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Featured opinion

Featured opinion
Selected opinion articles that are eventually published in the South China Morning Post are featured first on SCMP Plus.
(Photo: Reuters)
United States

Opinion | By frittering away US soft power, Trump is ceding the contest to China

Trump 2.0 has boosted China’s charm offensive, making its assertive foreign policy and unapologetic authoritarianism look less threatening.

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Russia

Opinion | 4 lessons for China as Pakistan J-10s down Indian Rafale jets

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South China Sea

Opinion | Xi’s approach to South China Sea tensions: reduce now, resolve later

China technology

Opinion | The AI rivalry to watch is between China and Chinese in the US

Will the next generation choose China’s speed and resources with higher guard rails, or the chaotic, open-ended US where failure is allowed?

In a global first, Chinese researchers have successfully used a real quantum computer to fine-tune an artificial intelligence model with one billion parameters, demonstrating the potential of quantum computing to help better train large language models. Photo: handout
United States

Opinion | How Trump’s assault on US universities is reshaping rivalry with China

In purging individuals and ideas from US universities, Donald Trump’s new ‘red scare’ will only diminish America’s ability to attract top tech talent.

United States

Opinion | To Europe’s shock, Trump is bringing back great power geopolitics

As Trump seeks a balance of power with Russia and China, Europe faces the prospect of being a chess piece rather than a player.

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Ukraine war

Opinion | Trump can’t break Russia’s alliance with China – but he can shake it

With Washington and Moscow advancing talks for peace in Ukraine, a successful deal would draw them closer, which could prove disadvantageous for Beijing.

Artwork depicting US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at an exhibition in Yalta, Crimea. Photo: Reuters
China technology

Opinion | From AI to EVs, China’s tech genius is in making it cheap and accessible

From artificial intelligence and biotech to autonomous driving, China is disrupting the traditional high-cost model of proprietary innovation.

China-EU relations

Opinion | As Trump’s trade war gathers steam, China and Europe must cooperate

By fostering innovation and open markets – particularly in the automotive sector – China and the EU can show how major powers can work together despite differences.

US-China relations

Opinion | Will Trump succeed in containing China – or fuel its rise?

Years of sanctions and blacklists have only forced China to adapt and even thrive, from making tech breakthroughs to expanding diplomatic clout.

Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng meets with US Vice-President-elect J.D. Vance prior to the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th US president. Photo: Xinhua
China-Philippines relations

Opinion | Manila and Beijing can still choose cooperation over conflict

While violent clashes and bilateral disputes between Manila and Beijing have reached new heights, so can economic engagement.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr in Beijing on January 4, 2023. Photo: Xinhua
China economy

Opinion | Why world’s economic powers could find 2025 a year of great struggle

Assumptions about reliable sources of growth and the promise of AI must be questioned if countries hope to keep pace in 2025.

Diplomacy

Opinion | China should seize the moment to promote peace on Korean peninsula

The weakening of the Russia-North Korea alliance, political change in South Korea and Trump’s return create a conducive environment for denuclearisation talks.

Climate change

Opinion | How China is quietly becoming the world’s climate champion

As Chinese officials play a larger part in global climate negotiations, Beijing’s decarbonisation agenda could cement its leadership role.

Liu Zhenmin, China’s special climate envoy, at Cop29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Photo: Reuters
US-China relations

Opinion | Why a stronger China has no need to fear second Trump administration

China has room to manoeuvre and stay aloof as it focuses on playing a more responsive game against a belligerent Trump administration.

US President Donald Trump and China President Xi Jinping during the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan in 2019. Photo: Reuters
US-China relations

Opinion | 4 steps China can take to weather Trump’s tariffs

With the US poised to escalate the trade war, China must focus on boosting self-sufficiency and diversifying its options beyond the West.

Ukraine war

Opinion | North Korea’s support for Russia won’t be a game changer in Ukraine war

It’s a PR campaign for Kim, who has his eye on Russian supplies and tech. But China won’t be drawn into this alliance.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | Combined China and US pressure could get warring sides to talk peace

The US may be leading peace efforts but it’s not delivering, while China is failing without leading.

An Iranian man walks past a wall painting of a peace bird in Tehran. Photo: EPA-EFE
Diplomacy

Opinion | China-India border detente paves way for a more balanced world order

While Beijing and New Delhi have their own interests in settling tensions, greater cooperation is a net positive for the Global South.

Asean

Opinion | Asean centrality remains key to regional peace amid US-China rivalry

As next Asean chair Malaysia shows, an open door to all, even with intensifying great power competition, is vital to stability and development.

Diplomacy

Opinion | Chinese investment could soon pour back into Britain. It’s about time

Increasing Chinese investment could lay the groundwork for the ‘wealth creation’ needed to reduce the UK’s regional and economic disparities.

Photo: Reuters
South China Sea

Opinion | Washington’s unreliability bodes ill for Manila in China face-off

Dithering official statements reflect not only Philippine fears of unwanted escalation but also, crucially, doubts over US defence commitments.

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A protester chants slogans while holding a sign criticising China’s alleged harassment toward Philippine contingents in disputed waters of the South China Sea. Photo: EPA-EFE/ROLEX DELA PENA
US-China relations

Opinion | US anti-vax campaign in Philippines smacks of an own goal

Whatever one thinks of the Sinovac jab, it is unconscionable to undermine public confidence towards vaccines in a partner country during a pandemic.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | Amid US rivalry, is China’s gamble in the Middle East paying off?

China is projecting itself as an alternative to the US but how that strategy will fare in the long run against America’s political and military power remains uncertain.

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US-China relations

Opinion | As China and US vie over Global South, Mexico’s experience may help

Since its free trade agreement with the US, Mexico has seen more crime and obesity, but little economic growth. Now, it is seeing a surge in Chinese investment.

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Photo: Handout
US-China relations

Opinion | Shangri-La Dialogue shows US-China rivalry extends far beyond Asia

This year’s Shangri-La Dialogue tackled the world’s most acute security challenges, such as Ukraine, the Israel-Gaza war and South China Sea tensions. The prominence of global conflicts beyond the Indo-Pacific highlights how the US and China can no longer isolate different theatres of competition.

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Photo: AFP
Diplomacy

Opinion | China, Japan, South Korea are talking again and that’s a good start

The first trilateral summit in years avoided sensitive topics and aimed for low-hanging fruit but it heralds a change from crisis management to collaboration. The talk now needs to be turned into action.

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