an overall artificial intelligence sector featuring the surging demand for AI […]

HEFEI, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese researchers have unveiled an upgraded version of "Fengshu" 2.0, a vertical large model tailored for soybean science, at a national symposium on soybean research, according to Anhui Agricultural University in Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province.The model is expected to facilitate data-assisted breeding of […]

A Hong Kong court has dismissed an appeal by a senior police officer against his 6½-year jail sentence for fraudulently securing more than HK$26 million (US$3.3 million) in mortgages by concealing his affiliation with the force. In a written judgment delivered on Monday, the Court of Appeal upheld Superintendent Harbour Chan Hoi-kong’s conviction on two […]

Hong Kong’s sports sector helped to generate an extra HK$46 billion (US$5.9 billion) in value for the economy in 2024, the year local athletes clinched two gold and two bronze Olympic medals, with a lawmaker calling for targeted policies to build on that success. The Census and Statistics Department on Monday released an analysis of contributions to Hong […]

(260817) -- BEIJING, Aug. 17, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Tourists visit a scenic spot for summer retreat in Lichuan City, Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, central China's Hubei Province, July 26, 2026. TO GO WITH "China Focus: China unfolds AI landscape with diversified local strengths" (Photo by Zheng Gaofeng/Xinhua)

BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- China's fixed-asset investment dropped 6.7 percent year on year in the first seven months of 2026, official data showed on Monday.Investment totaled around 26 trillion yuan (about 3.84 trillion U.S. dollars) during this period, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said in a statement.Excluding the property sector, the […]

China's decades-long efforts to curb desertification have paid off, with wind erosion across the country's eight major deserts and four major sandy lands declining by about 40 percent since 2000. Produced by Xinhua Global Service

After decades of sustained efforts, China has made concrete progress in combating desertification.During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), China rehabilitated 10.1 million hectares of sandy land.Produced by Xinhua Global Service

Hong Kong recorded about 4.5 million visitor arrivals in July, up 3 per cent from a year earlier, as major international conventions boosted business travel while bad weather weighed on growth from mainland China, according to the Tourism Board. The board said on Monday that a series of major international meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions […]

(260817) -- NEW DELHI, Aug. 17, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Wang Zhiyi of China celebrates after winning the women's singles round of 64 match against Beiwen Zhang of the United States at the 2026 BWF World Championships in New Delhi, India, Aug. 17, 2026. (Xinhua/Javed Dar)

This article was first published on August 18, 1971. Ferry disaster: no hope for missing crew by T. S. Koo A large but undetermined number of the crew of the Hongkong-Macao ferry Fatshan, including her master and senior British officers, were feared drowned when she capsized off Lantao during the typhoon early yesterday (August 17, 1971). So far four […]

A Taiwan-based streaming platform has removed Japanese anime series Chainsmoker Cat for Hong Kong audiences because the programme is in breach of the city’s ban on online smoking advertisements. Animation Crazy, a streaming platform launched by Bahamut, a Taiwanese internet forum and news website, said on Monday that it recently received a letter from […]

(260817) -- RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 17, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Musicians perform during a concert marking the 52nd anniversary of China-Brazil diplomatic relations at the Forte de Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aug. 16, 2026. The concert was held here on Sunday. (Xinhua/Jin Haoyuan)

(260817) -- ULAN BATOR, Aug. 17, 2026 (Xinhua) -- This photo taken on Aug. 17, 2026 shows the China pavilion at the 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Ulan Bator, capital of Mongolia. The UNCCD COP17 officially opened here on Monday.   Held under the theme "Restoring […]

(260817) -- SANTIAGO, Aug. 17, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Zhang Yijia (front) of China cries after the bronze final match between China and Chinese Taipei at the FIVB Volleyball Girls' U17 World Championship in Santiago, Chile, Aug. 16, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhou Jiayi)

PRNewswireSingapore, August 17: DayOne Data Centers Limited ('DayOne'), a Singapore-headquartered global digital infrastructure platform, today launched Singapore's first Biological Data Center Prototype in collaboration with Cortical Labs and the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore ('NUS Medicine'). The milestone advances the […]

New Delhi [India], August 17 (ANI): AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday questioned the Centre over the situation along the India-China border in Arunachal Pradesh, asking whether the People's Liberation Army (PLA) had recently obstructed Indian Army patrols and established a presence in an area where Indian forces had earlier been […]

Hong Kong innovators have won the top prize, eight special awards and 35 medals at a major international invention competition in Silicon Valley, with a solar-powered fertiliser production system claiming the event’s highest honour. The city’s delegation secured 22 gold and 13 silver medals at the Silicon Valley International Invention Festival (SVIIF), […]

Five people have been injured after a taxi and three private cars collided on Tsing Kwai Highway in Hong Kong. Police said the four vehicles crashed on the Kowloon-bound carriageway near Lai King MTR station at 8.40am on Monday, leaving four men and one woman with minor injuries. The Fire Services Department said all five injured people were taken to […]

Hong Kong will hold two more drills later this month at the revamped Huanggang border crossing, with up to 20,000 civil servants to be involved in testing the new immigration clearance gates under “harsher scenarios”, according to the city’s security chief. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said on Monday that authorities had identified […]

New Delhi [India], August 17 (ANI): While India's telecom and network equipment (TANE) sector has strong growth potential, heavy import dependence, especially on China--underscores the need for urgent policy support to boost domestic manufacturing and exports that will likely double the sector's GDP share and position India as a USD 50 billion export hub by […]

A Hong Kong merchant has been jailed for five years and four months for attempting to murder his wife and three daughters by burning charcoal in their public rental flat after struggling to repay debts totalling nearly HK$900,000 (US$115,000). The High Court on Monday sentenced Wong Pak-ting in what the presiding judge described as a “tragic” case. The […]

MOSCOW, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- If Global South countries can draw on China's experience to achieve rapid development breakthroughs, they can better address their domestic challenges, said Dmitry Novikov, deputy chairman of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF)."The faster the entire Global South develops in line with China's experience, the […]

The operator of a Hong Kong “maid cafe” has been arrested for allegedly molesting a 14-year-old employee multiple times, beginning on her first day at work. Police said on Monday that the operator, a 35-year-old man surnamed Cheung, was arrested on Saturday on suspicion of molesting a girl under 16 at the cafe in Mong Kok’s Dundas Square. Officers […]

by Xinhua writers Liu Yinglun, Zheng JingxiaHONG KONG, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- British national Greg Lowden relocated back to Hong Kong last year as regional head of communications for Asia and the Middle East at HSBC, after a two-year stint that ended in 2023. This time, he hopes to stay for good in the company's home market."For me, Hong Kong offers a winning […]

New postsFeatured entry02:57Hormuz Traffic Grinds To Near Halt Again As Talks StallData showed that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed over the weekend as attacks continued in the important waterway and as talks stalled between Washington and Tehran on ways to end the crisis.Shiptracking data from Kpler showed that five commodity vessels transited […]

(260817) -- BUDAPEST, Aug. 17, 2026 (Xinhua) -- A team member of Spain competes during the Team Free final of the World Aquatics Junior Artistic Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Aug. 16, 2026. (Photo by David Balogh/Xinhua)

(260817) -- BUDAPEST, Aug. 17, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Zakhar Trofimov of Russia performs during the Men's Solo Free Final of the World Aquatics Junior Artistic Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Aug. 16, 2026. (Photo by David Balogh/Xinhua)

(260817) -- BUDAPEST, Aug. 17, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Zhou Kunyi of China performs during the Women's Solo Free Final of the World Aquatics Junior Artistic Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Aug. 16, 2026. (Photo by David Balogh/Xinhua)

TAIYUAN, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- England's Mark Selby defeated Thailand's Noppon Saengkham 10-6 to win the 2026 World Snooker Tour China Open here on Sunday.After the first session in which two players were deadlocked at 4-4, Selby pulled ahead 8-4 in the second.Saengkham pulled one frame back, but Selby staged a dramatic comeback to move 9-5 ahead. Saengkham […]

(260817) -- AMSTELVEEN, Aug. 17, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Yang Liu (C) of China competes during the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 women's Pool D match between China and India in Amstelveen, the Netherlands, Aug 16, 2026. (Photo by Sylvia Lederer/Xinhua)

JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- The growing favorability toward China in many parts of the world can be partly understood through the human dimension of its development experience, said Michael Mbewe, a journalist at Channel Africa International of the South African Broadcasting Corporation.Mbewe, who recently took part in an African mainstream media […]

Taipei [Taiwan], August 17 (ANI): Taiwan detected one sortie of Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, nine vessels belonging to the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), and seven official ships operating around the island on Monday (local time).In an X post, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence said that a single PLA aircraft sortie entered […]

It made perfect sense for Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu to hold public consultations on both the city’s first five-year plan and the last policy address of his current term at the same time. Many have been putting forward views that warrant serious consideration. It is clear that Lee needs to be bolder when it comes to the “new chapter” […]

KUNMING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Under the summer sun, Erhai Lake in southwest China's Yunnan Province glistens thanks to its clear blue water dotted with floating white blossoms. Tourists stroll and cycle around the spot, where limpid waters, lush mountains and blooming flowers combine in weaving a picturesque scene.The delicate blossom seen floating there is […]

The percentage of non-Chinese-speaking students who sat Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) exams and were admitted to the city’s public universities has remained persistently low over the past five academic years, with no clear signs of a change in sight. Veteran educators who teach such pupils, classified by the government as NCS students, […]

Hong Kong homebuyers flocked to the first batch of units at a major residential project in the Northern Metropolis with 44 – or more than half – of the 82 flats made available via regular sale finding buyers as of 7.30pm on Sunday, according to agents. Wheelock Properties’ Park Silicon project in Kwu Tung North also sold eight units via tender worth […]

Middle East turmoil gives Russia cover on its southern flankRussia has historically protected itself across several fronts by maintaining buffer states along the borders it shared with threatening powers. These states didn't necessarily have to like Russia, much less become its allies, but their usefulness lay in causing even greater problems for Russia's […]

Middle East turmoil gives Russia cover on its southern flankRussia has historically protected itself across several fronts by maintaining buffer states along the borders it shared with threatening powers. These states didn't necessarily have to like Russia, much less become its allies, but their usefulness lay in causing even greater problems for Russia's […]

Middle East turmoil gives Russia cover on its southern flankRussia has historically protected itself across several fronts by maintaining buffer states along the borders it shared with threatening powers. These states didn't necessarily have to like Russia, much less become its allies, but their usefulness lay in causing even greater problems for Russia's […]

New York [US] August 16 (ANI): A Tibetan delegation, accompanied by two family members of late Tibetan independence activist Lobga Rangzen, met with United Nations Human Rights Council Special Representative Anne Siyota at the United Nations and urged the international rights body to take more decisive action over the deteriorating human rights situation in […]