South China Morning Post
‘Two sessions’, Trump tariffs, JD.com earnings
Month: February 2026
China’s central bank moves to slow renminbi’s advance
Stay informed with free updates Simply sign up to the Currencies myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox. China’s central bank has moved to slow the renminbi’s advance as its rapid appreciation tests Beijing’s tolerance for a stronger currency that could threaten its export-oriented economy. The People’s Bank of China on Friday said it would scrap a reserve requirement of 20 per cent for forward contracts selling the renminbi. This makes it cheaper for traders to bet on a weakening Chinese currency. Beijing tightly manages the renminbi and in…
Germany’s Merz meets China’s tech vanguard, including Alibaba and Unitree CEOs
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited China’s eastern tech hub of Hangzhou on Thursday and met leading figures including those from Alibaba Group Holding and Unitree Robotics, signalling growing international recognition of the country’s robotics and artificial intelligence technologies. Merz had lunch and took group photos with local entrepreneurs, including Alibaba CEO Eddie Wu Yongming and Unitree founder and CEO Wang Xingxing, according to a social media account run by Chinese state broadcaster China Central Television CCTV. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post. He met representatives from 10 companies in…
When did our ancient ancestor Homo erectus first arrive in China out of Africa?
An analysis of Homo erectus fossils found in modern-day Hubei province using new techniques concluded that the remains were almost 1.8 million years old – pushing back their arrival date by around 600,000 years and suggesting the species may have spread across continents earlier and more successfully than scientists previously thought. While the species is believed to have originated in Africa before travelling across Eurasia, scientists are still trying to work out the precise timeline for its arrival in eastern Asia. Advertisement In the latest study, researchers used a dating…
Pakistan bombs Kabul and Taliban strongholds
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Pakistan launched air strikes on Afghanistan early on Friday as tensions between the neighbours threatened to break out into open war. Islamabad’s bombardment included extensive air strikes and artillery fire targeting major urban areas, including the capital Kabul, and Kandahar, where Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada is based. Pakistan’s assault was in response to an Afghan Taliban attack overnight on Pakistani border posts, officials in Islamabad said. That followed last…
Pentagon moves to build AI tools for China cyber operations
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. The Pentagon is seeking to make AI-powered cyber tools to identify infrastructure targets in China as part of an effort to improve US capabilities in any future military conflict with Beijing. The department was in talks with leading AI companies about partnerships to conduct automated reconnaissance of China’s power grids, utilities and sensitive networks as well as those of other adversaries, said several people with knowledge of the plans. The…
How China’s universities joined the global elite
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Chinese regions cut growth targets for 2026
South China Morning Post
China sacks 9 senior military officers as Xi widens crackdown
Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. China has sacked nine senior military officers, including an army commander in a critical position for a potential attack on Taiwan, in a further sign of leader Xi Jinping’s deepening purge of the People’s Liberation Army. The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress had stripped the officers of their position as delegates, alongside 10 other NPC members, it said in a statement late on Thursday ahead of the rubber-stamp…
The activist vs the carmaker: how Elliott forced Toyota into $35bn showdown
A showdown between the world’s most prominent activist investor and biggest carmaker over a ¥5.4tn ($35bn) take-private deal is hurtling towards a conclusion that could have far-reaching implications for Japanese companies and their global investors. Elliott Management, which has waged high-profile campaigns against BHP and Starbucks, has been locked in a months-long battle with Toyota Motor. The New York-based fund founded by Paul Singer, with $80bn under management, is pressing Akio Toyoda’s group to increase its offer price to take its largest subsidiary private. But Toyoda, who has invested ¥1bn…