Hainan's digital reporting system streamlines grassroots governance
In May, Donald Trump touring Beijing’s Temple of Heaven – bathed in golden light as traditional Chinese music played in the background – was an unlikely image of US-China relations. For Julian Gewirtz, a former China official on president Joe Biden’s National Security Council, it also had a familiar Gen Z twist. “Trump, strange as it is to say, is Chinamaxxing,” he wrote in a Substack post at the time. The social media trend celebrates the features of Chinese life, from high-speed trains and...
Top Democrats on the US congressional intelligence committees say they are preparing to check and respond to any claim by US President Donald Trump that foreign powers interfered in the November 3 midterm elections, even though they say they have seen no sign of any country interfering with voting or vote counting. The concern comes as Democrats lead by eight points among likely voters in the fight for control of Congress, according to an October 27 PBS News/NPR/Marist poll. It also follows a...
Australia’s preparations for a possible conflict with China reflect “a relatively superficial understanding”, argues prominent economist John Edwards. Europe, Canada, Indonesia, Malaysia and India, he notes, are not preparing for such a conflict. Why should Australia? Edwards, a former senior economic adviser to former Labor prime minister Paul Keating, makes the observation in a Lowy Institute paper released in October and in a newspaper interview. Instead, he sees US-China rivalry as a...
On a recent warm Thursday evening, supporters drift into San Francisco’s United Irish Cultural Centre to hear Connie Chan, who is running for California’s 11th congressional district. Born in Hong Kong, Chan attended elementary school in Taiwan before immigrating to the United States at 13. Now a San Francisco supervisor, she hopes to succeed long-time Democratic powerhouse Nancy Pelosi, who announced her retirement and endorsed her. The 48-year-old politician would be the first Asian-American...
A Democratic takeover of either chamber of the US Congress could bring tougher scrutiny of President Donald Trump’s dealings with Beijing, even as lawmakers are likely to maintain a broadly hawkish stance towards China, analysts said. A change in control could shift the emphasis of congressional oversight, with the Democratic Party seeking greater accountability for the administration’s China policy after Trump’s Republican Party largely gave him room to manoeuvre, said Sarah Trister, a former...
A new subject called information and innovation technology (IIT) will be introduced gradually in Hong Kong primary schools from September 2028 to boost students’ digital literacy, with artificial intelligence (AI) one of its highlights. Students as young as seven will be able to hold simple “conversations” with an AI system, using simple prompts or commands, after learning about the technology. The Education Bureau said the aim of the “Information and Innovation Technology Curriculum Framework...
Hong Kong’s development chief has rejected accusations of a policy U-turn over the establishment of a dedicated agency to help flat owners with building repair tenders, insisting the agency’s planned remit differs fundamentally from one rejected a decade ago. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho, in a press conference on Friday, elaborated on the scope of work of the Building Maintenance Support and Services Council, which will be established by the end of this year. She was asked if...
Ministers have defended their decision not to step down over the deadly Tai Po fire, insisting they are putting Hong Kong’s well-being ahead of personal considerations. A senior official also hinted that a successor might not be named to replace Winnie Ho Wing-yin, who resigned as housing minister to take political accountability for the city’s deadliest disaster in decades. Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun, who is now serving as acting housing minister, apologised alongside three...
A planned renovation monitoring body could be held liable for poor oversight when recommending and keeping tabs on consultants and contractors, Hong Kong’s development chief Bernadette Linn Hon-ho has warned, as officials detailed broader reforms to curb malpractice during major building repairs. Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun also gave assurances on Friday that a new department overseeing major renovation projects would adopt a fresh approach and provide training, despite being...
China and America have escalated uncrewed aircraft deployments across sensitive Indo-Pacific waters, with mainland drones patrolling strategic passages near Japan while a US Marine detachment operates near disputed South China Sea islands. In recent days, Japan has detected an uptick in Chinese military aircraft operations in important waters that enable Beijing’s naval forces to transit beyond the first island chain. The activity coincided with large-scale joint military exercises between Tokyo...
China and the European Union can resolve their differences through dialogue, Chinese President Xi Jinping told his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Friday. “China has always regarded the European Union as a partner,” Xi said, according to state broadcaster CCTV, adding that cooperation between the two sides outweighed competition. “As long as [both sides] stay anchored to their partnership and engage in dialogue on an equal footing, differences and challenges can always be resolved...
Hong Kong police are investigating the suspected theft of five styrofoam sculptures created by local artist Keith Lam Yan-kit. The sculptures were discovered missing from Hong Kong City Hall in Central hours before the opening of a major new exhibition. At just after 2.30pm on Friday afternoon, officers received a report from the Microwave International New Media Arts Festival 2026 about the missing art pieces, which are part of an eight-piece work. The case has been classified as theft and...