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Malaysia can’t block MMC Port chief as state doesn’t meddle in company matters: minister

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, who quit as DP World chief after being linked to Jeffrey Epstein, is now heading Malaysia’s largest port operator MMC Port is Malaysia’s largest ⁠port operating group with seven ports along or near the Strait of Malacca, a waterway vital to global trade. It is wholly owned by utilities and infrastructure group MMC Corporation. Its shareholding details are not publicly available. Emails exchanged between the Emirati and Epstein, who died ‌in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, were released by the ⁠US Justice Department. Sultan Ahmed ⁠has not publicly commented on the emails. Sultan Ahmed and MMC Port could not be reached or did not respond to requests for comment.

July 17, 2026

Business

China student discovered on video platform shines as heroine in acclaimed film ‘Dear You’

Recent graduate Li Sitong hopes for more acting roles after starring in emotional telling of a decades-spanning secret involving a stranger When 'Dear You', a low-budget Teochew-language story of migration became one of China’s biggest films in late spring and early summer, its lead actress Li Sitong, who played Zia Lamgi, became a university graduate and said she wished to continue her acting career. The film directed by Lan Hongchun tells a story of a young Teochew man travelling to Thailand to search for his estranged grandfather Ten Baksheng, and ending up discovering that he had long been dead and it was his friend, Lamgi, who sent love letters to his wife Iap Sok-jiu, for nearly two decades. The film was produced for a reported 14 million yuan (US$2 million), and has taken nearly 2 billion yuan at the Chinese box office. Not only did Teochew people resonate with the film, reliving their family memories that also involve a diaspora and remittance letters called qiaopi, young Chinese across the country were moved by the story. One commented Dear You was “the best Chinese film in the past five years”.

July 17, 2026

Business

Extortion or Innovation: Where will the next growth wave come from?

By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser. An elevated pedestrian crossing as seen from a supertall skycraper in the Lujiazui business district in Shanghai, China on April 4, 2026./VCG Editor's note: Ankit Prasad is a biz commentator. The article reflects the author's views and not necessarily those of CGTN. What should be the economic policy of a nation in the 21st century? Should it be based on extortion, coercion, bullying and post-imperial rent-collection? Or should it be based on innovation, scientific & technological progress, holistic development and the common good? One would think the answer would be obvious — but these days the correct answer needn't always be the one that's most acceptable. Certainly, the administration of the world's largest economy appears to err on the side of extortion. Since the start of 2025 a beguiling set of policy imperatives have flowed ceaselessly from the White House, all of which appear to champion a model where the government also directly participates in earning revenues and driving GDP, by hook or crook.

July 17, 2026

Business

‘Let them fight’: Chinese social media reacts to Trump’s election interference claims

US leader’s explosive accusations against Beijing prompt mockery, concern and calls for self-reliance from online commenters He alleged that China had accessed around 220 million American voter files and assigned a dedicated data exploitation unit to the effort, with activities dating back to at least the 2018 midterm elections and continuing into the 2020 presidential race. Trump has maintained since late 2020 that widespread voter fraud cost him the election that year against Joe Biden. He and his allies have repeatedly alleged irregularities involving mail-in ballots, voting machines and foreign interference, despite numerous court rulings, audits and reviews by officials in his own administration that found no evidence of fraud significant enough to change the outcome. Chinese-speaking posters on X, formerly known as Twitter, had little reaction to this new information other than mocking the claims or questioning their credibility.

July 17, 2026

Business

BizDataDive: China’s AI boom: Innovation shifts into high gear

By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser. WAIC 2026 is underway in Shanghai from July 17 to 20. AI is powering investment, industrial upgrading and new quality productive forces in China. Swipe through the infographics to explore the country's AI boom.

July 17, 2026

Business

SCMP multimedia series traces causes, failures and human toll of Tai Po blaze

South China Morning Post infographics on Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades examine chain of events, systemic lapses and inquiry evidence The fire, which engulfed the Wang Fuk Court residential complex last November, claimed 168 lives and displaced nearly 5,000 people, making it the city’s deadliest blaze in decades. For a deeper look at the causes of the tragedy, the “systemic failures” that ultimately led to the heavy death toll, the parties alleged to bear responsibility for the fire and other key findings from the months-long independent inquiry hearings, click on the infographics below. Our first multimedia infographic tracked the start and spread of the fire, which engulfed seven of the estate’s eight 31-storey blocks on November 26, 2025. It explained several key factors identified in preliminary investigations that contributed to the rapid escalation of the blaze at the estate, which was undergoing renovations. These included the use of flammable materials in the project, such as the non-fire-retardant scaffolding mesh and polystyrene foam boards, as well as the failure of fire alarms.

July 17, 2026

Business

Malaysia’s Network School probe raises questions over openness to tech talent

The commune’s founder says further investments in Malaysia are on hold and he may move his funds out depending on talks with the authorities Johor authorities are investigating Network School, a private co-living and co-working community based in Forest City and founded by American tech investor and former Coinbase chief technology officer Balaji Srinivasan, following online allegations that Israelis were involved in the project and had entered Malaysia using secondary passports. For 38-year-old Malaysian digital nomad Harinder Singh, however, the episode is unlikely to deter global remote workers from considering living and working in Malaysia. What matters is whether the country is affordable, connected and transparent about its rules, according to Harinder. “Digital nomads don’t really make decisions based on news cycles like this,” said Harinder, who has worked remotely for more than a decade between cities in Malaysia and elsewhere in Southeast Asia. “Incidents like this get attention, but the real decision factors are visa clarity, cost of living, internet reliability and community.”

July 17, 2026

Business

Why is China’s AI path different?

By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser. Reliable power supply, robust grid infrastructure, fast project execution and a business-friendly environment give China a unique advantage in scaling artificial intelligence (AI), Robin Xing, chief China economist at Morgan Stanley, tells CGTN. As open-source models spread, AI is increasingly being translated into real productivity across industries.

July 17, 2026

Business

What are the new drivers of China’s consumption?

By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser. Services are now leading China's consumption growth, according to Liu Chunsheng, associate professor of Central University of Finance and Economics. He says rising demand for experiences, alongside strong spending on digital products, reflects a broader shift toward higher-quality consumption and new sources of economic growth.

July 17, 2026

Business

 BizTalk | China’s mid-year economic review

By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser. How did China's economy perform in the first half of 2026? What opportunities and challenges lie ahead in achieving this year's growth target? In this episode of BizTalk, CGTN's Lily Lyu sits down with experts from Morgan Stanley, China International Capital Corporation and the Central University of Finance and Economics to break down China’s latest economic data, explore the outlook for the economy, emerging trends and policy priorities in the second half of the year.

July 17, 2026

Business

A new chapter in global AI governance: Cooperation beyond divides

By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser. A humanoid robot prepares a healthy meal at the WAIC on July 17, 2026, in Shanghai, China. /VCG Editor's note: Lin G. is a CGTN economic commentator. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of CGTN. At the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, 29 countries signed the agreement establishing the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO), with its headquarters permanently based in the city. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres attended the signing ceremony. By any measure, this marks a milestone in global AI governance. Yet even as countries gathered to expand cooperation in the AI era, some Western media outlets chose to view the development through a different lens — framing a new platform for global participation as another geopolitical contest. Humanoid robots play a football match at the WAIC on July 17, 2026, in Shanghai, China. /VCG A pattern has become predictable.

July 17, 2026

Business

How ‘immersive experiences’ unlock new consumption potential in China

By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser. Walk into shopping malls and cultural venues across China this summer, and you will spot a striking shift in how people spend money. Instead of simply buying clothes, snacks or daily goods, young consumers are flocking to immersive IP experiences, interactive cultural carnivals and scene-based entertainment. This small but vivid lifestyle shift is the most intuitive symbol of China's ongoing consumption upgrade. It also sets the tone for the country's solid economic performance in the first half of 2026. According to official data, China's GDP reached 69.57 trillion yuan (around $10.28 trillion) in H1, growing 4.7% year on year. Notably, retail sales of goods increased by 1.1%, while service retail sales grew by 5.3%, signaling a deeper shift in China's consumption landscape, as buyers move from fulfilling basic needs to pursuing emotional resonance and a more meaningful life.

July 17, 2026