China, US end trade talks in Paris; chip self-sufficiency drive: SCMP’s 7 highlights

2026.03.20 04:50 China is expanding the scope of its chip self-sufficiency drive under the new 15th five-year plan amid an intensified race with the US in advanced chipmaking. Photo: Xinhua 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 our reporting, please consider . China’s push for semiconductor self-sufficiency is shifting from broad aspiration to a precision strike on chokepoint materials, with photoresist – the light-sensitive chemical essential for etching microscopic circuits onto silicon wafers – emerging as a new battlefield. China and the US wrapped up their sixth round of trade talks in Paris on Monday, with the agenda ranging from a possible extension of bilateral tariff and non-tariff measures as well as bilateral investment. Ngo Bao Chau says he wants to help turn Asia into a powerhouse of maths and science. Photo: Handout World-leading Vietnamese mathematician Ngo Bao Chau has said his decision to leave the US was not just the result of the worsening academic environment there, but also a vision to transform Asia into the next global powerhouse for maths and science. Ngo, the first Vietnamese recipient of the prestigious Fields Medal, will join the University of Hong Kong in June. Beijing has increased its inspections on Panama-flagged vessels entering Chinese ports, a source from the shipping industry said, an action intended to raise the Latin American country’s stress level after its courts voided the operating rights of Hong Kong-based conglomerate CK Hutchison in the Panama Canal. The United States Navy’s USS Tulsa and USS Santa Barbara are seen docked at the North Butterworth Container Terminal in Penang, Malaysia, on Sunday. Photo: Facebook / Sherwynd Kessler The apparent docking of two light US combat ships in Penang over the weekend has raised eyebrows among Malaysian gov

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