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The Japan Self-Defence Forces will deploy about 1,400 personnel for the Balikatan exercise, an annual large-scale joint military drill between the Philippines and the United States. Photo: Shutterstock

What does Japan’s role in a US-Philippine military drill mean for Taiwan?

Tokyo’s 1,400 combat troops mark most extensive participation yet in annual joint exercise and signal ‘priorities’ to Beijing, analysts say.

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‘A big deal’: military drills show Tokyo’s growing focus on deterring China

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China has advised travellers to avoid entry to the US via Seattle-Tacoma International Airport after about 20 academics were denied entry to attend a conference. Photo: AP

China warns travellers to avoid Seattle airport after academics denied entry to US

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Caption: Dow’s Track and Trace Platform makes it possible to follow a recycled bottle’s journey from disposal to its rebirth as a new plastic bottle. Photo: Shutterstock

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China says embassy intrusion, bomb threat are among ‘grave violations’ in Japan

Acting head of embassy lists incidents he describes as ‘a threat to the safety of Chinese diplomatic personnel and premises’.

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Geopolitics to drive Hong Kong mining fundraising amid ‘supercycle’, experts say

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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi leads the Asia Zero-Emission Community Plus online summit on energy resilience, in Tokyo on April 15. Photo: EPA

Americas

Lula blasts Trump’s fear-based rule, calls for ‘great maturity’

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A woman walks next to an anti-US mural on a street in Tehran, Iran, on Sunday. Photo: WANA via Reuters

Economics

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Chinese developers are bypassing new ID checks as demand for Claude remains strong despite official restrictions.

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Europe

Europe running low on jet fuel, stoking fears of flight cancellations

IEA executive director Birol said the Hormuz blockade-induced energy crisis will hit nations including Japan, China and India harder.

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A plane passes behind kerosene storage facilities at Liege airport in Belgium on Thursday. Photo: EPA

Africa

In Cameroon, Pope Leo assails ‘tyrants ravaging’ world amid Trump row

‘The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild,’ Leo says.

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Pope Leo releases a white dove at Saint Joseph’s Cathedral in Bamenda, Cameroon, on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

China Economy

China fast-tracks hydrogen strategy to ‘scale-up’ phase to boost energy security

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What does Japan’s role in a US-Philippine military drill mean for Taiwan?

Tokyo’s 1,400 combat troops mark most extensive participation yet in annual joint exercise and signal ‘priorities’ to Beijing, analysts say.

‘A big deal’: military drills show Tokyo’s growing focus on deterring China

Trade tensions dim foreign investment outlook in US and China, survey finds

US and China have ‘suffered the most’ amid global decline in outbound investment appetite due to heightened geopolitical tensions.

China’s Qingzhou tests space debris capture and clean-up

Robotic cargo spacecraft reported to have also conducted a suite of in-orbit experiments designed to sustain long-duration missions.

China boosts overseas-loan quotas as ‘panda bond’ issuance hits record high

Beijing’s move to lift offshore-loan quotas seen helping stabilise yuan against weaker US dollar while accommodating a surge in net financing via ‘panda bonds’.

China warns travellers to avoid Seattle airport after academics denied entry to US

Chinese drone exposes Indonesia’s ‘insufficient’ undersea capabilities

Indonesia is likely to resolve the drone issue through ‘quiet diplomacy’ and not escalate it into a major row, analysts say.

Chinese tech giants, AI ‘godmother’ Li Fei-Fei race into world models

Alibaba’s introduction of Happy Oyster model for real-time creation of virtual worlds follows unveiling of Spark 2.0 from Li’s World Labs.

Give officials more power to probe suspected animal cruelty cases: watchdog

Office of the Ombudsman says existing ‘investigative approach is ineffective against offenders intending to conceal evidence’.

.css-12ooj4n{font-family:Roboto Condensed,Roboto Condensed fallback,sans-serif;}From waste to bottle: the technology that gives packaging waste a verifiable second life

Dow’s digital tracking system in China proves to consumers and businesses how waste can be recycled into new products.

Rugby’s greatest weekend: 50 years of the Hong Kong Sevens - an infographic

See the world’s top teams compete at Kai Tak Stadium on April 17-19 and celebrate 50 years of Hong Kong Sevens history, tries and triumphs.

China says embassy intrusion, bomb threat are among ‘grave violations’ in Japan

Acting head of embassy lists incidents he describes as ‘a threat to the safety of Chinese diplomatic personnel and premises’.

Geopolitics to drive Hong Kong mining fundraising amid ‘supercycle’, experts say

Hong Kong could see more mining IPOs as global demand for resources accelerates, though national security issues may slow deals: experts.

Can Japan’s US$10b energy shield oust China’s influence in Southeast Asia?

Pledge is a bid to ‘embed Japan at the centre of Southeast Asia’s energy security architecture’, observer notes, but questions its impact.

Lula blasts Trump’s fear-based rule, calls for ‘great maturity’

‘Trump has no right to wake up in the morning and threaten a country,’ Brazil’s president says.

‘New normal’: Malaysia and Australia strike energy supply pledge amid Iran war

The deal creates a mutual spillover valve, allowing the partners to swap surplus energy once domestic demand is satisfied.

Black market workarounds scale up for Claude as Anthropic tightens ID checks

Chinese developers are bypassing new ID checks as demand for Claude remains strong despite official restrictions.

Europe running low on jet fuel, stoking fears of flight cancellations

IEA executive director Birol said the Hormuz blockade-induced energy crisis will hit nations including Japan, China and India harder.

In Cameroon, Pope Leo assails ‘tyrants ravaging’ world amid Trump row

‘The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild,’ Leo says.

China fast-tracks hydrogen strategy to ‘scale-up’ phase to boost energy security

China targets ‘bold innovation’ as falling renewable-energy costs allow it to leverage 50 per cent share of global green hydrogen production capacity.

TSMC targets over 30% revenue surge in 2026, ramps up capex amid AI boom

AI dominates TSMC revenues as foundry giant pivots from smartphones to high-performance computing.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | Why India is rankled by Pakistan playing mediator in US-Iran war

Macroscope | How the rupee’s fall shows India’s struggle to overcome vulnerabilities

Opinion | By voicing their needs, Chinese women are normalising them

.css-19im5qg{color:#c79a00;}Letters | Iran war is not just a short-term energy disruption

Legal Tales | How the law protects when a parent abducts their child across borders

From racing Gout Gout to chasing sevens stardom, Aussie teen has ‘gas to burn’

What does Japan’s role in a US-Philippine military drill mean for Taiwan?

Trump-Xi summit worries, new fertiliser woes: 7 US-China relations reads

Ex-lawmaker convicted in Hong Kong 47 trial struck off medical register

Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority bars all contractors’ access to data after leak

Give officials more power to probe suspected animal cruelty cases: watchdog

Can Japan’s US$10b energy shield oust China’s influence in Southeast Asia?

Chinese tech giants, AI ‘godmother’ Li Fei-Fei race into world models

Trade tensions dim foreign investment outlook in US and China, survey finds

Hongkongers as young as 6 should ‘feel proud to be Chinese’: learning guide

Iran war: is the US shifting away from its strategy of precision strikes?

As the conflict has intensified, more energy and civilian sites have been targeted in what is seen as a broader approach.

What is the war on Iran teaching China about the United States’ resilience?

How lessons from Iran war could shape mainland China’s Taiwan calculus

Open Questions | What an ancient Chinese map reveals about global history: Sheng-Wei Wang

Kunyu Wanguo Quantu and maritime artefacts prove China explored the world earlier than Eurocentric accounts suggest, scholar argues.

Open Questions | Andrew Tilton on China’s economic trajectory in wake of Iran war

Goldman Sachs’ chief Asia-Pacific economist says worst is over in terms of property slump’s impact on China’s economic growth.

Open Questions | Kenneth Rogoff on why China’s yuan will be a reserve currency within 5 years

Harvard economist explains why cryptocurrencies will never take the US dollar’s place, despite their popularity in underground economies.

Open Dialogue | Gary Liu and Liu Xiaochun on the US and China’s divergent paths for stablecoins

As investors await Hong Kong’s first stablecoin licences, two experts discuss the assets’ integration with the city’s economy – and the world’s.

Shanghai Gigafactory has potential to build humanoid robots: Tesla China head

Shanghai Gigafactory could be a ‘golden key’ to advancing Elon Musk’s hopes of commercialising the technology swiftly, Tesla China head says.

Chinese tech giants, AI ‘godmother’ Li Fei-Fei race into world models

Alibaba’s introduction of Happy Oyster model for real-time creation of virtual worlds follows unveiling of Spark 2.0 from Li’s World Labs.

TSMC targets over 30% revenue surge in 2026, ramps up capex amid AI boom

AI dominates TSMC revenues as foundry giant pivots from smartphones to high-performance computing.

China fast-tracks hydrogen strategy to ‘scale-up’ phase to boost energy security

China targets ‘bold innovation’ as falling renewable-energy costs allow it to leverage 50 per cent share of global green hydrogen production capacity.

Exclusive | Trump-Xi summit shaped by uncertainty, not strategy: experts

War distractions and limited goals risk turning Beijing talks into optics over substance, as expectations shrink and planning falters.

Why the US may need more than just fixing gaps to rival China on rare earths

Washington’s mining ambitions may be complicated by the erosion of industrial know-how and a weak education pipeline, experts say.

Vocational schools a new front as China backs businesses’ global expansion

From waste to bottle: the technology that gives packaging waste a verifiable second life

Opinion | Why India is rankled by Pakistan playing mediator in US-Iran war

Letters | Iran war is not just a short-term energy disruption