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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.
US President Donald Trump announces a new round of “reciprocal tariffs” on multiple countries at the White House’s Rose Garden in Washington. Photo: TNS
United States

My Take | Why Trump tariffs have resulted in Canada and China fightback

Both countries want to cut deals with the US president, but know they must go all out to deny the White House bully a cheap and easy win.

US-China decoupling

Opinion | As Trump’s tariffs roil markets, will new global order bypass the US dollar?

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US-China trade war

My Take | The United States, not China, turns out to be the real bogeyman

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Hong Kong economy

My Take | Football feast to be the highlight of the city’s summer mega-events

With four of the biggest European teams to play, Hong Kong must put in a performance of the highest level, free from scandals or blunders.

Fireworks light up the Kai Tak Stadium’s opening ceremony on March 1, 2025. Photo: Eugene Lee
United States

My Take | Donald Trump’s tariff madness targets not only allies but animals

Penguins, seals and seabirds have not been spared in America’s global trade war, likewise territories with significant US or allied military assets.

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United States

My Take | Once again, pointless sanctions are imposed on Hong Kong by America

Washington has neither moral nor legal standing to punish top officials, from the secretary for justice to a now retired commissioner of police.

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2025 Myanmar earthquake

China leads relief for quake-hit Myanmar. But will civil war stymie aid efforts?

China can play critical role in persuading junta and rebel groups to stop fighting to allow for relief work following devastating earthquake.

Rescuers dig through rubble in Mandalay, Myanmar on Monday following a devastating earthquake. Photo: Xinhua

My Take | A ‘no limits’ partnership that will be an unstoppable global force

US-China ties have dominated the 21st century so far, but pact between Moscow and Beijing may be the most consequential from now on.

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US-China relations

My Take | How Western classics are now weaponised against the West

Since the Tiananmen crackdown, a generation of mainland public intellectuals and scholars have turned classical study on its head.

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Israel-Gaza war

My Take | Cancelled HKU event offers a chance to address fate of Gazans

Antisemitism is a heinous form of racism, but the most pressing moral question of our time is whether Palestinians still have the right to exist.

Jonathan Greenblatt speaks onstage ADL’s Never Is Now summit at Javits Center on March 3, 2025 in New York City. Photo: Getty Images for Anti-Defamation League
China technology

My Take | DeepSeek has changed China’s AI model landscape – what’s next?

The start-up has emerged as the unlikely winner of a dizzying domestic competition. Can it reshape the global market as well?

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An AI conference in Tianjin, China. Photo: Xinhua
United States

My Take | The West just ain’t what it used to be – and we all should welcome it

Europe is breaking away from America, and an Anglosphere may finally emerge from the US shadow out of necessity and self-preservation.

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United States

My Take | A ‘toxic masculinity’ explanation of Donald Trump’s foreign policy

In his relations with other nations, the US president exhibits the same pattern of abuse of power as his alleged treatment of women.

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Climate change

My Take | China steps up charge on climate change fight as the US turns away

While it remains to be seen how effective Beijing’s policies will be, having the largest emitter fill the leadership void can hardly be bad for the planet.

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Burned trees from the Palisades Fire are seen from Will Rogers State Park, with the US city of Los Angeles in the background. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
Artificial intelligence

My Take | China’s AI revolution should promote equality, not just innovation

DeepSeek shows China’s tech strategy is paying off, but Beijing should also push AI education to help close income and opportunity gaps.

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The success of DeepSeek and other Chinese AI companies is proof of how effective Beijing’s investments in training and innovation have been. Photo: Reuters
China technology

My Take | Will AI and robots drive China’s next consumer spending spree?

China is seeking the next ‘big items’ to encourage consumers to open their wallets. Technology looks to be a key.

Rodrigo Duterte

My Take | Domestic politics is why Rodrigo Duterte is facing the International Criminal Court

Former Philippine president’s detention made possible by local rivalry, but a similar fate for Putin and Netanyahu will not happen any time soon, if ever.

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Britain

My Take | ‘Cowardly’ rapist must be held to account for all his horrific crimes

A Chinese student convicted in London of drugging and raping 10 women may have attacked a further 50, some who may not even know.

Zou Zhenhao, the Chinese student who was found guilty by a London court of drugging and raping 10 women in the UK and China. Photo: Reuters
Australia

My Take | Australian security lies in defence of country, not challenging China

As Trump pick for top defence post has second thoughts on deal for Aukus submarines, Canberra should mend fences with Beijing, Paris.

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Canada

My Take | Next Canadian leader will feel US wrath if he gets too close to China

Mark Carney of the ruling Liberal Party certainly talks tough with Washington, but he cannot afford to be over-friendly with Beijing.

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US-China relations

Opinion | Trump a bigger threat to US dollar than China, ex-senior economics officials say

White House brings ‘budgetary chaos with extraordinary speed’, potentially triggering a fiscal crisis and run on US Treasuries market.

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China has indeed been strategically reducing its US Treasuries holdings. Photo: Reuters
Canada

My Take | Ottawa caught between rock and hard place with US, China tariffs

At least Beijing only retaliates economically but will never threaten Canada’s sovereignty and territorial integrity like America is doing.

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China is Canada’s second-largest trading partner, after the United States. Photo: TNS
Hong Kong national security law

My Take | For Hong Kong’s top court, challenges of the security law have only just begun

Such cases are often seen in black and white terms. But interpreting and applying the law along with the legal system’s core principles is complex.

Diplomacy

My Take | Realist Xi vs fabulist Trump, just guess who will come out on top

US president’s Panama Canal move, while having made a lot of money for HK tycoon, is more like misdirected fire than a win over Beijing.

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Two Sessions 2025

My Take | ‘Two sessions’ a chance to boost China’s image, but more transparency needed

Chinese officials should seize legislative sessions as opportunity for good publicity to bolster economy and win support from overseas.

A journalist works at a press centre in Beijing on Thursday ahead of China’s annual legislative meetings. Photo: Xinhua
Artificial intelligence

My Take | After DeepSeek, China gets a leg up in the quest for human-level AI

Will artificial general intelligence (AGI) arrive with a bang or quietly evolve? The answer may have implications in the US-China tech race.

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How AGI emerges could determine the outcome of the US-China AI race, writes SCMP Tech Editor Zhou Xin. Photo: AFP

My Take | Zelensky’s Oval Office flare-up should be a Taiwan wake-up call

As the island is now even more exposed to America’s unreliability, it is time to test Beijing’s sincerity by switching to a diplomatic approach.

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Hong Kong budget 2025-26

My Take | No guaranteed win when it comes to legalised gambling on sport

The government is exploring legalising betting on basketball. But the plan has reignited debate about the impact on society – and rightly so.

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