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

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…

By Samantha Johnson / March 20, 2026
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 subscribing.

1. Precision strike: China targets US, Japan stranglehold on photoresist supply

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.

2. China and the US end trade talks in Paris as doubts form over Trump visit

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.

3. Things ‘I do not like’ led me to quit US for Hong Kong, top mathematician says

Ngo Bao Chau says he wants to help turn Asia into a powerhouse of maths and science. Photo: Handout
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.

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