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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-EU relations

‘It’s absurd’: how the EU’s new carbon tariff is causing havoc in China

The system is creating huge new compliance burdens for China’s steel firms, with smaller producers using greener technology often hit hardest.

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China-Asean relations

Dear You – the Chinese migration film igniting a propaganda debate in Southeast Asia

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Huawei

Can Huawei’s ‘chip queen’ help China beat the US tech blockade?

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Hong Kong tourism

Can Hong Kong cash in on ecotourism without trashing its natural treasures?

With more visitors seeking outdoor experiences in Hong Kong, how do authorities protect the landscapes they are promoting?

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Artificial intelligence

Could the AI ‘self-evolution’ trend add fuel to the China-US tech war?

Anthropic says its Mythos model is edging closer to ‘recursive self-improvement’ as Chinese developers seek to close gap.

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Yuan

‘Increasingly influential’ use of China’s currency puts euro on notice

The US dollar is still dominant, but a slump in Europe may see China’s currency gain strength and reach the No 2 spot in global settlements.

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US-China relations

How a US prosecutor’s private diaries documented Nanking Massacre evidence

Disclosure came ahead of Donald Trump’s high-stakes visit to China and amid Japan’s recent attempts to erode lessons of post-WWII tribunal.

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez
China manufacturing

How China’s ‘Hefei model’ spawned a chipmaker’s multibillion-dollar IPO plan

City government has leveraged over 220 billion yuan in state-owned capital to drive project investment in emerging industrial clusters.

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China jobs

China’s gig economy is an employment reservoir – but is the well drying up?

More than 200 million people in China are flexibly employed, but AI adoption, unstable income and poor social security make positions precarious.

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China’s private sector

With AI able to predict disease, can we treat ageing like a ‘bug’ in the system?

AI is transforming longevity as companies like METiS TechBio and Human Longevity use algorithms to combat ageing and predict health risks.

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
US-China relations

How Chinese drink chains are testing the limits of soft power

New tea and coffee brands from China are winning customers across America, but their broader influence remains unclear.

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Illustration: Brian Wang
Hong Kong society

With fewer public spaces for Hong Kong’s helpers, where can they go to unwind?

Helpers are being driven out of areas where they host activities, with NGOs saying more resting places are needed and urging government review.

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US-China relations

How an ‘increasingly asymmetrical’ path is reshaping China-US-Russia ties

China has no need ‘to balance between the US and Russia in a causal sense, but treats the two relationships as parallel tracks’: analyst.

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US-China relations

Can China fill funding and leadership gaps after America quit the WHO?

Beijing is now the global health body’s biggest assessed contributor, but its voluntary donations remained low in 2025.

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Illustrator: Victor Sanjinez
Banking & finance

Why are Asia’s families eyeing liquid assets to secure their children’s wealth?

More of the continent’s parents are providing share portfolios and other assets for their offspring as confidence in property begins to wane.

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Illustration: Davies Christian
China-Japan relations

China and Japan aren’t talking. Will their rare earth trade go quiet?

With bilateral relations at a low and Beijing already enacting limited export controls on critical minerals, fears of a broader ban grow.

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US-Asean relations

Tariffs, war and broken trust: Southeast Asia’s Trump problem

Disillusioned by US unpredictability, the region is learning to diversify – while Trump treats allies as bargaining chips.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Why the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation isn’t Nato for Iran

Central Asian members in particular see bloc’s main value as preserving their sovereignty rather than enabling collective military action.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
Science

How Chinese green tech and investment are reshaping the Central Asian landscape

As the belt and road pivots towards clean energy, Kazakhstan and its neighbours are emerging as top partners for Beijing-backed projects.

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US, Israel war on Iran

As Iran war stokes water security fears, Central Asia could turn to China

Nations facing chronic water shortages might look to Chinese investment to upgrade their creaking Soviet-era infrastructure, observers say.

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China-North Korea relations

A quiet reset in ties is brewing along the China-North Korea border

The resumption of train routes and a spike in overland trade underscore a reset in ties ahead of a reported leaders’ summit.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

How can Hong Kong help mothers of infants reverse falling breastfeeding rate?

Doctors and advocates say city needs to address sparse facilities, misinformation, and lack of statutory and employer support.

Illustration: Henry Wong
US-China tech war

A cloud above the clouds: US, China jockey for position in computing space race

China could be a leading player in the new technological battlefield, but the US has a substantial lead in essential tools such as reusable rockets.

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China-Russia relations

Putin left China, with no pipeline deal. Why is the valve still closed?

Though this week’s China-Russia summit featured many agreements, none progressed the long-delayed Power of Siberia 2 natural gas pipeline.

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Science

China swaps Middle East oil for Xinjiang coal. What does it mean for the world?

With the war in Iran choking global oil supplies, China is tapping its 390 billion tonnes of coal reserves to build its own energy source.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Science

How a remote patch of Gobi Desert became central to China’s national security

A national energy and chemical hub being built on a 15,500 sq m site in the Gobi Desert is set to modernise coal mining.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
China energy security

Putin is pushing for a ‘serious’ new energy deal in China. Will he get it?

The Russian leader arrives in China days after Trump in search of an energy deal, with yuan settlements, pricing potentially on the table.

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China-EU relations

China’s firms in Europe chose to save on legal services. Will it cost them?

Chinese companies, often reluctant to pay for legal services, are encountering greater compliance issues as they expand into a stricter EU.

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