SCMP China·Monday, December 22, 2025

SCMP China - Monday, December 22, 2025

10 stories~15 min

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Stories Covered

Lawmakers want US to disclose any approvals of Nvidia H200 China licences

Two senior Democratic lawmakers on Monday asked the ‌US Commerce Department to disclose details ‍and any approvals of continuing licence reviews for potential sales to Chinese firms of Nvidia’s second-most powerful AI chips. US President Donald Trump this month said he would allow sales of Nvidia’s (NVDA.O) H200 chips to China, with the US government collecting a 25 per cent ‍fee, and that the sales would help ‍keep US firms ahead of Chinese chipmakers by cutting demand for Chinese...

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China’s record trade surplus could prompt protectionist response in 2026: report

While China has already logged a record-breaking trade surplus in the first 11 months of 2025, that milestone could be a harbinger of more protectionist pushback, an American research firm said on Monday – a development that could complicate the country’s efforts to meet its economic growth target in 2026. Though export performance remains the “most important” variable for China's real economic growth rate next year, trade measures adopted by other countries and weaker demand will also have an..

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Xi Jinping promotes PLA commanders overseeing Taiwan Strait, Beijing to full general

China’s leader has promoted two PLA commanders who oversee the Taiwan Strait and the city of Beijing, suggesting that the dust has begun to settle following a massive purge in the military over corruption concerns. President Xi Jinping promoted Yang Zhibin, commander of the Eastern Theatre Command, to the rank of full general on Monday, according to state broadcaster CCTV. The move formally confirms Yang as head of the Eastern Theatre Command. Yang previously served as a lieutenant general in...

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Beijing ‘firmly opposes’ Japanese lawmakers’ trips to Taiwan as tensions spike

Beijing has lodged a protest with Tokyo over a series of visits to Taiwan by high-ranking officials from Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) amid a sharp downturn in bilateral relations. Koichi Hagiuda, an LDP lawmaker and the party’s executive acting secretary general, is on a three-day trip to Taiwan that will end on Tuesday. Hagiuda on Monday held a meeting with William Lai Ching-te, Taiwan’s leader. In total, about 30 Japanese lawmakers plan to visit the island between the end of..

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China-South Korea ties, Singapore’s ex-FM on Hong Kong rivalry: SCMP daily highlights

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Blackpink for Ayumi? Why China may reward South Korea’s soft stance on Japan row In a bid to overhaul their economic relationship, China and South Korea are reviving long-stalled trade talks, with an eye on moving beyond factory floors to target the lucrative services sector as geopolitical shifts redraw the region’s alliances. 2. Holiday travellers hit...

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China to hide bad debt records for pandemic-hit borrowers who repay small loans

China’s central bank has unveiled a credit-rehabilitation policy to help individuals who defaulted on small loans rebuild their financial standing – part of a broader push to bolster the economy and repair household balance sheets. The People’s Bank of China said the measure targets borrowers with a single instance of overdue debt incurred between 2020 and 2025 and not exceeding 10,000 yuan (US$1,421). If the debt is fully repaid by March 31, the default record will be hidden from credit...

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Chinese researchers show how 1 word could allow spies to take control of a robot army

A whispered word of command could allow spies to take control of an army of robots, security researchers have warned. The vulnerability in humanoid robots, which could see disruptive behaviour spread from one machine to another and cause widespread chaos, was exposed a few weeks ago at the GEEKCon competition in Shanghai. Since its inception in 2014, GEEKCon has successfully held 17 events, bringing together “white-hat hackers” from China, the US, Russia and elsewhere to compete. Security...

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China slaps tariffs on EU cheese and cream amid trade row

China has slapped provisional anti-subsidy fees of up to 42.7 per cent on European producers of certain dairy products, including various types of cheese and cream, Beijing’s Ministry of Commerce announced on Monday. Chinese investigators made a “preliminary determination” – following a 16-month investigation – that the European Union provided “substantial subsidies” to the milk and dairy products industry “through programmes such as the common agricultural policy” and caused “material injury”..

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Huawei cuts Pura X prices as Samsung and Apple foldables loom

Huawei Technologies cut prices on its widescreen, flip-style Pura X handset over the weekend, as the foldable smartphone market braced for a new wave of high-profile launches from rivals Samsung and Apple. The Shenzhen-based smartphone giant said it was trimming as much as 800 yuan (US$114) from the Pura X, which debuted in March. The vertically folding model now starts at 6,899 yuan. The Pura X stands apart from Huawei’s other foldables for its wider 6.3-inch display and 16:10 aspect ratio –...

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Too many US researchers looking at China through an American lens, professor warns

The US needs a more nuanced understanding of China to avoid policy missteps that hamper efforts to build trust between the two countries, a leading international relations professor has warned. Many scholars tended to interpret China primarily through an American lens, using frameworks designed to make sense of US politics and society, Diao Daming, from Renmin University, told a seminar last week. “Some view China simply as another superpower, assuming it follows the same logic as the US and can

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