https://www.scmp.com/rss/93/feed The latest opinion and comment on news from Hong Kong, China and the world. 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 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words. Hong Kong’s healthcare sector is caught in a perplexing paradox. Recent fresh nursing and physiotherapy graduates face job-hunting difficulties, sparking heated debates over local employment prospects and non-local recruitment. While officials point out that foreign-trained... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3373197/hong-kong-cant-afford-lose-healthcare-workers-it-trained https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3373197/hong-kong-cant-afford-lose-healthcare-workers-it-trained Sat, 07 Nov 2026 03:30:08 +0000 Elias Girma Elias Girma I was sitting in my car in Oakland’s Chinatown with Desta, my dog, while my wife visited her Chinese-American doctor. Across the street stood the Shoong Family Chinese Cultural Centre. On the pavements, older shoppers carrying bags of greens paused to greet acquaintances. People threaded between produce displays, fish counters and shopfronts crowded with everyday necessities. There was a rhythm to the morning: deliveries, conversations, the exchange of money and news, the small acts of... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3373179/pacific-century-chinatowns-us-deserve-more-preservation https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3373179/pacific-century-chinatowns-us-deserve-more-preservation Sat, 07 Nov 2026 01:30:07 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Hong Kong is not just a common law jurisdiction in China under the special governance model of “one country, two systems”. As an international legal services centre, and recently a dispute resolution hub, the city is well positioned to become a superconnector bridging East and West through its trusted common law system, independent judiciary and legal talent. This unique strength was highlighted during Hong Kong Legal Week, an annual government event that brings together local and overseas legal... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3373498/unidroit-regional-office-vote-confidence-hong-kongs-legal-strengths https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3373498/unidroit-regional-office-vote-confidence-hong-kongs-legal-strengths Fri, 06 Nov 2026 23:15:08 +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 Andrew Sheng Andrew Sheng American voters have spoken. In the midterm elections, Democrats won both the House and Senate in a sweeping rebuttal of US President Donald Trump’s erratic management of domestic and foreign affairs. Despite this, the trajectory of US-China geopolitical rivalry will remain unchanged for decades, with every chance of escalation. Foreign Affairs re-examines “The Delusions of American Power” in its latest issue. The lead article, “The Limits of American Power”, concludes that even with the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3373304/midterm-swing-wont-change-trajectory-us-china-rivalry https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3373304/midterm-swing-wont-change-trajectory-us-china-rivalry Fri, 06 Nov 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Comedian Patton Oswalt once joked about the United States electing a KKK president after the progressive years of Barack Obama. The joke is worth retelling, not just because it’s funny but because it captures the swing between extremes in US politics. That’s worth keeping in mind in light of the so-called Democratic blue wave sweeping the country. It goes: “We will have a woman president, probably sooner than later … but just keep in mind that after she serves her term, the choices will very... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3373368/democrats-blue-wave-means-rough-waters-ahead-us-china-relations https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3373368/democrats-blue-wave-means-rough-waters-ahead-us-china-relations Fri, 06 Nov 2026 08:42:20 +0000 Letters Letters Your coverage of the Democratic midterm sweep captures the immediate partisan aftermath: potential budget gridlock, executive probes and familiar party posturing. However, analysing this political realignment strictly through traditional partisan lines misses a far more consequential dynamic: a generational shift inside the Democratic Party that is replacing legacy Cold War internationalism with domestic-first realism. The incoming Democratic caucus represents a sharp break from the party’s... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3373356/how-will-younger-democratic-caucus-reshape-americas-china-policy https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3373356/how-will-younger-democratic-caucus-reshape-americas-china-policy Fri, 06 Nov 2026 03:30:05 +0000 Vasilis Trigkas Vasilis Trigkas At their October meeting in South Korea last year, US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, recognising mutual vulnerability to export restrictions, agreed to suspend some of the most draconian measures they had imposed on each other: US port fees on Chinese-built vessels and Chinese export controls on rare earths. They also announced further summit-level talks. The leaders have since met twice: Trump visited Beijing in May, Xi visited Washington in September. They are... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3373140/chances-are-us-china-truce-will-be-extended-shenzhen-apec-summit https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3373140/chances-are-us-china-truce-will-be-extended-shenzhen-apec-summit Fri, 06 Nov 2026 01:30:06 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial The last time an American president lost both houses of the United States Congress in a midterm election was 20 years ago, under George W. Bush. Few were bold enough to predict the scale of the surge in support this time for Democratic Party candidates, particularly in the Senate, where they now hold a comfortable majority over the Republicans. The result immediately raised the question of what it means for China-US relations, just two weeks before President Donald Trump is expected to attend... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3373400/democratic-congress-wont-reset-beijings-us-strategy https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3373400/democratic-congress-wont-reset-beijings-us-strategy Thu, 05 Nov 2026 23:15:14 +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 Tan Poh Hwee Tan Poh Hwee The latest front in the US-China technology contest is not advanced chips, artificial intelligence (AI) or telecommunications equipment. It is the laboratories that certify whether an electronic product may enter the American market. On October 29, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to stop recognising testing laboratories, telecoms certification bodies and accreditation organisations in China and in other economies that lack a “mutual recognition agreement” or comparable... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3373171/us-china-tech-contest-has-moved-gatekeeping-product-testers https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3373171/us-china-tech-contest-has-moved-gatekeeping-product-testers Thu, 05 Nov 2026 12:30:07 +0000 Juan Fernando Herrera Ramos Juan Fernando Herrera Ramos The Democratic sweep of the US midterm elections has transformed the political balance in Washington, but it has not transferred control of foreign policy from the White House to Congress. When the new Congress convenes in January, Democrats will control both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Their victories reflected widespread frustration with the Iran war, rising living costs and US President Donald Trump’s leadership. Reuters reported that 70 per cent of voters wanted Congress to... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3373340/how-trumps-weakened-grip-congress-complicates-talks-china https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3373340/how-trumps-weakened-grip-congress-complicates-talks-china Thu, 05 Nov 2026 08:30:07 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words. The public concern surrounding TVB’s anniversary drama This City Never Sleeps invites us to reflect on the role television plays in our community. Following viewer complaints to the Office of the Communications Authority over a prime-time stripping scene, many Hongkongers are... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3373089/tvbs-latest-blockbuster-falls-short-hong-kongs-community-values https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3373089/tvbs-latest-blockbuster-falls-short-hong-kongs-community-values Thu, 05 Nov 2026 03:30:15 +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 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Reform has taken centre stage as Hong Kong officials proposed sweeping legislative and institutional changes in building and fire safety in the wake of a damning inquiry report on the blaze that killed 168 people and displaced 1,984 families at Wang Fuk Court last year. The pledges by the top leader and the ministers implicated in the independent probe to fix the underlying issues that led to the city’s deadliest inferno in decades are being tested by how they will be put into practice. But the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3373231/hong-kongs-sweeping-fire-safety-reforms-are-only-first-step https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3373231/hong-kongs-sweeping-fire-safety-reforms-are-only-first-step Wed, 04 Nov 2026 23:15:07 +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 Dong Lei Dong Lei In response to the recent Chinese backlash against French footballer Kylian Mbappe and the Japanese company Sanrio, owner of the popular Hello Kitty character, over perceived national slights, Western commentary tends to have a comfortable, uniform narrative, framing the incidents as another wave of gung-ho Chinese nationalism. Look closer and a different picture emerges. The fact that both Mbappe and Sanrio quickly apologised need not be viewed so much as a sign of Chinese coercion but rather... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3373022/dont-just-see-mbappe-and-sanrio-episodes-chinese-nationalism-run-amok https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3373022/dont-just-see-mbappe-and-sanrio-episodes-chinese-nationalism-run-amok Wed, 04 Nov 2026 12:30:08 +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 Letters Letters As a survivor, researcher and child sexual abuse expert, I view a recent High Court sentencing hearing with profound concern. A 22-year-old man who pleaded guilty to 12 charges involving four child victims was sentenced to an effective term of just 10 years’ imprisonment. From the evidence retrieved, there were up to nine victims in total, but some could not be identified. The abuse only came to light after a 14-year-old victim took her own life – a tragic reality reflecting Talk Hong Kong’s... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3373068/how-10-year-child-abuse-sentence-exposes-hong-kongs-legal-gaps https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3373068/how-10-year-child-abuse-sentence-exposes-hong-kongs-legal-gaps Wed, 04 Nov 2026 03:30:06 +0000 Chow Chung-yan Chow Chung-yan A popular Soviet joke goes like this: a factory worker was caught stealing parts, piece by piece, to assemble a sewing machine for his wife at home. When the interrogator asks whether he ever managed to put it together, the worker sighs: “No matter how many times I reassemble it, I keep ending up with a Kalashnikov [machine gun].” The crushing dominance of the military-industrial complex, known in Russian as the VPK, was a decisive factor in the Soviet Union’s collapse. At its peak, it devoured... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3372977/can-china-tame-its-war-machine https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3372977/can-china-tame-its-war-machine Wed, 04 Nov 2026 01:00:08 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Beijing has affirmed to an international audience the national importance of Hong Kong’s finance sector. In a video address to the annual Global Financial Leaders’ Investment Summit organised by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), Vice-Premier He Lifeng’s message was clear: the finance sector is where Hong Kong can best serve the nation. Hong Kong will have the central government’s support, so long as it understands the nation’s needs and balances security and efficiency. The words... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3373159/security-opening-complementary-hong-kongs-finance-sector https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3373159/security-opening-complementary-hong-kongs-finance-sector Tue, 03 Nov 2026 23:15:11 +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 Alex Lo Alex Lo I came of age in Canada during the Pierre Trudeau years – the Trudeau whom Canadians actually respect – as a high school student from Hong Kong. Back then, Canadian politics meant deliberate independence from the United States. Some Canadians today, especially younger ones, seem amazed that Prime Minister Mark Carney, a Liberal like Trudeau, is charting foreign, defence and economic policies more independent of the US while moving closer to Europe. That is because they grew up in a US-led global... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3372924/new-canada-much-old-one https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3372924/new-canada-much-old-one Tue, 03 Nov 2026 12:30:07 +0000 Kun Tian Kun Tian Hong Kong will launch a 30,000-place youth employment and internship programme in the first quarter of 2027. Before applications open, the government should decide what it is buying: a temporary increase in headcount or a durable increase in professional capability. The distinction matters because the entry-level labour market is already changing. According to an annual survey by Baptist University, the starting-pay advantage of bachelor’s degree holders over sub-degree graduates narrowed by 17... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3372953/how-hong-kong-can-turn-30000-youth-placements-lasting-careers https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3372953/how-hong-kong-can-turn-30000-youth-placements-lasting-careers Tue, 03 Nov 2026 08:30:06 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words. The deadly blaze at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court exposed structural weaknesses in Hong Kong’s maintenance regime for ageing buildings, fire safety management and cross-departmental coordination. Responding fully to the independent inquiry’s findings, the Hong Kong government is... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3372970/safety-reforms-strike-causes-tai-po-fire-tragedy https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3372970/safety-reforms-strike-causes-tai-po-fire-tragedy Tue, 03 Nov 2026 03:30:09 +0000 Dennis Lee Dennis Lee Retail is making a comeback in Hong Kong. Deloitte China reported an encouraging HK$203 billion (US$25.9 billion) in sales volume in the first half of 2026, beating expectations. Accordingly, they forecast the retail market to reach HK$412 billion by the end of this year. A retail revival should directly translate into reduced vacancies for the city’s bricks-and-mortar stores. However, while high street vacancies dropped to 9.1 per cent, the lowest since 2020, vacancies in prime shopping centres... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3372750/hong-kongs-malls-must-evolve-green-sanctuaries-stay-relevant https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3372750/hong-kongs-malls-must-evolve-green-sanctuaries-stay-relevant Tue, 03 Nov 2026 01:30:08 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Hong Kong tourism officials have sensibly pulled the plug on a controversial light spectacle project at The Peak – a decision that proves that shows which are not backed by key stakeholders must not go on. The reversal may seem uncharacteristic of an administration that has pushed through a raft of contentious policies and legislation in no time under its “result-oriented” mantra. But the episode shows that the authorities must carefully consider how to properly implement the “tourism is... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3372960/outcry-over-hong-kongs-lighting-plan-peak-offers-illuminating-lesson https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3372960/outcry-over-hong-kongs-lighting-plan-peak-offers-illuminating-lesson Mon, 02 Nov 2026 23:15:10 +0000 Cliff Buddle Cliff Buddle Justice delayed, it is often said, is justice denied. If that is true, many court users in Hong Kong are being failed by the system. Those involved in criminal cases at the Court of First Instance must wait 358 days on average for the hearing, the judiciary revealed last week. The figure for the District Court is 354 days, way above the court’s 100-day target. This is a cause of concern. The glacial process has prompted the Law Society to call for drastic measures. Justin Yuen Hoi-ying, chairman... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3372869/long-delays-hong-kong-court-cases-demand-urgent-action https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3372869/long-delays-hong-kong-court-cases-demand-urgent-action Mon, 02 Nov 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Harry Harrison Harry Harrison Check out the hilarious world of Harry Harrison, the South China Morning Post’s award-winning political cartoonist, in these Harry’s View cartoons from October. If you would like to see more opinions on the big issues of the day, please consider subscribing. October saw Harry’s View cover a number of topics affecting Hong Kong and beyond, from construction questions in the city to the continued rise of AI affecting jobs and schooling. October 20, 2026 October 17, 2026 October 16, 2026 October... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/harrys-view/article/3372490/hong-kong-homes-ais-rise-cartoonist-harry-harrisons-takes-october https://www.scmp.com/opinion/harrys-view/article/3372490/hong-kong-homes-ais-rise-cartoonist-harry-harrisons-takes-october Mon, 02 Nov 2026 14:00:29 +0000 Nong Hong Nong Hong When Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store called Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 27, they took an unusual diplomatic step at a time when direct high-level contact between European governments and Moscow has been limited. The call, initiated by the two Nordic leaders ahead of renewed peace negotiations, also drew criticism from Denmark over the lack of broader European coordination. The call did not signal a change in Finland or Norway’s... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3372876/finland-and-norways-call-putin-tests-european-unity-over-russia https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3372876/finland-and-norways-call-putin-tests-european-unity-over-russia Mon, 02 Nov 2026 12:30:07 +0000 Cheng Xianyue Cheng Xianyue The first Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum finance ministers’ meeting to be held in Hong Kong focused on openness, cooperation and resilience. These themes go to the heart of a question confronting the city: as globalisation becomes more difficult and the rules and security boundaries governing international markets grow more complex, what can Hong Kong still offer cross-border commerce? Globalisation is not over. Capital still seeks opportunities overseas, while technology,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3372698/apec-moment-hong-kong-needs-seize https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3372698/apec-moment-hong-kong-needs-seize Mon, 02 Nov 2026 08:30:17 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words. When governments make decisions about housing, transport, climate resilience, urban planning or economic development, consultations typically involve industry leaders, professionals, academics and community groups. Yet one group is often absent from these conversations:... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3372662/if-children-are-hong-kongs-future-policymakers-should-listen-them https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3372662/if-children-are-hong-kongs-future-policymakers-should-listen-them Mon, 02 Nov 2026 03:30:08 +0000 Alice Wu Alice Wu In the end, it was Winnie Ho Wing-yin, housing secretary at the time of the Wang Fuk Court fire in Tai Po, who took the rap. Her resignation came after weeks of talk within political circles suggesting that bureau chiefs would not have to bear responsibility for the tragedy that killed 168 people and displaced 1,984 families. These suggestions were met with shock. Some spoke out against such talk, including Andrew Fung Wai-kwong, former information coordinator for the Chief Executive’s Office,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3372734/why-reforms-alone-wont-prevent-repeat-tai-po-fire https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3372734/why-reforms-alone-wont-prevent-repeat-tai-po-fire Mon, 02 Nov 2026 01:30:09 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial China observers often watch party plenum meetings for clues about major personnel changes. This is especially true of the fifth plenum, which traditionally fires the starting gun for the once-every-five-years leadership reshuffle. But the fifth plenum in Beijing last week mattered for more than that. After all the official commentaries, articles and meetings ahead of the event, everyone was expecting it to focus on party discipline. Still, the extent and language of the final readout of... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3372613/clean-efficient-government-crucial-chinas-future https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3372613/clean-efficient-government-crucial-chinas-future Sun, 01 Nov 2026 23:15:18 +0000 Wang Xiangwei Wang Xiangwei When Chinese leader Mao Zedong and then US president Richard Nixon ended more than two decades of hostility in the early 1970s and began restoring ties, one powerful force pulling them together was a shared adversary in the form of the Soviet Union. Fast forward to today. The United States and China, the world’s two largest economies, have spent eight years locked in competition and confrontation, from trade and investment to technology, amid mounting fears that they are on a path to inevitable... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3372563/china-and-us-need-join-hands-against-another-powerful-adversary-ai https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3372563/china-and-us-need-join-hands-against-another-powerful-adversary-ai Sun, 01 Nov 2026 21:30:09 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Last week, the United Nations General Assembly called for the 34th time for an end to the US embargo on Cuba. The resolution passed by 130 votes to 17, with 25 abstentions. It came as Cuba struggles with a severe energy crisis, mainly caused by a US fuel embargo, imposed after the abduction of Venezuela’s president to New York. The energy blockade is only the latest of America’s crimes against the Cuban people. Sergio Vigoa de la Uz, Cuba’s ambassador to Namibia, laid out the human costs of US... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3372693/washingtons-unending-vendetta-against-cuba https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3372693/washingtons-unending-vendetta-against-cuba Sun, 01 Nov 2026 12:30:10 +0000 Cui Jianchun Cui Jianchun The 2026 Global Governance Forum in Xiongan, Hebei province, wrapped up on October 25. Against a backdrop of acute strains on multilateralism and a widening global governance deficit, the forum galvanised a shared sense of urgency across the international community for reform and solidarity. More than a century ago, Karl Marx noted that, “Philosophers have hitherto only interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it.” That insight strikes at the very heart of today’s global... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3372669/chinas-global-initiatives-offer-ray-hope-turbulent-world https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3372669/chinas-global-initiatives-offer-ray-hope-turbulent-world Sun, 01 Nov 2026 08:30:10 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words. Having recently moved to Germany to take up a university research fellowship, I have had the opportunity to experience European society first-hand. I appreciate the relaxed pace of life, environmental quality and social protections. Yet I also notice structural problems that Hong... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3372659/what-hong-kong-can-learn-europes-problems https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3372659/what-hong-kong-can-learn-europes-problems Sun, 01 Nov 2026 03:30:10 +0000 Ken Chu Ken Chu A Vincent van Gogh painting not shown publicly for more than 60 years recently drew hundreds of people to Sotheby’s Hong Kong. Painted in May 1890, Châtaigniers en fleurs (Chestnut Trees in Flower) is a major work from his Auvers-sur-Oise period and could set an auction record. For three days, Sotheby’s opened the private collection to public viewing in Hong Kong. Its brief stay raises a question about the city’s art hub ambitions: what lasting expertise can be built around a masterpiece that... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3372464/hong-kongs-art-trading-hub-ambitions-rest-more-headline-sales https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3372464/hong-kongs-art-trading-hub-ambitions-rest-more-headline-sales Sun, 01 Nov 2026 01:30:08 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Overdue moves to reform Hong Kong’s outdated laws on sexual offences are under way. Following a month-long public consultation on proposed changes, a wide-ranging overhaul could be revealed this year and enacted before the end of the current legislative term next year. It is aimed at aligning laws with changes in society and ensuring justice for survivors of sexual assault, including children and other vulnerable people, while continuing to ensure fair trials. Meanwhile, a High Court judge and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3372712/child-sex-abuse-sentencing-must-ensure-justice https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3372712/child-sex-abuse-sentencing-must-ensure-justice Sat, 31 Oct 2026 23:15:12 +0000 Paul Yip Paul Yip What kind of living space can truly be called a “home”? That was the question on my mind when I visited United Court, a transitional housing estate in Tung Tau, Yuen Long, run by the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council. While there, I shared my thoughts on building a mental health-friendly community. Nine years ago, I took part in a community-based poverty study and interviewed residents in inadequate housing. I still remember families describing their living space as little more than a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3372381/hongkongers-need-more-4-walls-and-roof-make-home https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3372381/hongkongers-need-more-4-walls-and-roof-make-home Sat, 31 Oct 2026 21:30:10 +0000 Xie Ming Xie Ming With US President Donald Trump recently pushing the use of “superintelligence” (SI) instead of artificial intelligence (AI) in national discourse, the acronym has gained unprecedented attention. It is the right acronym but the wrong meaning. In my opinion, SI should stand for “self-intelligence”. It probably explains why academics, critics and even major AI companies are calling for a temporary pause in AI development. They must have realised the technology’s current trajectory is headed down... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3372415/si-future-ai-just-not-way-trump-thinks https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3372415/si-future-ai-just-not-way-trump-thinks Sat, 31 Oct 2026 12:30:06 +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 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words. At the UN biodiversity conference Cop17 in Yerevan, a challenge has come into focus: the world has biodiversity targets, but ensuring they have an effect on real decisions remains hard. Nearly four years after countries adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3372657/resilience-competitiveness-why-hong-kong-needs-talk-about-nature-first https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3372657/resilience-competitiveness-why-hong-kong-needs-talk-about-nature-first Sat, 31 Oct 2026 03:30:08 +0000 Hu Chao Hu Chao It was only in my 20s, when I moved to Singapore for work, that I began hearing Hokkien, Teochew and Hainanese in everyday life. I understood nothing, nor could I distinguish between them. That was also where I first tried tieguanyin tea from Fujian, Teochew-style crab porridge and Hainanese chicken rice. I grew up in a mountainous county in Hubei province, central China. The provincial capital, Wuhan, is known as the “thoroughfare to nine provinces”. Yet in my home county I had never knowingly... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3371501/my-generation-first-see-and-hear-china-never https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3371501/my-generation-first-see-and-hear-china-never Sat, 31 Oct 2026 01:30:05 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial With Hong Kong doubling down on the university town venture as a new engine for development, there is no better way to promote it than by inviting top educators to exchange ideas and see the progress for themselves. The Global University Presidents and Leaders Summit, bringing together senior leaders from over 50 institutions across more than 20 countries and regions, was more than an academic gathering. It was a strategic showcase of the developing university towns in the Northern Metropolis... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3372706/hong-kongs-university-towns-concretise-northern-metropolis-vision https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3372706/hong-kongs-university-towns-concretise-northern-metropolis-vision Fri, 30 Oct 2026 23:15:10 +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 Wang Huiyao Wang Huiyao At the recent Valdai Discussion Club, I asked Russian President Vladimir Putin if he would be open to meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum in Shenzhen. I also asked, more broadly, what role China could play in promoting peace in Ukraine, mediating and contributing to peacekeeping. Putin was receptive, warmly welcoming the idea of a China-hosted meeting. Trump, too, has expressed a willingness to meet Xi and... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3372321/xi-trump-putin-summit-shenzhen-could-kick-start-peace-ukraine https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3372321/xi-trump-putin-summit-shenzhen-could-kick-start-peace-ukraine Fri, 30 Oct 2026 12:30:06 +0000