Brics adds 6 new members, Thaksin’s return to Thailand, Hongkongers spend in Shenzhen: SCMP’s 7 highlights of the week

We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues.

1. Thai political drama: new PM finally appointed as Thaksin returns from exile

Property mogul Srettha Thavisin will be Thailand’s 30th prime minister after lawmakers on Tuesday voted him into office, in a day of high political drama which also saw former leader Thaksin Shinawatra return to the kingdom after a 15-year exile and whisked straight to jail to serve an eight-year sentence.

2. New Brics members boast oil, deep pockets and strategic locations: analysts

At the Brics summit in Johannesburg on Thursday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, the current chair of the group, said Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates would become full members from January 1, 2024.

3. Hongkongers flock to Shenzhen where their dollar takes them further

Since mainland China and Hong Kong resumed quarantine-free travel on February 6, more than 22.4 million visits, or about 900,000 every week, were made to Shenzhen through six land border crossings by late July. But this trend of Hongkongers taking trips across the border is leaving the city’s F&B sector bemoaning the loss of business.

4. No explanation as Xi Jinping unexpectedly skips his speech at Brics forum

Chinese President Xi Jinping failed to show up at the Brics Business Forum on Tuesday in South Africa, where he was expected to deliver a speech alongside his counterparts. In his place, Commerce Minister Wang Wentao read the speech that criticised the US over its tendency toward “hegemony”.

5. Hong Kong ban on Japanese seafood to remain in place until products proved safe

A Hong Kong ban on Japanese seafood that took effect this week will not be lifted until government tests and third-party evaluation prove goods from the 10 prefectures affected are safe following the release of nuclear waste water into the sea, environment officials have said.

6. China’s ‘Lehman Moment’? Which domino will fall next as property crisis grows?

Two years after the bond default by one of China’s biggest real estate developers created the first shock waves, Beijing’s promise that everything is under control is becoming increasingly harder to sell to investors.

7. Diner with brain tumour saved when doctor at same restaurant spots symptoms

A doctor in China who saved the life of a stranger by noticing the symptoms of a brain tumour in a woman eating at the same restaurant was celebrated as part of the country’s Doctors Day earlier this month.