‘China Initiative 2.0’: US crackdown on Chinese scholars intensifies

AdvertisementUS, Israel war on IranUSUS’ Bessent urges China to help open Strait of HormuzTreasury chief says Beijing’s energy buys fund ‘top sponsor of terrorism’, urges action as US asserts ‘absolute control’ over waterway
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenDewey Simin WashingtonPublished: 1:42am, 5 May 2026Updated: 1:44am, 5 May 2026US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday pressed China to ramp up diplomatic pressure on Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz even as he stressed that the US has “absolute control” over the strategic waterway.
“Let’s see [China] step up with some diplomacy and get the Iranians to open the strait,” Bessent said in a Fox News interview.
“Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism and China has been buying 90 per cent of their energy, so they are funding the largest state sponsor of terrorism.”
AdvertisementBessent’s call came just ahead of US President Donald Trump’s highly anticipated trip to China – scheduled for May 14-16 – with Iran expected to be on the agen..

AdvertisementHong Kong propertyBusinessHong Kong’s home sales recovery looks more solid as transactions, prices edge upMortgage and resale data both show a sustained rise in sentiment amid improving rates, prices and rental yields, agents say
Reading Time:3 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPYulu AoPublished: 9:30am, 1 Dec 2025Hong Kong’s property market is expected to extend its gradual recovery into the end of the year, supported by improving sentiment, rising rental yields and firmer demand in the mass-market segment, according to property analysts.
The latest mortgage and resale data suggest that buyers are returning following rate cuts and stamp-duty adjustments earlier this year, although the pace of improvement remains uneven across districts and price brackets.
Mortgage registrations continued to climb in October, reflecting a sustained rebound in transactions, climbing 7.1 per cent from September to 6,463, excluding off-plan units, according to a Centaline Property report on Thursda..

AdvertisementUS-Asean relationsThis Week in AsiaEconomicsWho wins the US-China trade war? Maersk’s Malaysia mega-bet backs Southeast AsiaThe shipping giant sees Southeast Asia as a net beneficiary of Trump’s tariff turmoil
Reading Time:4 minutesWhy you can trust SCMPJoseph SipalanandIman Muttaqin Yusofin Kuala LumpurPublished: 8:00am, 10 Nov 2025Next to a bustling expressway funnelling Malaysia’s exports to the world, Danish shipping giant Maersk has placed a US$118 million bet that Southeast Asia will not only withstand the new tariff era, but find a way to prosper.AdvertisementMaersk’s largest Asia-Pacific distribution centre opened in Shah Alam, Selangor state, on Wednesday. Seven years in the planning, it was conceived well before Donald Trump’s tariff-wielding return to the White House disrupted supply chains and slashed corporate margins.But when the dust from his trade hostilities finally settles, Maersk believes it will be Southeast Asia that emerges as a net beneficiary of the..