We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. Feeling increasingly unwelcome, Chinese pupils sour on US universities
“We know that Chinese students, especially PhD students, are increasingly feeling unwelcome in the United States,” Rory Truex, an assistant professor with Princeton University’s Department of Politics, said. “This population is incredibly talented and important to the American scientific and research enterprise, but unfortunately they have been branded as potential threats.”
2. Laser weapon spotted on Chinese navy ship as PLA and US boost drone defences
China has installed what appears to be a laser directed-energy weapon on an amphibious ship, according to social media posts, as the People’s Liberation Army and rivals such as the US race to develop weapons that can thwart drones, satellite networks and other hi-tech systems.
3. How did Singapore PM Lawrence Wong fare in his first National Day Rally speech?
The personable style of new Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in his first National Day Rally speech was well received, but experts cautioned that the reset in social safety net policies he outlined could seem incremental rather than the radical change some had anticipated.
4. Hong Kong’s ESF school group to open kindergarten under mega project in Sai Kung
Hong Kong’s largest international school group plans to open a new kindergarten in two years as part of a major developer’s mega project in the Sai Kung area, while also announcing it will close another institution in Tung Chung.
5. World’s largest iPhone factory loses momentum amid supply chain shifts
The world’s largest iPhone factory, in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou, is offering higher bonuses to attract workers needed for its busy season ahead of the launch of new models from Apple, but it is “not what it used to be”, according to workers and labour agents at the site.
6. As China celebrates Deng Xiaoping’s legacy, the country is again at a crossroads
Deng and his “true heir” Xi Jinping differ in strategies and approaches, but closer examination reveals many core similarities. In the first of a three-part series, we look at Deng’s continuing resonance with the ruling Communist Party’s leadership.
7. Would you live in a ‘haunted’ house if the price was right?
In the high-stakes Hong Kong real estate market, where every square foot is coveted, a peculiar subset of properties defies the norm – “haunted” flats, or hongza. These homes are often shunned because of the belief that the lingering spirits of those who died an unnatural death in them – by murder, suicide, or an accident – will bring misfortune to the next residents.
