SCMP China·Saturday, December 27, 2025

SCMP China - Saturday, December 27, 2025

10 stories~15 min

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Stories Covered

China-Pakistan warplane deal with Libyan faction ‘may help expand Beijing’s influence’

Pakistan is selling warplanes it jointly developed with China to the Libyan National Army (LNA), a move analysts said could serve as a gateway for Beijing to expand its influence into North Africa. In one of Pakistan’s largest-ever arms deals, 16 of the JF-17 “Thunder” fighters were listed among the over US$4 billion worth of military equipment sold to the force led by Khalifa Hifter, which controls the east of the country. The deal included other land, sea and air equipment, such as 12 Super...

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Chinese nuclear experts believe Japan could build nuclear weapons in less than 3 years

One of Henry Kissinger’s final and most sobering predictions before his death was that Japan would eventually pursue nuclear weapons. In a 2023 interview with The Economist, Kissinger warned that Japan was “heading towards becoming a nuclear power in five years”. Chinese nuclear experts estimate that Japan has the political motivation but also the technical capacity to develop nuclear weapons in less than three years, echoing Kissinger’s warning that Japan harbours ambitions to revive its...

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China puts drone rules into law as low-altitude economy takes off

Beijing adopted sweeping revisions to its decades-old Civil Aviation Law on Saturday, formally bringing uncrewed aircraft such as drones under the national legal framework for the first time and signaling state support for the country’s rapidly growing low-altitude economy. The revisions, which will come into effect on July 1, were approved by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee and are a critical step in closing long-standing gaps in safety regulation. They will also guide...

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China hits milestone in building Beishan laboratory for managing nuclear waste

China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) on Friday announced a major milestone in the construction of one of the world’s biggest underground laboratories for nuclear waste as it completed a first-of-its-kind spiral ramp. Located deep in the Gobi Desert northwest of Jiuquan in Gansu province, the Beishan Underground Research Laboratory aims to address a fundamental challenge of nuclear energy development: the safe disposal of radioactive waste. “Nuclear energy is a clean and efficient power...

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A year after near total blackout, China builds world’s largest smart transformer

Just over a year after an incident that nearly triggered a cascading failure across China’s national power grid, engineers have developed the most powerful smart direct current (DC) transformer on the planet – an innovation poised to neutralise renewable energy shocks to the system. The technology addresses an urgent need following a near total blackout in August last year, when low-frequency swings triggered by poorly integrated wind energy in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region threatened to.

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How Trump ‘stunned’ China; why Western hegemony has ended: 12 key interviews from 2025

Catch up on some 2025 entries in Open Questions, SCMP’s series of in-depth interviews with global opinion leaders. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. ‘Delusional’: Jeffrey Sachs on why Western hegemony has ended American economist sees China as key to the global energy transition to zero-carbon energy, especially in markets outside US and Europe. 2. Ex-diplomat Kerry Brown on how Trump ‘stunned’ China with his ‘lack of caution’ King’s College, London.

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Soaring to the top: China appoints first female captain for flights on home-grown C919

China has appointed its first female pilot to exclusively captain flights on its home-grown C919 jet, with more aspiring women waiting in the wings as the nation expands its talent pool and systemically transitions elite pilots who used to fly Boeing and Airbus jets to operate the narrowbody airliner. Yu Yue, who made a high-stakes switch from her decade-long career flying the US-made Boeing 737 to be a C919 captain this year, has become a source of inspiration for many in the country. According

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South Korean president set to visit China next month, with North Korea high on agenda

Lee Jae-myung is set to become the first sitting South Korean president to travel to China since 2019 with a visit scheduled for early January. Analysts said Lee was expected to engage Beijing on security issues, including North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and the enforcement of international sanctions, while seeking to build on his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in October. Neither side has confirmed the visit, but preparations are under way, highlighted by a recent strategic...

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China warns of foreign forces using AI deepfakes to stir panic and steal data

Foreign forces have used deepfakes and other artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to create public panic and obtain sensitive information, posing a threat to China’s national security, the country’s top intelligence agency has warned. Deepfake technology, which uses AI’s deep learning algorithms to simulate and forge images, audio and video, could be abused or used maliciously to endanger individual legal rights, social stability and national security, the Ministry of State Security (MSS)..

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Wild goose chase? France works to rouse China’s appetite for pricey, imported foie gras

From luxury handbags to vintage Bordeaux, China’s consumers have long associated French products with fine living. Now, France aims to hook the country’s expanding middle class on another local speciality: foie gras. China placed tight restrictions on imports of the iconic French goose liver pate amid Europe’s bird flu epidemic, but there are signs that things could change, with Beijing recently vowing to get more produce “from French farms to Chinese tables”. Paris and Beijing also signed a...

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