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Hong Kong teens dive deep to safeguard global shipping lanes

Students from Canadian International School of Hong Kong take home second place and special awards at the Conrad Challenge in Houston [The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] A group of Grade 8 students from Canadian International School of Hong Kong (CDNIS) has made waves on the global innovation stage, returning from the Conrad Challenge Global Innovation Summit in Houston with multiple top honours. The team captured the coveted Innovation Summit Power Pitch Award and the Equinor Searching for Better Award – achievements that also earned them a sponsored educational trip to Boston, including hands-on workshops and a visit to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The five students, aged 13 to 14, spent months designing and building OctoScope, an autonomous underwater vehicle developed to monitor busy canals and remove debris before it can disrupt global shipping routes. The project tackles a high-stakes real-world problem: major maritime chokepoints are vulnerable to trade blockages that can paralyse trade, as seen in the 2021 grounding of the Ever Given in the Suez Canal, which triggered billions of dollars in losses and widespread supply-chain disruption.

May 13, 2026

Business

Hong Kong to launch public consultation on 5-year blueprint ‘by early June’

Large-scale publicity campaign to promote consultation includes television advertisements, banners and other public announcements, sources say The South China Morning Post learned that the government was also planning a large-scale publicity campaign to promote the consultation exercise, including television advertisements, large banners and other forms of public announcements. The Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, led by Janice Tse Siu-wa, who replaced Erick Tsang Kwok-wai in March, is currently consolidating proposals from various departments. Meanwhile, lawmakers are expected to submit preliminary views spanning six major areas by the end of May after consulting sector representatives. A source said the government planned to launch the consultation in early June, featuring a preliminary framework designed to facilitate “more focused” discussions on how local policies should align with China’s 15th five-year plan, which guides national development from 2026 to 2030. “Consultation sessions will be organised by sector, with some attended by the chief executive and relevant ministers to hear views in person,” the insider said.

May 13, 2026

Business

Southeast Asia warned of ‘Godzilla El Nino’ whiplash threatening drought, floods, haze

Experts warn the heat could increase the risk of localised flooding, put pressure on drainage systems and threaten agricultural production The threat is also landing at a fragile moment for emerging economies, analysts add, as geopolitical tensions, higher energy costs and pressure on remittances leave governments and households with less room to absorb climate shocks. Sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific were already rising rapidly in late April, signalling the expected return of El Nino next month, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The weather phenomenon typically brings hotter and drier conditions to Southeast Asia, damaging agriculture, straining water supplies and amplifying the risk of forest fires. But experts said the same heat could also make sudden bursts of rainfall more dangerous, increasing the risk of localised flooding even during a broadly dry spell. “Things get a lot hotter, nevertheless – and this is something that is kind of a little counterintuitive – but it can also mean that localised flooding increases,” said Andy Smith, chief operating officer of Fathom, a firm that uses scientific tools and intelligence to understand the climate’s impact on water risk.

May 13, 2026

Business

Malaysia’s Jho Low seeking Trump pardon for 1MDB fraud

Jho Low, the fugitive Malaysian financier accused by the United States of being the mastermind of one of the largest financial frauds in history, has asked US President Donald Trump for a pardon. Low, who was charged in 2018 but has evaded arrest, submitted a pardon application to the US Justice Department this year, according to a notice on its website. He is accused of being the architect of a scheme that siphoned at least US$4.5 billion from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund, 1Malaysia...

May 12, 2026

Business

US confirms delegation to Apec meeting in China, hours after Trump sets off for Beijing

US representatives to attend Apec trade and investment meetings in Shanghai and Suzhou this month as key Trump-Xi summit looms Additionally, Paige Willey, deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of the National Economic Council, is set to serve as the US head of delegation for the Apec Women and the Economy Forum that takes place in Shanghai on May 15. Rick Switzer, the deputy US trade representative, will be in the same role for the Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting in Suzhou from May 22 to 24. “The United States is proud of the leading role we have played in Apec. After hosting the forum three times, American companies, technology, and workers have been instrumental in building a more prosperous Asia-Pacific,” the Department of State said.

May 12, 2026

Business

Takeover of Hong Kong Golf & Tennis Academy’s Central club postponed by 2 months

Source says delay of merger with Carlyle & Co follows meeting of HKGTA members The takeover of an exclusive Hong Kong sports club’s top venue in Central has been postponed following opposition from some members, the South China Morning Post has learned. A source said that following a meeting involving members of the Hong Kong Golf & Tennis Academy (HKGTA), the date of the merger of operations for its Town Club at Central’s New World Tower with private members’ club Carlyle & Co would be pushed back by two months. Until as recently as last Friday evening, the HKGTA had told the SCMP that it would go ahead with the merger on June 8. “This is not just a small win, holding off for two months after all these high-profile adverts is quite big,” a meeting attendee said. “We hope we will be able to arrive at a good middle ground at the end.” The latest development stalls previous plans to allow members of the two clubs to use their facilities reciprocally. The SCMP reported on Saturday that some HKGTA members had deemed the takeover unfair as they had paid up to HK$2.68 million (US$342,200) for their memberships, whereas Carlyle & Co’s fees were significantly less, as low as under HK$50,000.

May 12, 2026

Business

Wang Fuk Court administrator outlines HK$127 million refund for displaced owners

Residents express dissatisfaction as administrator says HK$180 million in renovation levies have been paid, with remaining funds set aside for refunds Wang Fuk Court’s administrator has revealed that HK$180 million (US$22.9 million) has been paid to parties involved in the estate’s renovation project, with the remaining HK$127 million to be refunded to owners displaced by one of Hong Kong’s deadliest fires in decades. The details were disclosed during a Zoom meeting on Tuesday, one of two sessions arranged for residents by Hop On Management Company, the government-appointed administrator of the Tai Po estate following the fire. The second session is scheduled for May 20. The meetings were organised after more than 240 owners, representing over 12 per cent of households at Wang Fuk Court, petitioned Hop On in late April to convene an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) within 45 days, warning they might take legal action if their request was ignored. Since being appointed in January to represent the management committee of the Wang Fuk Court owners’ corporation, Hop On said it had completed the handover of 890,000 digital files from ISS EastPoint, the estate’s previous property management firm.

May 12, 2026

Business

‘Frogs in a well’: Chinese diplomat slams Europe’s ‘outdated’ approach to China

Foreign ministry’s European Affairs chief warns about pitfalls of protectionism, says Beijing ready to address Brussels’ concerns A senior Chinese diplomat has accused Europe of taking an outdated, inward-looking approach to China, while signalling that Beijing is open to addressing Brussels’ concerns. Li Jian, director general of the Chinese foreign ministry’s Department of European Affairs, delivered his strongly worded speech at a high-level forum on Tuesday. Addressing the event, Li used a string of traditional Chinese idioms and other colourful expressions to criticise Europe’s approach towards China. He warned that “some voices arising in Europe” sought to push China-Europe ties “away from the track of long-term cooperation” and towards “comprehensive competition, or even confrontation”.

May 12, 2026

Business

Top Swedish universities eager to forge ties with city, Hong Kong minister says

Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong says visit aimed at strengthening collaboration in innovation and technology Top Swedish universities are eager to deepen collaboration with Hong Kong in areas such as life sciences, the city’s innovation and technology minister has told the South China Morning Post during a visit to the country to strengthen ties. “What impressed us most during this trip to Sweden is the incredible enthusiasm of Swedish organisations, groups and individuals for cooperating with Hong Kong. This exceeded my expectations,” Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong said on Tuesday, after visiting KTH Royal Institute of Technology, the Karolinska Institutet and Uppsala University in Sweden. “I have extended invitations to the three universities, hoping they will utilise our platforms such as InnoHK and the soon-to-be-established Life and Health Technology Research Institute. Many start-ups also hope to expand into the Chinese market while raising funds in Hong Kong to pursue global development.” The trip marked Sun’s first official visit to Northern Europe since taking office, with a stop in Helsinki, Finland, scheduled after Sweden.

May 12, 2026

Business

Why Trump’s visit to Beijing has Taiwan on edge about US arms sales

Taipei fears US leader’s transactional approach to diplomacy could turn the island into a bargaining chip for a broader Sino-American deal Speaking at the White House on Monday, Trump said arms sales to Taiwan would be among the issues discussed with Xi, who has long opposed Washington’s military support for the island. The remarks immediately reignited debate in Taiwan over whether Trump’s transactional approach to diplomacy could undermine the “Six Assurances” – long-standing US commitments that Washington would not consult Beijing in advance on arms sales to Taiwan. On Tuesday, Taiwanese foreign ministry spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei said the island was “closely monitoring US-China interactions and maintaining close communication with Washington” to safeguard its interests.

May 12, 2026

Business

US consumer inflation jumps as Iran war sends energy prices higher

Inflation had been dropping more or less steadily since peaking with a 9.1 per cent year-over-year spike in prices in June 2022 US consumer prices climbed sharply again last month as the 10-week war with Iran pushed energy prices higher. The Labor Department’s consumer price index rose 3.8 per cent from April 2025, according to data released on Tuesday. On a month-to-month basis, April prices rose 0.6 per cent from March as petrol prices rose 5.4 per cent during the month; the month-over-month gain was down from 0.9 per cent increase from February to March. Labor Department figures showed that petrol prices are up more than 28 per cent compared with a year ago. However, the AAA motor club listed the average regular gallon of petrol above US$4.50 on Tuesday, about 44 per cent more than it cost last year at this time. Excluding volatile food and energy costs, so-called consumer core prices rose 0.4 per cent last month from March and 2.8 per cent from April 2025, relatively modest readings that suggest the energy price burst has yet to spill over more broadly into other prices. Grocery prices rose 0.7 per cent from March to April as meat prices rose. Those prices had retreated slightly the month before.

May 12, 2026

Business

Trump’s cadre of CEOs hunts for wins in China, from soybeans to semiconductors

Corporate leaders join this week’s state visit, with a diverse group eyeing market access and stability amid frictions Beyond high-profile names like Apple’s Tim Cook, a number of lesser-known CEOs joining US President Donald Trump on his trip to China this week represent industries caught in the crossfire of the trade war, analysts said, and are expected to push for deeper engagement rather than risk becoming a “geopolitical football”. Seventeen American CEOs have been invited in total, according to a list released by the White House on Monday – a smaller business delegation than in 2017, when 27 high-profile executives joined. “These companies are looking for engagement, both with China and with the Trump administration,” said Kent Kedl, managing partner at Blue Ocean Advisors. “They all know that they’re in sectors with significant exposure to geopolitical tensions between the US and China, and that the future is very unpredictable.” Dina Powell McCormick, president and vice-chair of Meta Platforms, Illumina CEO Jacob Thaysen and Coherent CEO Jim Anderson were also on the list.

May 12, 2026