To win the chip war, China needs a multinational strategy

Visitors walk by a billboard showing a semiconductor chip, at the Chinese International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing on June 26. Photo: Getty Images

Winston Mok, a private investor, was previously a private equity investor.

Nvidia’s H200 chips , a step down from its most advanced Blackwell line, have resumed imports into China, albeit in small quantities. Meanwhile, China’s chip exports nearly doubled in the first half of this year.

Much of these exports are mature logic integrated circuits


Man stabs tourists near Greece’s Acropolis

A man stabbed and wounded two tourists Tuesday morning near the ancient Acropolis in Athens, Greece’s top tourist attraction, police said.

The assailant attacked a man and a woman, both Greek Americans, with a knife on a pedestrian street near an entrance to the Acropolis itself and near the entrance to the Acropolis Museum, which lies at the foot of the Acropolis hill. The woman suffered light injuries to the leg, while the man was more seriously hurt with wounds to the arm, police said.

The attacker was

Tourists walk near the Acropolis in Athens on Tuesday after two tourists were stabbed and injured nearby in an attack near the entrance to the archaeological site. Photo: AP

Perfume ban, no-fly zone – as Apec summit looms, Shenzhen is ramping up security

The southern metropolis has imposed a no-fly zone and banned certain items from the subway, including alcohol and perfume

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After Shenzhen's local government tightened security on the city's subway, long queues were seen as travellers went through checks. Photo: Sohu

Though it will not host the Apec Economic Leaders’ Meeting until November , the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen is already tightening its security, banning travellers on the subway from carrying perfume and imposing a no-fly zone for drones.

The local government said in a notice on Sunday that subway passengers


Fall in line or resign: Malaysia’s Anwar reins in coalition partners ahead of state poll

This Week in Asia Politics

The prime minister has threatened to remove ministers and senior officers attacking fellow federal partners during the Negeri Sembilan poll

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Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks during a press conference at the federal government office in Putrajaya on July 9. Photo: AFP

Malaysia ’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has threatened to remove ministers and federal appointees who use public office to attack their own government partners, drawing a new red line as the ruling coalition’s rival camps collide again ahead of the Negeri Sembilan state election on August 1.

Anwar

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Chinese loans to Philippines stay resilient despite maritime row

New findings on Chinese financing in the Philippines are challenging the assumption that Beijing reduced its funding under President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr because of worsening tensions in the South China Sea.

Instead, Chinese capital had continued to support Filipino businesses in recent years, including a US$3.9 billion syndicated loan to telecommunications company Dito Telecommunity in 2023, the largest ever China-backed private-sector loan to the Philippines, AidData, a US-based research group, told This Week in Asia.

Nearly US$9


Nicaragua will no longer hold elections, president says

Nicaragua’s long-serving President Daniel Ortega said the Central American country will no longer hold elections, eliminating the possibility of an electoral challenge when his term ends next year and further entrenching the rule he shares with his wife.

Ortega, who has continuously held power since 2007 following an earlier presidential term ‌in the 1980s, said the move will close off any path to the opposition, although he did not provide details about carrying out the ban.

“There won’t be

Crowds gather for anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution that toppled the Somoza dictatorship in 1979 and first brought Daniel Ortega to power. Photo: El19 DIGITAL via AFP

China lodges protest with Philippines after latest clash near Second Thomas Shoal

Beijing summons the Philippine ambassador to complain about what it describes as a ‘malicious’ attack on its coastguards

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The two sides each blamed the other for the incident. Photo: X.com/SCS_PI

Monday’s clash near the disputed Second Thomas Shoal involved a Chinese coastguard vessel and two Philippine Navy rubber dinghies.

China and the Philippines trade accusations after clash in South China Sea

It accused the Philippine servicemen of “using tools


In Malaysia, robber flees empty-handed after guard locks US$20,000 inside armoured van

Police set up roadblocks in Klang after a man threatens security guards transferring cash into a van with what appears to be a gun

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A screengrab shows a robber holding up a security guard outside a bank in Klang on Monday. Photo: Instagram/suaramalaysiabaru

An attempted robbery outside a bank in Malaysia ended without any cash stolen after a security guard’s swift action secured 82,000 ringgit (US$20,000) inside an armoured van.

Selangor police chief Commissioner Shazeli Kahar said the incident occurred


As BYD marks Brazil milestone, Europe weighs response to surge in Chinese EVs

Workers check vehicles in BYD’s plant in Camacari, Brazil, on February 3, 2026. Photo: Reuters

BYD has rolled out its 100,000th new-energy vehicle from its Brazilian assembly line, underscoring the growth potential for Chinese products in South America, just as electric cars fuel fresh tension in Europe.
China’s largest electric vehicle (EV) producer reached the landmark on July 16, reflecting BYD ’s rapid expansion as governments increasingly push for local manufacturing and job creation.

The milestone vehicle was a BYD


Malaysia’s US$500 million warship, Philippines’ Pax Silica AI hub: 7 Asia highlights

From Bali’s bid to become a financial hub to Japan’s bind over US’ ICC campaign, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting

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A French Gowind-class offshore patrol vessel, of the design on which Malaysia’s littoral combat vessel is based. Photo: AFP

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing .

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