Building for family glory: Guangdong’s architecture of success

Can China burn away Indonesia’s waste crisis?

Indonesia awarded 11 waste-to-energy (WtE) projects in under a year. It should not come at a surprise that Chinese firms won most of them, and are also making inroads in other Southeast Asian capitals. But WtE comes with tradeoffs, say researchers Kevin Zongzhe Li and Genevieve Donnellon-May.

Kevin Zongzhe Li, Genevieve Donnellon-May

[Big read] Can new industries lure talent back to China’s rust belt?

The affordable and idyllic life in Liaoning, Shenyang and Heilongjiang are drawing young professionals back home, but some are torn by the low wages, scarce job opportunities and an economy struggling to transform. Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Sim Tze Wei speaks with these returnees.

Sim Tze Wei

Who was the most consequential emperor in Chinese history?

Hint: it is someone you have probably never heard of, who might have played a role in China’s AI takeoff, says Professor Yasheng Huang.

Yasheng Huang

Dreame and Unitree: Are China’s young tech founders sabotaging themselves?

Dreame’s Yu Hao and Unitree’s Wang Xingxing have taken very different paths to the top. Their contrasting leadership styles point to a common challenge for young founders: knowing when to put themselves forward and when to let the company take centre stage, says Chinese commentator Ni Tao.

Ni Tao

BRICS is built on economic grievance, not geopolitics

The wrong question to ask about BRICS is its geopolitical coherence. Instead, the right one is how far it has pursued its reform agenda and utilised its own tools, says Indian researcher Anushka Saxena.

Anushka Saxena

Xi Jinping’s tech diplomacy meets harsh realities of BRICS

BRICS is gaining cohesion, but internal divisions remain. As it seeks a bigger global role, China is using AI cooperation to expand its network of partners, promote its standards and gain an edge over the US. Lianhe Zaobao China news correspondent Edwin Ong reports.

Edwin Ong

Powerless in the classroom: Why Taiwanese teachers are quitting

Schools are struggling to fill vacancies even as tens of thousands of qualified teachers remain outside the profession. Competition from the technology sector, mounting workplace pressures and fears of parental complaints are making teaching an increasingly difficult career to sell, notes Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Lai Oi Lai.

Lai Oi Lai

China’s new tech diplomacy: Foreign journalists get a front-row seat

China is reshaping its external communication strategy. By training foreign journalists in AI and tech integration, Beijing aims to build global connections and challenge Western narrative dominance. Lianhe Zaobao associate editor Han Yong Hong tells us more.

Han Yong Hong

Can Southeast Asia survive Pinduoduo’s price onslaught?

Competing with Chinese e-commerce giants on price is a losing battle for Southeast Asia. Entrepreneur Simon Lim proposes a new model that leverages global supply chains, distributed local retail networks and AI to help it gain the strategic edge.

Simon Lim

[Big read] How Singapore’s boba milk-tea generation is rediscovering traditional tea

A new generation of teahouses is putting a contemporary spin on traditional tea culture, from Teochew gongfu tea and Chinese ceramics to herbal milk teas, giving young Singaporeans new ways to slow down, connect and rediscover age-old traditions. Lianhe Zaobao senior Fukan correspondent Ng Yimin finds out more.

Ng Yimin

The quiet rise of China’s soft power among Vietnam’s youth

Young Vietnamese are increasingly drawn to Chinese culture and opportunity, even as long-standing sensitivities endure, note ISEAS academics Hoang Thi Ha and Pham Thi Phuong Thao.

Hoang Thi Ha, Pham Thi Phuong Thao

15th Shanghai Biennale: Does the flower hear the bee?

In an increasingly AI-centred world, this year’s edition of the Shanghai Biennale themed “Does the Flower Hear the Bee?” asks timely questions in inviting visitors to think about engaging different forms of intelligence beyond ourselves. Curator and writer Tan Hwee Koon walks us through the exhibition.

Tan Hwee Koon

As gold goes digital, Hong Kong vies for London’s crown

As geopolitical shifts challenge London’s dominance of physical bullion, tokenised gold is reshaping how the commodity is stored, traded and used — with Hong Kong moving fast to capture the next phase of the market.

Caixin Global

China’s AI race: Can it make energy and computing work as one?

China is attempting to merge three national networks — computing, telecommunications and electricity — to win the AI race. Academic Ruay-Shiung Chang discusses why the global AI race is no longer simply about algorithms and semiconductors.

Ruay-Shiung Chang

How ZTE changed Xi Jinping’s vision for China’s tech future

The 2018 ZTE crisis exposed China’s vulnerability to US technology controls. For Xi Jinping, it became a defining lesson in why technological self-reliance, strategic resilience and control over critical technologies matter. Professor Tan Kong Yam analyses its lasting impact.

Tan Kong Yam

[Big read] From singing bowls to forest therapy: China’s 10-trillion-RMB healing economy

China’s healing economy is booming as consumers spend on emotional wellbeing, from singing bowls and forest therapy to trendy toys. But as healing becomes big business, concerns over commercialisation and misleading claims are growing. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Zeng Shi finds out.

Zeng Shi

Tung Chee-hwa: Misunderstood visionary or failed leader?

Hong Kong’s first chief executive endured the Asian financial crisis, SARS and mass protests before stepping down amid deep public discontent. Two decades on, some of the reforms and economic strategies he championed are being viewed in a different light, says Lianhe Zaobao journalist Tai Hing Shing.

Tai Hing Shing

Trump’s ultra-rich cabinet: How rich is too rich for public office?

Reports highlighting the extraordinary wealth of Trump and his senior officials have renewed scrutiny of the relationship between public office and personal fortune — and the perennial question of whether wealth helps or hinders those entrusted with serving the public, notes academic Chen Liujun.

Chen Liujun