logo
Taiwan's kamikaze sea drones, China warns US over trade pressure: SCMP daily highlights

Taiwan's kamikaze sea drones, China warns US over trade pressure: 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. Taiwan to test kamikaze sea drone to 'support coastal assault operations'
Taiwan is planning to test a home-made kamikaze sea drone later this month as it seeks to boost its naval defences in the face of growing pressure from mainland China.
2. China warns US pressure tactics won't work for trade talks to happen
Beijing on Tuesday urged Washington to 'respect facts, stop spreading disinformation, and correct its wrong practices' to create conditions for meaningful dialogue amid a dispute between the world's two largest economies over a recent trade deal.
3. Military mishap risks rise with PLA's 'grey zone operations': Taiwan ex-minister
Beijing has carried out at least three rounds of large-scale military drills near Taiwan since May 2024, and PLA warplanes continue to fly near the island on a daily basis. Photo: Weibo/PLA Eastern Theatre Command
The risks of a cross-strait military accident are on the rise as Beijing steps up pressure on Taiwan, a former Taiwanese defence official has warned, citing the lack of direct communication channels between the two sides.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

As Japan's birth rate falls to a record low, a ‘critical' demographic crisis unfolds
As Japan's birth rate falls to a record low, a ‘critical' demographic crisis unfolds

South China Morning Post

time27 minutes ago

  • South China Morning Post

As Japan's birth rate falls to a record low, a ‘critical' demographic crisis unfolds

Japan is facing a severe demographic crisis, marked by a historic low in its birth rate alongside a rapidly ageing population. In 2024, the number of babies born in the country fell to 686,061, marking the first time this figure has dropped below 700,000 since record-keeping began in 1899, according to a health ministry announcement on Wednesday. Births dropped by 41,227, or 5.7 per cent, from the previous year. It was only two years ago, in 2022, that the figure fell below the 800,000 birth threshold. A ministry official said the situation was 'critical' as 'multiple complex factors are preventing individuals from fulfilling their hopes of marriage and starting families,' The Asahi newspaper reported. The country's demographic crisis is advancing 15 years ahead of experts' predictions, who had forecast around 755,000 births for 2024, and did not anticipate that births would fall below 690,000 until 2039. Additionally, Japan's total fertility rate – the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime – dropped to a historic low of 1.15, down from 1.20 the previous year, underscoring the country's ongoing trend of delayed marriage and childbirth. Both the birth and fertility rates have decreased for nine consecutive years. The figures exclude foreign nationals born in Japan and Japanese born outside the country. Japan also saw a record high of 1,605,298 deaths in 2024, a 1.9 per cent increase from the previous year. This led to a population loss of 919,237 people, marking the 18th consecutive year of decline and the largest recorded.

From NIH to SMART: senior biologist Lu Wei leaves US government post for China
From NIH to SMART: senior biologist Lu Wei leaves US government post for China

South China Morning Post

timean hour ago

  • South China Morning Post

From NIH to SMART: senior biologist Lu Wei leaves US government post for China

Professor Lu Wei, a senior investigator at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), is the latest Chinese academic to return home amid drastic funding cuts to university research grants by the Trump administration. He has taken up a full-time role with the Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation (SMART), as announced on the organisation's official social media account on June 3. SMART president Yan Ning reposted the announcement, commenting: '[Lu] officially agreed to come to Shenzhen long before President Donald Trump's second term. His research field is fascinating.' Lu has long focused on the neurobiological mechanisms of synaptic development and functional regulation, as well as the effects of anxiety, depression , anaesthesia and alcohol. Lu's relocation back to China significantly bolsters the ambitions of Shenzhen, an open economic special zone, to become a national centre for biomedical research. Lu graduated with a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from China's Sichuan University in 1997 and obtained a master's degree from Zhejiang University three years later.

Hong Kong should allow cinemas to host live events to survive: lawmaker
Hong Kong should allow cinemas to host live events to survive: lawmaker

South China Morning Post

timean hour ago

  • South China Morning Post

Hong Kong should allow cinemas to host live events to survive: lawmaker

Hong Kong should relax the licensing renewal criteria for cinemas to allow them to host live performances or sports broadcasts, a lawmaker has said, as the city continues to grapple with a slew of theatre closures. Advertisement Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, who represents sports, performing arts, culture and publication in the legislature, made the suggestion on Thursday after the Golden Harvest cinema at MegaBox shopping centre in Kowloon Bay announced it would be closing down at the end of the week. Fok said that while he believed the rate of closures was slowing down, he feared that residents would gradually stop going to the cinema to watch films, with fewer choices of theatres available to them. 'The government should consider relaxing the licensing requirements to allow cinemas to operate different types of businesses,' he said, citing live performances and live sports broadcasts as alternative events that would allow more theatres to survive. Fok added that box office revenues in Hong Kong were largely dependent on American films, with Hollywood blockbusters taking up 70 to 80 per cent of earnings. Advertisement As such, the current downturn in the United States box office was also affecting Hong Kong, he explained. US domestic ticket sales amounted to US$8.7 billion in 2024, down 3.3 per cent from US$9.04 billion the year before. According to the Hong Kong Theatre Association, only 51 cinemas were left operating in the city as of May, a sharp drop from the 112 venues in 1994.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store