Post-election Bangladesh: How China prepared while India lost ground
Facing Bangladesh under newly installed Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, India finds itself in greater diplomatic uncertainty while China sees it as more of a political adjustment rather than strategic disruption. Singapore-based Indian researcher Amit Ranjan and Australian researcher Genevieve Donnellon-May analyse the situation.
![[Video] Why young Chinese are paying to ‘time-travel’ at dinner](https://cassette.sphdigital.com.sg/image/thinkchina/3759f274386f9552aa39160bd2d5a1708ebebef092923484ee16650cdef51a26?w=800)
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Raised in a remote Mongolian temple, writer and adventurer Bateer Chai grew up among horses that define life on the steppe. One black horse became his guardian, shielding him from wolves and shaping his childhood forever. As we enter the Year of the Horse, he reflects on the bond between Mongolians and their horses — a relationship that is both life-defining and timeless.
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Will China lead the agentic AI race with Qwen3.5?
The launch of Alibaba’s latest Qwen3.5, designed for the “agentic AI era”, has kicked the AI race up a notch. It presents an opportunity for countries like Indonesia to level up, but also forces competitors of China’s Big Tech firms — from OpenAI to European startups — to look at deeper issues such as safety and ethics. Technopreneur Akhmad Hanan explains.
Chinese firms bullish on the Gulf despite geopolitical storms
Chinese firms are expanding in the Gulf despite regional rivalries and tensions. Profitable projects, resilient logistics and growing demand make the Middle East a long-term growth frontier rather than a risk to avoid. Middle East Institute-NUS research fellow Jing Lin shares her insights.
China’s investment surge is forcing Southeast Asia to rethink industrial policy
Looking at Chinese investment in Southeast Asia, Soon Cheong Poon and Guanie Lim find that the impact of investment depends on how it is governed. Southeast Asian governments can and have pushed back against negative spillovers. But it remains to be seen if they can band together regionally to handle the next waves of investment.
China’s population turn: The start of long-term decline?
China’s latest population statistics show a fourth consecutive year in decline, with births falling to 7.92 million in 2025. A shrinking, ageing workforce is likely to constrain economic growth, but on the flipside, could a smaller population have its benefits? Researcher Genevieve Donnellon-May looks at both sides of the coin.
![[Video] How robots stole the show at China’s Spring Festival Gala](https://cassette.sphdigital.com.sg/image/thinkchina/12896446a5408bed81c178c4cbeb0840b7ec80841e42ca3de67ec56751b07d13?w=800)
[Video] How robots stole the show at China’s Spring Festival Gala
Much of the conversation around this year’s China Spring Festival Gala on 16 February 2026 centred on humanoid robots — from martial arts robots to lifelike bionic robots. While many praised the innovation, others expressed doubts and criticism.
Supreme Court ruling weakens Trump ahead of China visit
The US Supreme Court has struck down Trump’s tariffs, limiting his leverage and signalling rising domestic opposition. Ahead of his visit to China, his ability to secure favourable trade and political concessions is under pressure, says Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Yu Zeyuan.
big read![[Big read] How China builds influence, one parliament at a time](https://cassette.sphdigital.com.sg/image/thinkchina/3feba9e2d20bc66636a9c8843df47d95e322a618d38d1d6e99cd25b4b6dd2483?w=800)
[Big read] How China builds influence, one parliament at a time
Beijing is paying for parliaments and palaces from West Africa to beyond. The buildings look like gifts, but they quietly anchor China inside the everyday spaces where power is performed. Are there really no strings attached? Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Lim Zhan Ting finds out more.
China’s illusion of influence in the Middle East
Talk of China eclipsing America in the Middle East is fading fast. The Gaza war and renewed US pressure on Iran are restoring Washington’s primacy — exposing how thin Beijing’s influence is, unless it turns trade into tangible partnerships, argues Chinese academic Fan Hongda.
Indonesia’s nickel hub: Beyond state control?
Morowali, a key centre of Indonesia’s nickel processing industry, is becoming a “para-sovereign” space where formal sovereignty is intact yet practical authority is shared, fragmented or captured by private actors, says researcher Ronny P Sasmita.
India counters Trump pullback with FTAs, e-rupee
India has long been working hard at diversification, with recent high-profile gains like the EU-India FTA. With its efforts to widen the use of the e-rupee and increase BRICS interoperability in digital currencies, it may be upping its game. ISAS academic Amitendu Palit shares his views.
Not all heroes shout: How The Legend of Hei 2 reimagines Chinese animation
While Ne Zha signals industrial ambition and cultural export, The Legend of Hei reveals a gentler path — hand-drawn, community-made and emotionally grounded in coexistence rather than spectacle. Lianhe Zaobao visual journalist Fio Zhang explains its appeal and understated value.
China’s beauty brands shine online as foreign rivals falter
China’s beauty upstarts are seizing the spotlight as foreign brands stumble in a fiercely competitive market. With digital savvy, localisation strategies and “self-developed” formulas, they are rewriting the rules of China’s cosmetics game. Will China’s cosmetics market become a battlefield foreign brands can no longer win?
Why Chinese hawks cheer Takaichi's win
Takaichi’s landslide win and Japan’s hardline turn are not just Tokyo’s story. In Beijing, it gives hardliners moral cover, reframes tension as destiny and turns miscalculation into a dangerous new logic for East Asia. Commentator Deng Yuwen analyses the situation.
Takaichi’s supermajority: Power without brakes?
Sanae Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party supermajority accelerates decisive policy while triggering three reinforcing cycles: the “Takaichi-isation” of governance, rightward policy drift, and rising strategic risks at home and abroad, says academic Hao Nan.
China’s power in the Middle East has hard limits
China is becoming harder to ignore in the Middle East. Yet the gap between economic presence and strategic power remains wide, even as American policy swings, argues US academic John Calabrese.
In Tokyo, I served jiaozi — and found a way to belong
Though cultural differences can divide, food and drink have the ability to transcend boundaries and bring people together, says Southern Weekly journalist Li Changsheng. He discusses the experience of living in Japan as a Chinese person, and how the simple jiaozi can convey identity and meaning.
![[Vox pop] ‘Not all Chinese, but always Chinese?’ How Chinese tourists are seen overseas](https://cassette.sphdigital.com.sg/image/thinkchina/64992066e7fc191f0201b885b927e0efa29ef8dd3653c3d33e6a5e42a6af715a?w=800)
[Vox pop] ‘Not all Chinese, but always Chinese?’ How Chinese tourists are seen overseas
Chinese tourists often spark debate in global travel circles: admired for their spending power, yet frequently criticised online for behaviour such as cutting queues or littering. ThinkChina’s Yi Jina and Lu Lingming speak with foreign travellers and mainland Chinese tourists about how these images are formed and how fair they are.
Will Trump become America’s Deng Xiaoping — or its Gorbachev?
Trump exposes America’s deep political and strategic dysfunction. His disruption could either spur institutional renewal and recalibration — like Deng Xiaoping — or deepen division and decay, like Gorbachev, observes academic Tan Kong Yam.