Technology
Chatting alone? What AI companions reveal about human relationships
How do you manage a relationship with a machine that is not as emotionally invested as you and may learn to read you over time as a friend would? Navigating the AI companions landscape depends not just on regulation but on how these products are designed to handle emotional responsibility, says US researcher Hong Shen.
Hong Shen
Economy
China needs a new strategy to rebalance its industrial might
China’s industrial capacity accounts for nearly 30% of global output, but it is facing increasing global risk of trade protectionism. Lianhe Zaobao associate editor Han Yong Hong says that amid escalating tariff wars and economic rivalry, China cannot avoid structural economic adjustments.
Han Yong Hong
Politics
The Mecca agreement’s implications for China
The Mecca pact among Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey calls for NATO-like collective defence, but a more realistic outcome could be greater mediation roles for each of the parties and gains for China, a close partner of all three. Academic Alessandro Arduino explains.
Alessandro Arduino
Society
[Video] Could Niu Lai be China’s highest-return film ever?
Made by a mother and son with no outside investment, the low-budget Chinese animated film Niu Lai earned only US$1,000 in its first nine days before viral clips pushed its box office takings past US$4 million in just a few days. ThinkChina’s Lu Lingming explains what drove its unexpected box office success.
Lu Lingming
Technology
Game studios have bought into AI, but players still aren’t sold
AI is flooding gaming with cheaper, faster content — but not necessarily better games. As China embraces AI-native play and world models, the industry faces a harder test: can AI deliver real innovation without drowning players in clones?
Caixin Global
Popular This Month
Politics
[Video] Bilahari Kausikan: How to navigate the new world order
Bilahari Kausikan, in an interview with ThinkChina editor Chow Yian Ping, examines how US-China rivalry is reshaping the global order, why China’s “China dream” narrative of national rejuvenation remains powerful but limiting, and how a more fluid, multipolar Asia will test the nimbleness of smaller states such as Singapore.
Chow Yian Ping
Politics
Why Trump is ready to lose the midterms
As the US midterms loom and polls plunge, Donald Trump appears strangely indifferent to his party’s fate. US commentator Ian Bremmer argues that despite Trump’s claims of rigged systems, US institutional guardrails will hold as the post-Trump era nears.
Ian Bremmer
Society
Passports surrendered: Inside China’s expanding web of exit controls
China’s new regulations have reignited concerns over who may be prevented from leaving the country. While Beijing says the measures are aimed at safeguarding national security, broad discretionary powers and vague definitions could create greater uncertainty for travellers, says Lianhe Zaobao China news editor Yang Danxu.
Yang Danxu
Politics
Iran misread what China meant by ‘strategic partner’
Iranians have long considered how China would act in a crisis involving the US and Israel. It got its answer in the recent Iran war, where it has had to lower its expectations and extract practical gains from China, observes Iranian analyst Mohammad Khatibi.
Mohammad Khatibi
Technology
China’s DUV breakthrough: Has America’s tech wall outlived its purpose?
China’s reported breakthrough in producing domestic DUV lithography machines could mark a turning point in its chip war with the US, but experts warn that catching up with global leaders remains a long road. Lianhe Zaobao China news correspondent Edwin Ong reports.
Edwin Ong
Get the ThinkChina Weekly Newsletter
Insights on China, right in your mailbox. Sign up now.
By subscribing, I agree to SPH Media's Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.
Editor's pick
Politics
[Video] Is China stopping its own citizens from leaving?
China has introduced new rules on exit and entry administration, setting out when authorities can intervene in border crossings and when citizens may be barred from leaving the country. The regulation brings national security, export controls and technology concerns more directly into the rules governing cross-border movement. ThinkChina’s Lingming Lu looks into the issue.
Politics
[Video] Bilahari Kausikan: How to navigate the new world order
Bilahari Kausikan, in an interview with ThinkChina editor Chow Yian Ping, examines how US-China rivalry is reshaping the global order, why China’s “China dream” narrative of national rejuvenation remains powerful but limiting, and how a more fluid, multipolar Asia will test the nimbleness of smaller states such as Singapore.
Chow Yian Ping
Society
[Video] Rare Hubei tornadoes expose China’s rising weather risk
Three rare tornadoes in Hubei exposed a stark new reality: China must prepare for increasingly complex extreme weather with better forecasting, more resilient cities and stronger disaster response. ThinkChina’s Yi Jina and Lu Lingming find out more.
Yi Jina, Lu Lingming
Society
[Video] Effortlessly beautiful: China’s new obsession with ‘invisible’ cosmetic procedures
Why are millions of Chinese paying for cosmetic procedures that nobody is supposed to notice? The pursuit of “natural beauty” is reshaping the country’s booming medical aesthetics industry. ThinkChina’s Yi Jina finds out more.
Yi Jina
Society
[Video] China made it to the World Cup, just not on the pitch
China’s men’s football team is once again absent from the World Cup, but China is visible almost everywhere else around the tournament. ThinkChina’s Lu Lingming looks at how China made it into the World Cup economy, even as its team remains off the pitch.
Lu Lingming
Society
[Video] ‘Bullying our ancestors’: Why Chinese netizens are boycotting LV
A seemingly ordinary trademark dispute between Louis Vuitton and Chinese milk tea chain Molly Tea has escalated into a wider debate over intellectual property and cultural ownership. As backlash builds, with many even calling for LV’s trademark to be revoked, the case has become a broader reckoning on how cultural motifs should be protected in a modern commercial world.
Yi Jina
Culture
[Vox pop] Blood, lion dance or dialect: What makes a Chinese Singaporean?
As the movie Dear You brings the history of early Chinese migrants back into the spotlight, online conversations about Chinese identity and cultural heritage have grown louder. ThinkChina’s Lu Lingming and Yi Jina speak with Chinese Singaporeans about what Chinese identity, or “Chineseness”, means to them today.
Lu Lingming, Yi Jina
Culture
[Video] Living in the moment: Two Singaporean artists finding home in Jingdezhen
In Jingdezhen, China’s porcelain capital, Singaporean ceramists Ken Lu and Nelson Lim have each found their own mecca — a place for Ken to put down roots, and for Nelson to continually return to. Living in the Moment, produced by Lu Lingming and Yi Jina, is ThinkChina’s first documentary film. It explores how the city reshapes Ken and Nelson’s identities as Chinese Singaporeans, while tracing their lifelong pursuit of art and craft.
Lu Lingming, Yi Jina
Culture
[Video] Hsu Chung-mao: Why I am both Taiwanese and Chinese
Taiwanese historical photo collector Hsu Chung-mao had a front-row seat to history as a war journalist, and became part of it himself when he was injured during the 1989 Tiananmen incident. Decades spent collecting and colourising rare photographs have shaped how he sees the past — and why he sees himself as both Taiwanese and Chinese. In a conversation with ThinkChina’s Charlene Chow, he reflects on history, identity and the twists of fate that have shaped his journey.
Charlene Chow
Society
[Video] Dear You: How grassroots authenticity wins over Chinese filmgoers
A small Chaoshan dialect film, made on a tight budget with no celebrities and minimal marketing, went on to gross over 1.6 billion RMB at the box office, outperforming a wave of expensive, star-studded blockbusters. Chinese audiences shared positive word-of-mouth on social media, describing it as a “slow-cooked” film that offers a sincere and understated portrayal of ordinary lives. ThinkChina’s Yi Jina explores the factors behind Dear You’s strong resonance with viewers.
Yi Jina
Latest Articles
Technology
China bans AI companions from pleasing you too much. Should Singapore?
Millions in China lost their AI confidants overnight. Days later in Singapore, chatbots were asked to introduce themselves. Behind the two responses lies a question kings once faced: what do you do about a servant who never disagrees with you? Academic Ashton Ng ponders the question.
Ashton Ng
Society
Are Chinese universities abolishing the ‘iron rice bowl’?
Tongji University’s decision to replace faculty tenure with three-yearly assessments effectively ends the traditional “iron rice bowl” concept for university lecturers. Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Chen Jing explores the issue.
Chen Jing
Society
AI micro-dramas do not understand people. Are we starting not to either?
The gliches in AI micro-dramas may have been fixed, but not their indifference to human nature. As we consume ever more predictable stories, are we also losing our patience for complexity — and our respect for what’s real? Han Yong May, deputy editor-in-chief of SPH’s Chinese Media Group, ponders the question.
Han Yong May
Politics
How China’s role in the global order has changed
Former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji’s passing and the commemoration of former Chinese President Jiang Zemin’s centenary calls to mind how China has evolved from the era of integrating with the global economy to shaping the world, notes Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Sim Tze Wei.
Sim Tze Wei
Economy
[Big read] Can Tibet build an economy beyond state support?
High-altitude wine, beekeeping and conservation drones — these are just some of the businesses in Tibet generating employment and income. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Liu Liu finds out more about the plateau’s thriving niche markets from the locals and academics.
Liu Liu
Politics
What Beijing really means by a ‘strategic partnership’ with Iran
Iran pegs China a certain way in its foreign policy, making it hard for Beijing to meet Tehran’s expectations. China will always proceed with caution, so long as it sees Iran mired by sanctions, economic weakness and regional confrontation, says Chinese academic Fan Hongda.
Fan Hongda
Politics
Fudan targeted as universities become casualties of the tech war
Fudan University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University have been placed on a US national security list, while China has targeted a European university. The moves signal a new era in which academic research is increasingly treated as a security risk. Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Sim Tze Wei reports.
Sim Tze Wei
Economy
From Hong Kong to Xiānggǎng — why Hong Kong is better with China
Former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia Stephen Roach argues that the “Hong Kong of old” was finished because of the city’s greater convergence with and increasing reliance on mainland China. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Tai Hing Shing examines his argument.
Tai Hing Shing
Economy
Singapore and Hong Kong open a new gold race
Singapore and Hong Kong are ramping up major policy initiatives to become world-class gold hubs. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Tobby Siew takes a look at how the two financial centres are looking to meet the demands of Asia’s gold trade.
Tobby Siew Woei Yang
Politics
Xi invokes Jiang Zemin’s legacy to chart China’s ‘new journey’
Marking the centenary of Jiang Zemin’s birth, Xi Jinping praised the former leader’s legacy of reform, opening up and crisis management while placing it firmly within the current Xi-era framework of Communist Party leadership, national security and reunification. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Miao Zong-Han tells us more.
Miao Zong-Han
Economy
Did Zhu Rongji take on China’s hardest reforms?
Former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji confronted some of China’s most difficult reforms, taking on vested interests and deep-rooted problems while pushing the country towards a more market-oriented, open and institutionalised economy, says academic Gu Qingyang.
Gu Qingyang
Politics
The Taiwan Strait needs circuit breakers, not just deterrence
Military and coast guard encounters are becoming more frequent in the Western Pacific and around Taiwan, raising the risk that a limited incident could spiral into wider conflict. Deterrence alone is not enough; the region needs safeguards to contain escalation and create off-ramps, says researcher Hao Nan.
Hao Nan
Technology
Why the US-China space race needs air traffic control
The US and China are racing to expand their presence in orbit and beyond, but a crowded space environment needs what air and maritime travel have long relied on: shared rules and standards that make competition safer, more predictable and economically productive, says US researcher Clayton Swope.
Clayton Swope
Technology
China bans AI lovers, but loneliness remains
When man bonds with a machine, depends on it and feels affirmed by it, is a void filled? But what if the mirage disappears or the relationship is taken to extremes? Researcher Renwen Zhang contemplates the psyche behind the rise of AI companions.
Renwen Zhang
Society
[Big read] How Chinese regional fine dining is redefining Singapore’s F&B scene
Singapore’s fine dining landscape is seeing a shift, with a wave of Chinese regional cuisines penetrating the market. Writer Tan Pin Yen takes a look at some of these Chinese brands that are bringing in unique Chinese ingredients and cooking styles for the discerning Singapore diner.
Tan Pin Yen