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Focus

Focus
SCMP gets to the heart of the matter with its in-depth analysis on the pressing issues in Hong Kong and around the world.
Illustration: Brian Wang
China exports

Why China sees Brazil as ‘last untapped blue ocean market’ for investment boom

Chinese investment in Brazil is soaring as firms eye the vast potential growth in South America’s ‘blue ocean market’.

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China exports

How Chinese lifestyle brands are finding fans abroad with toys, tea and trends

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China manufacturing

Factory of factories: China’s manufacturers join wave of overseas expansions

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China consumption

Pursuit of hoppiness: how China’s cash-conscious drinkers embraced craft beers

As discerning alcohol consumers seek ‘wallet-friendly’ products, premium beers are winning out over higher-end options.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
Fintech

Hong Kong reaps the fruits of fintech seeds sown nearly 10 years ago

Hong Kong’s rise as a fintech hub is due to the concerted regulatory push, with the city competing with Singapore for regional leadership.

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China consumption

After peaking, decline of China’s European wine imports worries makers

Chinese drinkers are spending less amid an economic slowdown, diluting the profits of Europe’s fine wine producers.

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China consumption

China’s liquor capital faces long march to rebirth as ‘liquid gold’ glory wanes

In Maotai town, baijiu producers diversify offerings while expanding to markets such as Hong Kong and Southeast Asia amid a culture shift and economic challenges.

Illustration: Brian Wang
US-China trade war

Real possibility of US tariff refunds is sure to stir up a giant ‘mess’

Should Supreme Court rule against Donald Trump’s trade levies in coming weeks, the big question is how potential tariff refunds would work.

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Science

Why China’s mega coal-fired power plants thrive amid green energy boom

Gansu province is a leading source of solar and wind-powered energy, but cannot yet end its reliance on carbon-heavy power sources.

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Hong Kong economy

How Hongkongers find their feet in shifting sands of desert kingdom Saudi Arabia

Middle Eastern country is looking to lure global talent as it diversifies its economy and Hongkongers are among those eyeing opportunities.

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Illustration: Brian Wang
China food security

‘Impossible to achieve’: why China can’t grow enough soybeans to feed itself

The shift from soybean exporter to world’s top buyer has reshaped global markets and forced Beijing to confront new security risks.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Science

Why ‘racist’ biologist James Watson is remembered in China with respect

Controversial Nobel Prize winner helped to lay the groundwork for China to become a genomics and biotech powerhouse.

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Chinese culture

Why Chinese grass-roots culture may be finally taking its place in the limelight

From web literature to video games, Chinese culture is winning fans abroad, where state-sponsored soft power initiatives have fallen flat.

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Semiconductors

How Nexperia saga exposes Europe’s waning influence in US-China chip war

The dispute around the Dutch chipmaker shows the erosion of Europe’s geopolitical neutrality in the face of escalating US-China rivalry.

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Nexperia is caught in a geopolitical tussle between the Netherlands and China. Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
US-China relations

Why China studies scholars in the West have been left in ‘crisis’ mode

US-China tensions, restricted access and Western-centric thinking seen as key obstacles to gaining ‘full picture of modern China’.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
China’s fourth plenum

How Xi’s ongoing battle against PLA corruption shapes China’s military future

The fight against graft in the armed forces is set to become one of the national priorities for the next five years.

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Hong Kong economy

Good deal for all? Can Hong Kong urban renewal body’s payout review fix scheme?

Cash-strapped Urban Renewal Authority is reviewing compensation scheme for flat owners forced out by redevelopment. But is a wider rethink needed?

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US-China relations

‘Not enthusiastic’: why China finds Trump’s ‘G2’ talk too costly in geopolitics

While the term treats China and the US as equals, Beijing is probably ‘not enthusiastic’ about its ‘hegemonic’ undertones, analysts say.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
US-China relations

From reusable rockets to deep-sea dives: how China closes tech gap on the West

China sees outer space and the polar regions as ‘strategic new frontiers’ vital to its future security – and is investing accordingly.

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China's population

As more of China becomes ‘moderately aged’, how will its economy change?

Much of China has passed a key demographic threshold as the population ages, making adaptations necessary for policymakers and businesses.

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New medical drugs

6 of the best: the billion-dollar biotechs putting China on the map

China’s biotech renaissance is gathering pace as home-grown innovators strike billion-dollar licensing deals with global giants.

Illustration: Henry Wong
China-EU relations

Will EU ‘play hardball’ in US-China rivalry? Brussels faces division on autonomy

China’s efforts to persuade EU to treat ties ‘as a strategic partnership are reaching their limits’, says former diplomat Cui Hongjian.

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Illustration: Brian Wang
Foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong

No place to call home: plight of Hong Kong’s pregnant domestic helpers

Support groups say helpers who become pregnant often face losing their jobs, separation from babies.

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Yuan

As China holds the line in ‘trade war 2.0’, its yuan follows suit

With minimal depreciation and more frequent use overseas, the yuan has shown greater resilience in this round of the US trade conflict.

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China’s Communist Party

Open Questions | Michael Sandel on Donald Trump’s rise, meritocracy and the US-China rivalry

Acclaimed Harvard professor also examines the crisis in American higher education during a time of rising populism.

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illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
China stock market

Will China’s 5-year plan lift or sink the nation’s tech stocks?

‘The five-year plan is expected to reset investment themes and the valuation system on the capital market,’ an analyst says.

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Illustration: Brian Wang
Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong has set course to join the ‘yacht club of Asia’. Can it find a way?

Yacht tourism could potentially be worth billions of dollars annually to Hong Kong’s economy, but unlocking that potential remains a challenge.

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China's economic recovery

‘Unforgivable’: Chinese county still living in shadow of wild spending binge

In the 2010s, Dushan splashed billions on high-rises and a fake Big Ben. Today, the buildings are mostly empty – but the debts remain.

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