South China Morning Post
China steps up Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s drug push, looks to TCM
Day: June 1, 2026
Crested Ibises Get the Royal Treatment in Japan as They Fly Again
Asian crested ibises have been revered and reviled at different times throughout Japanese history, but the endangered birds with long, curved bills; red faces and legs; and pink tinged wings are getting the royal treatment once again. On Sunday, the Japanese crown prince and princess attended a ceremony commemorating the release of eight crested ibises into the wild on Honshu, the country’s main island. It had been more than a half-century since the last such wild creature flew freely there, and the royals’ presence at the event signaled just how…
Taiwan targets Beijing’s grey-zone tactics near remote South China Sea islands
Taiwan’s navy will support patrols around the Taipei-controlled Dongsha Islands after mainland Chinese coastguard activity near the South China Sea atoll surged over the past year. The activity has fuelled concerns in Taipei that Beijing is using the remote outpost to test Taiwan’s responses and refine its grey-zone tactics. Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration said mainland Chinese coastguard vessels had appeared around the atoll 39 times since February last year, compared with only occasional transits in previous years. Advertisement On Monday, Taiwan’s defence minister, Wellington Koo Li-hsiung, said the island’s coastguard…
China urges Brazil to jointly repel ‘external challenges’ as ties deepen in Beijing
China’s top diplomat said on Monday that Beijing and Brasilia should “jointly repel external challenges”, as the two countries opened a high-level strategic dialogue in Beijing. Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remark during a visit by his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, who arrived in the Chinese capital this weekend for the fifth Global Strategic Dialogue between the two governments. “Practical cooperation in all areas has been steadily enhanced, and the two peoples have never been so close,” Wang said. He added that Beijing supported Brazil in safeguarding its national…
Taiwan Criticizes China’s Expulsion of New York Times Reporter
A spokeswoman for Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, criticized Beijing for expelling a New York Times reporter from China in response to Mr. Lai’s appearance by video at a Times DealBook summit in New York in December. The reporter, Vivian Wang, who was based in Beijing, was expelled in February. She was not involved in the DealBook conference, an annual event that features prominent executives and politicians. Chinese officials had complained for months about Ms. Wang’s reporting, which often addressed topics Beijing considered sensitive. At the same time, China has sought…
China’s SAIC plans to build first EU car plant in Spain’s Galicia
China’s SAIC Motor plans to set up a car factory in Spain’s northwestern region of Galicia that would be its first production facility in the European Union, the regional government said on Monday. Galicia’s leader Alfonso Rueda said his administration had given strategic priority to the project, with an initial investment envisaged at around €200 million (US$232 million). The project, which includes a logistics hub, still requires the central government’s approval for foreign direct investment. Advertisement SAIC owns the MG brand, which is popular in Europe and prioritises electrified powertrains.…
US targeting of Brazilian gangs is an attempt to sway election there, experts say
The US decision to classify two Brazilian gangs as terrorist organisations is a political one aimed at boosting an ally of US President Donald Trump, the son of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, politicians and analysts say. The gangs join eight other Latin American organised crime groups designated by the US as foreign terrorist organisations. But unlike the rest, they do not operate in the United States. The listing of First Capital Command, known as PCC, and Red Command, or CV, followed a visit by presidential hopeful Senator Flavio Bolsonaro…
US and China hold ‘candid’ maritime military safety talks in Hawaii
The Chinese and US militaries held working group talks on maritime military safety in Hawaii on Thursday and Friday, both sides have announced, in the latest effort by the two geopolitical rivals to keep military-to-military communication channels open. The meeting marked the first military communication between Beijing and Washington since last month’s high-profile summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump in Beijing. A brief statement published by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy on its official WeChat account said representatives of the Chinese and US militaries…
Trump says Israel to dial back fighting in Lebanon after Iran threatens to end peace talks
Efforts to negotiate an end to the Middle East war appeared mired in uncertainty on Monday, with Iran-linked media reporting that Tehran had suspended contact with Washington over Israel’s expanding offensive in Lebanon even as US President Donald Trump insisted talks were continuing “at a rapid pace” and claimed to have helped broker a halt to fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. The conflicting accounts highlighted the fragile state of negotiations aimed at ending more than three months of conflict, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and reviving discussions over Iran’s nuclear…
He Become China’s Largest Critic in Exile. Then The Threats Followed Him.
One afternoon in October 2024, Li Ying was lying in bed, scrolling through X, when he got a notification on his phone from the peephole security camera on his apartment door in Turin, Italy. Two men were lingering in the hallway. He got up quietly, went to the door and watched them through the camera feed on his phone. For two years, ever since he turned his X account into one of the most influential Chinese-language sources for uncensored news and dissent, Mr. Li had received threats of physical harm.…