https://www.scmp.com/rss/322195/feed 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. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Cliff Buddle Cliff Buddle Hong Kong’s drive to become a leading host of “mega” sports events is keeping the football fans onside, with six top European teams to play high-profile pre-season friendly matches in the city this summer. The football festival, which set new attendance records when first staged at the new Kai Tak Stadium last year, will see top English and Italian teams compete in two matches in August. Manchester City will play Inter Milan four days before a clash between Chelsea and Juventus. And that is not... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3352234/world-cup-football-belongs-fans-not-trump-and-his-friend-fifa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3352234/world-cup-football-belongs-fans-not-trump-and-his-friend-fifa?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 May 2026 14:30:08 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Some patriots in China fantasise a lot about the yuan displacing the greenback as the world’s dominant currency. Other anti-American critics think the US dollar will collapse any day now. I consider myself as patriotic as the next Chinese person, but I am not sure it’s even Beijing’s policy to dethrone the dollar; perhaps it’s a long-term aspiration. The dollar doomers are basically doing a Gordon Chang, of The Coming Collapse of China infamy, but in reverse. A podcast this month between... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3352172/why-we-speak-english-and-use-us-dollar-now?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3352172/why-we-speak-english-and-use-us-dollar-now?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 May 2026 14:30:11 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Remember all the hyped-up, over-the-top warnings by US politicians and pundits about the dangers posed by TikTok owned by a Chinese company? It turns out they are now doing all those terrible things and adding some threatening extras just for its American users. Who would have guessed? In one of her latest clips, influential commentator Angela Baker of Parkrose Permaculture, who has close to half a million YouTube subscribers, complained about her TikTok experience since joining it in April... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3351493/why-tiktok-being-deliberately-ruined-its-new-american-owners?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3351493/why-tiktok-being-deliberately-ruined-its-new-american-owners?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Apr 2026 13:38:01 +0000 Cliff Buddle Cliff Buddle The appeal of a trip to Europe, to gaze at historic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, to ski in the Alps or sunbathe on a Greek beach, is well known to travellers. One of the attractions has long been the ease with which borders can be crossed. But while the war in Iran has disrupted travel around the world, a new source of potential woe for visitors to Europe has just kicked in. Non-EU nationals must now register their biometric data on arrival. This controversial move has been almost a decade... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3351439/new-entry-system-non-eu-residents-chipping-away-europes-image?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3351439/new-entry-system-non-eu-residents-chipping-away-europes-image?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Apr 2026 15:30:08 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo The Chinese are the heirs of mythical hero archer Hou Yi who shot down nine suns to save humanity from scorching heat and left just one to give them warmth. Today, they have mastered solar energy and the wind, and the five elements (wuxing). China has reinvented itself as the new electro-civilisation state. Let us remember that in the yin/yang, the sun is the yang, and their intricately connected wuxing are metals (originally gold), wood, water, fire and earth. The elements make up nature... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3350643/china-just-emerging-electro-state-or-electro-civilisation-state?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3350643/china-just-emerging-electro-state-or-electro-civilisation-state?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 13:42:50 +0000 Cliff Buddle Cliff Buddle The ability to predict the outcome of events, from wars and elections to cup finals or the weather, is a skill well worth possessing in an uncertain world. A successful look into the crystal ball can bring great riches but also lead to devastating financial loss. Prediction markets, online platforms that allow speculators to buy a stake in the yes or no result of a diverse array of events, have soared in popularity in recent years. They are styled as financial products, but are, in practice, a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3350592/all-bets-are-legal-basketball-wagers-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3350592/all-bets-are-legal-basketball-wagers-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:45:08 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Almost immediately after an Iranian-US ceasefire was announced, Israel worked to sabotage it by carrying out massive bombings across Lebanon, causing hundreds of casualties. Really, who are the terrorists? Even so, it’s hard to see how the supposed two-week ceasefire could hold when each side is making maximalist demands. As many experts have observed, control of the Strait of Hormuz, which carries a fifth of the world’s oil and gas, is ultimately the sticking point. Donald Trump may not... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3349824/irans-emergence-major-power-should-be-welcome-multipolar-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3349824/irans-emergence-major-power-should-be-welcome-multipolar-world?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 22:25:43 +0000 Cliff Buddle Cliff Buddle Hong Kong is best known for its bustling urban centre with soaring skyscrapers, crowded streets and busy roads. But not all residents relish the frenetic pace of life in the heart of the city, longing for an escape from the noise, pollution and lack of space. Discovery Bay, known as DB, a leafy suburb-by-the-sea, with low-rise housing and a low population density, has long been a favourite location for those seeking a different environment, especially arrivals from overseas. It is a unique part... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3349762/discovery-bay-will-never-be-same-if-restriction-taxi-access-lifted?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3349762/discovery-bay-will-never-be-same-if-restriction-taxi-access-lifted?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 16:14:16 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo “T he United States has become a rogue state.” That’s the title of a recent column in the Foreign Policy magazine. I generally agree with the author, but would dispute the title. The US has always been a rogue state. And yet, something does seem to have changed fundamentally under Donald Trump, especially with his second term in office. So what gives? “The United States is now acting like a predatory hegemon, exploiting positions of leverage built up over decades to exploit allies and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3349185/america-has-always-been-rogue-state-and-even-more-so-under-donald-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3349185/america-has-always-been-rogue-state-and-even-more-so-under-donald-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 13:15:08 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Last month in Florida, many leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean showed up for the so-called Shield of the Americas summit. Prefacing his speech, the self-styled US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth declared, “I only speak American.” Most people there spoke Spanish and/or English. Both the northern and the southern parts of the hemisphere are called American, but there is no such language as Hegseth’s, at least linguistically. However, it was clear what he meant. The United States just... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3349098/why-beijing-now-only-true-partner-africa-and-latin-america?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3349098/why-beijing-now-only-true-partner-africa-and-latin-america?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Apr 2026 15:05:43 +0000 Cliff Buddle Cliff Buddle The dramatic launch of the first manned space mission to the moon for more than 50 years invokes a childlike sense of excitement and wonder, with reflections on the prospect of another giant leap for mankind. Four astronauts, three from the United States and one from Canada, are on course to travel further away from Earth than any of their predecessors, circling the moon. Some of us are old enough to remember the first lunar missions in the 1960s and ’70s. These formed the backdrop to our... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3349049/lunar-mission-gives-fresh-perspective-troubled-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3349049/lunar-mission-gives-fresh-perspective-troubled-world?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 16:00:09 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo It’s called the fundamental formula of accounting. During a friendly chitchat between Jiang Zemin and Bill Clinton, perhaps to show how seriously China was liberalising its economy, the Chinese communist leader reportedly showed off his knowledge of modern capitalism by citing assets = liabilities + equities. Today, Xi Jinping might also quote the formula to his counterpart Donald Trump, the self-styled ultimate deal maker. After all, the formula shows one person’s asset is another person’s... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3348306/iran-has-shown-wests-containment-china-fools-errand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3348306/iran-has-shown-wests-containment-china-fools-errand?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2026 13:15:08 +0000 Cliff Buddle Cliff Buddle Any parent with experience of children growing up in the social media age knows how addictive and potentially harmful the many hours they spend glued to their screens can be. We do not need a court to tell us. But the verdict delivered by a jury in Los Angeles last week, the first of its kind, has finally given legal force to concerns that have been growing for years. The landmark case against Meta and YouTube, which is being compared to the groundbreaking settlement made by major US tobacco... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3348266/verdict-finds-what-any-parent-knows-social-media-designed-be-addictive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3348266/verdict-finds-what-any-parent-knows-social-media-designed-be-addictive?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Mar 2026 14:49:26 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Like any revolutionary technology, artificial intelligence (AI) is morally neutral – it’s the use to which it is put that makes it harmful or beneficial. But as I examined last week in this space, it’s America’s tech bros and their alliance with the US military, not AI itself, who are the real terminators of jobs and human lives. While they are obsessed with achieving AI supremacy, Chinese policymakers have been far more concerned about regulating it, mitigating its impact on job losses and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3347507/china-ai-about-job-creation-and-quality-not-mass-retrenchments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3347507/china-ai-about-job-creation-and-quality-not-mass-retrenchments?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 16:41:44 +0000 Cliff Buddle Cliff Buddle The role of foreign judges on Hong Kong’s top court has become controversial in recent years, amid geopolitical tensions and criticism in the West of the city’s national security law. A wave of departures, with some judges citing political concerns, has depleted their number. Now, there are only six, down from 15 in 2020. Chief Justice Andrew Cheung Kui-nung warned last year that appointing judges of the right stature and experience “may be less straightforward than it once was”. The death of... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3347440/masons-legacy-lies-reputation-he-helped-forge-hong-kongs-final-court?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3347440/masons-legacy-lies-reputation-he-helped-forge-hong-kongs-final-court?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Mar 2026 13:33:53 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo There is no artificial intelligence (AI) race to dominate the technology except in the minds of America’s billionaire tech bros and the ruling elites in Washington. Unfortunately, the global news media often uncritically adopt this dog-eat-dog narrative, including sometimes this newspaper. Now, I am not denying the intense competition between China and the United States in AI and other major industries of the 21st century. I am, however, claiming that competition is basically an end in itself... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3346675/humane-chinese-ai-versus-dog-eat-dog-american-ai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3346675/humane-chinese-ai-versus-dog-eat-dog-american-ai?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Mar 2026 14:30:08 +0000 Cliff Buddle Cliff Buddle Veteran British politician Peter Mandelson’s visit to Hong Kong in 2024 came as a new era dawned, both for relations between the UK and China and his own career. Speaking at the University of Hong Kong in September that year, soon after the Labour Party’s election victory, the former trade minister expressed optimism that the new government would engage with Beijing and forge closer ties. He spoke highly of Hong Kong. Mandelson played down suggestions he would soon be appointed Britain’s... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3346620/mandelson-scandal-could-be-tipping-point-costs-starmer-his-job?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3346620/mandelson-scandal-could-be-tipping-point-costs-starmer-his-job?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Mar 2026 14:16:07 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Is the US in decline? Many Chinese public intellectuals and journalists have long been told, or else they have talked themselves into believing, its inevitability. Now, some are not so sure after the Venezuela and Iran strikes. But of course the United States is in decline. That is so regardless of China’s rise or fall. It’s a domestic thing. Unfortunately, the rest of the world may long suffer the consequences. A declining superpower is a very dangerous beast. Exhibit No 1: Donald Trump and his... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3345885/america-decline-will-keep-losing-wars-weaker-foes-including-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3345885/america-decline-will-keep-losing-wars-weaker-foes-including-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Mar 2026 13:15:06 +0000 Cliff Buddle Cliff Buddle Journalists in Hong Kong, for many years, routinely accessed personal details of vehicle owners held on a government database as part of their newsroom investigations. There was no suggestion this carried legal risks. That all changed in 2021 when reporter Bao Choy Yuk-ling was fined HK$6,000 for making false statements when obtaining such information for the making of an award-winning documentary. Her convictions were overturned by the Court of Final Appeal in 2023, which found the journalist... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3345827/freedom-press-calls-faster-route-transport-department-data?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3345827/freedom-press-calls-faster-route-transport-department-data?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Mar 2026 14:25:15 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Blessed are the peacemakers. Blessed also are those who stay out of trouble while the vainglorious and bloodthirsty go to war thinking they can dominate and win. Aggression almost never works out as intended, even with temporary success. More often than not, the warmongers don’t even achieve that much. So good luck with imperialist-wannabes Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, and their latest war of aggression. China will always stay out of other people’s fights. Never get entangled, never get... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3345045/china-always-ends-winning-when-united-states-goes-war-others?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3345045/china-always-ends-winning-when-united-states-goes-war-others?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 13:15:08 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo A former senior US official has said working closely with allies and partners is the only effective way to constrain China. “Given the size and the immensity of the China challenge, the only way that the United States is going to be effective to meet that challenge is if we work with other partners and allies,” said Kurt Campbell, the former deputy secretary of state under Joe Biden. That is no doubt true, but good luck convincing them. When so many top officials within the US government up to... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3344272/how-unhinged-washington-unleashes-american-craziness-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3344272/how-unhinged-washington-unleashes-american-craziness-world?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2026 13:30:09 +0000 Cliff Buddle Cliff Buddle The flying visit to Hong Kong paid by Prince Andrew, as he was then, in October 2010, was a relatively low-key affair. His trip merited a brief item in the South China Morning Post noting that he would meet with the then chief executive and financial secretary, the MTR chief and tycoon Li Ka-shing, while also attending a British Chamber of Commerce lunch. This was, it seemed, a routine trip for the then prince in his capacity as Britain’s special representative for international trade and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3344226/arrest-shows-no-one-above-law-not-even-former-british-prince?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3344226/arrest-shows-no-one-above-law-not-even-former-british-prince?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 14:30:10 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Many Anglo-American conservatives think Western civilisation is what holds the world together. Some have long argued a study of it for young people in college, usually meaning a sustained reading of the so-called Great Books of the Western world, should be made mandatory to learn their own culture and its unparalleled greatness. At the Munich Security Conference, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: “We are part of one civilisation: Western civilisation. “We are bound to one another by the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3344025/why-western-civilisation-incapable-saving-western-society-today?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3344025/why-western-civilisation-incapable-saving-western-society-today?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 13:00:13 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Washington’s contempt and even hostility has led to a fundamental rethink among its European and Canadian allies. Under Prime Minister Mark Carney, Ottawa is rapidly reorienting its defence, security and economic policies against an openly predatory United States. Even the ever compliant Europeans are starting to openly articulate a more independent defence posture and to fortify their economies in the face of Donald Trump’s universal tariff war and financial threats. And yet, Australia, which... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3343922/forget-canada-real-51st-american-state-appears-be-gullible-australia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3343922/forget-canada-real-51st-american-state-appears-be-gullible-australia?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 13:00:16 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo US ambassador to Nato Matthew Whitaker must have mistaken China for his boss, Donald Trump. After all, it was the US president who kept saying he could end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference last week, Whitaker claimed Beijing could stop Russia’s war in Ukraine in a day if it wanted to. “China could call Vladimir Putin and end this war tomorrow and cut off his dual-purpose technologies that they’re selling,” he said. “China could stop buying Russian oil... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3343643/china-and-un-are-not-problem-ukraine-and-palestine-west?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3343643/china-and-un-are-not-problem-ukraine-and-palestine-west?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 14:34:58 +0000 Cliff Buddle Cliff Buddle Lunar New Year, widely celebrated around the world, has long provided an opportunity for people unfamiliar with Chinese culture to engage with its festive traditions. The arrival of the Year of the Horse will be marked not only in Hong Kong, mainland China and other parts of Asia, but in cities including London, New York, San Francisco, Paris and Sydney. It is a global celebration enjoyed by Chinese communities and increasingly by non-Chinese participants at new year parades and related events.... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3343595/social-medias-becoming-chinese-trend-can-only-be-force-good?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3343595/social-medias-becoming-chinese-trend-can-only-be-force-good?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2026 15:15:07 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo If American users of TikTok think its transition to majority US ownership would make it more secure and freer, they are sorely mistaken. Rather, they should expect the opposite. Some 170 million TikTokkers received a pop-up message telling them that if they wanted to continue with the service, they had to agree to new terms of service and privacy policy under new US majority ownership. Users almost immediately sensed a difference in the online environment. There were news reports that the social... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3342846/tiktok-deal-good-chinese-owners-terrible-users-united-states?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3342846/tiktok-deal-good-chinese-owners-terrible-users-united-states?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Feb 2026 14:15:10 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo A publisher kindly offered me an opportunity to interview Eyck Freymann, a Hoover Fellow at Stanford University, and to review his new book, Defending Taiwan: A Strategy to Prevent War with China. I think I must decline. I am sure he is a great scholar and thinker but I already have too many unread books on the shelves demanding my attention, a constant accusing presence reminding me what a slow and lazy reader I am. And Taiwan? I don’t think I want to waste time engaging with the indoctrinating... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3342009/how-prevent-war-china-return-taiwan-mainland?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3342009/how-prevent-war-china-return-taiwan-mainland?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 13:00:16 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo The way Lord Ismay, the first Nato chief, summarised the purpose of the Western military alliance – “Keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down” – became one of the great political aphorisms of the 20th century. Mark Rutte, the current Nato secretary general, is still following it. Perhaps he has yet to receive a memo telling him it’s now a very different century with vastly changed circumstances. Today, the Russians are in, the Americans are out, and the Germans are, well,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3341163/trump-threatens-greenland-nato-chief-says-china-real-threat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3341163/trump-threatens-greenland-nato-chief-says-china-real-threat?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2026 10:51:56 +0000 Cliff Buddle Cliff Buddle The debate over the status of same-sex relationships in Hong Kong sometimes takes the form of pride versus prejudice, an emotional clash between members of the LGBTQ community and their opponents. The bigger picture is often overlooked. Matters came to a head last September when the city’s lawmakers voted down a government bill which would have provided a framework for the recognition of people in such relationships, subject to certain conditions. A scheme of this kind is required by a judgment... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3341124/time-remove-differences-how-hong-kong-treats-same-sex-relationships?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3341124/time-remove-differences-how-hong-kong-treats-same-sex-relationships?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jan 2026 14:57:04 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Fifty Shades of Grey is one of the most tediously boring films I have ever watched. But I do admit being mildly amused watching the young Dakota Johnson being “punished”, and then having to say thank you. I am reminded of the erotic Hollywood blockbuster after reading about Taiwan’s latest tariff deal with the United States, which is not so much an agreement as complete capitulation, and then having to say “thank you, master” to the White House under Donald Trump. There ought to be a separate... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3340338/taiwan-has-just-sold-out-tsmc-and-half-its-chips-industry-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3340338/taiwan-has-just-sold-out-tsmc-and-half-its-chips-industry-us?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Jan 2026 13:30:15 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Grandstanding, self-righteous and hypocritical, what can possibly go wrong with the European Union under the leadership of Ursula von der Leyen and Kaja Kallas? For a superstate bloc that supposedly stands for the rule of law, human rights and international justice, Brussels has given the lamest excuse of a response to the murderous American raid in Venezuela and the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. European Commission President von der Leyen said the bloc was “closely... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3339511/days-eu-and-nato-may-be-numbered-under-von-der-leyen-and-kallas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3339511/days-eu-and-nato-may-be-numbered-under-von-der-leyen-and-kallas?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Jan 2026 14:15:08 +0000 Cliff Buddle Cliff Buddle Hong Kong is best known around the world for its city centre, a landscape dominated by soaring skyscrapers sandwiched in between the hills and the harbour. But its reputation as a green and pleasant land is growing. Residents and visitors alike are increasingly exploring the expansive country parks and remote spots, whether for hiking, adventure or spectacular selfies. The natural landscape, however, has been severely degraded over time. Hong Kong was once covered in lush, tall, native... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3339456/native-forest-restoration-project-literally-and-figuratively-bearing-fruit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3339456/native-forest-restoration-project-literally-and-figuratively-bearing-fruit?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Jan 2026 14:37:21 +0000 Cliff Buddle Cliff Buddle The new year in Hong Kong will be dominated by the aftermath of the deadly Tai Po fire. There is a need to identify the lapses and loopholes, abuses and failures that contributed to the loss of 161 lives and the displacement of around 5,000 residents at Wang Fuk Court. Investigations are under way. But the city’s resolution needs to go further. There should be a determination to eradicate the cavalier approach adopted to following rules, weak enforcement and cosy relationships between interested... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3337904/eye-opening-court-judgment-snapshot-issues-have-plagued-hong-kong-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3337904/eye-opening-court-judgment-snapshot-issues-have-plagued-hong-kong-years?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Dec 2025 14:30:07 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Minxin Pei is one of America’s leading sinologists. His commentaries appear everywhere, including in this newspaper. In 2019, he was named the inaugural Library of Congress Chair on US-China Relations. He was also, until recently, the academic version of Gordon Chang, the incorrigible prognosticator who has been predicting the coming collapse of China ever since Chang published his book of the same title in 2001. And people wonder why American policymakers keep getting China wrong. In an opinion... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3337836/state-capacity-will-decide-who-winner-chinese-american-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3337836/state-capacity-will-decide-who-winner-chinese-american-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Dec 2025 13:00:11 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo It’s the festive season, and you go on holiday. Your brain doesn’t, though. In fact, it may experience higher levels of stress and joy than usual, leading to corresponding biochemical and neurological changes. So there is good and bad. Your dopamine levels, the “feel-good” chemical in the brain, may rise. It improves your mood from decorating, buying, handing out and receiving gifts. If nothing else, you don’t have to go to work. Well, not me because I am on contract and have to write extras as... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3337241/real-war-christmas-not-being-waged-hong-kong-or-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3337241/real-war-christmas-not-being-waged-hong-kong-or-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Dec 2025 13:30:09 +0000 Cliff Buddle Cliff Buddle The festive season, with its much-loved traditions, family gatherings and tidings of joy, provides a welcome ray of light even in the darkest times. In Hong Kong, Christmas celebrations will be tempered with great sadness this year as the city emerges from the shock and horror of the devastating Tai Po fire which engulfed seven housing blocks, leaving at least 161 dead. The tragedy struck on November 26, just as the seasonal festivities were getting under way. The city was plunged into mourning... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3337197/christmas-spirit-generosity-peace-and-goodwill-could-not-be-needed-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3337197/christmas-spirit-generosity-peace-and-goodwill-could-not-be-needed-more?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Dec 2025 14:59:06 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo It’s not for nothing that John Locke famously wrote that “life, liberty and property” are inalienable rights. The West, after all, has taught the world that property ownership, legally obtained, is sacrosanct. But what the West has imposed, it can also break. That is the real meaning of the rules-based international order, as opposed to international law: do what I say, not as I do. So the hardline European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has been pressuring member states to support... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3336405/emerging-axis-lawlessness-european-union-united-states-and-israel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3336405/emerging-axis-lawlessness-european-union-united-states-and-israel?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Dec 2025 14:15:09 +0000 Cliff Buddle Cliff Buddle A disaster on the scale of Hong Kong’s deadly Wang Fuk Court fire requires an immediate response to support victims, pursue those responsible and make sweeping changes that will ensure such a tragedy never occurs again. Hong Kong is taking action on all these fronts following the blaze last month that killed 160 people, left around 5,000 homeless and plunged the city into mourning. Survivors have quickly been provided with accommodation and compensation. Citywide safety checks have been... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3336354/what-hong-kong-can-learn-deadly-london-flats-blaze?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3336354/what-hong-kong-can-learn-deadly-london-flats-blaze?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Dec 2025 15:36:28 +0000 Cliff Buddle Cliff Buddle The rapid spread of a ferocious fire through multi-storey housing blocks, leaving helpless occupants trapped and dying, has long been one of Hong Kong’s darkest nightmares. In a city where most live in proximity to each other in high-rise flats, the risk of a blaze turning homes into death traps is ever present. But the fire that swiftly engulfed seven blocks of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po on Wednesday, killing more than 100 people and leaving thousands homeless, is on a scale that exceeds even the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3334648/we-must-ensure-such-tragedy-never-occurs-again?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3334648/we-must-ensure-such-tragedy-never-occurs-again?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Nov 2025 21:43:25 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo The late president of Namibia Hage Geingob once lectured Norbert Lammert, the former president of the German parliament, about China’s pragmatic foreign aid and business approaches in contrast to Western arrogance and dominance, in a video clip that went viral. “Every time a Westerner comes, it’s all about the Chinese,” he said. “Why does it become your problem, heh! It looks like it’s more a European problem than our problem. You feel sorry for us? We will handle our own country …” Germany, of... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3333863/how-china-goes-toe-toe-west-and-softly-softly-rest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3333863/how-china-goes-toe-toe-west-and-softly-softly-rest?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Nov 2025 14:15:56 +0000 Cliff Buddle Cliff Buddle Britain’s crackdown on immigration accelerated last week with the unveiling of radical reforms which will make it more difficult for those embarking on a new life in the country to settle there. The sweeping changes will apply not only to asylum seekers but to migrants who have entered the UK lawfully since 2021. The goalposts are moving. Tighter restrictions for people who relocate to the UK through legal routes, such as for work or study, are the subject of a 12-week consultation. The aim,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3333813/bn0-visa-holders-deserve-clarity-pathway-new-life-uk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3333813/bn0-visa-holders-deserve-clarity-pathway-new-life-uk?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Nov 2025 15:43:39 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Imagine Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi as a German leader. Instead of being euphemistically labelled a nationalist conservative by an adoring Western media, she would have been more accurately called a far-right extremist. Her biggest fans like to spew hate on tourists (especially Chinese), foreigners and immigrants, though the latter’s population is insignificant when compared with many Western countries. She has breached Japan’s notorious glass ceiling, but she wants to make sure it’s... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3333008/takaichis-stance-over-taiwan-just-what-west-wants?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3333008/takaichis-stance-over-taiwan-just-what-west-wants?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Nov 2025 15:58:30 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo So this is how the Chinese commit genocide and crimes against humanity, according to much of the Anglo-American media and academia, which have valiantly resisted Beijing’s attempt to censor them in their home countries. According to a new BBC report, tourism is booming in Xinjiang. The ground zero of alleged Chinese genocide last year welcomed 300 million visitors, more than double the number in 2018. “Beijing has pumped in billions of dollars to develop infrastructure, help produce TV dramas... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3332121/china-committing-genocide-promoting-tourism-and-development?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3332121/china-committing-genocide-promoting-tourism-and-development?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Nov 2025 16:47:11 +0000 Cliff Buddle Cliff Buddle The commemorative activities to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war this year have ensured the sacrifice made by those who lost their lives is not forgotten. Parades, fly-pasts, church services and street parties celebrated VE Day in May, the anniversary of the Nazi regime’s surrender in Europe. It was followed, in August, by VJ Day, recalling the defeat of Japan. Then, Victory Day, in September, marked the formal surrender of Japanese forces in China, with events on the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3332067/poppies-remain-poignant-reminder-catastrophic-human-cost-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3332067/poppies-remain-poignant-reminder-catastrophic-human-cost-war?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Nov 2025 15:30:08 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Every time the British consulate sends me the latest six-monthly report on Hong Kong’s development, I either sigh or roll my eyes, and then delete. While the UK government continues to claim such monitoring is an obligation under the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, there is simply no specific treaty provision on how long this futile and offensive exercise needs to continue under its current format. So why do the Brits persist? One, they want to stay on the moral high ground, though that... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3331249/how-anglo-american-ideologues-have-exploited-hks-free-market-success?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3331249/how-anglo-american-ideologues-have-exploited-hks-free-market-success?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Nov 2025 15:14:20 +0000 Cliff Buddle Cliff Buddle The news that Hong Kong would co-host China’s National Games for the first time, a landmark for the city, was not accompanied by the fanfare that might have been expected when it was announced four years ago. At the time, the world was still in the grip of the pandemic. Hong Kong’s measures to combat Covid-19, including quarantine and strict social-distancing rules, hit the city’s sports sector hard. Iconic events such as the rugby sevens, the marathon and Oxfam Trailwalker were cancelled or... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3331187/national-games-are-just-start-not-finishing-line-sporting-ambitions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3331187/national-games-are-just-start-not-finishing-line-sporting-ambitions?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Nov 2025 13:11:41 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Soybean imports are not usually the kind of topics that make headline news. But ever since they have become another bone of contention in the fierce trade war between China and the United States, people are suddenly paying attention. The numbers are shocking. From being the top soybean supplier, US supplies have suddenly dropped to practically zero as China switches sourcing to Argentina and Brazil. But there is a moral aspect to the US domestic story. It’s one about how seasonal workers, mostly... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3330390/moral-case-china-stop-buying-american-soybeans-permanently?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3330390/moral-case-china-stop-buying-american-soybeans-permanently?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Oct 2025 13:17:48 +0000 Cliff Buddle Cliff Buddle The brutal killing of a newspaper seller, stabbed to death at her stand by “hired thugs” in 1999, was an outrage of the kind that has occasionally rocked and shocked Hong Kong. Four men who carried out the horrific attack, described by authorities as a “classic triad murder”, were later jailed, three of them for life. The punishment fits the crime. They deserve no sympathy. But a fair and humane justice system must allow for the possibility that those responsible for even the most terrible... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3330325/one-measure-just-society-way-it-treats-those-who-transgress-most?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3330325/one-measure-just-society-way-it-treats-those-who-transgress-most?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Oct 2025 13:40:11 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo CEOs all used to wear suits and ties like uniforms, and focus only on their own business when speaking in public. The late Steve Jobs was considered radical for promoting Apple products while wearing turtlenecks and jeans. These days though, when it comes to billionaire tech bros, there are no attire restrictions, and no subjects are off bounds. In fact, there are no such things as core competencies. Since they are good in some tech fields, many think they are geniuses over everything else. Not... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3329589/americas-billionaire-tech-bros-are-bringing-us-closer-end-times?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3329589/americas-billionaire-tech-bros-are-bringing-us-closer-end-times?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Oct 2025 13:05:09 +0000