https://www.scmp.com/rss/517927/feed en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Wannaphong Durongkaveroj Wannaphong Durongkaveroj Last month, Thailand hosted the International Monetary Fund-World Bank (IMF-WB) meetings for the second time in 35 years. The annual gathering put a spotlight on the country’s economic prospects and generated optimism about its future. Yet much of the discussion has focused on what sectors Thailand should target and far less on how it might return to high growth. History tends to repeat itself, albeit in different ways. When Thailand first hosted the meetings, in 1991, it was among the world’s... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3373573/thailand-once-had-economic-miracle-it-needs-another https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3373573/thailand-once-had-economic-miracle-it-needs-another Sat, 07 Nov 2026 04:00:11 +0000 Lijia Zhang Lijia Zhang Travelling through South America earlier this year, I was repeatedly reminded of China’s growing importance. At Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires, I spotted the logo of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. ICBC acquired an 80 per cent stake in Standard Bank Argentina in 2012, establishing a significant presence. In Buenos Aires, my friend Diego García, a publisher, offered a useful perspective: Argentina does not have to choose between China and the United States. It should... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3373154/can-china-champion-global-south-without-speaking-it https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3373154/can-china-champion-global-south-without-speaking-it Fri, 06 Nov 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Nicholas Spiro Nicholas Spiro There are good reasons for investors to be bullish about artificial intelligence (AI). The earnings of technology firms in the S&P 500 are expected to increase 54 per cent this year. For the index as a whole, profits will rise 33 per cent, turbocharged by the tech and energy sectors, data from FactSet shows. In Asia, the impact of the AI boom is even more profound. Corporate earnings in South Korea and Taiwan, the two leading semiconductor hubs, are expected to grow a staggering 283 per cent and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3373341/ai-sell-taste-things-come https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3373341/ai-sell-taste-things-come Thu, 05 Nov 2026 21:30:05 +0000 Sophie Wushuang Yi Sophie Wushuang Yi Beijing closed five Chinese sea zones, from the Bohai to the South China Sea, for firing exercises from October 12 to 17, following Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te’s Double Tenth speech. None of the zones are close to Taiwan. Across October, Beijing’s responses to what it regards as challenges have grown sharper, above all in its dealings with the Philippines. Yet the events show no clear shift towards pre-emptive action, and much of Beijing’s conduct is consistent with efforts to keep the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3373196/understanding-chinas-october-drills-and-growing-risk-factor https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3373196/understanding-chinas-october-drills-and-growing-risk-factor Thu, 05 Nov 2026 01:30:08 +0000 Ronny P. Sasmita Ronny P. Sasmita When pollution crosses borders, sovereignty becomes more complicated. Singapore can suffer the consequences of fires burning in Indonesia, yet it cannot simply send investigators into Indonesian territory. Its attempt to hold companies accountable through domestic law has exposed a deeper dilemma in Southeast Asia: how can a region built on territorial sovereignty govern economic activities whose environmental costs routinely cross national boundaries? In October, Singapore escalated its... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3373213/singapores-haze-crackdown-tests-limits-sovereignty-within-asean https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3373213/singapores-haze-crackdown-tests-limits-sovereignty-within-asean Wed, 04 Nov 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Marco Vicenzino Marco Vicenzino China is becoming increasingly important to the Gulf’s economic future. Yet the Gulf remains capable of disrupting China’s own. That is the contradiction exposed by the US-Iran war. Beijing’s importance as an energy customer, investor and technology partner has grown, but its ability to guarantee the maritime routes connecting the Middle East to East Asia remains limited. The next contest in global energy will concern not only who produces and consumes it, but who can preserve access when... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3372480/us-iran-war-shows-chinas-influence-cant-secure-its-line-gulf-oil https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3372480/us-iran-war-shows-chinas-influence-cant-secure-its-line-gulf-oil Wed, 04 Nov 2026 08:30:07 +0000 Wenran Jiang Wenran Jiang Just weeks after US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping invoked their countries’ World War II alliance at the White House, Keen Sword 27 turned symbolism into hardware. The 11-day exercise, which wrapped up on October 29, deployed US Marine NMESIS anti-ship launchers and MADIS air-defence systems to Yonaguni – Japan’s westernmost island, just 110km (70 miles) from Taiwan. Japan mobilised its new Type 25 missile, with a reported 1,000km range, from Kumamoto for the system’s... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3372983/chinas-new-nightmare-japanese-containment-arc-indo-pacific https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3372983/chinas-new-nightmare-japanese-containment-arc-indo-pacific Tue, 03 Nov 2026 21:30:06 +0000 Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey In the Land of the Rising Sun, Bangladesh looks forward to a new dawn. The hope that comes with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to Japan goes beyond the deals signed or the financial support expected. It shows a country that has emerged from authoritarian rule and wants to turn its new political voice into bigger economic chances and freedom of choice. For a government chosen by the people, foreign policy must answer one question: how does it make life better for the people who gave it... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3372553/both-japan-and-china-can-help-bangladesh-reach-its-full-potential https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3372553/both-japan-and-china-can-help-bangladesh-reach-its-full-potential Sat, 31 Oct 2026 08:30:08 +0000 Arnold Puyok Arnold Puyok Ethnicity plays out differently across Malaysia. On the peninsula, identity politics is comparatively rigid: Malay vs non-Malay, with Islam and Malay identity fused not just culturally but constitutionally. In the Borneo states of Sabah and Sarawak, however, the picture is less binary. Religion plays a smaller role in daily life, cultural identities are more diffuse, and ethnic lines are less clear-cut. The Dayaks, a collective term for Sarawak’s non-Muslim indigenous peoples, are the state’s... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3372758/malaysias-largest-state-sarawak-first-faces-dayak-election-test https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3372758/malaysias-largest-state-sarawak-first-faces-dayak-election-test Sat, 31 Oct 2026 04:00:11 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Australia’s preparations for a possible conflict with China reflect “a relatively superficial understanding”, argues prominent economist John Edwards. Europe, Canada, Indonesia, Malaysia and India, he notes, are not preparing for such a conflict. Why should Australia? Edwards, a former senior economic adviser to former Labor prime minister Paul Keating, makes the observation in a Lowy Institute paper released in October and in a newspaper interview. Instead, he sees US-China rivalry as a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3372519/flaw-australias-china-threat-thesis https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3372519/flaw-australias-china-threat-thesis Fri, 30 Oct 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Mengzhen Liu,Ziya Guo Mengzhen Liu,Ziya Guo Manila sent two strikingly different messages to Beijing on October 13. At the Malacanang Palace, a presidential spokeswoman reaffirmed Manila’s commitment to sustaining diplomatic and economic ties with China, saying “China needs the Philippines, and the Philippines needs China”. That same day, Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr rejected a call for military-to-military communication with China, a move that received public support from the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Teodoro... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3372147/manila-speaks-2-voices-china https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3372147/manila-speaks-2-voices-china Wed, 28 Oct 2026 01:30:07 +0000 Juan Fernando Herrera Ramos Juan Fernando Herrera Ramos For decades, China was one of the world’s largest sources of migrant labour. Its workers staffed factories at home and built infrastructure abroad. But demographic decline may eventually force China to contemplate a striking reversal: importing workers on a meaningful scale. That change is not imminent. China still has a vast labour force and substantial youth unemployment. It is investing heavily in industrial automation, extending working lives through a gradual increase in the retirement age,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3371970/china-may-well-be-next-big-competitor-asian-migrant-labour https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3371970/china-may-well-be-next-big-competitor-asian-migrant-labour Mon, 26 Oct 2026 08:30:08 +0000 Hamzah Rifaat Hamzah Rifaat The appearance of K-pop singer G-Dragon on electronic billboards in major Chinese cities despite Beijing’s K-pop ban points at a contrast between political shadows clouding international relations and actual commercial linkages in East Asia. Amid tensions over Seoul’s military alliance with the United States and other issues, G-Dragon featured in eight McDonald’s products across more than 8,000 outlets in mainland China. The penetration and appeal of Korean cultural icons show how transnational... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3371868/east-asias-cultural-economies-are-bridging-politics-driven-divides https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3371868/east-asias-cultural-economies-are-bridging-politics-driven-divides Sun, 25 Oct 2026 08:30:06 +0000 David Kim David Kim On October 18, Anthropic, the artificial intelligence (AI) laboratory preparing one of the largest listings in history, committed 5 per cent of its shares to a public benefit fund. The next day, Elon Musk promised one SpaceX share, next year, for “every kid in America” – about US$10.6 billion for some 73 million children. The offers differ in who holds the shares. Anthropic’s will sit in an entity the company owns, spent on the public’s behalf; Musk’s would land, by a route he has not explained,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3371822/how-share-ai-wealth-neither-us-nor-asia-has-answer https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3371822/how-share-ai-wealth-neither-us-nor-asia-has-answer Sat, 24 Oct 2026 21:30:06 +0000 Zhou Xiaoming Zhou Xiaoming The anxiety gripping Seoul is palpable. Under US pressure, South Korea signed a US$350 billion investment deal last November for a 10-percentage-point tariff reduction, billing it as a strategic alliance. Barely a year on, the facade has crumbled. Last month, US President Donald Trump announced a US$200 billion tranche of the deal with no South Korean official present. Blindsided, Seoul restated its “commercial viability” clause. Trump’s response was blunt. “If they don’t want to do it, that’s... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3371802/seouls-useless-placation-warning-all-us-trade-partners https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3371802/seouls-useless-placation-warning-all-us-trade-partners Sat, 24 Oct 2026 08:30:09 +0000 Le Hong Hiep Le Hong Hiep Since coming to power in August 2024, General Secretary To Lam has emphasised his ambition to turn Vietnam into a high-income country by 2045. Towards this goal, a National Assembly resolution in April set a target of average annual growth of 10 per cent through 2030, with infrastructure building expected to serve as a major growth engine. However, Vietnam is struggling to mobilise sufficient capital to finance this ambitious agenda because of both domestic and external constraints. Hanoi... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3371904/vietnams-2045-vision-faces-reality-check-capital-squeeze-tests-growth-ambitions https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3371904/vietnams-2045-vision-faces-reality-check-capital-squeeze-tests-growth-ambitions Sat, 24 Oct 2026 05:00:10 +0000 Faye Ng Yu Ci Faye Ng Yu Ci In late September, Singapore’s Reddit community erupted over the government’s new dating platform, FirstDate. Curious to get an insider’s perspective, I visited the site, connected to my Singpass account and watched as my name, age and marital status auto-populated the fields on the page. I entered my Gmail address and hit submit. The email field turned red: “Please sign up with your official work email. Personal email addresses will not be accepted.” I resubmitted the form with my work email,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3371633/asias-baby-starved-governments-want-people-date-who-has-time https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3371633/asias-baby-starved-governments-want-people-date-who-has-time Fri, 23 Oct 2026 21:30:07 +0000 Nicholas Spiro Nicholas Spiro When it comes to sentiment among Asian fund managers, Indonesia and India are distinctly out of favour. The findings of a survey by Bank of America on October 13 revealed that Asia’s fifth- and third-largest economies were the least preferred equity markets in the region. Since the beginning of this year, the Jakarta Composite Index has fallen 39 per cent, making it the world’s worst-performing stock market. India’s Nifty 50 Index, meanwhile, is down 12.7 per cent, putting it on track to record... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3371722/why-market-sell-offs-india-and-indonesia-have-little-common https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3371722/why-market-sell-offs-india-and-indonesia-have-little-common Thu, 22 Oct 2026 21:30:05 +0000 Tang Meng Kit Tang Meng Kit Last month, the US published the fine print of a US$686 million upgrade deal for Pakistan’s F-16 fighter jets. The deal is for data link systems, new encryption gear and a refit that keeps the jets flying until 2040. The notice says Pakistan can protect the technology to “substantially the same degree” as the US government. The Pakistan Air Force is also the only declared interested buyer of China’s J-35 stealth fighter, a generational leap in technology. The Chinese jet first flew at the Zhuhai... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3371561/pakistan-and-us-factor-china-looks-sell-its-j-35-stealth-jets https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3371561/pakistan-and-us-factor-china-looks-sell-its-j-35-stealth-jets Wed, 21 Oct 2026 21:30:06 +0000 Albert Bakhtizin Albert Bakhtizin As turbulence grows in many countries, it is tempting to ask if there is a global hegemon that can sort everything out fairly. US President Donald Trump has threatened that his country would not defend Nato allies if they failed to spend enough on their defence. Together with new trade barriers, his words suggest that the US is scaling back its ambitions for global leadership and concentrating more on its own region. Our latest projections of national strength for 2027 take into account... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3371409/can-china-turn-national-power-world-leadership https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3371409/can-china-turn-national-power-world-leadership Wed, 21 Oct 2026 08:30:10 +0000 Syed Munir Khasru Syed Munir Khasru A country need not run out of money to find itself in a debt crisis. It only has to run short of US dollars to pay for its energy. At the recent International Monetary Fund-World Bank annual meetings in Bangkok, the IMF, which expects global economic growth of 3.1 per cent this year and 3.4 per cent the next, cautioned that energy-importing and lower-income economies face a harder road, even as those riding the artificial intelligence boom fare relatively well. According to the World Bank’s... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3371271/energy-shock-could-spark-asias-next-debt-crisis https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3371271/energy-shock-could-spark-asias-next-debt-crisis Tue, 20 Oct 2026 08:30:10 +0000 Ronny P. Sasmita Ronny P. Sasmita China’s export machine is accelerating as its domestic economy remains under strain. This comes amid growing trade friction as China’s partners question whether persistent surpluses can coexist with balanced and resilient regional growth. Last month, China’s exports rose 36.3 per cent year on year, while shipments to Southeast Asia jumped 52.3 per cent. The trade surplus reached US$133.5 billion, taking the nine-month total to US$938.1 billion. In contrast, retail sales grew just 0.4 per cent in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3371208/chinas-export-boom-creates-difficult-bargain-southeast-asia https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3371208/chinas-export-boom-creates-difficult-bargain-southeast-asia Mon, 19 Oct 2026 08:30:05 +0000 Tom King Tom King Asia-based airlines are battling stubbornly high fuel costs even as pressure mounts to accelerate their transition to more expensive sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Singapore Airlines Group reported a 78.5 per cent surge in net fuel costs in the quarter to June, contributing to a S$76 million (US$59.3 million) net loss despite record revenue. Cathay Pacific has repeatedly adjusted passenger fuel surcharges as jet fuel prices fluctuated, while India’s low-cost carrier IndiGo introduced another... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3370973/economic-realities-threaten-asias-green-aviation-ambitions https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3370973/economic-realities-threaten-asias-green-aviation-ambitions Sun, 18 Oct 2026 08:30:05 +0000 Chang Zi Qian Chang Zi Qian At a recent Bloomberg forum, Singapore’s former foreign minister George Yeo was asked about the city state making the lists of the richest and unhappiest countries. He let slip what may be founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew’s coldest legacy quote: “We can promise economic development, infrastructure, education, whatever. But never promise happiness.” Yeo added that unhappiness may even be a precondition for achievement. In the national pledge, citizens of Singapore promise to achieve... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3371017/singapore-does-unhappiness-go-hand-hand-fewer-births https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3371017/singapore-does-unhappiness-go-hand-hand-fewer-births Sat, 17 Oct 2026 21:30:06 +0000 Hirokazu Omatsu,Kyi Sin Hirokazu Omatsu,Kyi Sin Japan has long established itself as a pioneer of mediation in Southeast Asia. In 1990, for example, its officials helped broker talks between Cambodia’s warring factions, supplementing international efforts to end conflict in the country. Now, Tokyo is seeking to upgrade its diplomatic toolkit. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ International Peace Mediation Unit was set up in March, followed by the launch of the Parliamentary Association for Peace Mediation in May. Around the same time, the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3371168/aseans-myanmar-peace-push-needs-japans-silent-diplomacy https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3371168/aseans-myanmar-peace-push-needs-japans-silent-diplomacy Sat, 17 Oct 2026 05:00:10 +0000 Richard Heydarian Richard Heydarian China and the Philippines recently traded accusations over the medical evacuation of a Philippine serviceman from a grounded naval vessel in the hotly disputed Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea. The incident has sparked renewed worries about potential armed skirmishes in a global artery of trade. But Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr was also quick to emphasise the economic dimensions of a major conflict. After a decade of rapid economic growth, the Philippines is facing... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3370775/philippines-china-free-manufacturing-strategy-high-risk-bet https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3370775/philippines-china-free-manufacturing-strategy-high-risk-bet Sat, 17 Oct 2026 01:30:09 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Americans are souring on artificial intelligence, so Washington is trying to convince them the old-fashioned way: by citing, ad nauseam, the China threat. US President Donald Trump, flanked by tech executives at the White House late last month, warned voters that if they rejected data centres, companies would “be forced to go overseas”. He added that “whoever wins superintelligence wins” and that “you’re probably not gonna have a second place”. The implication was that detractors would be... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3370992/us-tech-bros-are-coming-asia-and-latin-americas-power-grids https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3370992/us-tech-bros-are-coming-asia-and-latin-americas-power-grids Fri, 16 Oct 2026 08:30:06 +0000 Andy Xie Andy Xie Be warned. The global economy is likely to experience a recession next year. War across the Middle East is set to escalate, wrecking energy supplies for many years, even as the artificial intelligence (AI) bubble is ripe to burst. This, however, would also create an energy leadership opportunity for China. High energy prices already fuel demand for Chinese renewable energy products and electric vehicles. But as a leader in building coal-fired power plants, China can also offer the global market... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3370367/can-chinas-coal-industry-ride-rescue-world-oil-shock https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3370367/can-chinas-coal-industry-ride-rescue-world-oil-shock Wed, 14 Oct 2026 21:30:06 +0000 Winston Mok Winston Mok One day before Chinese President Xi Jinping landed in Washington for his summit with Donald Trump, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi secured her own audience with the US president – which was followed by a phone call after Xi departed. Her preoccupation was ensuring that Tokyo’s interests were not quietly traded away in a US-China bargain. Beneath this diplomacy lies a question Japan has not yet answered for itself: whether Takaichi’s response to perceived security challenges reflects a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3370491/trump-xi-summit-threw-hard-question-japan-national-dignity https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3370491/trump-xi-summit-threw-hard-question-japan-national-dignity Tue, 13 Oct 2026 08:30:05 +0000 Vincent Caradec Vincent Caradec Last month, Japan’s internal affairs ministry released its yearly data ahead of Respect for the Aged Day. People aged 65 and over now make up a record 29.6 per cent of the population. But the figure I keep coming back to was this: 9.43 million Japanese workers were 65 or older last year, about 13.8 per cent of everyone with a job. Members of Japan’s older population are not simply retired. A large part are still at work and some of those people are the ones businesses depend on. The Asia-Pacific... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3370071/dont-leave-asias-ageing-debate-until-its-too-late https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3370071/dont-leave-asias-ageing-debate-until-its-too-late Mon, 12 Oct 2026 21:30:06 +0000 Gaurav Kumar Gaurav Kumar Chinese President Xi Jinping has met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi three times in the past three years. Indian pilgrims are back at Kailash, the Tibetan mountain sacred to Hindus and Buddhists. Air China has restarted flights to New Delhi. But can trust grow between two armies that meet only in a crisis? And why does the Pentagon now talk to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) more easily than India’s army does? In September, Xi made his first visit to India in nearly seven years; Beijing... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3370226/despite-china-india-thaw-military-relations-are-stuck-2020 https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3370226/despite-china-india-thaw-military-relations-are-stuck-2020 Sun, 11 Oct 2026 21:30:05 +0000 Dhruv Atreja Dhruv Atreja On June 12, two of the world’s most capable artificial intelligence models went dark. An American export directive barred foreigners from using Anthropic’s two flagship AI models, and because the company could not check every user’s nationality, it switched them off. Access returned on July 1 but the warning is clear: India’s AI future can be switched off from Washington. In September, Beijing came calling. At the Brics summit in New Delhi, Chinese President Xi Jinping promised China would “be a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3369950/ai-indias-choice-neednt-be-between-us-leash-or-chinese-hook https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3369950/ai-indias-choice-neednt-be-between-us-leash-or-chinese-hook Sat, 10 Oct 2026 21:30:07 +0000 Tan Poh Hwee Tan Poh Hwee Cryptocurrency’s promise of financial freedom carries a cost the industry must confront: growing wealth can make its owners more attractive targets for violent criminals. Protecting digital assets while treating the physical safety of their holders as a personal matter is an inadequate approach to financial security. The industry must take responsibility for designing products and services which account for the reality that people can be threatened into surrendering their assets. The rise in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3370088/better-protection-needed-violent-cryptocurrency-robberies-surge https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3370088/better-protection-needed-violent-cryptocurrency-robberies-surge Sat, 10 Oct 2026 08:30:05 +0000 Michael Vatikiotis Michael Vatikiotis Imagine this: one major power launches an operation against another’s ship in a sensitive strategic zone, acting on intelligence that the vessel is carrying sanctioned goods. The operation sparks a major international incident that brings the two powers to the brink of war. Unlikely as this may sound in today’s hi-tech world of sensory awareness, it did almost happen. In mid-September, it was reported that the US military was on the verge of launching an operation against a Chinese ship near... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3370373/truth-needs-treaty-age-ai-disinformation https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3370373/truth-needs-treaty-age-ai-disinformation Sat, 10 Oct 2026 06:00:19 +0000 Patrick Mendis Patrick Mendis As Russian President Vladimir Putin watched the final stage of the massive Tsentr-2026 military exercise in the Urals recently, Chinese troops were training alongside forces from Russia, Belarus and other countries. More than 47,000 military personnel joined the exercise, which incorporated lessons from the war in Ukraine. The symbolism extends beyond Chelyabinsk. From Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to Chinese military exercises with Belarus – and now China’s participation alongside Russian and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3370030/us-japan-poland-strategic-triangle-can-encourage-peaceful-war https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3370030/us-japan-poland-strategic-triangle-can-encourage-peaceful-war Fri, 09 Oct 2026 08:30:06 +0000 Lucio Blanco Pitlo III Lucio Blanco Pitlo III Educational and cultural exchanges have become a new casualty of rising tensions between the Philippines and China. About 150 Chinese teachers have left the Philippines months after Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr renewed warnings that such people-to-people ties could pose security concerns. Families of volunteer instructors have expressed safety concerns. Beyond disrupting classes and potentially harming tourism in the Philippines, this could further narrow interaction between the two... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3369991/national-security-must-not-kill-philippines-china-academic-ties https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3369991/national-security-must-not-kill-philippines-china-academic-ties Thu, 08 Oct 2026 21:30:06 +0000 Wang Xiangwei Wang Xiangwei For American and Chinese people interested in the outcome of the latest summit between China’s President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump, their conclusions could not be more different if they turn to the media and pundits for guidance. Chinese state media spared no superlative, echoing the official description of the summit as: forging the right way for the major powers to get along and writing a new chapter in ties. It played up the fact that Trump gave Xi the highest-level reception... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3369358/how-g2-effect-trump-xi-summit-reverberating-through-asia https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3369358/how-g2-effect-trump-xi-summit-reverberating-through-asia Sun, 04 Oct 2026 12:30:06 +0000 Azmil Tayeb Azmil Tayeb A string of electoral victories in recent years has inspired the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) to go for more urbanised and developed states in the run-up to Malaysia’s next general election. PAS’ strategy is straightforward: besides leveraging its religious credentials, it also seeks to underscore its ability to govern well. The problem here, however, is that PAS might not have a solid technocratic record to sell to voters. PAS was established by the ulama (religious scholars) wing of the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3369597/pas-wants-urban-malaysias-vote-can-it-win-over-urban-malays https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3369597/pas-wants-urban-malaysias-vote-can-it-win-over-urban-malays Sat, 03 Oct 2026 05:00:14 +0000 Yap Yok Foo Yap Yok Foo Every morning, I settle into my armchair in Kuala Lumpur, pen in hand, to tackle The Times cryptic crossword, freshly downloaded from the internet. It is a ritual I have observed since my university days in the United Kingdom. I have become rather adept at it; in fact, puzzle devotees might recognise Sayang, the pseudonym under which I set crosswords for the Financial Times. I can still recite the names of England’s 1966 World Cup squad in my sleep. My youth was scored to the sounds of Cliff... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3368822/im-80-its-not-too-late-reconnect-my-chinese-roots https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3368822/im-80-its-not-too-late-reconnect-my-chinese-roots Fri, 02 Oct 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Matteo Giovannini Matteo Giovannini Saudi Arabia’s decision to end its participation in mBridge, the cross-border digital currency platform involving mainland China, Hong Kong, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates, is significant for reasons that go beyond central bank digital currencies. The Financial Times reported that the Saudi Central Bank, or SAMA, completed its mBridge proof of concept in May 2025 and ceased participating thereafter. The disclosure is significant because Saudi Arabia occupied a strategically important... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3369061/saudi-arabias-mbridge-exit-shows-limits-financial-de-dollarisation https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3369061/saudi-arabias-mbridge-exit-shows-limits-financial-de-dollarisation Wed, 30 Sep 2026 08:30:08 +0000 Daryl Ng Daryl Ng The official opening of the Pinglu Canal on September 16 is a milestone in modern Chinese history. More than an infrastructural feat, it signals a strategic recalibration of how China’s inland economies connect with the sea and Southeast Asia, and augurs the next phase of regional growth. Designed for vessels of up to 5,000 tonnes, the 134.2km (83.4 mile) waterway stretches from the Xijin reservoir in Hengzhou, an emerging city in Guangxi, to the Gulf of Tonkin (known as the Beibu Gulf in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3368947/hong-kong-mustnt-miss-boat-pinglu-canal-and-asean-trade https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3368947/hong-kong-mustnt-miss-boat-pinglu-canal-and-asean-trade Tue, 29 Sep 2026 01:30:11 +0000 Nicholas Spiro Nicholas Spiro Every other year, JLL and LaSalle publish the results of their Global Real Estate Transparency Index. The index is a benchmark of market transparency that assesses the legal and regulatory environment, availability of data and operating conditions across 88 countries and 146 city markets. One of the key findings of the latest edition was that the most transparent markets – which include the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan – experienced the strongest growth in investment in commercial... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3369027/why-hong-kong-and-mainland-china-must-not-ignore-property-market-transparency https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3369027/why-hong-kong-and-mainland-china-must-not-ignore-property-market-transparency Mon, 28 Sep 2026 08:30:14 +0000 Tan Poh Hwee Tan Poh Hwee China’s technology companies face a question that no pricing strategy can answer: what will their success do to their trading partners? In Europe, that question has become politically urgent. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warns of a “second China shock”, linking persistent trade imbalances to the erosion of Europe’s industrial base. Europe’s dispute carries a broader warning: affordable products can coexist with deep anxiety over the loss of productive capability. If... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3368491/how-chinese-firms-can-avoid-europe-style-backlash-southeast-asia https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3368491/how-chinese-firms-can-avoid-europe-style-backlash-southeast-asia Sat, 26 Sep 2026 08:30:07 +0000 Zha Daojiong Zha Daojiong Critical minerals have become a recurring source of friction in international diplomacy, with China’s dominance in the sector and US efforts to build alternative supply chains raising concerns that Southeast Asian countries may be forced to choose between the two powers. But this is a false choice. As important exporters of rare earth elements, Southeast Asian countries have leverage of their own and can use intensifying competition to diversify partnerships and capture more of the value chain... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3368823/southeast-asia-faces-false-binary-us-china-mineral-trade https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3368823/southeast-asia-faces-false-binary-us-china-mineral-trade Sat, 26 Sep 2026 04:00:08 +0000 Simon Tay Simon Tay The good news is, when US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Washington this week, neither chose confrontation. Amid the high pomp and ceremony, what China has called “constructive strategic stability” continues. Even an uneasy truce in great power relations can be useful. Both recognise the considerable incentive to prevent their economic rivalry from spiralling out of control. Even limited understandings can reduce risks in artificial intelligence (AI) and other... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3368638/us-china-world-asean-must-do-more-avoid-choosing-sides https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3368638/us-china-world-asean-must-do-more-avoid-choosing-sides Fri, 25 Sep 2026 12:30:12 +0000 Andrew Sheng Andrew Sheng In an era of profound geopolitical and economic shifts, two concurrent trends define the global landscape. First, while the United States sees capital flowing into its equity markets amid the AI boom, central banks and asset managers are diversifying away from US bonds and US dollars to hedge against historically high fiscal deficits and debt levels. As the US pushes for onshoring manufacturing and Europe defends its industries, East Asia – particularly Asean+3 – is deepening supply chain... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3368637/how-chinese-firms-can-optimise-their-going-out-strategy-southeast-asia https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3368637/how-chinese-firms-can-optimise-their-going-out-strategy-southeast-asia Fri, 25 Sep 2026 08:30:11 +0000 Wang Huiyao Wang Huiyao The European Commission is pressing China for progress by next month to address the widening EU-China trade imbalance, and raising the possibility of new protectionist trade policy. The deadline raises a question: how should China and its trading partners address perceived economic imbalances while sharing the benefits of Chinese industrial competitiveness? China’s merchandise trade surplus approached US$1.2 trillion last year even as other exporting economies press for controls. “Overcapacity”... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3368293/chinas-industrial-strengths-must-also-benefit-its-trading-partners https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3368293/chinas-industrial-strengths-must-also-benefit-its-trading-partners Thu, 24 Sep 2026 21:30:12 +0000 Ravi Kant Ravi Kant A country’s diaspora can be a symbol of its pride and power. A nation’s diaspora can help it build international value through success stories, promote its soft power through culture and contribute to its economic progress through remittances, investments and transfers of expertise. India and China have among the world’s largest diasporas. They also offer two very different models of how countries can leverage their diasporas. In India, before the 1991 reforms, people mostly saw those who left... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3367636/china-leveraging-its-diaspora-boost-economy-unlike-india https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3367636/china-leveraging-its-diaspora-boost-economy-unlike-india Wed, 23 Sep 2026 21:30:06 +0000 Andy Xie Andy Xie The US Treasury market is in trouble, oil prices have been surging and the yen might slide again. Whatever Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent might have said, the United States government isn’t big enough to be “the house” that always wins when it comes to fixing global markets. Last week, the 10-year US Treasury yield briefly reached 5.04 per cent, the highest level since 2007, right before the global financial crisis. Bessent had tripled a Treasury buy-back operation on September 10 to US$6... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3368448/bad-money-decisions-are-coming-home-roost-us-and-japan https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3368448/bad-money-decisions-are-coming-home-roost-us-and-japan Wed, 23 Sep 2026 12:30:05 +0000 Kang Jun-young Kang Jun-young The September 24 summit between President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump is no ordinary engagement. Their May summit took place in Beijing and largely centred on economic issues. This one will be on Trump’s home turf and is expected to put strategic questions on the table. Will the Korean peninsula and North Korea’s nuclear programme again be pushed to the margins? In Beijing, both sides focused on their immediate national interests, such as trade, semiconductors, rare earths and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3367602/why-trump-xi-summit-must-put-korean-peninsula-back-agenda https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3367602/why-trump-xi-summit-must-put-korean-peninsula-back-agenda Mon, 21 Sep 2026 21:30:05 +0000