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China's tea-drink market, with estimated annual sales of 370 billion yuan (US$54.2 billion), has become yet another example of involution as brutal price competition threatens to expel thousands of unprofitable small players. The dire scenario represents a rude reminder to those who hope to strike it rich by investing in a fast-growing business in mainland China's vast consumer market, which abounds with boom-to-bust cycles. “Bubble tea is a dynamic market, and it is never easy to make money......

A pivotal year for self-driving cars has begun in China, with the first “hands off” models approved to ply public roads, carmakers gearing up to mass-produce them and the first mandatory safety standards for autonomous vehicles out for public comment. The first carmakers were given the go-ahead in mid-December to build electric vehicle (EV) models with Level 3 (L3) autonomous driving capability. On an international scale from L0 to L5, an L3 autonomous vehicle can operate independently under......

China has launched a national action plan to embed AI across its education system, in a strategic push to future-proof its workforce amid intensifying global competition in advanced technologies. The “AI+ Education” action plan, unveiled by the Ministry of Education and four other ministerial-level bodies, mandates the integration of artificial intelligence at every stage of learning – from primary schools to lifelong education. The initiative builds on China's long-term education plan to the......

Stocks fell and oil surged on Monday as investors flocked to a haven trade after US President Donald Trump said American forces would block the Strait of Hormuz, escalating the month-long war in the Middle East after Washington and Tehran failed to reach a ceasefire. Key equity benchmarks in Asia all fell after crude oil futures soared back above US$100 a barrel, with Brent futures contracts surging 7 per cent and the West Texas Intermediate ones jumping 8 per cent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index......

Hong Kong's reputation as a safe haven could be reinforced by the geopolitical shock waves from the US-Israel conflict with Iran, potentially supporting demand for premium office space in its core business districts, according to analysts. While the city was not insulated from global uncertainty, it could benefit over the medium term as Gulf investors reassessed geographic diversification and sought stable financial hubs, said Jack Tong, director of research and consultancy at Savills Hong......

Investors betting on a China reflation trade may be in for a reality check, as rising government bond prices and lacklustre equities point to lingering doubts about whether inflation in the world's second-largest economy can be sustained. Yields on China's one-year sovereign bonds have fallen by 5.5 basis points over the past three weeks, while 10-year yields are down 1.6 basis points. Over the same period, the benchmark CSI 300 Index has slipped about 1 per cent. Bond yields move inversely to......

While China's electric vehicle (EV) makers are struggling amid fierce competition, battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL) is consolidating its dominance, building its profits while erecting technological barriers to increase its pricing power. The world's bestselling power battery maker for nine years in a row, CATL in March reported a net profit of 72.2 billion yuan (US$10.6 billion) for last year, up 42 per cent from a year earlier. The figure is only 8 per cent lower than......

Chinese carmakers are rapidly gaining ground in Europe, squeezing out Asian rivals such as Japan and South Korea as exports to the region surge past 1 million units for the first time, according to an industry report. Imports of Chinese-made cars into the European Union in 2025 jumped 30.7 per cent from a year earlier to 1.006 million vehicles, according to the report published by the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, known as the ACEA, on April 2. The value of those imports,......

Artificial intelligence is reshaping Southeast Asia's economic architecture — influencing how businesses scale, how small enterprises access capital and how essential services are delivered. At the South China Morning Post's China Conference: Southeast Asia 2026, leaders across technology, finance, healthcare and insurance explored what it will take to turn digital momentum into inclusive growth. Held on February 10-11 at The St  Regis Jakarta, the conference brought together policymakers and......

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] For Asia's wealthy families, alternatives are becoming an essential part of their broader wealth planning strategies. As high-net-worth investors (HNWIs) look beyond traditional asset classes, art is increasingly being viewed as more than a passion purchase or speculative sideline. Speaking at Art Basel Hong Kong 2026, Ben Rudd, General Manager of Chubb Wealth, said this shift requires a long-term, holistic approach,......

An open-source artificial intelligence project aimed at harvesting human capabilities into reusable AI “skills” has gone viral in China, gaining traction as a meme among the country's uneasy young workers as they face growing job insecurity amid rapid AI advances. Supposedly, certain skills of luminaries such as Steve Jobs, spiritual figures like Gautama Buddha and ordinary office workers have been extracted into digital form and uploaded online, making these skills – such as Jobs' product......

While Hong Kong developers have accelerated project launches following the Easter holiday, primary home sales are settling into a measured phase following an earlier surge in demand. The shift is evident at La Mirabelle I in Tseung Kwan O, where Sino Land and its partners released a third batch of units on Sunday. As of noon, about 60 of the 261 units on offer had been sold, pointing to less urgent demand than in earlier rounds. The latest batch comprises 33 one-bedroom units, 178 two-bedroom......

The chairmen of China's battery and solar giants have called for more top-down regulations to rein in cutthroat competition, warning that unchecked overcapacity is squeezing profits and threatening the industry's stability. Despite tailwinds including the Middle East conflict that could increase demand for renewable products, overcapacity remains a major challenge for industry players. Zhang Tianren, chairman of Tianneng Holding Group – ranked second behind Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd......

Hyundai Motor has spearheaded a comeback among foreign marques vying for a slice of the Chinese electric vehicle (EV) market, launching a new brand built around local technologies and partnerships. The South Korean carmaker, which reversed a six-year sales decline in 2025, said it would soon introduce production models under the Ioniq brand tailored for Chinese consumers, as it steps up its push into the world's largest automotive market. “The newly launched Ioniq brand in China evolves beyond a......

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) is being urged to go further in loosening restrictions on stablecoins, after granting the city's first two licences to banks to issue the digital currency. Bankers, venture capitalists and analysts said the long-awaited approvals – awarded to HSBC and a joint venture led by Standard Chartered – fell short of market expectations, underscoring the regulator's cautious stance amid lingering risk concerns. “It came as a surprise that only two licences were......

Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek is ramping up recruitment in Inner Mongolia, signalling a potential expansion of its data centre footprint ahead of the much-anticipated release of its V4 model. The Hangzhou-based company is recruiting for two new roles – server maintenance engineers and delivery managers to oversee data centre launches – in Ulanqab, in Inner Mongolia, according to recent job postings. The move marks the first time DeepSeek has publicly advertised on-site roles......

China's red-chip structure – long used by internet companies to attract foreign capital while navigating domestic restrictions – is facing renewed scrutiny as regulators tighten oversight of offshore listings. The shift is already reshaping the pipeline for Hong Kong initial public offerings (IPOs), with companies increasingly being encouraged to unwind these structures or justify why they remain necessary. This explainer outlines the reasons behind the policy shift, what it means for tech IPOs,......

Samsung Electronics faces a “strategic dilemma” over whether to defend its shrinking footprint in China or redeploy resources to bolster global competitiveness, analysts say, as speculation grows that the tech giant may scale back parts of its mainland operations and double down on semiconductors. The South Korean firm was considering a broad restructuring of its China business, potentially exiting segments such as home appliances and displays while retaining smartphones and storage as core......

Fang Liu, a partner at global law firm Clifford Chance, counts among his clients many technology companies that are keen to list in Hong Kong, but find the current requirements cumbersome. Clifford Chance has helped more than a dozen innovative companies raise funds under the new listing regime since 2018, when Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) introduced reforms for pre-revenue biotech firms and companies with weighted voting rights (WVR), where one class of shareholders carries more......

Yang Zhilin, founder of fast-rising start-up Moonshot AI, has become the latest artificial intelligence entrepreneur to meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang, as Beijing steps up its push to accelerate the digital transformation of manufacturing. The 32-year-old was among a select group of business leaders and experts invited to a high-level symposium on Friday, where participants offered views on China's economic resilience and future growth drivers. Li acknowledged that the external environment had......