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Illustration: Craig Stephens
China economy

Opinion | Why Beijing is going all in on tokens – and what it really wants

Export of tokens not only embeds China’s energy advantage into global AI systems, it pulls the value chain deeper into the country’s interior.

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Taiwan

As I see it | Kuomintang gets the carrots, DPP the stick

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Food and agriculture

Outside In | The Iran war is brewing a food crisis we must avert

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China economy

Opinion | Engine dilemma lies at heart of successful take-off for China’s C919

Launching the aircraft with the imported LEAP-1C engine has led to bottlenecks and dependence but developing a convincing home-made engine will take time.

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A model of the Leap-1C engine by CFM International, a joint venture of America’s GE Aerospace and France’s Safran, on display at China International Import Expo in Shanghai on November 8. Photo: Frank Chen
A model of the Leap-1C engine by CFM International, a joint venture of America’s GE Aerospace and France’s Safran, on display at China International Import Expo in Shanghai on November 8. Photo: Frank Chen
China-Middle East relations

Opinion | China can offer Gulf states more than just a security umbrella

As threat perceptions reset, Gulf states are likely to pursue a dual track of restrained regional policy and diversified partnerships.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Opinion | How China’s patient diplomacy can help secure peace in Iran

China’s diplomacy, backed by leverage and guarantees of assistance, could provide a template for contemporary conflicts where a single side cannot carry the day.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | It’s time to unlock Hong Kong’s international relations potential

Globally connected and intellectually vibrant, the city can offer cutting-edge research and lead diplomatic debates of global importance.

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Hong Kong’s Central district on January 26. Hong Kong is often described as a “superconnector” between China and the world. Yet in the study and practice of international relations, the city remains intellectually vibrant but structurally peripheral. Photo: Jelly Tse
Hong Kong’s Central district on January 26. Hong Kong is often described as a “superconnector” between China and the world. Yet in the study and practice of international relations, the city remains intellectually vibrant but structurally peripheral. Photo: Jelly Tse
US-China relations

Opinion | US-China AI race must strike a balance between security and openness

Raising barriers to entry in tech in the name of national security could stifle global AI development.

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Chinese culture

As I see it | How ancient Chinese philosophers make sense of modern headaches

Scholar Daniel A. Bell has written an entertaining new book, exposing a new generation to ancient Chinese wisdom on the issues of our day.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | China’s diplomacy succeeds even if it doesn’t bring Middle East peace

From Beijing’s perspective, diplomacy is remarkably effective in advancing China’s regional interests and differentiating it from the US.

On July 23, 2024, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosts the signing of the Beijing Declaration among Palestinian factions including Fatah and Hamas at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. Photo: Pool via AP
Artificial intelligence

Opinion | The world can look to Hong Kong as a pioneer of ethical AI

As emerging markets chart their own destinies regarding artificial intelligence, the city can serve as a nexus for responsible governance.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Asean

Opinion | How new US-Indonesia defence pact sharpens China’s ‘Malacca dilemma’

The US is investing in the systems, skills and relationships that would matter if access to the Strait of Malacca ever came under pressure.

China-EU relations

Opinion | Why Spain’s outreach to China offers a viable model for Europe

De-risking while also deepening ties beyond the transactional shows that interdependence and strategic autonomy aren’t mutually exclusive.

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Asean

Opinion | As Iran war fallout hits Southeast Asia, US is losing influence to China

Asean survey reflects China’s growing strategic influence but also concerns. The question is: will China crowd the US out of the region?

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Hong Kong politics

Opinion | How markets will test Hong Kong’s new economic model

Industrial policy can guide and catalyse but it cannot substitute for a genuine competitive advantage.

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Pedestrians cross a road in Tsim Sha Tsui on August 26 2025. Photo: Jelly Tse
Pedestrians cross a road in Tsim Sha Tsui on August 26 2025. Photo: Jelly Tse
Hong Kong economy

Opinion | How Hong Kong can beat Singapore as the launch pad for Chinese firms

Chinese enterprises going global is this decade’s economic story. Hong Kong needs a system to guide them through each stage of their journey.

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Chinese culture

Being Chinese | Growing up Hakka, around a language that few dared to speak publicly

My relatives spoke Hakka, but behind closed doors. Imagine my surprise when I finally found myself in a public Hakka-speaking environment.

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South China Sea

Opinion | Without restraint, Beijing and Manila can’t deliver the South China Sea code

Much hinges on how China and the Philippines manage the distrust between their frontline maritime forces.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Illustration: Craig Stephens
China society

Opinion | By voicing their needs, Chinese women are normalising them

In films and on social media, women in China are openly advocating for themselves and fighting taboos around women’s health.

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North Korea

Opinion | After years of neglect, China emerges as North Korea’s ‘top priority’

In a world of shrinking options and rising risks, Pyongyang recognises its alliance with Beijing is too important to ignore.

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China technology

Opinion | US controls chips in the AI race, but China controls the scoreboard

Whoever produces tokens cheaply, at scale, has an advantage in the AI economy, just as cheap steel once decided industrial supremacy.

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A lobster-shaped pendant at an OpenClaw event in Beijing on March 22. At a time when AI agent platforms like OpenClaw are taking China by storm, the Chinese government has proposed a new unit of account for the intelligent era. Photo: Xinhua
Taiwan

As I see it | KMT chief shows way forward to avoid blind confrontation with Beijing

Instead of betting the ranch on an ever more unreliable Washington, like William Lai, Cheng Li-wun is wisely reaching out to mainland China.

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KMT chairwoman Cheng Li-wun leaves a press conference in Beijing, on April 10, during a six-day visit to mainland China. Photo: EPA
KMT chairwoman Cheng Li-wun leaves a press conference in Beijing, on April 10, during a six-day visit to mainland China. Photo: EPA
Hong Kong society

Opinion | 4 identities Hong Kong must embrace to provide global leadership

The city can be a bedrock for world commerce, finance, governance and civilisational exchange as we enter a new phase of globalisation.

Taiwan

Opinion | The strategic logic of Xi’s historic meeting with Taiwan’s Cheng Li-wun

The meeting and Beijing’s 10-point policy package send an unmistakable message to the Taiwanese public.

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US-China relations

Opinion | As a global Warring States era begins, China must plan for the future

Beijing needs a unifying proposal to replace the current world order that is being upended by US unpredictability.

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China’s permanent representative to the United Nations Fu Cong (centre, front) vetoes a UN Security Council draft resolution on the Strait of Hormuz in New York, on April 7. The proposed resolution encouraged states to escort commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, closed amid the US-led conflict with Iran. Photo: Xinhua
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