The US has sentenced a Chinese national to eight years in prison for illegally exporting firearms, ammunition, and other military items to North Korea via Hong Kong in return for US$2 million in payments from Pyongyang “for his efforts”, the Justice Department said on Tuesday. Advertisement Taking advantage of lax US gun laws, Shenghua Wen, 42, purchased many of the weapons in Texas and drove them to California, where they were shipped out of the Port of Long Beach, according to court documents. At least one shipment was listed as…
Month: August 2025
Argentina registration by China’s BYD hints at local car production
Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD registered a local unit as a car manufacturer, a possible hint that the world’s biggest EV maker could soon start producing vehicles in South America’s third-largest auto market. Advertisement The filing, registered with the country’s Justice Ministry, authorises BYD Auto Argentina S.A.U. not only to import and sell cars but also to manufacture and maintain vehicles, batteries and auto parts. Essentially, the registration allows operations across the EV supply and service chain. Although no plans have been revealed, BYD is no stranger to the Argentine…
US names five more Chinese industries for enforcement under Uygur labour law
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Tuesday it is designating five new Chinese industry sectors, including copper, lithium and steel, for “high priority” enforcement under a human rights law restricting imports from China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Tuesday’s updated list also names caustic soda – a chemical used in textiles and detergents – and red dates, bringing the total number of high-priority sectors targeted under the law to 12. The Uygur Forced Labour… South China Morning Post
US soybean farmers urge Trump to make purchase deal with China
American soybean farmers urged US President Donald Trump in a Tuesday letter to reach a trade deal with China that secures significant soybean purchase agreements, warning of dire long-term economic outcomes if the country continues to shun the US crop. Advertisement China, the world’s largest soybean buyer, is turning to Brazilian cargoes amid trade tensions with the US and continuing negotiations. The country has not pre-purchased soybeans from the coming US harvest, an unusual delay that has worried traders and farmers. “Soybean farmers are under extreme financial stress. Prices continue…
Enjoy the magic of university life | Brief letters
Simon Jenkins seems to have forgotten the purpose of higher education (As thousands more teenagers scramble for university places, I have to ask – why?, 14 August). It is not, primarily, for vocational study, nor is it something to rush through in two years. It is to provide a lifetime love of learning and to encourage different ways of thinking. The solution is not to “cut back”, as Jenkins suggests, but, if anything, to ensure that as many students as possible experience the magic of university life.Emeritus Professor Gad HeumanUniversity of Warwick…
Hong Kong activists granted asylum in U.K., Australia
Two Hong Kong pro-democracy advocates have announced that they have been granted asylum: former lawmaker Ted Hui in Australia and activist Tony Chung in the U.K. Both men were convicted of violating Hong Kong’s restrictive national security law, which has quashed dissent after being imposed by Beijing in 2020 in the wake of massive pro-democracy protests. They are among dozens of activists who have fled Hong Kong authorities. Hui, a former member of the Legislative Council who left Hong Kong while he was out on bail in 2020, was tried…
Labubu frenzy sends Pop Mart profits soaring
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The global popularity of the furry elf doll Labubu helped Pop Mart’s sales more than triple in the first six months of the year. The Chinese toy company’s sales jumped to Rmb13.9bn ($1.93bn), while net profit soared almost 400 per cent to Rmb4.6bn, beating the company’s own forecasts of “at least” 350 per cent given last month. Overseas sales accounted for about 40 per cent of sales. Pop Mart has…
India hails improving ties with China ahead of Modi-Xi meeting
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. China and India have achieved a “new environment” of “peace and tranquillity”, New Delhi’s national security adviser told Beijing’s top diplomat, as the world’s two most populous countries move to repair ties shattered by a deadly border clash in 2020. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on Tuesday had meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India’s national security adviser Ajit Doval, encounters that will pave the way for Modi’s first visit…
Top engineer involved in Boeing 787 and A380 design leaves US for China
Zhou Ming, renowned as the mastermind behind key industrial software used in planes such as the Boeing 787 and Airbus A380, has left his leadership role at US-based global engineering giant Altair to return to China. Advertisement An announcement on the website of the College of Engineering at the Eastern Institute of Technology in Ningbo said Zhou had joined as a chair professor and the first dean of the college in June and was already setting up a research team. Zhou also confirmed the move on his personal social media…
China’s exports to Global South surge, Putin taps Brazil: SCMP daily highlights
Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Trump says he will arrange Putin, Zelensky meeting after speaking with both Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, seated from background left, France’s President Emmanuel Macron and US President Trump listen during a meeting in the East Room of the White House on Monday. Photo: AP US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he was brokering a meeting…