South China Morning Post - Policies & Politics

China finished the first high-speed railway tunnel under the Yangtze River on Friday, marking a major step forward in the construction of a line that will one day connect the inland of the country with the coast. The 11.9km (7.4-mile) Caiyuanba Yangtze River Railway Tunnel links two districts in Chongqing and will be a key link in a high-speed line between two key hubs in the so...

Trains were stopped, schools were halted and residents were evacuated in southern China as Typhoon Noul headed towards the coast. The National Meteorological Centre issued an orange typhoon alert – the second highest level in a four-tier system – on Saturday morning as it moved northwest across the South China Sea at a speed of 20km/h (12mph). It was expected to land somewhere b...

Southern and eastern China are bracing for another round of severe weather after twin typhoons and widespread flooding this month. China’s top flood control and drought relief body held an emergency inter-agency meeting on Wednesday to coordinate disaster prevention ahead of the expected 12th named storm of the season. Meanwhile, rainfall remains widespread and intense nationwid...

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 would be scanned and their carry-on items would be X-rayed to “comp...

Taiwan is reviewing liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from Papua New Guinea after the Pacific nation said it would close Taipei’s unofficial representative office. PNG announced last week that it would immediately shut down the office, with Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko saying the move reflected the government’s “unwavering commitment to the one-China policy” ahead of the...