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TOPIC

In Focus

In 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: Huy Truong
US-China tech war

In Focus | China’s rocket recovery was a space race milestone. Is a relaunch within reach?

SpaceX might have a head start in reusable rockets, but Chinese commercial space companies are exploring ways to catch up in the cost-saving tech.

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China's space programme

In Focus | How China is turning Hainan from a tourist island into a major aerospace hub

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China economy

In Focus | Is China’s new local surtax a game-changer, or a bureaucratic tweak?

Wealth management

In Focus | Why shifting assets won’t save New York’s rich Chinese from Beijing tax rules

With the 90-day grace period soon to run out, some ultra-wealthy living outside mainland China face complicated tax liability questions.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
China jobs

In Focus | Cast out: why China’s young workers see sacking saga as sign of unsettling times

The outlook for China’s young jobseekers could worsen further, after an ugly fallout from Xingyu’s mass dismissal of university graduates.

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Hong Kong society

Beijing’s ‘trust issue’ with Hong Kong and what city can promise in 5-year plan

Hong Kong’s openness is both a strength and a weakness, so it must build robust security frameworks to reap rewards of national development, experts say.

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Hong Kong society

Hong Kong is lagging in the AI race – can it raise its game, and how?

As Singapore pulls ahead, experts say Hong Kong must overcome risk aversion and refine its governance frameworks to boost adoption.

Illustration: Brian Wang
China energy security

In Focus | Chinese coal mine gets hi-tech, green makeover with autonomous electric trucks

The deployment of self-driving vehicles, now past the pilot stage, has improved safety, efficiency and operating costs, mine manager says.

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Hong Kong society

Can John Lee untie the 4 knots choking the tech loop in Northern Metropolis?

What measures will the chief executive take to facilitate the flow of personnel, capital, data and materials into the hi-tech cooperation zone?

Hong Kong economy

In Focus | What’s a Northern Metropolis-like project doing in Malaysia? Lessons for Hong Kong?

Development of Malaysia’s Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone and Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis offers case study on mutual learning.

Illustration: Kaliz Lee
Hong Kong economy

In Focus | Why softer focus on national security in Hong Kong’s 5-year plan won’t happen

Experts expect John Lee’s policy address to set ambitious governance agenda on various social and economic issues, but security will underpin them all.

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Credit: Brian Wang
China-Japan relations

In Focus | How Japan is digging in to deter – and withstand – a conflict over Taiwan

A planned Hiroshima defence hub highlights how Tokyo is accelerating preparations to sustain its military should a Taiwan crisis reach Japan.

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China-Japan relations

In Focus | How Tokyo is widening regional defence ties to complicate Beijing’s Taiwan calculus

Tokyo is strengthening partnerships across the Indo-Pacific and beyond, possibly bolstering its ability to withstand a prolonged armed conflict.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

In Focus | China’s EV makers see synergy in their race to beat Tesla in humanoid robotics

Robotics has supply chain synergy with smart EV production because key components like cameras and radar, as well as software, are in both.

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Illustration: Dennis Yip
China’s private sector

In Focus | Heirs aberrant: what happens when China’s family firms have no successors?

About 85 per cent of the private sector is family-run, and family matters may become an economic issue as children decline to inherit operations.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Artificial intelligence

In Focus | Will geopolitics put a potential Musk merger between a rocket and a hard place?

Security concerns in Beijing and Washington could create ‘bottleneck’ if Elon Musk attempts to combine the two flagship companies.

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Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

In Focus | Faster and cheaper: why Hongkongers are heading north for medical care

Lower costs and fast service across the border draw patients to Guangdong, leaving Hong Kong’s private doctors squeezed.

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Crime in Hong Kong

In Focus | Her nude became a sticker: Hong Kong women say image abuse thrives despite law

Advocates say city’s voyeurism laws need more teeth and call for tougher action on non-consensual image leaks and illicit group chats.

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
China jobs

In Focus | The world at home: why more Chinese are opting for Sino-foreign universities

China’s growing number of educational joint ventures receive more applicants as students seek a simpler path to an international edge.

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US-China trade war

In Focus | China, global trading partners watch closely as Trump takes on Canada

Ottawa’s resistance tests the limits of US pressure as countries weigh diversification, leverage and the reliability of Washington deals.

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China's population

In Focus | China’s elderly need long-term care. Will a new insurance scheme provide it?

The central government has announced plans to provide nationwide coverage by 2028, but uneven regional development is a major hurdle.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
Gold in Hong Kong

In Focus | Hong Kong is trying again to be a gold trading hub. Will it succeed this time?

De-dollarisation tailwinds, ecosystem buildout and mainland China’s support plus foreign backing give city’s ambitions credible momentum.

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Illustration: Dennis Yip
China-Russia relations

In Focus | Is the Irtysh River the choke-free Arctic shipping gateway that China needs?

A proposed Irtysh route could link China to the Arctic, but political and natural barriers would have to be overcome.

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Belt and Road Initiative

In Focus | Can Beijing’s gateway plan for Tibet survive geopolitics and natural disasters?

Beijing hopes trade will stabilise Tibet, but friction with India and the looming Dalai Lama succession are hampering its efforts.

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Hong Kong society

In Focus | As Hong Kong faces more heatwaves, what must be done to improve its resilience?

From supporting vulnerable residents to revamping laws and public spaces, experts say city must adopt comprehensive climate resilience strategy.

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Illustration: Davies Christian
China’s Communist Party

In Focus | Why China’s mineral hubs and border regions face heaviest anti-corruption toll

China’s past CCDI annual plenums stress intensifying efforts to combat corruption where ‘power, funds and resources are concentrated’.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
Corruption in China

In Focus | No immunity: how Xi’s anti-corruption fighters are zeroing in on fresh targets

China’s anti-graft push has expanded to those who once felt shielded, from retired cadres and local bosses to the investigators themselves.

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Artificial intelligence

In Focus | Once known for livestock, a rural Chinese city pivots to AI super units

Fueled by cheap wind power and a cool climate, Inner Mongolia’s Ulanqab is turning energy produced in its pastureland into power for the AI boom.

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