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SCMP

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. China deploys prototype of missile defence system with planet-wide coverage
China has deployed a working prototype of a global defence system similar to the United States’ proposed Golden Dome, while hailing a breakthrough in data processing technology for worldwide threat management, according to scientists involved in the project.
2. Argentina’s soy exports to China soar, angering US
Argentina’s soybean export orders surged to a seven-year high this month as Chinese importers bought millions of tonnes of the staple crop during a brief suspension of export taxes. This has rattled the Trump administration, where divisions are deepening over Argentine President Javier Milei’s closer ties with Beijing and what many Republicans see as a direct blow to American farmers.
3. Hong Kong marks National Day with fireworks, naval ship tours and horse races

Hundreds of thousands of spectators packed Hong Kong’s harbourfront for a fireworks display on National Day, capping off celebrations that included an open day at PLA naval ships and visitors descending upon the city for shopping, sightseeing and hiking.
4. Religion must align with law for ethnic and social harmony in China, Xi says
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for further enactment of law and regulation, as well as stricter law enforcement, in religious affairs in a push to Sinicise religions in the country, according to state media.
5. South Korea’s new US ‘Iron Dome’ air defence system seen as reply to China

The US has deployed a new air defence system in South Korea – dubbed America’s Iron Dome – in what analysts see as an effort by Washington to counter Chinese or North Korean drone operations in the event of a conflict in the region.
6. ‘Singaporeans-first assurance’ needed after population hits record 6.11 million
With Singapore’s population at a high of more than 6.11 million, fuelled by foreign worker influx, more assurance should be given to locals on public infrastructure integrity and that they will remain the core of the labour market, according to analysts.
7. Top battery scientist Stefano Passerini relocates from Germany to China

65-year-old Italian researcher Stefano Passerini – a member of Germany’s National Academy of Sciences – has taken up a full-time position at Nanjing Normal University in eastern China.


Shenzhen’s 24-hour spa, a glimpse of 1970s Hong Kong: 7 Lifestyle highlights

Xi’s back-to-back meetings with Trump and Putin in Beijing: everything you need to know

Omega-3 could hurt the brain, China scores rare-earth find: 7 science highlights

Xi-Putin meeting: everything you need to know from the talks in Beijing

SCMP Highlights

China fields golden dome prototype, Argentina’s soy exports anger US: SCMP’s 7 highlights

People cycle along a track backdropped with the city skyline in Singapore in June. The city state crossed the 6 million population threshold in 2024. Photo: AFP


US President Donald Trump makes an announcement regarding the Golden Dome space-based missile defence system, as Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth looks on, in the Oval Office on May 20. Photo: Reuters

Revellers pose for a selfie during the fireworks display on National Day. Photo: Eugene Lee

US Army Chief of Staff General Randy George (left) meets leaders from the 35th Air Defence Artillery Brigade and soldiers from the 6th Battalion, 52nd Air Defence Artillery Regiment in South Korea on September 22. Photo: US Army

Stefano Passerini will head Nanjing Normal University’s new International Institute for Electrochemical Energy Storage. Photo: Handout

Xi-Trump phone call, reaction to Beijing’s military parade: 7 US-China relations reads

Flags flutter during the military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Photo: Reuters

Photo: Shutterstock

Photo: AFP/Pool/Getty Images/TNS

Photo: Bochen Han

File photo: AP

Photo: pool via AFP

Photo: AP

Photo: pool via Sputnik/EPA

Fujian’s landmark jet launch, Hong Kong after Super Typhoon Ragasa: SCMP’s 7 highlights

Yu Faxin is also a Qiushi distinguished professor at Zhejiang University’s School of Aeronautics and Astronautics in Hangzhou. Photo: Shutterstock

The carrier-based J-15T, J-35 and KJ-600 aircraft have completed their inaugural electromagnetic catapult-assisted take-off and landing tests on the Fujian aircraft carrier. Photo: Xinhua

A man sits on a bench on the Tseung Kwan O promenade as the waves approach. Photo: Elson Li

High-end luxury homes in London. US authorities estimate that US$340 million in UK property has been acquired with money stolen from Malaysia’s 1MDB fund. Photo: EPA

Fan Zihe, a Pakistani adopted by a couple in China has announced she will marry her Chinese partner on September 17. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin/Sohu

The Dashixia mega dam in Xinjiang is 247 metres high – about the same as an 80-storey building. Photo: CCTV

India’s aviation hub goal, Bangkok’s massive sinkhole: 7 Asia highlights

Visitors crowd a street leading to Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, Japan, on July 18. Photo: Reuters

Construction being carried out at the Navi Mumbai airport’s terminal building in India. Photo: YouTube/Infra Skyline

Visitors crowd a street leading to Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, Japan. A 2024 study by the Kyoto city government found that 56.06 million people visited over the course of the year. Photo: Reuters

Thai officials inspect a sinkhole in Bangkok on Wednesday. Photo: EPA

A couple in a village in Mamuju, West Sulawesi, Indonesia, asking for their parents’ blessing. Photo: AFP

Top AI expert moves to China, world’s longest cable-stayed bridge: 7 science highlights

The Changtai Yangtze River Bridge started operating on Tuesday, September 9. Photo: Xinhua

Alex Kot serves as distinguished professor and chief scientist at Shenzhen MSU-BIT University (SMBU), a Chinese-foreign cooperative university. Photo: Handout

A US nuclear submarine seen during military exercises 70 nautical miles (130km) off Cartagena, Colombia. Photo: Colombian National Navy/AFP

Scientists said they had ruled out the possibility that the carving had been made using modern techniques. Photo: Weixin/ 光明文化記憶

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People

From National Day celebrations in Hong Kong to Singapore’s population hitting a record high, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting


From National Day celebrations in Hong Kong to Singapore’s population hitting a record high, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.


China fields golden dome prototype, Argentina’s soy exports anger US: SCMP’s 7 highlights

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From National Day celebrations in Hong Kong to Singapore’s population hitting a record high, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting

1. China deploys prototype of missile defence system with planet-wide coverage

From National Day celebrations in Hong Kong to Singapore’s population hitting a record high, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting