Hong Kong Taps Banks, Lawyers and Crypto Firms to Help Rewrite Rules for Tokenised Bonds
Hong Kong’s monetary authority has created a 21‑member Tokenised Bond Expert Group that brings together leading banks, law firms, market‑infrastructure providers and digital‑asset companies. The panel’s first meeting in May focused on untangling legal and regulatory obstacles to tokenised bond issuance and trading. HKMA says the group’s feedback will shape forthcoming rule changes aimed at cementing Hong Kong’s position as a regional hub for tokenised fixed‑income products. The initiative follows three government‑backed tokenised bond pilots, including the world’s first tokenised green sovereign bond.
China, South Korea Boost Commercial Flights as Tourism Increases Between the 2 Countries
South Korea will raise weekly passenger flights to China from 608 to 664 and cargo slots from 54 to 68, the first capacity increase since before COVID‑19. The move follows a tourism surge, with 1.4 million Chinese visitors to Korea in...
Direct Hong Kong-Almaty Flights May Cut Travel Time by 10 Hours, Draw Tourists
Cathay Pacific will launch three weekly direct flights between Hong Kong and Almaty in the first quarter of next year, using Airbus A330‑300 aircraft. The route cuts travel time to roughly seven hours, shaving up to ten hours off current itineraries...
Direct Flights Between Hong Kong and Uzbekistan to Launch This Year, Sources Say
Hong Kong will launch a direct flight to Uzbekistan’s capital, Tashkent, later this year, as officials negotiate a reciprocal 30‑day visa‑free stay. The new route aims to deepen trade, tourism, and cultural ties between the city and Central Asia. Airline...
Chinese Robot Helps Children with Nerve Disorder Stand up for the First Time
Researchers from Beihang University, Peking University Third Hospital and MIT have demonstrated that a lightweight, resistive knee‑wearable robot can help children with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) regain the ability to stand. In a six‑week study, six Chinese children aged six...
China Clears Brazilian Beef of Foot-and-Mouth Disease, but Quota Limits Profits
Brazil has been recognized by China as free of foot‑and‑mouth disease across the entire country, overturning previous regional restrictions. The clearance opens access to premium beef cuts, bone‑in meat, offal and pharmaceutical‑grade bovine gallstones. However, a three‑year safeguard limits Brazilian...
Hong Kong NGO Offers HK$30,000 to Tai Po Fire Victims Who Transfer Property
Hong Kong’s largest charity, the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, will provide a HK$30,000 (US$3,827) relocation allowance to each Tai Po fire victim who transfers their property title to the government. The scheme, backed by a HK$30 million (≈US$3.8 million) fund, aims to...
Hong Kong Considers New Offshore Yuan Venture Fund for Tech, Emerging Industries
Hong Kong’s finance chief announced plans for a new offshore renminbi venture capital fund aimed at channeling yuan‑denominated capital into cutting‑edge technology and emerging sectors such as AI, biotech and green energy. The initiative aligns with China’s 15th five‑year plan...
Hong Kong Cuts Emergency Mobile Alert Activation Time From 1 Hour to 15 Minutes
Hong Kong has cut the activation time for its Emergency Alert System from an hour to 15 minutes and added the ability to send messages to specific districts. The HK$150 million (US$19 million) platform, launched in 2020, has only been used once—to...
Trump Ordered to Address Fraud Claims in IRS Case that Led to ‘Slush Fund’ for Allies
A federal judge ordered President Donald Trump to answer fraud allegations tied to a $1.8 billion settlement that created a DOJ‑fund for alleged IRS victims. Trump’s lawyers have until June 12 to respond to a request from 35 former federal judges to...
Tariffs, War and Broken Trust: Southeast Asia’s Trump Problem
Southeast Asian nations are growing weary of President Trump’s erratic policies, from steep tariffs on regional steel and aluminum to unpredictable military commitments that treat allies as bargaining chips. The resulting loss of trust has accelerated a strategic pivot toward...
Why the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Isn’t Nato for Iran
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) remains a political‑economic bloc rather than a NATO‑style military alliance, especially for its Central Asian members. These states view the SCO as a mechanism to safeguard sovereignty and manage regional issues like water security, not...
How Will South Korean Nuclear Submarines Alter Underwater Balance Near First Island Chain?
South Korea announced plans to field its first nuclear‑powered submarine by the mid‑2030s, with delivery slated for the late 2030s. The vessels will use low‑enriched uranium and be built domestically, marking a shift from the earlier U.S.‑approved Philadelphia shipyard plan....
Hegseth at Asia Defence Gathering, China-EU Tensions, Computex
U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth will address the Shangri‑La Dialogue in Singapore, Asia’s premier security forum, where Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun is absent for the second consecutive year. The roster includes defence ministers from Australia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand and Qatar,...
Europe Plans Tougher Response to China Shock 2.0
The European Commission will adopt a tougher stance on Chinese imports at a key meeting on Friday. It is considering a diversification rule that would require firms in strategic sectors to source from at least three suppliers across two or...
Hong Kong to Set up International Commercial Court to Tackle Major Cross-Border Disputes
Hong Kong announced the creation of an International Commercial Court as a new division of its High Court. The court will adjudicate major cross‑border commercial disputes, with panels that combine local judges and international legal experts. The move is part...
Chinese Scientists Use Supercomputer to Cut New Drug Screening Time From Years to Seconds
Chinese researchers have launched GalaxyVS, an AI‑driven drug‑discovery platform that leverages the Tianhe supercomputer to screen up to 100 billion chemical compounds in seconds. The system achieves a daily throughput of 16 trillion molecular dockings, a million‑fold speed increase over the previous...
China Unveils Auto Industry Blueprint to Set EV, AI Vehicle and Semiconductor Standards
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology unveiled a sweeping regulatory blueprint during the 15th Five‑Year Plan to establish standards for electric vehicles, AI‑driven cars, automotive chips, batteries and autonomous‑driving safety. The plan calls for finalising a national standards system,...
China’s Drug Regulator Clears Wave of Home-Grown Innovative Medicines Amid Biotech Boom
China’s National Medical Products Administration has approved 19 innovative drugs this year, with domestic firms accounting for 15 of them, highlighting a rapid biotech surge. The regulator recently overhauled its approval pathway to speed market entry for home‑grown medicines. Leading...
Hong Kong Woman Duped Out of HK$1 Million by Fake AI Investment App
Hong Kong police say a woman lost more than HK$1 million (≈US$128,000) after a fraudulent AI‑powered cryptocurrency app convinced her to transfer funds. The scam started with a Facebook ad, moved her to a WhatsApp group, and prompted an initial HK$80,000...
Indonesia’s Offer to Host US Military Aircraft Repair Hub Tests Non-Aligned Foreign Policy
Indonesia has agreed to host a U.S.‑proposed maintenance, repair and overhaul hub for Lockheed C‑130 Hercules aircraft at the under‑used Kertajati airport, creating Southeast Asia’s first such facility. The defence ministry frames the project as a commercial partnership that respects...
What a US Defence Industry Trip to Taiwan Says About Taipei’s Efforts to Overhaul Military
A 41‑member delegation of senior U.S. defense executives landed in Taipei for a four‑day mission to deepen cooperation with Taiwan’s military modernization. Led by retired General Charles Flynn, the group will meet senior Taiwanese officials, tour innovation centers, and participate...
In Beijing, the US and China Tiptoed Around Tech and Critical Minerals
The Xi‑Trump summit in Beijing marked a noticeably friendlier tone, signaling the start of a tentative US‑China reconciliation. Both sides agreed to establish separate boards to oversee bilateral trade and investment, though limited to non‑sensitive sectors. Recent court rulings have...
24 Injured After Double-Decker KMB Bus Crashes Into Highway Maintenance Truck
A KMB double‑decker bus on route 960 collided with a highway maintenance truck on Hong Kong’s Tsing Kwai Highway on Monday afternoon, injuring 24 people including the driver and 23 passengers. The crash occurred near Princess Margaret Hospital at 2:05 pm,...
Hongkongers Praise Astronaut Lai Ka-Ying at Send-Off Ceremony in Jiuquan
Hong Kong’s first astronaut, police superintendent Lai Ka‑ying, joined the Shenzhou‑23 crew for a launch from Jiuquan, drawing enthusiastic cheers from Hongkongers at the send‑off ceremony. Lai, the fourth Chinese woman in space and the mission’s payload specialist, will spend...
New Zealand to Invest Almost US$1 Billion in Drones, Ships to Protect Maritime Security
New Zealand will spend about NZ$1.6 billion (≈US$936 million) on new drones, ship maintenance and naval upgrades to strengthen maritime security. The plan includes long‑duration ISR drones for the Southwest Pacific and polar‑capable drones that can launch from vessels in the Southern Ocean....
Cuba Clash, Putin Visits Beijing, Xi May Go to North Korea
China and Russia condemned the United States on Thursday for filing criminal charges against former Cuban president Raul Castro, accusing Washington of weaponising sanctions against Havana. The U.S. indictment ties Castro and five others to a 1996 aircraft shoot‑down, while the...
Chinese and Dutch Scientists Turn Corn to Sustainable Plastic, Inspired by Spider Silk
Scientists from China and the Netherlands have developed a corn‑protein biopolymer, dubbed “plantymer,” using a spider‑silk‑inspired processing technique. The material, derived from the protein zein, achieves silk‑like rigidity and effective moisture and oxygen barriers while degrading up to 80 % within...
US to Send Typhon, Himars Missile Systems to Japan for Drills Amid China Tensions
The United States will send its Typhon mid‑range missile launcher and HIMARS rocket system to Japan’s Kanoya Airbase for the Valiant Shield and Orient Shield exercises from June to September. The Typhon can fire Tomahawk cruise missiles up to 1,600 km...
As War Engulfs the Middle East, China’s Xinjiang Is Thriving with Future Tech
Amid the Middle East conflict disrupting oil and chemical flows, China is accelerating its coal‑chemical expansion in Xinjiang. A 15,500 sq m industrial complex is under construction in the Gobi Desert to modernise coal mining and integrate advanced technologies. The project is...
China Hails Latest Breakthrough on Space Solar Power Technology
Chinese researchers have demonstrated a wireless power transmission system that can beam kilowatt‑level energy to multiple moving targets at the same time. The ground‑based test mimics the dynamics of an orbiting platform, marking a tangible step toward space‑based solar power...
Despite Summit Pledges, Don’t Expect US-China Trade to Improve
At a Beijing summit, U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged a stable, constructive relationship and unveiled joint trade and investment councils, sparking optimism for easing long‑standing tensions. Yet recent U.S. actions—including an investigation into revoking China’s...
Forget Cellular Data: China’s Telecoms Giants Are Selling AI Token Plans
China Telecom has launched nationwide AI token subscription plans, pricing the service in units called tokens rather than traditional data. Consumer packages begin at ¥9.9 (≈$1.45) for 10 million tokens, while business tiers reach ¥299.9 (≈$44) for 250 million tokens, bundling access...
Hong Kong’s CUHK Aims to Bring AI to Life with Humanoid-Focused Robotics Lab
The Chinese University of Hong Kong has opened the Hong Kong Embodied AI Lab, the city’s first full‑stack interactive robotics facility, under the InnoHK initiative. The lab partners with 24 tech firms—mostly mainland Chinese—to develop humanoid robots, upgraded AI‑powered robotic...
Hong Kong Court Confiscates HK$674,860 From 3 Defendants in Terrorism Trial
Hong Kong’s High Court ordered the confiscation of more than HK$674,860 (approximately US$86,000) from three defendants linked to the ‘Dragon Slaying Brigade.’ The court ruled the money was raised to fund a 2019 plot to kill police during anti‑government protests,...
A Sinking Ship? Why the EU and China Could Be Heading for a Trade War
Tensions between the European Union and China escalated at a recent Beijing conference, where both sides traded accusations of protectionism and bullying. The EU’s forthcoming Industrial Accelerator Act would force Chinese high‑tech investors to form joint ventures, hire locally and...
Canada Takes Key Step Towards New Oil Pipeline to Serve Asia Markets
Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith cleared a major hurdle for a new oil pipeline aimed at Asian markets by signing an industrial carbon‑pricing deal. The agreement sets a carbon fee that will rise to C$130 (US$96)...
Why Stability Must Come Before Denuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula
North Korea has intensified its deterrence posture after recent U.S. strikes on Iran, tightening security around its leadership and accelerating missile launches. The regime believes its roughly 50 nuclear warheads place the peninsula beyond the reach of conventional military pressure....
US Senate Warns of China’s Nuclear Capabilities Hours Before Xi-Trump Summit
A Senate Armed Services Committee hearing warned that China is undergoing an unprecedented nuclear expansion, citing hundreds of new missile silos, mobile launchers and bomber development. The briefing came hours before President Trump’s two‑day summit with Xi Jinping, where the...
EU Rejects Putin’s Idea of Role for Ex-German Leader in Future Security Talks
European Union foreign ministers in Brussels rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin's suggestion that former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder serve as a negotiator in future security talks with Moscow. Putin claimed the war in Ukraine was winding down and offered Schröder as...
South Korea Cautious on Blaming Iran for Ship Strike Ahead of US-China Summit
South Korea is withholding a formal accusation that Iran attacked the HMM Namu after two airborne objects struck the vessel off the United Arab Emirates on May 4. The government says it needs more evidence and prefers to wait until after...
Why Is Beijing on a Stronger Footing to Discuss Taiwan with Trump This Time?
Beijing believes it holds greater leverage on Taiwan as President Trump prepares to meet Xi Jinping, a contrast to the more confrontational tone of his first term. Analyst Wu Yongping says Trump now needs Chinese cooperation on trade, tariffs and...
Meet Hiroshi Suzuki, the Japanese Envoy Showing Britons How to Love Britain
Japan’s ambassador to Britain, Hiroshi Suzuki, has turned diplomacy into a social‑media phenomenon. Since arriving in November 2024, he has amassed over 220,000 followers by posting videos of himself singing the Welsh anthem, trying regional dialects, and pairing British treats with...
AI Disinformation? Singapore Accused in Pro-China Videos of Being ‘Ungrateful’
Singapore has become the subject of Chinese‑language videos that accuse it of being ungrateful to China and aligning with the United States. Experts say the clips are likely AI‑generated deepfakes, noting inconsistencies in voice synthesis and visual artifacts. The videos...
Panda Power: Pakistan to Tap China Debt Market with First Sale of Yuan-Priced Notes
Pakistan will issue up to $250 million of yuan‑denominated panda bonds, the first tranche of a $1 billion program, with AIIB and ADB guaranteeing 95% of the debt. The three‑year sustainable‑development notes aim to tap lower Chinese borrowing costs after Pakistan raised...
Taiwan’s Cheng Li-Wun on Cross-Strait Peace, Meeting Xi Jinping and Managing Ties with US
KMT chair Cheng Li‑wun met Xi Jinping in Beijing, reaffirming the 1992 consensus and stressing a “century of peace” that can survive Taiwan’s political swings. She warned that the DPP’s push for de‑Sinicisation heightens the risk of conflict and argued the KMT...
Why the UAE’s Opec Exit Spells the Beginning of the End of Gulf Unity
On April 28 the United Arab Emirates gave OPEC a three‑day notice and left the cartel, citing security considerations rather than production quotas. The move follows a growing security realignment with the United States and Israel, highlighted by Israel’s deployment of...
Turning the Tables: How 3 Hong Kong Mothers Are Spinning Trauma Into Hope as DJs
Hong Kong mothers Holy Lee, May Chen and Carrie Lam have transformed personal trauma into professional disc‑jockey careers through the Club Soul Good social enterprise. After years of abuse, mental‑health struggles and single‑parenting, they were introduced to vinyl mixing by...
Is Hong Kong’s Cultural Hub of West Kowloon Emerging as ‘Central 2.0’?
Hong Kong’s West Kowloon is being positioned as a “Central 2.0” office hub, with new Grade A towers attracting major banks such as UBS, JPMorgan Chase and Banco Santander. The International Gateway Centre and Artist Square Towers together will deliver roughly 2.6 million sq ft of premium...
China TV Variety Show Exposes Scam Linking ‘Peace’ Sign Selfies to Privacy Risks
A Chinese workplace reality show revealed that fingerprints can be extracted from peace‑sign selfies taken within 1.5 metres, and up to half of the ridge detail remains recoverable at three metres after AI enhancement. The program demonstrated image‑editing tools making finger...