China's first shipborne stealth reconnaissance-strike integrated drone GJ-21 has recently completed its first takeoff and landing operation aboard the Sichuan, China's first Type 076 amphibious assault ship, a navy source said.

Having a presence in Hong Kong and the rest of China is “very important” for Bordeaux, an official from the world-renowned French wine-producing region has said, even as consumption declines on the mainland. The comments by deputy mayor Fabien Robert came as Vinexpo, a premier international wine and spirits trade exhibition that began in Bordeaux, signed a deal for its Asian edition to be hosted solely by Hong Kong from 2027 to 2031. “To be in Hong Kong every year, I think it’s a message ......

Beijing promoted 10 officials to full membership of the Communist Party’s Central Committee at a major political gathering this week, where the normally routine process of filling vacancies took on new significance. The names of the officials who have filled the vacant slots were included in a communique released at the end of the fifth plenum of the party’s 20th Central Committee on Thursday. The event, which focused on party discipline and the fight against corruption, confirmed that 24 full...

The film Everest: The Other Side, a collaborative US-China project that opened on Friday in 515 US cinemas and that will premiere at 700 IMAX theatres in China on November 6, starts with a majestic shot of the world’s tallest mountain. Then the music builds and more challenging weather rolls in, foreshadowing what is at stake. The film invokes a well-trod narrative for fans of the mountaineering genre: a mix of the grit and sacrifice driving world-class climbers, along with no small amount of...

UK Indo-Pacific minister Rosie Winterton has visited Hong Kong’s flagship tech hub to discuss plans to expand technological collaboration in the Greater Bay Area, while aiming to strengthen business, education and people-to-people partnerships with the city. During her visit, Winterton also raised concerns about the jailing of former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying in talks with Cui Jianchun, Beijing’s top diplomat in the city, and local officials. “What we want to do is to strengthen those ties...

China has broken up a major transnational drug trafficking network in cooperation with Indonesia and Malaysia, seizing around 1.2 tonnes of liquid methamphetamine, China’s Ministry of Public Security said on Friday. The operation was carried out on October 21 by Indonesia’s National Narcotics Agency (BNN), which raided and shut down a large-scale drug processing and purification facility in Aceh, Indonesia, and arrested 11 people, with help from China’s National Narcotics Control Commission...

Prisons, once widely regarded as undesirable facilities, are now drawing competition from local governments seeking to revive shrinking communities and struggling economies. Seven municipal governments are competing to host four new correctional facilities as part of the Ministry of Justice’s first nationwide competitive bidding process for prison sites. The ministry launched a nationwide call for applications on Aug. 28, marking the first time it has used a competitive bidding process to select sites for new correctional facilities. Previously, sites were chosen through consultations between the ministry and local governments. Under the new system, municipalities must seek residents' input and obtain approval from their local councils before submitting bids. The four planned facilities will each have a capacity of 1,000 inmates and employ around 250 staff members. Seven local governments have joined the race, including the counties of Yeongyang, Cheongsong, Yeongdeok and Uiseong in North Gyeongsang Province, the city of Jecheon and Boeun County in North Chungcheong Province and Jeongse

Korea is stepping up its efforts to help retired working dogs find forever homes by building a comprehensive, state-funded safety net designed to ease the steep financial burden on adoptive families. Under an expanded initiative led by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the government is introducing direct medical subsidies, discounted veterinary care, and dedicated hospice facilities to ensure these canine public servants are cared for after their service ends. Roughly 1,100 working dogs currently serve across six government bodies, including the military, police, fire services, customs and quarantine inspection. Among them, the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency alone operates approximately 70 specialized detector dogs at key international travel hubs. For years, private adoption for retired working dogs faced steep hurdles. Specialized breeds like beagles, Labradors, and Malinois typically retire around age 8 after six to eight years of active duty. Upon retirement, adoptive owners are left with high medical costs for joint issues, dental problems and chronic ailment

"Whenever you talk to an employee in their 20s, it's probably best to assume the entire conversation is being recorded." It is a warning increasingly shared among Korean managers in their 40s and 50s as they try to make sense of a generation of young employees whose workplace habits can seem baffling — and sometimes unsettling — to their bosses. Some older managers see low loyalty to the company and a lack of respect for senior colleagues. Gen Z workers, however, see something very different: a desire for clear communication, boundaries between work and private life and relationships based less on hierarchy. From recording conversations with bosses and avoiding unnecessary apologies to skipping team lunches and continuing to use honorific speech even with close colleagues, young Koreans are quietly rewriting some of the unwritten rules that have long governed the country's offices. Why record a conversation with your boss? For some middle managers, discovering that a young employee is recording a conversation without saying anything can be uncomfortable. Some even wonder whether the em

"I think the fall is getting to me." That's what a friend told me on the phone recently. "You're middle-aged now, and suddenly you're getting the autumn blues?" I said jokingly. He laughed awkwardly, then began telling me about his life lately. Seeing the darkening sky on his way home from work drains his energy. Once home, he lies on the couch and does nothing. Even after sleeping in on weekends, he doesn't feel refreshed. And after dinner, he finds himself reaching for bread and snacks. As I listened, I began to wonder whether it was really something that could simply be blamed on the season. In Korea, the expression "gaeul tada," literally "to be affected by autumn," carries a certain romanticism. It describes that wistful feeling that arrives with falling leaves, when even a familiar song can unexpectedly stir the emotions. But persistent sadness and lethargy, along with losing interest in hobbies once enjoyed, are a long way from romantic autumn melancholy. According to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a "type of depression characterize

It is generally considered less risky for companies to first establish a robust consumer base in the country where they are based, giving them a comfort zone for operations like marketing, administration and customer service. Expanding into overseas markets would be a logical next step. Major Korean firms almost always follow this approach, building operational know-how and a strong domestic following before venturing into uncharted territories. Global expansion has become increasingly encouraging for Korean beauty and food firms thanks to their growing presence on the global stage. According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Korean beauty exports hit a record $11.4 billion in 2025, up 24.5 percent from 2021. Korean food exports also reached a record in 2025 at $10.4 billion, up 21.9 percent over the same period, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The booming global trade in these industries has encouraged some small and medium-sized Korean companies to aim high from the outset, targeting international consumers rather than the domestic market. These

In May, Donald Trump touring Beijing’s Temple of Heaven – bathed in golden light as traditional Chinese music played in the background – was an unlikely image of US-China relations. For Julian Gewirtz, a former China official on president Joe Biden’s National Security Council, it also had a familiar Gen Z twist. “Trump, strange as it is to say, is Chinamaxxing,” he wrote in a Substack post at the time. The social media trend celebrates the features of Chinese life, from high-speed trains and...

Top Democrats on the US congressional intelligence committees say they are preparing to check and respond to any claim by US President Donald Trump that foreign powers interfered in the November 3 midterm elections, even though they say they have seen no sign of any country interfering with voting or vote counting. The concern comes as Democrats lead by eight points among likely voters in the fight for control of Congress, according to an October 27 PBS News/NPR/Marist poll. It also follows a...

Australia’s preparations for a possible conflict with China reflect “a relatively superficial understanding”, argues prominent economist John Edwards. Europe, Canada, Indonesia, Malaysia and India, he notes, are not preparing for such a conflict. Why should Australia? Edwards, a former senior economic adviser to former Labor prime minister Paul Keating, makes the observation in a Lowy Institute paper released in October and in a newspaper interview. Instead, he sees US-China rivalry as a...

On a recent warm Thursday evening, supporters drift into San Francisco’s United Irish Cultural Centre to hear Connie Chan, who is running for California’s 11th congressional district. Born in Hong Kong, Chan attended elementary school in Taiwan before immigrating to the United States at 13. Now a San Francisco supervisor, she hopes to succeed long-time Democratic powerhouse Nancy Pelosi, who announced her retirement and endorsed her. The 48-year-old politician would be the first Asian-American...

A Democratic takeover of either chamber of the US Congress could bring tougher scrutiny of President Donald Trump’s dealings with Beijing, even as lawmakers are likely to maintain a broadly hawkish stance towards China, analysts said. A change in control could shift the emphasis of congressional oversight, with the Democratic Party seeking greater accountability for the administration’s China policy after Trump’s Republican Party largely gave him room to manoeuvre, said Sarah Trister, a former...

Tea, tunes and ties: China-Germany cultural exchanges flourish

Peng Liyuan chats over tea with wife of German president

A new subject called information and innovation technology (IIT) will be introduced gradually in Hong Kong primary schools from September 2028 to boost students’ digital literacy, with artificial intelligence (AI) one of its highlights. Students as young as seven will be able to hold simple “conversations” with an AI system, using simple prompts or commands, after learning about the technology. The Education Bureau said the aim of the “Information and Innovation Technology Curriculum Framework...

The 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held its fifth plenary session from Monday to Thursday in Beijing, adopting a resolution on persevering with full and rigorous Party self-governance, which also highlighted the importance of anti-corruption.

The fifth plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee highlights the CPC's core strengths of self-governance and putting people first, attributes that underpin China's leapfrog development and provide useful governance references for political parties elsewhere, according to foreign analysts.

Hong Kong’s development chief has rejected accusations of a policy U-turn over the establishment of a dedicated agency to help flat owners with building repair tenders, insisting the agency’s planned remit differs fundamentally from one rejected a decade ago. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho, in a press conference on Friday, elaborated on the scope of work of the Building Maintenance Support and Services Council, which will be established by the end of this year. She was asked if...

Ministers have defended their decision not to step down over the deadly Tai Po fire, insisting they are putting Hong Kong’s well-being ahead of personal considerations. A senior official also hinted that a successor might not be named to replace Winnie Ho Wing-yin, who resigned as housing minister to take political accountability for the city’s deadliest disaster in decades. Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun, who is now serving as acting housing minister, apologised alongside three...

A planned renovation monitoring body could be held liable for poor oversight when recommending and keeping tabs on consultants and contractors, Hong Kong’s development chief Bernadette Linn Hon-ho has warned, as officials detailed broader reforms to curb malpractice during major building repairs. Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun also gave assurances on Friday that a new department overseeing major renovation projects would adopt a fresh approach and provide training, despite being...

A spokesperson for the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) said on Thursday that the HKSAR government's efforts to investigate the major fire at the residential complex Wang Fuk Court demonstrated a serious and fact-based approach to accountability in accordance with the law, demonstrating responsible administration.

China and America have escalated uncrewed aircraft deployments across sensitive Indo-Pacific waters, with mainland drones patrolling strategic passages near Japan while a US Marine detachment operates near disputed South China Sea islands. In recent days, Japan has detected an uptick in Chinese military aircraft operations in important waters that enable Beijing’s naval forces to transit beyond the first island chain. The activity coincided with large-scale joint military exercises between Tokyo...

China and the European Union can resolve their differences through dialogue, Chinese President Xi Jinping told his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Friday. “China has always regarded the European Union as a partner,” Xi said, according to state broadcaster CCTV, adding that cooperation between the two sides outweighed competition. “As long as [both sides] stay anchored to their partnership and engage in dialogue on an equal footing, differences and challenges can always be resolved...

Hong Kong police are investigating the suspected theft of five styrofoam sculptures created by local artist Keith Lam Yan-kit. The sculptures were discovered missing from Hong Kong City Hall in Central hours before the opening of a major new exhibition. At just after 2.30pm on Friday afternoon, officers received a report from the Microwave International New Media Arts Festival 2026 about the missing art pieces, which are part of an eight-piece work. The case has been classified as theft and...

Artificial intelligence is no longer merely the driving force behind global semiconductor demand, but is also actively reinventing how chips are designed and built, industry leaders and scientists said at a major science forum in Shanghai on Friday. Chen Yunji, co-founder of AI chipmaker Cambricon Technologies, predicted that the integration between AI and chip design would eventually automate the chip design process entirely. “In the [next] 10 years, the most important development … is the RSI...

Beijing is expected to gradually restore military representation in its top leadership, analysts say, as the Communist Party seeks to strike a delicate balance in its relations with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) amid an anti-corruption drive that has hit the top ranks. They said the process was expected to be completed at next year’s 21st party congress, which will usher in a new leadership line-up for both the party and military. The party wrapped up its fifth plenum of the 20th Central...