Mapleforge News

South China Morning Post Fearing deflated China demand, US soybean growers pivot to new buyers and biofuel

US soybean growers are “adapting” to a steep decline in China-bound exports by selling to third countries and the American biofuel sector, compensating enough to cause only a small drop in production, according to a top trade association’s chief economist. In November, Beijing committed to buy at least 25 million tonnes of American soybeans annually through 2028, as part of an agreement reached after China stopped the purchases during US President Donald Trump’s trade war in early 2025. But just...

South China Morning Post Hong Kong’s subdivided flats are turning into heat traps. But what’s the fix?

Retiree Yang Fangxin’s 72 sq ft rooftop home, located on the ninth floor of a 62-year-old building in Sham Shui Po, has become a heat trap under Hong Kong’s scorching hot weather. The temperature in her home was above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) at around 5pm on Tuesday, higher than the 33 degrees recorded at the Hong Kong Observatory’s monitoring station in the same district. The temperature in her home only dropped slightly to 37.8 degrees after switching on two fans and an air...

South China Morning Post John Lee leads tributes as Zhu Rongji remembered for putting steel in Hong Kong’s spine

Hong Kong’s leader has expressed his profound sorrow over the death of former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji, paying tribute to him for supporting the city in challenging times including the 1997 Asian financial crisis. In a statement late on Wednesday night, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said he was sincerely grateful for Zhu’s care and support for Hong Kong’s economic and social development over the years, while noting his commitment to the “one country, two systems” governing principle. Zhu...

South China Morning Post How Africa is becoming a ‘strategic hub’ for Chinese industrial expansion

For decades, resource-rich African nations operated on a straightforward pit-to-ship model whereby foreign operators extracted raw ore, loaded it onto cargo ships and exported it abroad, leaving producer countries with little to show for it. Today, nations such as Zimbabwe, Namibia, Mozambique, Ghana and Guinea are dismantling that system – by banning exports of raw materials and enforcing local processing rules. These measures force international mining firms, including Chinese companies, to...

South China Morning Post Hong Kong college finance chief, wife and contractor held over HK$41m theft

The finance director of a private college in Hong Kong has been remanded in custody on suspicion of embezzling HK$41 million (US$5.2 million) over three years, with his wife and an engineering contractor also denied bail for allegedly handling the illicit proceeds. Ray Yip Kam-chun, 49, appeared in Tuen Mun Court on Wednesday to face a count of theft for allegedly stealing from Hong Kong Chu Hai College in Tuen Mun between December 23, 2022, and January 7 this year. His wife, Ng Ka-man, 49, and...

South China Morning Post Putin warns of retaliation for Western seizures of Russian commercial ships

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday threatened retaliation for Western seizures of its commercial vessels, describing them as “piracy.” Speaking on a visit to a Russian warship that was taking part in a naval exercise in the Pacific, Putin described the Western moves to detain vessels linked to Russia as a breach of international maritime law. “It’s nothing but piracy and robbery,” Putin said. “If this is done, we will be forced to respond in kind.” He added that the Russian response...

South China Morning Post Fund backed by China memory giant YMTC invests in push for alternative chipmaking route

A venture capital fund backed by Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp (YMTC), China’s top producer of NAND flash memory, has taken a stake in domestic semiconductor manufacturer SOI Micro, adding a high-profile investor to the country’s push for an alternative chipmaking ecosystem. Led by a prominent figure in China’s semiconductor industry, SOI Micro is focused on developing fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FD-SOI) technology – a low-power chipmaking technology that offers a complementary route...

South China Morning Post ‘I had planned to stay for life’: last villagers prepare to leave Cha Kwo Ling

Nestled within thick, verdant foliage in Cha Kwo Ling is one of Hong Kong’s last squatter settlements, where a handful of remaining residents are staying until a government deadline to move out for redevelopment of the area for public housing. Mrs Lam, one of the last villagers living among the juxtaposition of makeshift metal dwellings and stone houses complete with wooden window frames, said she had until August 25 to clear her belongings. “I’m going to miss my medicinal herbs so much,” said...

South China Morning Post Little surprise Beijing doesn’t want Western advice for its economy

When a patient repeatedly refuses the same medicine, there are usually three possibilities: he does not understand the diagnosis, cannot afford the treatment, or does not trust the doctor. The same logic applies to economic prescriptions. In the case of China, the first possibility is unlikely because Beijing understands what ails its economy. The reason it is not acting as expected is probably a combination of the other two scenarios, compounded by a more fundamental difference: China believes...

South China Morning Post Paraguay opens probe into Hong Kong-born crypto exec’s death

Police in Paraguay have launched an investigation into the death of a Hong Kong-born cryptocurrency fund executive as speculation swirled over the case. Experts on Wednesday also warned of a global rise in violent extortion attempts targeting digital asset holders, a phenomenon known as “wrench attacks”. Paraguayan police are investigating the death of Harry Yeh Chun-tak, who was found dead outside his residential building in Asuncion after a suspected fall from his 30th-floor flat earlier this...

South China Morning Post Palm oil to cool data centres? Malaysia explores option as water demand surges

Malaysia is taking palm oil from the frying pan to server racks, as it banks on its biggest agricultural commodity to crack a code plaguing its data centre boom – keeping servers cool. Researchers at the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) are developing a palm-based liquid to cool computer servers without relying on copious volumes of water, as the country grapples with high resource demands to support its rapidly expanding digital infrastructure. The new approach – termed the Sawit EcoTherm...

South China Morning Post WHO chief warns Trump’s vaccine policy overhaul is against ‘decades of evidence’

The World Health Organization warned on Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s bid to overhaul child vaccination in the United States went against “decades of evidence”. Trump signed an order on Monday pushing for a rethink of school vaccine mandates and repeating calls for the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to be separated into three separate shots. His Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jnr founded an anti-vaccine group and has long promoted a disproved link between the MMR shot...

South China Morning Post Hong Kong murder suspect faces retrial after jury deadlocks on psychosis defence

A Hong Kong court has ordered a murder suspect to face a retrial after a jury failed to reach a verdict on whether he committed the crime while suffering from a delusion that authorities were harassing him with electromagnetic waves. The 23-day High Court trial of former software developer Matthew Choi ended with a hung jury on Wednesday. Madam Justice Esther Toh Lye-ping discharged the seven-member panel, saying the case was not so complex as to warrant the jurors, who had debated behind closed...

South China Morning Post From solar to AI: why China may be entering its ‘Go Global 3.0’ era

Chinese corporate expansion overseas is shifting from solar equipment to artificial intelligence-enabled industrial technology, with a new generation of companies targeting global markets from inception, according to analysts at Goldman Sachs. “China has entered the ‘Go Global 3.0’ era,” wrote the investment bank’s team, led by Jacqueline Du, in a research note published on Tuesday. The evolution moves beyond low-cost manufacturing goods and the “new three” sectors – electric vehicles,...

South China Morning Post Could the rise of left-wing Democrats reshape America’s policy on China?

The Democratic Party’s ascendant left wing is likely to push American foreign policy further “inward” and away from big-power rivalry, according to a Chinese political scientist. Meng Weizhan, an assistant research professor at Fudan University’s Institute for Advanced Study in Social Sciences in Shanghai, also said it was time for Beijing to move away from the notion that all American political factions took a hard line on China. The remarks come as progressive Democrats are riding a wave of...

South China Morning Post Will Trump’s proposed drug tariffs end India’s reign as ‘pharmacy of the world’?

India’s long-held status as the “pharmacy of the world” could be affected by US President Donald Trump’s plan to impose steep tariffs on imported drugs from 2028, threatening the low-cost, export-driven model that has made the country a vital supplier of generic medicines, analysts have warned. Late last month, Trump announced that the US would impose 100 per cent tariffs on generic medicines from August 2028 and increase them to 200 per cent after one year, signalling a major push to bring more...

South China Morning Post Hong Kong student arrested over HK$3m scam deceived by same swindlers

Hong Kong police have arrested a 19-year-old university student accused of swindling more than HK$3 million (US$384,600) from a man after apparently being hoodwinked by scammers herself. Inspector Wu Kwan-yu of Tseung Kwan O police district’s intelligence section said on Wednesday that officers arrested the female student the previous day on suspicion of impersonating mainland Chinese public security officials and swindling more than HK$3 million from a local man. “Police urge youngsters to stay...

South China Morning Post Honor’s new Robot Phone looks to boost global appeal with its nodding camera

Chinese smartphone maker Honor has launched a handset with a motorised robotic camera that nods back at users, betting that its interactive hardware will spark growth in a cooling global market for the devices. The new Robot Phone, unveiled on Wednesday, features a three-axis mechanical gimbal with four degrees of motion, allowing for video stabilisation and interaction via nodding and tilting. Activated by a hand gesture, the gimbal camera unfurls from the back of the device – a mechanism that...

South China Morning Post Tech innovator uses AI to rebuild David Webb’s Hong Kong database

A tech entrepreneur has pledged to rebuild a free database created over nearly three decades by the late Hong Kong corporate governance activist David Webb, bringing it ‘into the modern era” with the help of AI. Keith Li King-wah, co-founder and principal trainer of Allytic AI, announced on his Facebook page on Wednesday that he would rebuild Webb-site’s database of 27 years with the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Webb, who died aged 60 from metastatic prostate cancer in January this year,...

South China Morning Post China approves Japanese envoy in Chongqing, ending 8-month vacancy

China has approved a new Japanese acting consul general in Chongqing, ending an eight-month vacancy at the mission following a bilateral freeze. Shigehiro Nishiumi, who previously served as Japan’s deputy consul general in Hong Kong, assumed the post at the diplomatic mission in the southwestern municipality of Chongqing on August 4, Japanese news agency Kyodo reported, citing an unnamed government source. The Chongqing post had remained unoccupied since December 5, when former head of mission...

South China Morning Post Hong Kong stablecoin selection expands with Standard Chartered-led venture’s launch

A Standard Chartered-led joint venture kicked off institutional use of Hong Kong dollar-backed stablecoins on Wednesday, a year after the city put its stablecoin law into effect as part of an effort to become a global hub for digital assets. Retail use of the regulated cryptocurrency was expected “as early as end-2026”, subject to market conditions, said Anchorpoint Financial, a Hong Kong-licensed stablecoin issuer, in a statement on Wednesday. A joint venture formed by Standard Chartered,...

South China Morning Post Blackout at China’s Terracotta Army museum triggers nationwide cultural safety review

China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration is putting museums nationwide on notice to strengthen emergency management during the summer peak season, following a series of operational failures, including a sudden power outage in Xian’s Terracotta Warriors museum last week. According to the notice published on Monday, there have been issues such as blackouts, air conditioning failures and severe overcrowding at some museums, triggering safety fears and public concern. The disruptions...

South China Morning Post Why China’s traders, e-commerce merchants feel boxed in by new EU packaging rules

While rising trade tensions between Beijing and Brussels continue to dominate headlines, Chinese exporters face a far more immediate and concrete threat: the boxes, wraps, and plastic bags protecting their goods. On Wednesday, the European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) became applicable across the bloc. Replacing a 1994 directive, the regulation sets requirements for every piece of packaging placed on the EU market, covering chemical restrictions, recyclability,...

South China Morning Post How Chinese culture links 4 cardinal directions to life’s natural cycle – and why

In traditional Chinese culture, the cardinal directions – east, west, south, and north – represent more than mere points on a compass; they reveal how ancient societies comprehended life, death, and human nature. The Shuowen Jiezi, the earliest surviving dictionary of China compiled during the Eastern Han dynasty (25–220), explains the four cardinal directions in relation to the movement of the sun. The east, or dong in Chinese, the direction of the sunrise, signifies spring, hope, and prestige....

South China Morning Post Myanmar steps up civilian attacks with drones and paragliders, UN says

Myanmar’s military is increasingly using drones, motorised paragliders and other low-cost aircraft to attack civilians, United Nations investigators said, even as the country’s rulers seek to project stability and gain legitimacy after a military-run election. The report by the UN-established Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar released on Tuesday said attacks continued to rise from July last year, with a notable escalation ahead of elections held in December and January. The vote...

South China Morning Post Zhu Rongji, China’s chief engineer of economic reform and former premier, dies aged 97

Former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji, who helped engineer one of the greatest economic reforms in human history, died of an illness on Wednesday in Beijing. He was 97. Zhu, who served as China’s premier from 1998 to 2003, is remembered for shaking up the centrally planned economy, overhauling the state-owned enterprise (SOE) sector and tackling corruption. He was the mastermind behind negotiations for China’s World Trade Organization (WTO) entry in 2001, which opened China up to the international...

South China Morning Post BTS bump? Hong Kong’s hotels set for bonanza from superstars’ Arirang world tour

The arrival of BTS’s world tour in Hong Kong next year is expected to be a sure-fire hit with the city’s hospitality sector, with hotels likely to see a similar surge in bookings to the one experienced in Seoul earlier this year when the South Korean pop superstars launched their comeback series of concerts, according to analysts. When BTS kicked off their Arirang world tour – their first since completing mandatory military training – in the South Korean capital in April, local hotels recorded a...

South China Morning Post PLA holds first joint naval drill with Indonesia in waters east of Taiwan

The People’s Liberation Army and Indonesian forces have held joint naval exercises east of Taiwan, signalling deeper military ties between Beijing and Jakarta. Wednesday’s drill featured the PLA Navy’s Type 054A frigate Honghe and the Indonesian Navy frigate KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai, the PLA Eastern Theatre Command said in a statement on its official social media account. The training covered maritime communications, formation manoeuvres, at-sea replenishment and a passing exercise, the PLA...

South China Morning Post School bus crashes in Shing Mun Tunnel after driver loses consciousness

A school bus driver died in hospital and a passenger was slightly injured after their vehicle, which was carrying nearly 50 children, crashed inside Hong Kong’s Shing Mun Tunnel on Wednesday afternoon. The coach was travelling towards Tsuen Wan when it suddenly went out of control and hit a kerb at around 3.30pm. Emergency responders found the driver, 71, unconscious at the scene. A woman passenger, 53, sustained minor injuries to her hand, while the 47 children on board were unharmed. Both the...

South China Morning Post Japanese authorities feel strain of bear-related complaints as fear grips locals

In Japan, complaints about bears have strained the resources of 40 per cent of local governments amid a surge in encounters with the animals this year. According to a government survey of 40 prefectural and municipal councils, 17 said bear-related complaints had disrupted their operations. Of those, 10 reported complaints that took up a lot of time, such as phone calls lasting more than an hour, while five said they had received an overwhelming number of grievances via their websites and by...

South China Morning Post Will Philippines win race to secure Pax Silica hub before neighbours do?

Officials have sold a potential US-led Pax Silica hub in the Philippines as a chance for the country to move up the technology supply chain, but as domestic backlash grows, Manila’s top diplomat to America has warned of losing the opportunity if it “drops the ball”. Analysts say Jose Manuel Romualdez’s message appeared aimed at critics but should be taken seriously, as regional rivals are also courting US-linked supply chain investment and some may be better placed to deliver. Romualdez told...

South China Morning Post Contractor ordered to fix faulty lifts causing Queen Mary Hospital block delay

The Hong Kong government has demanded that a contractor rectify faulty lifts in a new block at Queen Mary Hospital after multiple glitches delayed the launch of all clinical services at the building. A veteran electrical and building services engineer said it was unusual for 24 out of 28 lifts in a new building to malfunction, while a lawmaker said the situation involving Anlev Elex Elevator was “unacceptable”, warning it could further delay completion of the HK$13.5 billion (US$1.72 billion)...

South China Morning Post How Hong Kong can unlock the real value of its Asean trade boom

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has a role to play in Hong Kong’s plans for its economy. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu signalled as much when he touched on the city’s first five-year plan in his August 7 meeting with Asean Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn. For businesses, however, the central question is not whether Hong Kong-Asean economic ties will continue to grow. They will. The harder question is who will capture the value that growth creates. Asean has been Hong Kong’s...

South China Morning Post Veteran Malaysian MP Wong quits over ‘toxic politics’, leaving reform agenda in doubt

A veteran Malaysian politician’s resignation from parliament and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s People’s Justice Party (PKR) to join a fledgling progressive rival widens an exodus of reformist figures as the ruling coalition reels from a string of electoral setbacks. Wong Chen, a three-term lawmaker who had spent nearly two decades in PKR, said on Wednesday that he had applied to join newly rebranded Bersama after resigning his Subang parliamentary seat on Monday and leaving PKR the following...

South China Morning Post China’s glueball ‘triumph’; SpaceX rocket debris caught on video: 7 science highlights

We have put together stories from our coverage on science from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. US and Israeli physicists hail China’s glueball discovery as a ‘triumph’ The international physics community has hailed a Chinese-led discovery as a “triumph” after researchers presented the strongest evidence yet for the existence of the “glueball” – a mysterious particle made of pure force. 2. Chinese...

South China Morning Post Chinese AI start-up ModelBest kicks off pre-IPO tutoring process for mainland listing

Chinese AI start-up ModelBest has kicked off its pre-initial public offering (IPO) tutoring process for a listing in mainland China, capitalising on growing demand for compact artificial intelligence models that run locally on devices like smartphones and laptops, and in cars. The four-year-old company also appears to be banking on its small-model strategy to overcome China’s acute shortage of advanced American computing chips by training lightweight systems optimised for domestic...

Trending

Latest RSS News

Feed Status

Source Groups

Top Sources