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Focus

Focus
SCMP gets to the heart of the matter with its in-depth analysis on the pressing issues in Hong Kong and around the world.
Illustration: Brian Wang
US-EU relations

The rupture: how Europe fell out of love with America

Many believed the transatlantic alliance could weather another term of Trump, but a year and a half on those hopes have largely faded.

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China’s private sector

China’s drug makers are speeding up – will AI be their secret weapon?

China manufacturing

Iran war energy shock sees Chinese firms recalibrate overseas expansion plans

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Artificial intelligence

How the rise of AI agents could finally make China’s open-source models pay

Free models helped Chinese firms find rapid success – but thin margins are forcing a shift towards hybrid business strategies.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
Hong Kong economy

Are special laws a quick fix for speeding up Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis?

Syncing megaproject with key infrastructure and turning it into a ‘living laboratory’ are equally important to its success, tech experts say.

2026 Trump-Xi summit

Exclusive | Trump-Xi summit shaped by uncertainty, not strategy: experts

War distractions and limited goals risk turning Beijing talks into optics over substance, as expectations shrink and planning falters.

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US-China relations

Why the US may need more than just fixing gaps to rival China on rare earths

Washington’s mining ambitions may be complicated by the erosion of industrial know-how and a weak education pipeline, experts say.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
Science

Open Questions | What an ancient Chinese map reveals about global history: Sheng-Wei Wang

Kunyu Wanguo Quantu and maritime artefacts prove China explored the world earlier than Eurocentric accounts suggest, scholar argues.

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US-Venezuela conflict

‘Eager to explore’: Chinese migrants return to Venezuela after Maduro’s capture

A large chunk of Venezuela’s Chinese community fled overseas during Maduro’s rule. Now, many are returning as they see ‘new opportunities’.

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Hong Kong stock market

Can Hong Kong’s listing reform 2.0 win over innovative firms?

The reforms enhance the city’s appeal for AI, biotech and other firms by slashing the market cap threshold and enabling confidential filings.

Illustration by Henry Wong
China education

Vocational schools a new front as China backs businesses’ global expansion

Earlier programmes focused on infrastructure, but new wave is shaped by demand in e-commerce, digital services and advanced manufacturing.

Illustration: Henry Wong
Hong Kong economy

Is oil crisis just the start of economic pain for Hongkongers?

With diesel and petrol prices in city highest in the world, analysts warn that consumers will inevitably feel the impact in their wallets.

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United States

The US could be moving away from precision strikes in the Iran war. Here’s why

As the conflict has intensified, more energy and civilian sites have been targeted in what is seen as a broader approach.

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US, Israel war on Iran

What is the war on Iran teaching China about the United States’ resilience?

Washington is providing a real-time laboratory of modern warfare and Beijing is paying close attention to the lessons.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
China’s Communist Party

What next for the struggling rural mothers in China who helped to build AI?

Data-labelling workshops once hailed as a solution in the country’s poverty alleviation campaign face a painful reckoning.

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Illustration: Brian Wang
Artificial intelligence

Competition or ‘co-opetition’: how is convergence shaping Sino-US AI race?

Speech by CEO of Chinese AI start-up at Nvidia event in US highlights symbiotic nature of tech relationship despite geopolitical tensions.

Scams and swindles

Cambodia’s high-stakes war on online scam compounds

Cambodia has vowed to stamp out the scam compounds on its soil by month’s end – but perpetrators remain drawn to the potential for huge profits.

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US-China trade war

The US-China trade war 1 year on: who really holds the upper hand?

A fragile truce prevented all-out confrontation, but Beijing and Washington remain locked in a struggle few analysts see easing any time soon.

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez
Animal welfare in Hong Kong

Is it time to call an end to Hong Kong’s boar war?

Wild boar numbers have dropped by half in recent years, prompting calls from experts for an end to aggressive control measures such as culling.

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Science

Inside the shadowy practices plaguing China’s science awards

Beijing has rolled out new rules for investigating violations in scientific activities. So why are critics still pessimistic?

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China-EU relations

Europe’s crisis tourism: how the Iran war swallowed the EU’s geopolitical agenda

From trade with China to the Middle East conflict and resulting energy shock, Brussels’ agenda has been repeatedly knocked off course.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Mainland China

China’s looted heritage campaign: assertive, ambitious – and complicated

As the United States steps back from cultural governance, China aims to reshape how the world reclaims looted heritage – with Japan its biggest test.

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Illustration: Brian Wang
Mainland China

How China’s EV makers think they can outrun disastrous price wars

At Beijing’s urging, an industry largely built on discounting must hold the line on prices and convince buyers to pay for better technology.

China-Japan relations

How a Tang dynasty tablet became a test for China-Japan restitution

Fresh calls involving Tokyo’s Imperial Palace could spell turning point for repatriating looted war relics after decades of inertia.

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Hong Kong economy

Should Hong Kong be using ‘war chest’ firepower for Northern Metropolis?

Rare HK$150 billion transfer from the Exchange Fund has sparked fierce debate.

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
US-China relations

Why China’s Iran war strategy is working – and may even be an opportunity

Beijing happy to watch, wait and safeguard core interests – oil flows, Taiwan and trade – as its geopolitical rival spends resources on war.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
China trade

Chinese island province wants more than beachgoers as it chases economic growth

After three speculative booms – and busts – the island province is seeking sustainable growth based on new status as a free-trade port.

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China manufacturing

AI, flying cars drive economic transition in China’s Kunshan

City at heart of Yangtze River Delta region sees new tech dreams emerge as old ones based on mass production of electronics fade.

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