Articles by Liu Sha

[Big read] China’s AI catch-up is forcing Silicon Valley to cut prices

China’s AI catch-up is challenging US dominance as cheaper, open-weight models spread. As both sides compete for the frontier and mass market, the lines between their AI ecosystems are hardening. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Liu Sha finds out.

Liu Sha

25 Aug 2026

How China’s changing the brain-computer interface race

By taking a semi-invasive approach to developing brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) — systems that link brain signals to computers — China is moving ahead of the US in commercialising BCI applications. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Liu Sha examines this development.

Liu Sha

20 Jul 2026

[Big read] The returnees: Inside China’s AI talent reversal

From Silicon Valley to Beijing and Shenzhen, a growing number of AI researchers are returning to China, reshaping careers, companies and the global balance of tech talent. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Liu Sha examines this high-stakes return and what drives it.

Liu Sha

26 May 2026

Beijing’s new red line: Offshore firms can’t ‘de-China’

Chinese regulators are aggressively expanding its oversight on Chinese companies, moving beyond capital controls to prevent technology, data and talent from fleeing overseas. By scrutinising offshore “red-chip” structures and blocking high-profile acquisitions like Meta’s bid for Manus, authorities are signalling that corporate re-domiciliation can no longer bypass China’s tightening national security and tax net. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Liu Sha explains.

Liu Sha

13 May 2026

Can China win the AI race with cheap power?

China is rapidly building AI data centres powered by low-cost electricity and state-led planning. Yet shortages of top-end chips and misaligned infrastructure risk leaving much of this computing capacity underused. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Liu Sha explains.

Liu Sha

09 Mar 2026

[Big read] China’s superwomen are winning on screen: Empowerment or illusion?

China’s newest hit dramas celebrate unstoppable heroines — generals, tycoons, and perfect all-rounders. But scholars and viewers question whether this surge in “superwomen” reflects real empowerment or just another comforting illusion. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Liu Sha speaks to viewers, academics and those in the industry to find out more.

Liu Sha

10 Dec 2025

[Big read] With real estate’s heyday over, China hunts for its next growth engine

From a plot of land to a new home, it does not just involve China’s real estate sector alone, but an entire system. If a critical link in the system goes wrong, related parties would come under pressure. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Liu Sha takes a look at how the upstream and downstream real estate industrial chain has been affected by the sector’s slump.

Liu Sha

20 Aug 2025

AI chipmakers thrive as fortunes diverge in China’s semiconductor sector 

Wafer fabrication, security, analog semiconductor and power chip companies have found that they are struggling to keep up with their AI chipmaking counterparts as they grapple with an economic landscape altered by the ongoing trade war and geopolitical tensions. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Liu Sha discusses the reasons behind the profit gap in China’s semiconductor sector.

Liu Sha

09 Jun 2025

[Big read] China’s stock market gamble: Hold, sell or double down?

Amid the Chinese government’s recent stimulus package, the Chinese and Hong Kong stock markets have temporarily escaped the three-year slump. However, Lianhe Zaobao journalist Liu Sha notes that opinions are divided on whether to double down, cash out or hold one’s position in the Chinese stock market.

Liu Sha

28 Oct 2024

Lianhe Zaobao Conversations to explore US elections and the future of China-US relations

Lianhe Zaobao journalist Liu Sha tells us more about Lianhe Zaobao Conversations to be held on 3 September as part of the Asia Future Summit series. Keynote speaker Da Wei of Tsinghua University will be sharing his insights on the US elections and the possible impact on China-US relations.

Liu Sha

22 Aug 2024

Has investment banking lost its appeal among graduates from China’s elite schools?

Amid constant news of pay cuts and layoffs, an industry slump and tightened sector regulations, graduate hopefuls are feeling uncertain about their prospects in the once-lucrative investment banking field. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Liu Sha finds out more.

Liu Sha

31 May 2024

[Big read] Middle Eastern investment surge in China sparks US concerns

Since last year, European and American funds have become less interested in investing in the Chinese market while Middle Eastern sovereign funds have upped their investments in Chinese assets. Many Chinese entrepreneurs and venture capital firms have since been eager to court Middle Eastern funds. However, the latter have more complicated motives for investing in China than just wealth accumulation. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Liu Sha explains.

Liu Sha

02 May 2024