Tokyo ‘monitoring’ Beijing backlash; Taiwan’s RedNote ban: SCMP daily highlights

SCMP | Dec. 9, 2025, 8:15 a.m. | Original
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Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to the media at her official residence in Tokyo, Japan, on 25 November. Photo: Reuters

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One month after the Taiwan contingency remarks that set off the diplomatic firestorm with China, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Japan would “closely monitor” the situation and respond appropriately.

2. Taiwan RedNote ban backfires, driving mainland Chinese app’s top download rise

Many of RedNote’s more than 3 million active users in Taiwan are young women who rely on the platform for beauty, fashion, travel and lifestyle content. Photo: Shutterstock
Many of RedNote’s more than 3 million active users in Taiwan are young women who rely on the platform for beauty, fashion, travel and lifestyle content. Photo: Shutterstock

Taiwan’s ban on mainland Chinese social media app RedNote has sparked fierce pushback on the island, making the platform a top download as users rush to access it through workarounds.

3. ‘A slap in the face’: some US farmers unhappy with Trump’s US$12 billion bailout

A soybean farmer inspects his harvest at his family’s farm in Maryland in October. US farmers fear that the government’s new US$12 billion farm aid package will not provide enough funding. Photo: AFP
A soybean farmer inspects his harvest at his family’s farm in Maryland in October. US farmers fear that the government’s new US$12 billion farm aid package will not provide enough funding. Photo: AFP

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