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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
Durians in China

China’s durian determination yields golden home-grown bounty in Hainan

Tropical Hainan province has defied sceptics and rewarded investors with China-grown durian, but it ‘simply cannot compete’ with booming imports from Southeast Asia.

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DeepSeek

From gifted student to AI hero, DeepSeek founder inspires a nation

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US-China relations

Are China’s space ties with Latin America under threat as the US asserts power?

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Xi Jinping

How China is turning to historical narrative to ramp up its border security

As tech advances, definition of border regions and national sovereignty expected to expand to airspace sovereignty and digital frontiers.

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Illustration: Brian Wang
US-China trade war

With US-China decoupling closer than ever, firms are reshaping supply chains

With full US-China decoupling looking closer than ever – though not a certainty – suppliers are rapidly evaluating their relationships and options.

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Education in Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, schools struggle with rising number of chronically absent pupils

Educators and youth workers call for more support for ‘invisible students’ and their families.

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China GDP

‘Open door red’ to ‘summer blue’: will second quarter slam China’s GDP again?

Recent years have seen China’s economic growth decelerate in the second quarter – a pattern that threatens to continue this summer amid an intensifying trade war.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
New medical drugs

Trump’s tariffs: will Chinese pharmaceutical industry feel the pain?

With biotech firms caught in the crosshairs of Trump’s tariffs, the levy could prove to be a boon for domestic producers but a bane for exporters.

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Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Are community pharmacies the magic bullet for Hong Kong’s patients?

How will patients benefit and how much will proposed community pharmacies help Hong Kong’s chronically overstretched public healthcare system?

Chinese overseas

Chinese residents and developer spot green shoots at Malaysian ‘ghost city’

Luxury compound still has no supermarket, but more Singaporeans are making day trips on weekends.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
Alibaba

How Alibaba is transforming into a catalyst for China’s AI boom

By empowering innovations through its own technology and supporting former employees, the tech giant is reshaping China’s AI landscape.

Alibaba is showing itself as an enabler of AI innovations. Illustration: Henry Wong
China trade

How Malaysia became the engine powering China’s AI ambitions

China’s tech giants are rushing to build data centres in Malaysia, which offers cheap energy and access to cutting-edge chips.

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Hong Kong economy

Why are Hong Kong cinemas closing despite box office hits?

Crowds flocked to The Last Dance and Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, but cinemas still shut after takings slumped.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Self navigating to the top: why China leads the global autonomous-driving race

After stamping their authority on EV technology, Chinese firms make strides in adding self-driving features.

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Illustration by Lau Ka-kuen
US-China relations

As Trump’s policies create divisions, G7 plays the ‘China card’ for unity

As ‘America first’ pressures G7 unity, Western moves to divert Washington’s hostility could be short-lived if US-China relations improve.

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Illustration: Pearl Law
China's population

Can birth subsidies save China from its looming population crisis?

China is betting big on birth subsidies to stave off a demographic crisis. But do cash payments really work?

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Hong Kong politics

Hong Kong’s Article 23, a year of restraint but what about broader impact?

While domestic security law has not been applied as broadly as feared, government urged to disclose more information about how it’s being used.

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China trade

From BTS to a free trade deal, is South Korea moving closer to China?

The US’ tariff threats have raised hopes in Beijing that it can convince Seoul to move forward with an ambitious new trade deal.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Family offices

It’s a family affair: inside Hong Kong’s quest to lure world’s wealthiest clans

Two years ago, the government unveiled eight measures with the aim of attracting affluent families so they could set up family offices.

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Espionage

As US Justice Department cuts focus on foreign agents, will China cases ease?

US Attorney General Pam Bondi disbands a task force and cuts back on foreign registration cases, but analysts say any relief may be limited.

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Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Race for third Hong Kong medical school hots up, but which university is ahead?

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Baptist University and Polytechnic University have now submitted their proposals.

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
US-China relations

Can China’s belt and road lead the way as Trump turns world order upside down?

It is China’s moment to shine as the US disrupts the post-World War II order, but there may be challenges ahead, analysts say.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
Banking & finance

In SAFE hands: China’s secret plan for US$1 trillion reserves fund in Hong Kong

Cheng Hao, the man involved in the rescue of China’s 2015 market crash, runs what is the world’s third largest wealth fund in Hong Kong.

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China-Africa relations

A battle is playing out over Congolese cobalt. China is well ahead

Rivalry for critical minerals is intensifying, but observer says US ‘doesn’t offer viable alternative’ to Chinese investments in DR Congo.

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US-China relations

‘A geopolitical move’: Trump’s big bet on crypto raises questions for China

China has kept unregulated digital currencies at arm’s length, but the US is going all-in on crypto. Will this big bet give the US dollar new life?

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Illustration: Pearl Law
Two Sessions 2025

In China’s economic transition, who’s up and who’s down?

As China continues its economic transformation, some industries stand to gain tremendously – and others are being left in the dust.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
China stock market

DeepSeek, China’s Sputnik moment, spurs re-rating of Seven Titans in Hong Kong

DeepSeek’s breakthrough fuels huge revaluation of Chinese tech stocks, boosting investor confidence and reshaping global market dynamics.

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Two Sessions 2025

How will China respond to the Trump ‘chaos’? We might get some clues this week

Top diplomat Wang Yi could shed light on Beijing’s position on Ukraine, the Middle East and its ties with Washington when he meets the press.

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