US President Donald Trump said he was still planning to travel to China as scheduled this month despite the stalemate in the negotiations with Iran. When asked about the trip to Beijing, Trump told reporters on Friday: “It is going to be amazing. The visit with China and Chairman Xi [Jinping] – that’s going to be great. “We have the trip with China coming up. And I think it will be an amazing event.” Trump had initially planned to visit Beijing in late March, but put the trip back to May 14 and...

Hong Kong authorities expect the eastern section of the HK$7 billion (US$893 million) Fanling Bypass, which opens to traffic on Sunday, will prevent congestion ahead of residents moving into a nearby new development area later this year. At the opening ceremony on Saturday, Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said the 4km (2.49 miles) dual two-lane carriageway was completed just in time to support the Fanling North New Development Area, which is set to welcome its first public...

A home in the upscale Shouson Hill area in Hong Kong’s Southern district has allegedly been burgled, with luxury watches and foreign currency worth a total of more than HK$1.1 million (US$140,400) stolen. Police are looking into whether the burglars scaled the wall of a vacant neighbouring detached house at Orchid Hill to enter 26 Shouson Hill Road in Deep Water Bay, the South China Morning Post learned. The force responded to a call from a domestic helper at 10.11am on Saturday, after she...

A planned drawdown of US troops from Germany should spur Europeans to strengthen its own defences further, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Saturday, following the latest salvo from Washington against transatlantic ties. The Pentagon announced on Friday that ‌the United States would withdraw 5,000 soldiers from Germany, its largest European base, as a rift over the Iran war and tariff tensions place further strain on relations between the US and Europe. Pistorius said the move was...

The United Arab Emirates is expected to continue making high-risk geopolitical moves with potentially high rewards, following its exit from the Opec oil cartel, as the small but extremely wealthy Gulf state strives to become a global power. Framed by Emirati officials as an orientation towards strengthening economic autonomy, the UAE’s decision to leave the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) on Tuesday coincided with the downgrading of its diplomatic participation in the Gulf...

Dianjiang, a small county tucked away in southwestern China’s Chongqing, was transformed into a bustling live music hub in April as fans flocked to a concert headlined by Mandopop stars, including Jeff Chang. Such scenes are no longer unusual. Once the preserve of megacities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, high-profile concerts are now breathing life into lesser-known venues. As China endeavours to make consumption its main growth driver and targets untapped markets, entertainment spending...

Hong Kong recorded a 13 per cent year-on-year increase in mainland Chinese visitors on the first day of the “golden week” Labour Day holiday, with more than 300,000 inbound trips made throughout the day. Meanwhile, the number of Hongkongers leaving the city on Friday also surged by 45 per cent compared with last year, reaching more than 430,000 outbound journeys. Immigration statistics on Saturday showed 1.32 million cross-border trips were made on the first of the mainland’s five-day holiday,...