‘Comrade Raul’: Beijing defends Cuba’s ex-leader over Florida murder warrant

South China Morning Post - Oct 21, 2026

China on Wednesday condemned an arrest warrant issued in the US state of Florida for former Cuban president Raul Castro over the 1996 downing of two civilian planes, accusing the United States of using the courts to pressure Havana. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning was asked about the warrant by the state-run Global Times at a regular briefing in Beijing. She referred to the 95-year-old as “comrade Raul Castro”, a “venerated” leader held in high international esteem. Mao said China opposed...

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Hong Kong semi-private schools admit 20 more non-local students under expansion scheme

Hong Kong semi-private schools admit 20 more non-local students under expansion scheme

About 20 more non-local students have been admitted to Hong Kong semi-private schools under a government scheme to boost the city’s status as an international education hub, with a principal urging authorities to do more to promote the initiative to prospective pupils. Education authorities said on Wednesday that the non-local students holding student visas this year came from countries including Thailand, South Korea, Singapore, the United States and several European nations. Ida Lee Bik-sai,...

Is China a Russia-allied Arctic threat to Europe or a potential polar partner?

Is China a Russia-allied Arctic threat to Europe or a potential polar partner?

Europe should work with Beijing to develop shipping through the Arctic rather than trying to advance its transatlantic security alliance by framing China as a threat linked to Russia. That was the assessment of Chinese analysts following the release of the European Union’s Arctic policy on Tuesday. In addition to identifying Russia as its main threat, the policy warns of Beijing’s growing strategic ambitions in the European Arctic through its deepening alignment with Moscow. “With our new...

Hong Kong to tighten media access to land records, triggering concerns

Hong Kong to tighten media access to land records, triggering concerns

Hong Kong lawmakers and the media industry have raised concerns about the authorities’ plan to tighten arrangements for journalists searching land records, with some legislators urging the government to explain operational details and streamline the application to support investigative reporting. The Hong Kong Journalists Association voiced objections on Wednesday, after the government tabled eight pieces of subsidiary legislation, including the Land Titles Regulation that covers land record...

China’s offshore tax crackdown could inadvertently fuel a digital dollar boom

China’s offshore tax crackdown could inadvertently fuel a digital dollar boom

From October 22, China’s grace period for the disclosure and settlement of certain offshore-trust tax liabilities ends. For the Chinese government, this deadline highlights its desire to affirm control over capital outflows, while for Chinese high-net-worth families, it serves as a reminder that it is now harder to keep international assets beyond the reach of the government. The deadline sits against the backdrop of China tightening scrutiny around cryptocurrency, stablecoins and real-world...

Chinese mathematician Sun Zhiwei proposes 1,000 problems to challenge AI

Chinese mathematician Sun Zhiwei proposes 1,000 problems to challenge AI

In an age of AI-induced answers to complex mathematical problems, Chinese mathematician Sun Zhiwei maintains that curiosity and asking good questions are more important then ever. Over a career spent probing the edges of number theory, Sun, a 61-year-old professor at Nanjing University’s department of mathematics, has built a vast landscape of problems – more than 1,000 and counting – for the global research community to tackle. While traditional mathematical training emphasises mastering...

Star Ferry fares to rise by up to HK$1.80 from January

Star Ferry fares to rise by up to HK$1.80 from January

Star Ferry fares are set to rise by as much as HK$1.80 (23 US cents) from January after Hong Kong authorities endorsed the operator’s application for an increase, taking the cost of a weekend cross-harbour trip to up to HK$8.30. The operator, which last raised its fares in 2023, applied in March to increase charges on its two franchised routes by between 80 HK cents and HK$2 per journey. Under a proposal approved by the Executive Council last Tuesday and announced on Wednesday, fares for the...

Beijing’s top Taiwan official meets US think tank to reaffirm red lines

Beijing’s top Taiwan official meets US think tank to reaffirm red lines

The director of Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO), Song Tao, has held a rare meeting with a delegation of US scholars, pledging to push for the peaceful development of cross-strait ties. During the meeting in Beijing on Tuesday with a delegation from the National Committee on American Foreign Policy (NCAFP) led by its president and CEO, Susan Elliott, Song spoke of a broader diplomatic context following summit meetings between Chinese and US leadership. “President Xi Jinping elaborated on...

Hong Kong tours avoid France protest areas as schools cancel planned trips

Hong Kong tours avoid France protest areas as schools cancel planned trips

Tour operators have changed itineraries and pulled Hong Kong travellers away from protest hotspots in France, while some school groups have cancelled planned trips to the country following the issuance of an official travel warning. EGL Tours chairman and executive director Steve Huen Kwok-chuen said one of the company’s tour groups had encountered protests at the Louvre in Paris on Saturday, with police helping clear a route for their coach to return to the hotel. “Our tour group happened to be...

Hong Kong’s Election Committee race: should you care? Here’s what you need to know

Hong Kong’s Election Committee race: should you care? Here’s what you need to know

Nominations have closed for Hong Kong’s Election Committee election, setting the stage for the November 22 poll. The poll, the second since Beijing overhauled the city’s electoral system to ensure patriots rule Hong Kong, will return 1,500 members who will nominate and vote in next year’s chief executive election. Here’s all you need to know about the 2026 Election Committee Subsector Ordinary Elections, now that nominations have closed: from the hopefuls’ line-up and the heavyweights in the...

Hong Kong’s SHKP sells 128 Sierra Sea flats ahead of possible US rate increase

Hong Kong’s SHKP sells 128 Sierra Sea flats ahead of possible US rate increase

Sun Hung Kai Properties (SHKP), one of Hong Kong’s largest developers, has sold out the latest batch of flats at its Sierra Sea project in the New Territories, where units were offered at discounted prices ahead of a possible US Federal Reserve interest-rate increase by year-end. By 5.40pm on Wednesday, SHKP had found buyers for all 128 flats offered at listed prices in Phase 2C(2) of the development in Shap Sze Heung, between Sai Kung and Ma On Shan, according to agents. Sales began at...

China’s Type 051C gets a refit as the PLA Navy’s legacy warships near retirement

China’s Type 051C gets a refit as the PLA Navy’s legacy warships near retirement

China’s Type 051C destroyer Shenyang has been spotted undergoing sea trials after a reported refit, as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) begins phasing out legacy warships following the commissioning of a massive wave of new vessels. Witness photographs circulating on social media appear to show the Shenyang, hull number 115 and lead ship of the Type 051C class, with its Russian-made hardware replaced by domestic air defence systems. While precise details have yet to be independently confirmed,...

Attitudes shifting in Hong Kong’s favour as city reaps Apec benefits: Paul Chan

Attitudes shifting in Hong Kong’s favour as city reaps Apec benefits: Paul Chan

Hong Kong has reaped the benefits of the Apec Finance Ministers’ Meeting, with foreign political and business leaders expressing renewed confidence in the city and supporting cross-border digital finance infrastructure development, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po has said. Following the conclusion of the two-day milestone meeting on Wednesday, Chan said senior officials and representatives had discussed macroeconomic, fiscal and financial policy, as well as young talent, in a sincere and...

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