Last man standing: Xi’s purge of the Central Military Commission

From online scams to the fragile Thai-Cambodian ceasefire, the US and China face shared challenges in Southeast Asia. Cooperation could secure regional stability — and boost both leaders’ global standing, says ISEAS researcher Lye Liang Fook.

Amid China’s decline in birth rate, there has been a rise in premature births. This has proven difficult for many new parents, who sometimes do not have the necessary funds or experience to deal with the associated challenges. Thankfully, there are avenues to get help.

With artificial intelligence being the latest buzzword, it is becoming increasingly difficult to stand out among the crowd of companies in the sector. One of the pioneer companies in AI is SenseTime, which has expanded into Singapore and Southeast Asia. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Li Yaning speaks to Jeff Shi, president of SenseTime’s Asia Pacific business, to get his take on where the company is going.

Great powers have never willingly submitted to rules; they recognise them only when the rules serve their own interests. This also means that the international order led and designed by the US is one that only Americans themselves have the power to shatter, observes Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Sim Tze Wei. 

Under mounting military pressure, Taiwan may be pushed to fire a warning shot it hopes never to take — an act that could give Beijing its pretext for war and test America’s commitment. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Miao Zong-Han finds out more.

US President Donald Trump’s revival of hemispheric dominance and the dramatic Venezuela intervention signal a rupture in global norms, as global powers weigh their next moves and NATO faces uncertainty. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Zhou Yifei reports.

China’s mandate to shift from coal to natural gas heating in Hebei has led to a dilemma where many rural villagers are unable to afford heating through the cold winter season. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Yush Chau finds out what the authorities could do to mitigate the people’s hardships.

The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has sent shockwaves throughout the world, not least in terms of global rules and what is accepted behaviour. So what can Southeast Asia learn from the US’s recent actions in Venezuela? ISEAS researchers Hoang Thi Ha and Aries A Arugay ponder the question.

Despite the risks, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has decided to hold a snap general election. Academic Zhang Yun observes that external factors are a major consideration for Takaichi’s risk-taking, in particular Japan’s relations with China.

The current conversation about “occupying Greenland” is an imprecise framing of the issue. The more consequential contest is about alliance governance, early warning and sensing, long-horizon Arctic connectivity, and the rules that shape future resource development, says US academic Hong Nong.

As India heads into 2026, it balances diplomacy and vigilance with China. Past strategic moves have fostered a trust deficit, making Delhi cautious even as both nations seek engagement and regional influence, says Indian academic Rishi Gupta.

China’s exports are booming like never before. With a US$1.2 trillion surplus, the world wonders: can global trade absorb it, or is a reckoning on the horizon? Lianhe Zaobao senior correspondent Chen Jing contemplates what China could do next.

When everything seems to crumble all at once, it could be an opportunity for renewal, rather than collapse, says Professor Yuen Yuen Ang.

Built by idealists and sustained by belief, independent bookstores became places to gather and breathe in China. As the tide turns, their owners face the hardest question: how long to keep the lights on. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Zhang Guanghui speaks to academics and those in the industry to find out more.

From Iran to Venezuela, everyone expects China to act. But Beijing moves with a single aim: safeguard its own long-term plans, stepping in overseas only when stakes hit home, says academic Hao Nan.

In global politics, resource-rich countries are seeking to convert mineral wealth into security guarantees, diplomatic leverage and strategic influence — a symptom of a resurgent wave of resource nationalism.

As China’s first DINKs (“Dual Income, No Kids”) grow old, their lives are thrust into the spotlight. From a retired state-owned enterprise worker who says money and health are enough, to others who refuse to speak, their stories reveal pride, pain and unease beneath the debate, reports Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Liu Liu.

Japanese professor Shin Kawashima notes that the US raid in Venezuela is no precedent for Taiwan, and Beijing is unlikely to replicate such military actions despite regional tensions.