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My Take

My Take
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.
A view of the Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden. Photo: KFBG/Handout
Hong Kong society

My Take | Native forest restoration project is literally, and figuratively, bearing fruit

The work done by Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden on Tai Mo Shan has been awarded top certification by an international body.

Hong Kong courts

My Take | Eye-opening court judgment a snapshot of issues that have plagued city for years

US-China relations

My Take | State capacity will decide who is the winner in Chinese-American rivalry

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Hong Kong

My Take | The real war on Christmas is not being waged by Hong Kong or mainland China

From Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans to contemporary liberals and “woke” ideologues, the West has a long tradition of trying to cancel the season.

Christmas paraphernalia for sale at Fuk Wing Street in Hong Kong’s Sham Shui Po. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Hong Kong society

My Take | The Christmas spirit of generosity, peace and goodwill could not be needed more

From the Tai Po fire tragedy to the Bondi Beach terror attack, the festive season brings a welcome ray of light and a sense of hope for the future.

Palestinian Territories

My Take | The emerging axis of lawlessness – the European Union, United States and Israel

From Ukraine to the Caribbean and Middle East, we are witnessing the application of the law of the jungle by the West and its ally.

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Hong Kong

My Take | What Hong Kong can learn from deadly London flats blaze

Grenfell Tower fire eight years ago shows why we must ensure justice for Tai Po victims, as well as timely, effective reforms.

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A general view of the Grenfell Tower apartment block fire on 14 June 2017, in which 72 people died. File photo: EPA-EFE
Hong Kong

My Take | We must ensure that such a tragedy never occurs again

A horror on the scale of the Wang Fuk Court catastrophe must result in fundamental and lasting change.

Germany

My Take | How China goes toe to toe with the West and softly-softly with the rest

Beijing rarely claims altruism. It always wants something from you, but most of the time, its approach is pragmatic, respectful and usually beneficial.

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Britain

My Take | BN(0) visa holders deserve clarity on the pathway to a new life in the UK

Hong Kong people are precisely the sort of migrants Britain wants. Yet radical immigration reforms place fresh obstacles in their way.

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The London skyline. Britain launched the bespoke migration route in January 2021 in response to the Beijing-imposed national security law. Photo: Shutterstock
Mainland China

My Take | Takaichi’s stance over Taiwan is just what the West wants

Japan can protect its security and national interest by peaceful means rather than going down a belligerent path.

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Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Photo: Reuters
Mainland China

My Take | Is China committing ‘genocide’ by promoting tourism and development?

Much of UK media and academia have helped manufacture spurious claims about Xinjiang while denying real monstrous crimes elsewhere that many of them sponsor or otherwise justify.

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Mainland China

My Take | Poppies remain a poignant reminder of the catastrophic human cost of war

It is a tragic irony that commemorations on this Remembrance Sunday are taking place against the backdrop of today’s conflicts.

Argentina

My Take | How Anglo-American ideologues have exploited HK’s ‘free market’ success

If Hong Kong people can remove their colonial blinds, they would be able to see the economic detritus left around the world by Western ideology.

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A view of the Hong Kong government headquarters in Admiralty. Photo: Jelly Tse
Hong Kong society

My Take | National Games are just the start, not finishing line, of sporting ambitions

Much-awaited events are a defining moment in the city’s post-pandemic recovery, but complete transformation of its sports scene will require better coaching, facilities and support for athletes.

Hong Kong’s Yuen Ting-chi (left) and Au-yeung Wai Yan (right) embrace on the first day of the 15th National Games Women’s Volleyball Match at the Victoria Park. Photo: Elson Li
Mexico

My Take | A moral case for China to stop buying American soybeans permanently

Apart from persistently high state subsidies, labour exploitation, human trafficking and crime cartels also plague US agriculture and are reasons enough for Beijing to sanction the industry.

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Hong Kong society

My Take | One measure of a just society is the way it treats those who transgress the most

The case of one of the ‘hired thugs’ who killed a newspaper seller highlights the delicate balancing act requiring fair reviews for those jailed for life.

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Peter Thiel

My Take | America’s billionaire tech bros are bringing us closer to the end times

Whether it’s the Antichrist, the eugenic need to propagate smart babies to colonise Mars, or Cold War rhetoric against China, they are imposing eccentric and often dangerous ideas on the public.

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Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, Palantir Technologies, and Founders Fund, holds hundred dollar bills as he speaks during the Bitcoin 2022 Conference at Miami Beach Convention Center on April 7, 2022 in Miami, Florida. Photo: Getty Images
Britain

My Take | A national flag should be a symbol of unity not of prejudice and divisiveness

Sadly it is difficult to dissociate the flags flying across England from a political position that in its most extreme embraces racism and hate speech.

Mainland China

My Take | The times of giants are gone and a new ‘century of humiliation’ awaits Europe

China has mistakenly thought the European Union could play a greater and more independent role in world affairs, not necessarily to tilt towards Beijing but to stop being a lapdog to Washington.

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Mainland China

My Take | Tourism might be everywhere but not everywhere can cope with mass tourism

The ‘golden week’ holiday drew more than 1.4 million arrivals from the mainland. But amid the good news were warning signs for some of our more sensitive sites.

Mainland Chinese tourists at the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront during the National Day holiday. Photo: Jelly Tse
Canada

My Take | How anti-China witch-hunts in Canada and the UK ruin lives

Security services such as London’s MI5 and Ottawa’s RCMP appear to be going after individuals and organisations out of pure antagonism and distrust against Beijing rather than having actual evidence.

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Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer stands guard as King Charles and Queen Camilla attend a wreath-laying ceremony. Photo: Reuters
Singapore

My Take | Singapore did right by throwing out Hong Kong fugitive Nathan Law

The times when the US could manipulate opposition figures to destabilise governments in East Asia are long gone. How disappointing that all that investment has gone to waste.

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Britain

My Take | Digital ID may be a bridge too far for those Brits wanting to ‘stop the boats’

The initiative is seen by many as a threat to cherished freedoms. But, if handled sensitively, it could make interactions with the government and private sector easier.

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China shipbuilding

My Take | Chinese ferries caught in political storm in a Canadian teacup

With hardline ex-transport minister Chrystia Freeland now appointed as special representative for Ukraine, British Columbia may yet get its four vessels built by China Merchants Industry without more controversy.

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A drone view shows workers building a vessel at a shipyard in Yizheng, China’s Jiangsu province, August 25, 2025. Photo: cnsphoto via Reuters
Hong Kong

My Take | Not playing King Canute during a typhoon is a matter of common sense

The government is looking at new legislation after some souls risked their lives during Ragasa. But the laws will not be easy to draft.

A man sitting on a bench at Tseung Kwan O Promenade was hit by swells during Super Typhoon Ragasa in Hong Kong on September 24. Photo: Elson Li
Hong Kong culture

My Take | Hong Kong is barking up the right tree by embracing the pet economy

Besides licensing animal-friendly restaurants, the government should have a plan to promote food, healthcare, and more in the industry.

Britain

My Take | More pomp and pageantry than politics as Britain plays its ‘Trump card’

For Keir Starmer, the US president’s state visit was a chance for some positive headlines. And it may have done just that – at least for now.

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