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5050

5050
The latest news, analysis and opinion on 5050. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Passengers wait at a bus stop with a signboard featuring India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on September 3, ahead of the Brics summit this weekend. Photo: Reuters
Brics

Opinion | Delhi’s test: make Brics work without making it work against India

Success for India isn’t replacing the West or empowering China – it’s walking away with more strategic choices and leverage.

Wellness

‘Who cares if you’re bulky?’ Hong Kong-born weightlifter on power and femininity

China society

Opinion | Forcing women to drink at business dinners has no place in modern China

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China society

Opinion | Why Chinese film-goers are flocking to a movie they hate

Niu Lai’s runaway success is not an endorsement of its quality. Audiences are paying for the perverse enjoyment of seeing how bad it gets.

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A screenshot of Niu Lai, or The Arrival of the Ox, a little-known Chinese animated film that viewers have embraced despite it being described as “impossible to believe is a 2026 production”. Photo: Handout
US-China tech war

Opinion | A US ban on Chinese optical transceivers would highlight tech war direction

The possible ripple effects of an FCC ban on Chinese optical transceivers show any US-China tech decoupling will be slow and costly.

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Hong Kong society

Opinion | Hong Kong’s 5-year plan can’t just be a laundry list

Repackaging familiar initiatives is not enough – city leaders must deliver clear directions, tangible targets and real accountability.

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China’s soft power

Opinion | China’s brands must outgrow diaspora bubble to hit soft power potential

Only through commercial independence and deep localisation can Chinese firms abroad forge a durable soft power that state policy can’t produce.

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez
China society

Opinion | China’s baby boom depends on gender equality, not cash handouts

To arrest its falling birth rate, China must ensure women do not have to choose between motherhood and the lives they have built.

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Hong Kong politics

Opinion | Legco-executive dialogue must deliver more than novelty for Hong Kong

While more communication between the Legislative Council and the government is welcome, what matters most are outcomes that improve Hongkongers’ lives.

South China Sea

Opinion | How China and the Philippines can avert clashes over a crumbling ship

Amid fresh clashes over the rusting BRP Sierra Madre, both sides accuse each other of infringing their 2024 agreement. But what did they actually agree to?

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez
Artificial intelligence

Opinion | China’s AI vision gives the Global South a seat at the table

A new global AI body gives Beijing the platform to push for affordable access and technological autonomy, framing AI as a public good.

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Illustration: Mario Cameira
Hong Kong society

Opinion | Is Hong Kong doing enough to lose its top spot for expensive housing?

For all the city’s recent successes, the benefits are not translating to more affordable lives for many Hongkongers.

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China-Africa relations

Coffee, chillies and cashews: a new recipe to rewrite China-Africa trade

Blanket relationship with all African nations is viewed as a precedent for partners like the EU.

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Hong Kong society

Opinion | Hong Kong’s new poverty metric blinds government to issue’s sources

While the government lauds its efforts, discarding the income-based poverty line obscures a full accounting of the problem.

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A man rests in a makeshift shelter in Mong Kok on June 18. Photo: Dickson Lee
Hong Kong economy

Opinion | Invest in Hong Kong’s creativity and local brands to unlock soft power

Hong Kong is blessed with ambitious, creative local brands. Investing in them will help set the city apart from other shopping destinations.

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Customers leave a Bakehouse shop in Causeway Bay with their purchases on July 26, 2025. Photo: Antony Dickson
US-ally trade wars

Opinion | Many countries are ‘quiet quitting’ the US and China on trade

While the US and Chinese markets are essential, other countries are making deals with each other in search of more diversified trade.

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China society

Opinion | China’s ‘check-in culture’ tourists need a reality check

Superficial ‘check-in tourism’ focused on garnering likes on social media is adversely affecting the lives of locals and the facilities they use.

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US-China relations

Opinion | Thanks to Trump, Chinese people have a more realistic view of America

The positive view many Chinese had for the US has been replaced with one of a complex society dealing with many challenges.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Education in Hong Kong

Opinion | Teachers behaving badly should prompt reflection in Hong Kong

Outrage over videos of educators’ bullying behaviour ought to spark introspection on why people act this way.

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China-India relations

Opinion | Thaw in China-India ties is real, but don’t call it reconciliation

Beijing and New Delhi are slowly rebuilding relations, but deep-seated mistrust and geopolitical rivalry will constrain rapprochement.

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China food security

Opinion | How Asian food security is shifting away from the West

The platform offers a future where Asian nations are less dependent on maritime chokepoints and Western-aligned supply chains.

Kazakh Agriculture Vice-Minister Yermek Kenzhekhanuly (left) and Liu Huanxin, head of China’s National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, pose at the signing for the creation of a grain-trading platform, in Astana, Kazakhstan, on May 21. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong housing

Opinion | Hong Kong housing: small shoebox flat wins not enough to fix big issues

While the current administration has made strides on the housing front, the wait for a proper place to live is harming Hongkongers’ mental health.

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A woman tends to her daughter in their subdivided flat in Sham Shui Po on September 16, 2025. Photo: Sam Tsang
TV shows and streaming video

‘It’s a Geena-sance’: Geena Davis on Netflix’s The Boroughs and Coachella skit

The Thelma & Louise star shares her delight in returning as a bellicose retiree in Netflix’s new sci-fi as she reflects on an iconic career.

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2026 Xi-Trump summits

Opinion | Xi-Trump summit: what ‘strategic stability’ means for US-China ties

The main question isn’t whether the summit resolved the China-US rivalry but if it created common ground for addressing disputes.

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Climate change

Opinion | How bad water management is turning up the heat on South Asia

Regional governments should stop blaming shortages on the failure of treaties, diverting attention from much-needed internal reforms.

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A man walks across the dry riverbed of the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad, India, on May 8. Photo: AFP
Food and Drinks

Asian-American mother challenges tough Chinese traditions for new mums

Clarissa Wei’s cookbook ‘Sitting the Month’ puts a modern spin on the traditional Chinese foods typically given to post-partum mothers.

Clarissa Wei is the author of “Sitting the Month”, a cookbook that aims to dispel misconceptions surrounding the ancient Chinese tradition of “zuo yue zi” so new mums can recover after childbirth with confidence. Photo: Lin Hou Jun
TV shows and streaming video

Q&A | Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer talk motherhood in Margo’s Got Money Troubles

The Hollywood actresses join co-star Nick Offerman to discuss their new show about love – and OnlyFans – in a dysfunctional family.

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Food and Drinks

Meet the women in whiskey breaking the glass ceiling in male-dominated industry

A growing number of women are becoming leaders in the traditionally male-dominated US whiskey industry, from making it to promoting it.

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