Across Asia’s densest cities, the milestones of adulthood are quietly shifting. Couples share kitchens with parents. Some wait years on public housing lists. Others secure a flat before thinking about a ring. In some cases, keys come before vows. Increasingly, love moves in step with property. Square footage, mortgage approvals and ballot results shape decisions…
The United States’ women are already preparing to defend their Olympic foil team gold in Los Angeles in 2028, head coach Ralf Bissdorf said on Sunday, after his young side finished third in the World Cup event in Hong Kong. Defeat to France in the semi-finals kept the Americans outside the top two for the…
More Hongkongers are travelling over the Christmas holiday period compared with last year, with traditional destinations in Japan remaining popular despite geopolitical tensions, and mainland Chinese cities such as Harbin and Yunnan gaining appeal. Some industry insiders said Japan remained popular among Hong Kong travellers despite recent news of earthquakes and a geopolitical row between…
China is estimated to have secured more than half of the 12 million tonnes of soybeans that Washington says Beijing committed to purchase by early 2026, based on US government data and market conventions that analysts say usually indicate China, though little has been shipped so far, heightening concerns over potential cancellations. While the US…
Chinese authorities have intercepted 430kg (948lbs) of cocaine aided by tip-offs by the United States, a sign of possible progress on the issue following an agreement on counternarcotics cooperation reached by the leaders of the two countries in October. Chinese authorities had found the drug in an international container at the Yantian port in Shenzhen,…
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s designation of Washington-Beijing ties as “G2” carries a “deeply problematic” meaning that sidelines United States’ allies and partners in the region, a US lawmaker has stated in a letter. “This term carries deeply problematic connotations of depicting the United States and PRC [the People’s Republic of China] as coequal and…
The first test for a much-celebrated US–China trade truce is looming. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hopes to finalise a rare earth deal by next week’s Thanksgiving holiday, but experts say a breakthrough is unlikely as the two sides maintain sharply different narratives of what was discussed and agreed on key issues. From rare earths…
A senior US Democrat is urging the Commerce Department to investigate four Chinese semiconductor firms potentially tied to Dutch chipmaker Nexperia, warning they could threaten the safety and reliability of components used in cars across the US and its allies. The request marks the latest twist in the turmoil surrounding the Chinese-owned firm, which has…
When Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump met in Busan, South Korea, on October 30, they spent nearly two hours discussing rare earths, fentanyl and trade. Taiwan, the one issue most likely to bring the world’s two largest powers into direct conflict, never came up. That silence was the message. It revealed…
“The assertions and innuendos in the article are completely false,” an Alibaba representative said. “We question the motivation behind the anonymous leak, which the FT admits that they cannot verify.” The Alibaba representative called the article a “malicious PR operation” that appears to “undermine President Trump’s recent trade deal with China”. Hangzhou-based Alibaba owns the…