July Politburo meeting read-out

This report was translated from Chinese into English using Alibaba’s Qwen3.7-Plus, then checked and tweaked for accuracy by a South China Morning Post journalist. It is for reference only, and is not the official English version of the original Chinese document. Alibaba owns the SCMP.

Xi Jinping urges Chinese armed forces to ‘strengthen military application’ of AI

Xi was speaking ahead of the PLA’s 99th anniversary and his comments offer a rare insight into how its modernisation is progressing

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Xi Jinping made the comments days before the PLA’s 99th anniversary. Photo: Xinhua

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on the People’s Liberation Army to enhance its use of AI as part of a drive to develop an intelligent military.

He told a Politburo group study session


Singapore ministers awarded US$113,000 each in legal costs in Bloomberg libel suit

A court earlier this month ruled that a December 2024 Bloomberg article on Good Class Bungalow transactions had defamed the ministers

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Senior Minister K. Shanmugam speaks at a summit in Singapore on July 9, 2025. Photo: Reuters

Singapore ’s Senior Minister K. Shanmugam and Minister for Trade and Industry (Energy and Industry) Tan See Leng have each been awarded S$145,000 (US$113,000) in legal costs following their successful defamation suit
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South Korea almost shoots down US Marine drone after communication failure

This Week in Asia Politics

Incidents like this could ‘deepen mistrust’ between the allies, experts say, urging a comprehensive review to avoid it recurring

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North Korea’s border county of Gaepung is seen from a South Korean observation deck at Aegibong Peace Ecopark in Gimpo on July 1. Photo: AFP

An apparent communication breakdown between US and South Korean militaries resulted in South Korean troops training their weapons on an American drone launched during a joint exercise and an evacuation alert being triggered near the inter-Korean border.

The incident underscored the need for a comprehensive review of

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China’s Xiaomi takes aim at Tesla, staking 23% lower price on premium SUV

Xiaomi founder and CEO Lei Jun introduces the SkyNomad series during a launch event in Beijing on Thursday. Photo: AP Photo

Xiaomi, one of Tesla’s biggest challengers in mainland China over the past year, has priced its newest cars at a 23 per cent discount to the US carmaker’s Model Y L SUV amid intensified competition in the country’s premium electric vehicle (EV) segment.
Beijing-based Xiaomi announced on Thursday that the five-seat N70

Paralysis inspires Chinese man to build mind-controlled wheelchair that wins top prize

A man from southeastern China transformed his experience with paralysis into a source of inspiration, creating a mind-controlled wheelchair prototype in just 48 hours during a technology competition.

Wang Ning, 33, and his wife from Shenzhen recently took part in a Shanghai-based Hackathon hosted by RedNote, where they earned first prize in the hardware category for their innovative design.

Originating in the US, hackathons are competitions where developers collaborate under tight deadlines to create products or prototypes from the ground up. Participants typically remain on-

Wang Ning and his wife proudly earned first prize in the hardware category at the hackathon challenge, showcasing the power of collaboration and innovation in overcoming life’s challenges. Photo: RedNote

Law firm drops court challenge over files seized in ‘crash-for-cash’ police probe

Raymond Lam & Associates is being investigated for alleged role in fraud syndicate seeking excessive claims in minor or fabricated crashes

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Police raided the firm’s office in Mong Kok in February. Photo: Handout

A Hong Kong law firm allegedly involved in a series of “crash-for-cash” scams has dropped a judicial challenge over the seizure of its confidential documents during a police raid earlier this year.

The High Court


Chinese data challenges US-Iran war claims; bamboo vs desertification: SCMP’s 7 highlights

From a 10-hour A380 ordeal in China to a repaid 1947 wartime grain debt, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting

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Chinese researchers have proposed using bamboo as a sand barrier in the north of the country. Photo: Handout

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
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‘Fear and anger’ drive parents to seek legal review of city’s custody of baby Danny

The parents of a Hong Kong infant are applying for a legal order to review welfare authorities’ decision to remove the child from their care, as they expressed “fear and anger” about arrangements for their son, Danny, to receive “medical intervention” against their will.

Danny’s father, Tsang Wai-bong, and mother, Kwan Pui-sin, said they had already requested that the child not be vaccinated, adding that the decision to remove the child from their custody should not be based on their


What China’s hypersonic anti-ship missile fired from a smaller destroyer signals

Successful launch poised to ‘improve the navy’s combat capabilities’ and create ‘nightmare’ for US Navy, military commentator says

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A YJ-20 missile was launched from a vertical launch system of the Type 052D destroyer, according to a video released on Wednesday by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. Photo: CCTV

A YJ-20 missile was launched from a vertical launch system (VLS) of the Type 052D destroyer, according to a video released on Wednesday by state broadcaster CCTV . It is not known when the video was taken.

It is China’s