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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: Lau Ka-kuen
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?

US-China relations

How Chinese drink chains are testing the limits of soft power

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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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Illustration: Davies Christian
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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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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Illustration: Henry Wong
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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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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Illustration: Henry Wong
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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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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Science

Is China becoming Europe’s top science partner amid an American brain drain?

‘Massive changes in the global flow of talent’ are creating opportunities, according to the head of Germany’s Max Planck Society.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
Banking & finance

Hong Kong regulator now a ‘collection agent’ for wronged investors

SFC follows international peers by pursuing compensation for victims rather than fines in some cases of securities misconduct.

Illustration: Henry Wong
2026 Xi-Trump summit

Trump and his CEOs want China’s business – but has Asia moved on?

The US delegation went to Beijing looking for deals, but a ‘super cycle’ of capital expenditures across Asia is already fuelling enormous growth.

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US-China trade war

The US-China trade war is entering a worrying new phase

The US and China are racing to roll out competing sanctions, rules and regulations, leaving firms trapped in a legal Catch-22.

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2026 Xi-Trump summit

‘Transactional’ but pivotal: how Xi-Trump talks could redefine fault lines

Chinese and US leaders are likely to focus on stability and achievable outcomes rather than breakthroughs when they meet in Beijing.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
2026 Xi-Trump summit

After nearly 9 years, Trump is landing in a totally changed China. Is he ready?

China has strengthened its position since the US president’s last visit, analysts said, predicting more equitable results from any potential agreement.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
2026 Xi-Trump summit

China’s AI ascent leaves Trump a stark choice: escalate or relax chip controls?

Beijing and Washington are locked in an era-defining contest – and China’s rapid technological progress raises questions about limits of containment.

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2026 Xi-Trump summit

Could military AI use be on the agenda when Chinese and US leaders meet?

The technology has become increasingly important for militaries around the world, but the two sides may struggle to reach a consensus.

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