We have selected seven stories from this week’s news across Hong Kong, mainland China, the wider Asia region and beyond that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.

1. US economic gap over China to widen, but Iran might bring them closer: former UN official

The economic divide between the United States and China is projected to widen to US$11 trillion by the end of the decade, yet escalating...