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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: Henry Wong
China energy security

Can China’s cheap, renewable energy help it outrun the US in the AI race?

China’s energy buildout means cheap, green and reliable electricity fuels its manufacturing and tech industries, giving it an edge over rivals.

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US-Venezuela conflict

‘Expansion to defence’: China firms strategise in Latin America after Venezuela

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US-Venezuela conflict

How the US raid in Venezuela has triggered Brazilian fury and a Chinese opening

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Banking & finance

What does HSBC’s buyout of Hang Seng Bank mean for its future and investors?

HSBC’s historic US$13.6 billion buyout of Hang Seng Bank aims to cut costs, tackle bad debts and fuel growth, but challenges abound.

Illustration by Henry Wong
US-China relations

Trump-Xi diplomacy put to test thanks to contentious tit-for-tat Covid lawsuits

Unpaid billions of dollars in judgments against China sucks US State Department into escalating legal dispute, but Beijing remains defiant.

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Hong Kong economy

The Drone Age: hi-tech wizardry propels Hong Kong towards lift-off

As Hong Kong prepares to enter the era of flying taxis, key players roll out groundbreaking innovations at the cutting edge of technology.

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China-North Korea relations

China’s role in Korean peninsula stability tested amid nuclear submarine moves

Seoul’s calls for Chinese mediation seen to underscore Beijing’s central role in preserving stability between two Koreas.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
China-Japan relations

‘Real and accelerating’: China-Japan military tensions surge amid missile race

Analysts hold out little hope that security pressures will ease, given US insistence that regional allies boost first island chain defences.

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Science

China’s biopharma sector ‘in prime position to challenge US leadership’

American commission issues stark warning, as analytics firm Clarivate reports that Chinese innovative drug development has entered new phase.

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Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s sex offence laws are to be overhauled. What needs to be updated?

Consent and gender issues are key areas the government will look at when it starts the review process.

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
US-China relations

‘No fixed identity’: new Chinese-American writers are telling their own stories

They’re not shaped by history like the previous generation, and observer says US-China tensions can give them ‘more space’ to explore issues.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
China-Japan relations

How Takaichi’s Taiwan comments fuelled Beijing-Tokyo row with no end in sight

Dispute over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan could ultimately hinge on the US-China-Japan triangle, analysts say.

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China consumption

Wild goose chase? France works to rouse China’s appetite for foie gras imports

French producers hope their famed pate can win a slice of China’s market, but price sensitivities and domestic competition could mean their goose is cooked.

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Taiwan

How Beijing’s strategy shift explains decreased PLA activity in the Taiwan Strait

PLA warplanes and ships have been less active around the island in the second half of the year, Taiwanese data shows.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
US-China relations

Beijing is pinning hopes for Taiwan reunification on KMT – but not all of them

The party’s new chairwoman Cheng Li-wun has adopted a mainland-friendly tone but it remains to be seen if she can live up to Beijing’s hopes.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
US-China relations

‘Urgent’: has mainland China changed tone for Taiwan peaceful reunification?

Analysts examine Taiwan-related policy announcements, a new commemoration day and military posturing for clues to Beijing’s intent.

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United States

Are Trump loyalists struggling in US rural heartland ready to say ‘enough’?

Hammered by crippling costs and precious revenue lost to China, Midwest farmers’ loyalty to the US president will be tested in 2026 midterms.

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United States

Are Chinese biotechs what the doctor ordered as Big Pharma faces ‘patent cliff’?

US drug makers are racing to plug looming ‘patent cliff’ revenue gaps – and increasingly they are turning to China biotechs.

US drugmakers are increasingly looking to Chinese biotechs as an answer to the revenue gaps left by the looming ‘patent cliff’. Illustration by Henry Wong
China consumption

From taboo to trendy: China’s second-hand luxury market cashes in on resale boom

Driven by an uneven recovery and property crisis, value-conscious shoppers are powering a second-hand boom as platforms use tech to verify authenticity and overcome stigma.

US-China relations

As Trump upends US foreign policy, analysts see fresh openings for China

After a turbulent year, experts expect continued disruption to reshape global influence, testing alliances and altering the balance of power.

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China's military weapons

Why China’s rapid military build-up is ‘hardly the whole story’

The PLA has been moving fast to modernise its arsenal and warfare strategy, but it’s seen as ‘seriously deficient’ in some areas.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
US-China trade war

Surviving the shocks: what China and the US learned from 2025’s trade war

Businesses and officials faced a year of disruption – and in some cases, resilience – as tariffs and export controls roiled global markets.

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Illustration: Davies Christian
Mainland China

Why ‘relative stability’ in US-China ties is unlikely to last

The temperature has lowered after a downward spiral since Trump’s return to the White House, but relations may face ‘strong headwinds’ again.

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China-Africa relations

First China ore shipment rewards Guinea leader’s push for Simandou alliance

Mining minister says China and Rio Tinto were pressed to work on shared infrastructure because ‘we do not want railways running everywhere’.

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Science

How China pulled off a critical mineral tech revolution in just 10 months

‘Unique’ Chinese efficiency turns European firm’s vision into reality by building the world’s first large-scale silica-removal technology.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
China manufacturing

Are US, EU and Japan banking on defence spending for an economic boost?

As advanced economies ramp up military expenditures, they have multiple goals - including a reduced reliance on China in defence supply chains.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
IPO

Exclusive | Meet the Illinois farmer sowing the seeds of the world’s biggest IPOs of 2026

Jeff Rowe, a fifth-generation Illinois farmer, runs a Chinese-owned Swiss company in Basel that is aiming for one of the world’s largest IPOs in Hong Kong, due in 2026.

China exports

Why China sees Brazil as ‘last untapped blue ocean market’ for investment boom

Chinese investment in Brazil is soaring as firms eye the vast potential growth in South America’s ‘blue ocean market’.

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