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Foreign workers look on as a large smoke plume rises from the Fujairah industrial zone in the UAE on March 3. Photo: AFP
Middle East

Opinion | Iran’s data centre attacks in the Gulf are strikes on confidence

AI data centres, financial hubs and tourism are not peripheral to the Gulf’s growth; they are central to both opportunity and vulnerability.

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Artificial intelligence

Opinion | Why state capacity matters in an era of AI-driven inequality

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US, Israel war on Iran

Opinion | How America’s Iran miscalculation hands China a strategic advantage

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US, Israel war on Iran

As I see it | Iran war exposes the risks of being a US ally

Iranian attacks on US partners in the Gulf should make America’s allies in Asia rethink their security ties with Washington.

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Flames rise during a fire caused by debris from an intercepted drone at the oil refinery hub in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, on March 4. Photo: EPA
Flames rise during a fire caused by debris from an intercepted drone at the oil refinery hub in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, on March 4. Photo: EPA
War and conflict

Opinion | Iran strikes are a wake-up call to regulate military AI

Amid a lack of regulations and binding agreements on the use of artificial intelligence in war, the risks to civilians will only increase.

Technology

Opinion | Journalists must confront the real risks of AI: fabricated facts

We don’t trust journalists because they type sentences; we trust journalists because they verify the truth.

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War and conflict

Opinion | Superpower contest puts Iran, Panama, Venezuela and Greenland on one map

When one crisis touches canal access, another hits crude and a third touches the Strait of Hormuz, it is hard to call these a coincidence.

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US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, speak at a press conference on US military action in Iran, at the Pentagon in Washington on March 2. Photo: AFP
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, speak at a press conference on US military action in Iran, at the Pentagon in Washington on March 2. Photo: AFP
China-EU relations

Opinion | How Europe and China can rise above paralysis and mistrust

Together, Brussels and Beijing can reshape global power into a balance where Europe matters and China gains legitimacy as a responsible power.

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Banking & finance

Macroscope | How global debt is sowing the seeds of financial collapse

Markets have so far shrugged off wars and trade conflicts, but the rapid rise of already massive debt should alarm investors.

United States

As I see it | Why Melania Trump’s UN speech is an affront to decency

From her husband’s wars that harm children abroad to her ties to Jeffrey Epstein, Trump is far from an authority on children’s interests.

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US first lady Melania Trump presides over a meeting of the UN Security Council, on March 2, in New York City. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
China-Middle East relations

Opinion | US-Iran conflict puts China’s pragmatism to the test

For Beijing, the danger is less about losing Iran as a partner than losing stability in the energy-rich Middle East.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Illustration: Craig Stephens
China economy

Opinion | China’s energy transition proves a boon in the Iran crisis

China is expected to face no significant disruption but as the ‘two sessions’ open in Beijing, energy security is staying a top focus.

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United States

Opinion | Eileen Gu and Alysa Liu don’t deserve to be caught in culture wars

The issue is not that one chose to represent China and another the US but that both have been dragged into culture wars not of their making.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Opinion | Are investors spooked by Iran violence? Market response suggests not

Renewed fighting in the Middle East bodes ill for the global economy, but it is not yet enough to counterbalance other short-term factors.

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People wait to cross a road in front of an electronic display showing the Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong on March 4, as the US-Israel war in Iran sent oil prices rising. Photo: AFP
US, Israel war on Iran

Macroscope | Why even bullish investors can’t ignore the Iran war

Investors have grown used to brushing off geopolitical threats, but turmoil in the Middle East poses a greater risk to the global economy.

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Flames rise during a fire caused by debris from an intercepted drone at the oil refinery hub in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, on March 4. Photo: EPA
Flames rise during a fire caused by debris from an intercepted drone at the oil refinery hub in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, on March 4. Photo: EPA
US-China relations

Opinion | China waits and watches as the US fights all its tigers at once

Far from freeing up resources to focus on China, Trump’s administration finds itself fighting fires on several fronts, sapping its resources.

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Asean

Opinion | Fatigue is rewriting the US-China soft power contest, starting in Asean

At a time when no one has bandwidth left, soft power is being won by being the partner that feels usable, steady and low-risk.

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United States

As I see it | Under Trump, the US has unleashed its own wolf warriors

Chinese diplomats need to project a measured and calming presence on the international stage to contend effectively with American blowhards.

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US Ambassador to France Charles Kushner delivers a speech at the official launch of America 250, to celebrate the 250th birthday of the US, at the American embassy in Paris, France, on December 4, 2025. Photo: AFP
US Ambassador to France Charles Kushner delivers a speech at the official launch of America 250, to celebrate the 250th birthday of the US, at the American embassy in Paris, France, on December 4, 2025. Photo: AFP
US, Israel war on Iran

Opinion | US war on Iran isn’t likely to go as planned

US war planners have overlooked viewing their adversary through realpolitik in the past. They now face a far more organised opponent.

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Artificial intelligence

Opinion | How the US ceded the robotics economy to China

Chinese gains in robotics show that nations wishing to compete must go beyond financial engineering to master their physical realities.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Opinion | Attack on Iran normalises global descent into the ‘law of the jungle’

By waging war under the logic of pre-emptive defence, the US and Israel are hollowing out the foundations of international law.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Two Sessions 2026

Opinion | Now is the time for China to show it’s serious about opening up

The ‘two sessions’ is Beijing’s chance to demonstrate reliability as nations reassess their ties with China and the US in an increasingly fragmented global order.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Artificial intelligence

Opinion | As AI agents advance, Hong Kong should shape the rules now

By leveraging the Hong Kong-Shenzhen innovation hub as a cross-border testing ground, the city can set the standard for responsible AI governance.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | Why China steers clear of the West’s transactional diplomacy

Strains in transatlantic ties show the limits of quid pro quo diplomacy – and the appeal of Beijing’s relationship-first approach.

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War and conflict

Opinion | US-Israeli strike on Iran signals new phase of global escalation

This is deterrence fatigue: escalation thresholds weakened by repeated testing and retaliation. The risk is not only war but systemic strain.

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People watch as smoke rises on the skyline after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, on February 28. Photo: AP
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