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Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.1. Chinese J-10C combat claims draw sharp contrast between social media and BeijingAs Chinese citizens celebrated the performance of the J-10C fighter jet in the India-Pakistan conflict – described by some as a “DeepSeek” moment for the country’s defence industry – Beijing remained cautious, a position analysts said was due to both geopolitical considerations and military prudence.2. Chinese exports show resilience in April despite US tariffsChina has defied US President Donald Trump’s unprecedented tariff increases by…

Container ships sit docked at the Port of Los Angeles on May 06, 2025 in San Pedro, California. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesUpwards of 12,000 shipping containers that are subject to the 145%-plus tariffs levied by President Trump are on the first flotilla of Chinese freight vessels arriving at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.A total of seven vessels that left China after the announcement of the 145%-plus tariffs are currently at the nation’s two busiest ports for container traffic from Asia, according to vessel arrivals tracked and aggregated by MarineTraffic. An additional five…

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV, in remarks in 2012 when he was the Augustinian prior general in Chicago, made comments critical of what he called the “homosexual lifestyle” and the role of mass media in promoting acceptance of same-sex relationships that conflicted with Catholic doctrine.Reports about the 2012 comments emerged after Thursday’s election of U.S. Cardinal Robert Prevost to succeed Pope Francis; he took the name Leo XIV.The remarks were “disappointing,” said Francis DeBernardo of New Ways Ministry, a U.S.-based group that advocates for greater inclusion of LGBTQ+ Catholics in the church.“We pray that in the 13 years…

As Chinese citizens celebrated the performance of the J-10C fighter jet in the India-Pakistan conflict – described by some as a “DeepSeek” moment for the country’s defence industry – Beijing remained cautious, a position analysts said was due to both geopolitical considerations and military prudence.Pakistan claimed to have shot down French-made Rafale fighter jets operated by the Indian Air Force using a Chinese-made J-10C aircraft on Wednesday. According to Reuters, at least one Rafale was shot down by a J-10C.It would mark the first combat success of the J-10 family since the original J-10 – a single-engine, multi-role fighter –…

Alibaba Group Holding’s artificial intelligence (AI) app Quark has introduced a “deep search” function, as Chinese tech companies strive to redefine search engines in the AI era.Unlike conventional search engines that rely on keywords, the “deep search” feature leverages Alibaba’s Qwen AI models by combining reasoning capabilities with online search to deliver accurate responses to complex queries, according to Quark.The new search engine is the latest consumer-facing AI product from Alibaba, owner of the South China Morning Post, as the Hangzhou-based tech giant seeks to build on the strength of its foundation models to improve app experiences for ordinary users.Quark…

This article is an on-site version of our Swamp Notes newsletter. Premium subscribers can sign up here to get the newsletter delivered every Monday and Friday. Standard subscribers can upgrade to Premium here, or explore all FT newsletters“History is bunk”, Henry Ford is alleged to have said. One can easily imagine Donald Trump saying the same thing. With the exception of Russia’s Vladimir Putin, who pores over czarist maps in search of land grabbing pretexts, those with authoritarian impulses tend to revile scholarship, including history. As Swampians might by now be tired of hearing, my biography of Zbigniew Brzezinski (Zbig:…

Top 10 things to watch Friday, May 9 1. Stocks are set to open higher this morning, building on yesterday’s rally sparked by the announcement of a U.S.-U.K. trade deal, though the momentum faded toward the end of the session. 2. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that a 80% tariff on China “seems right,” but said he’s leaving the decision up to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is holding trade talks with Chinese officials in Switzerland this weekend. 3. Affirm reported in-line revenues and better-than-expected gross merchandise volume, but shares are sliding after the midpoint of the revenue…

Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for freeYour guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the worldThe UK has accepted strict US security “requirements” for its steel and pharmaceutical industries, in what diplomats see as a template that Washington could use to exclude China from other countries’ strategic supply chains. Thursday’s trade deal offered tariff relief to both industries, but only on the condition that Britain “work to promptly meet US requirements” on their supply chain security and the “ownership of relevant production facilities”.UK officials said the provision applied to some third countries but acknowledged that…

Two high-profile visits by Middle East leaders, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Saudi Arabia’s junior Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, to New Delhi this week have highlighted global concerns about the deepening India-Pakistan conflict.The surge in hostilities between the nuclear-armed neighbours came in the wake of the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, in which 26 people were killed.India launched air strikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir on Tuesday, while Islamabad claimed to have shot down five Indian jets in response.The fighting has shown no signs of abating, with Indian and Pakistani soldiers overnight exchanging heavy gunfire and shelling…

In the aftermath of US President Donald Trump’s “liberation day” tariffs, consumer goods companies were divided over the severity of the impact. Some ripped up their financial forecasts, while others told analysts and investors in recent weeks they could weather the storm.However, companies producing everything from PlayStation consoles to mayonnaise and laundry detergent for the western world largely agreed on one thing: Trump’s tariffs mean prices for consumers will have to rise.But the problem for Procter & Gamble, Nestlé, Unilever and the other giants of the consumer goods industry is that after three years of hefty inflation, and with US…