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People stand near an electronic screen showing trading figures including South Korea’s benchmark stock index in a foreign exchange dealing room at the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul on July 31. Photo: AFP
Banking & finance

Opinion | The AI-driven candyfloss economy can’t last forever

Wishful thinking and irresponsible levels of debt are driving a global economy that looks sweet from the outside but is utterly hollow.

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Banking & finance

Opinion | Just like with the yen, America cannot save the AI bubble

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Books and literature

Opinion | What Nolan’s Odysseus tells us about Western elite’s existential angst

Middle East

Opinion | How Mecca defence pact changes China’s calculations in the Middle East

Defence pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan presents a complex strategic calculus for Beijing, demanding a masterclass in balance.

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Artificial intelligence

Macroscope | Could China be a hedge against risk of AI investment boom going bust?

The more ‘DeepSeek moments’ there are in China, the likelier markets are to doubt the AI-related revenues and financing of US hyperscalers.

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Environment

Opinion | The race for critical minerals is clearing the path for deep-sea mining

Corporate pressure and US-China competition are stalling global efforts to set environmental safeguards for seabed mining.

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Technology

Opinion | US does its robotics industry no favours by fencing it off from China

By banning Chinese humanoid robots, Washington is trying to buy its industry time, but the lack of competition is not a strength.

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A robot made by Chinese company AgiBot dances at the AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, Switzerland, on July 7. Photo: Xinhua
A robot made by Chinese company AgiBot dances at the AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, Switzerland, on July 7. Photo: Xinhua
Artificial intelligence

Outside In | Why Asia need not match West’s fear over data centre buildout

The spread of data centres in Asia does not seem to have sparked the kind of protests it has in the West, but good policies are needed to ensure that remains the case.

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Chinese history

As I see it | The world that made Confucius – and the China he made

China’s most enduring philosophical tradition didn’t merely revere the past; it drew upon history to construct the future.

Fifa World Cup

Opinion | Why underdogs like Alexandra Eala, Cabo Verde, Dear You fascinate us

Money still shapes the balance of power, but every so often a team, player or film will rise up to challenge the status quo and inspire us.

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Alexandra Eala of the Philippines holds the championship trophy after winning the women’s singles final against Jessica Pegula of the United States at the Mubadala DC Open at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Centre in Washington on August 3. Photo: AFP
Banking & finance

Macroscope | US efforts to prop up the yen risk doing more harm than good

Reversing the yen’s long-term decline ultimately rests on Japan’s ability to take its real interest rates out of negative territory – without triggering market panic.

A person walks past an electronic board showing Japan’s Nikkei index chart in Tokyo on August 6. At a time when the US is the main source of volatility in global markets, Washington’s participation in the Japanese currency intervention adds another layer of uncertainty. Photo: AP
A person walks past an electronic board showing Japan’s Nikkei index chart in Tokyo on August 6. At a time when the US is the main source of volatility in global markets, Washington’s participation in the Japanese currency intervention adds another layer of uncertainty. Photo: AP
US-China trade war

Opinion | Chinese and Western firms are teaming up even as governments fight

To survive trade restrictions and regulatory barriers, companies on both sides are turning to joint ventures.

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Britain

As I see it | How ‘evil’ was the British Empire? Centuries of theft and destruction

From Indian colonisation to the opium trade, an empire of avarice and brutality was powered by the East India Company.

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Artificial intelligence

Opinion | The AI order will have 3 tracks, not 2

Between American-secured diffusion and Chinese developmental multilateralism, middle powers have space to make their presence felt.

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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks at the inaugural Global Dialogue on AI Governance, in Geneva on July 6. Photo: AFP
Asian diaspora

Opinion | Why global migration data should recognise subgroups like the Teochew

Until our data systems see past broad labels like Asian or Chinese, and recognise subgroups, our picture of global migration is incomplete.

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David Tran, a Teochew-Vietnamese refugee who settled in California, created the world-famous Sriracha sauce, turning a regional flavour profile into a global household staple. Photo: Griffin Hammond
David Tran, a Teochew-Vietnamese refugee who settled in California, created the world-famous Sriracha sauce, turning a regional flavour profile into a global household staple. Photo: Griffin Hammond
Technology

Opinion | Can we govern AI in a fragmented world before it’s too late?

While the US, EU and China offer different approaches, all recognise that AI is too powerful and pervasive to be treated as ordinary tech.

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Artificial intelligence

Opinion | Why global AI exuberance is about to hit ‘nasty’ reality

The era of unprecedented expansion is giving way to a volatile period where tech firms’ soaring ambitions feel the squeeze.

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Japan

Macroscope | Takaichi’s embrace of industrial policy won’t make Japan great again

Governments trying to pick winners is a futile pursuit in a fragmented world that needs a coordinated global development strategy.

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Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (left) gestures as US President Donald Trump delivers a speech in front of US Navy personnel on board the US Navy’s USS George Washington aircraft carrier at the US naval base in Yokosuka, Japan, on October 28, 2025. Photo: AFP
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (left) gestures as US President Donald Trump delivers a speech in front of US Navy personnel on board the US Navy’s USS George Washington aircraft carrier at the US naval base in Yokosuka, Japan, on October 28, 2025. Photo: AFP
United States

As I see it | Despite immense power, the US delivers neither butter nor bullets

While Americans know they can’t get the welfare benefits they need, their leaders must realise their military can’t give them world domination.

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China trade

Opinion | China’s exports feed the Global South’s industrial engines

Far from stifling development, China’s export portfolio indicates a positive-sum diffusion of industrial growth.

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China economy

Opinion | Can the West really decouple from China?

Instead of trying to ‘catch up’, Western economies should focus on boosting resilience in key sectors without disrupting global supply chains.

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A worker responsible for electrode technology development near a mixing container for battery production at a factory in Bavaria, Germany, on October 26, 2023. Photo: dpa
United Nations

Opinion | Can the gigacities of tomorrow keep human connection alive?

We have learned to accommodate more people in larger metropolises while losing the ability to bring those people together into families.

Illustration: Brian Wang
Illustration: Brian Wang
Artificial intelligence

Opinion | China should lean into its defining AI advantage – accessibility

Chinese systems need not top every benchmark before becoming major suppliers of the world’s artificial intelligence infrastructure.

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United States

As I see it | America declares international law for thee but not for me

While the US is seeking to dismantle the International Criminal Court, it has signed a statement upholding the Hague tribunal’s South China Sea ruling.

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Technology

Opinion | Hugging Face attack: Chinese rescue shows value of open AI governance

Closed models aren’t inherently safer. As AI capabilities outpace governance, nations must cooperate to manage growing risks.

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OpenAI admitted its latest flagship models – including GPT-5.6 Sol and an unreleased, “even more capable” system – recently breached Hugging Face’s infrastructure after escaping its testing sandbox. Photo: Reuters
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