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My Take

My Take
My Take, a popular and sometimes controversial daily column of the South China Morning Post, analyses a variety of hot-button issues concerning Hong Kong, mainland China and the region.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
Donald Trump raises his hand as he waits to be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on January 20, 2025. Photo: Pool via Reuters

My Take | A fallen American republic may just well unleash a naked empire

Non-Western intellectuals and strategists have often wrongly equated domestic dysfunction and division in US democracy with imperial decline.

United States

My Take | Why old school foreign policy elites despise Donald Trump

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Opinion | Actor’s Myanmar escape signals more to be done against thriving scam networks

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My Take | An Odysseus traumatised by war can still speak truth to us today

When a film makes you think about the meanings of war and home, and the dangerous world we live in, it’s well worth watching with respect.

Displaced Palestinians walk near the rubble of destroyed buildings in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip on January 19, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Photo: EPA-EFE
US-China relations

My Take | TikTok ruling means today may be dark one for free expression

US Supreme Court decision risks denying 170 million users in America access to the platform and is a sign of the times amid bilateral tensions.

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Israel-Gaza war

My Take | Despite the Gaza ceasefire, history will not be kind to Blinken, Biden

In the annals of Western genocide, the US secretary of state and his boss deserve much more than a footnote for providing Israel with weapons.

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My Take | My thoughts are with Los Angeles and its people after holiday in hell

It is hard to imagine deadly wildfires raging around you, driving through windswept canyons and preparing to leave to sounds of sirens and alerts.

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A firefighter sprays water on a burning home while battling the Eaton fire on January 8, 2025, in Altadena, California. Photo: Getty Images
China

My Take | Even some Five Eyes now want better relations with China

A growing number of US allies and partners are realising siding with Washington against Beijing costs far more than most can afford.

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China economy

My Take | China’s tech upgrade keeps export machine roaring despite US tariffs

The proliferation of e-commerce and other technologies has helped China maintain its resilience amid trade barriers.

My Take | The US is upset China wants to be self-reliant in producing chips

Having denied Chinese firms access to advanced foreign semiconductors, Washington is launching probe into ‘subsidised’ domestic production.

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An employee producing semiconductor chips for export at a factory in Binzhou, in eastern China’s Shandong province. Photo: AFP

My Take | Steel firm sale to Japan a threat to US national security, really?

Sorry saga of collapsed deal between US Steel and Nippon Steel shows ‘friendshoring’ in America may mean just pain for friends and allies.

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Nippon Steel President and CEO Eiji Hashimoto attends a press conference at the company headquarters in Tokyo on January 7, 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE
Canada

My Take | A Conservative Canadian PM is likely to worsen tense China ties

Smart money is on Pierre Poilievre being country’s prime minister after next federal election, and this ‘Tariff Man’ will not be friendly to Beijing.

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My Take | Amid the warnings, China and Trump show much-needed willingness to talk

Both sides have been sending positive signals but they must find a way for non-hawkish heads to prevail in a crisis.

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My Take | Simplistic criticisms of China are little better than propaganda

Foreign pundits admit terrible phenomena in their societies are complicated but readily blame communist misrule for any and all Chinese social ills.

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A man looks at candles left outside the Zhuhai Sports Centre on November 12, 2024, a day after a car rammed through the site killing dozens in Zhuhai. Photo: Amber Wang
China society

My Take | Table tennis will not be the same without three Chinese superstars

The sport’s governing body says it will now hold ‘extensive consultation’ over new rules. This should have been done before they were announced.

Chinese table tennis stars Fan Zhendong (left) and Chen Meng pose with their trophies at the World Table Tennis Singapore Smash in 2022. File photo: Xinhua
United States

My Take | Jimmy Carter’s vision was what could have been in the Mideast

The United States and Israel could have stood for justice and peace, but today they now merely represent the unaccountable use of naked power.

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United States

My Take | How America ended up creating the adversarial Brics of today

What began as a newfangled investment theme for emerging economies now holds hope for those trying to flee US financial coercion and abuse.

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Nato

My Take | New Nato chief has penned a war poem for Europe and America

Whether or not the Ukraine conflict continues, the European Union has been tasked with containing Russia while the US aims to focus on China.

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Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks during a press conference in Brussels on December 4. Photo: dpa
Hong Kong society

My Take | The UK should do more to tap into the talent Hongkongers offer

While many former residents have encountered difficulties since making the move, they will, if properly utilised, be of great value to their new home.

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United States

My Take | Trump symptom of pathological imperialism of US foreign policy

He says or does something outrageous knowing he can get away with it and, by extending that principle to global politics, because America can.

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China economy

My Take | China’s extended visa-free tourist stays drive momentum for opening

Its latest foreign-visitor policy shows that China is willing to be pragmatic, rather than adhering strictly to ideologies.

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Tourists from Spain in Shanghai. Photo: Xinhua
US-China relations

My Take | Chinese garlic, tomato paste and chilli peppers on sanctions menu

Season of goodwill sees no let-up in the ever-vigilant United States, with food sources from China identified as new threat to national security.

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A farmer harvests garlic stalks in Datangzhen, Guangdong province, China. Photo: AFP

My Take | As global tensions rise, peace and goodwill is needed more than ever

The Christmas spirit has universal appeal and has, in different ways, been embraced by people of other faiths and beliefs around the world.

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Israel-Gaza war

My Take | Countries get on their high horse while being accessories to murder

As the world’s most respected human rights groups warn against the continuing Palestinian genocide, the US and Canada penalise China.

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My Take | Is Turkestan Islamic Party a foreign proxy force to destabilise Xinjiang?

A video by the militant group against ‘Chinese infidels’ has been spread widely by mainstream news media, while similar propaganda by Hamas and Hezbollah are routinely suppressed or ignored.

People fix straw checkerboards on sandy land in Qiemo County, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Photo: Xinhua
Canada

My Take | Shock resignation by their deputy PM has shaken up Canadians

An ignominious exit awaits unpopular Justin Trudeau after his long-time ally walks, but let’s hope he does not drag the country down with him.

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Canada’s former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland. File photo: Reuters
US-China relations

My Take | China and the paranoid style in US foreign policy

Two erudite commentators explain why the West’s strategic antagonism towards Beijing is both self-serving and misconceived.

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US-China relations

My Take | Showbiz is preparing the American public for war with China

The warmongering fantasies of the US entertainment and defence establishment are increasingly indistinguishable.

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