Liu Liu

Liu Liu

Journalist, Lianhe Zaobao

Liu Liu is a journalist with Lianhe Zaobao's China Desk. She is responsible for news coverage focusing on politics and the economy in Greater China. Prior to joining the China Desk, she spent three years as a research analyst at a think tank. 

A teacher hands a graduation certificate to a student at the end of a study tour in the UK last summer. (Photo provided by interviewee)

Big Read: Rich Chinese kids going on overseas study tours could worsen China's socioeconomic divide

In the first summer vacation since Covid-19 lockdowns were lifted in China, study tour operators are back in full force throughout the country. Interestingly, two extremes have emerged in terms of spending on such tours depending on region and family income. Against a backdrop of uneven economic development and unequal distribution of educational resources across China, will this polarisation aggravate its social stratification problem?
Liu Yuan and her son, Jackson.

China's young families sending kids to international schools in Thailand

Given the intense competition and rigidity in China’s education system, an increasing number of Chinese middle-class families are moving to Thailand and putting their children in international schools there. Zaobao journalist Liu Liu speaks to families and academics to find out more about the factors behind this trend.
People line up to buy antigen test kits for Covid-19, at a pharmacy in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China, 19 December 2022. (China Daily via Reuters)

China prepares for Covid peaks in January

With the easing of Covid controls in China, many cities and provinces are seeing a sharp spike in cases. This wave is generally expected to peak in January next year, especially with the Chinese New Year travel wave. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Liu Liu takes a look at the possible direction and responses.
Chinese ambassador to Singapore Sun Haiyan. (SPH Media)

Exclusive interview with new Chinese ambassador to Singapore: Six dimensions of China-Singapore relations

Chinese ambassador to Singapore Sun Haiyan shared her thoughts on her first 100 days in office and her hopes for the future of China-Singapore relations in an exclusive interview with Zaobao. In the wide-ranging discussion, she elaborated on the six dimensions of China-Singapore relations: elevation, depth, breadth, solidity, richness and warmth.
A view of Singapore's central business district, 25 June 2022. (SPH Media)

China’s Big Tech firms drive talent war in Singapore

China’s tech titans have sparked a talent war in Singapore with their offers of high salaries, flexible work arrangements, and professional development opportunities. Zaobao journalist Liu Liu explains in this third of a seven-part Lianhe Zaobao-Business Times series on China and ASEAN.
This photo taken on 28 November 2021 shows candidates queueing to take the national examination for admissions to the civil service in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province. (AFP)

Are China's youths leaving the internet sector for the public sector?

With the ongoing pandemic and last year's crackdowns on internet giants, some young people are switching tracks and moving from the private sector — especially the internet sector — to the public sector, which is still thought of as a stable career. Will this lead to a loss of talent for the internet sector? Zaobao journalist Liu Liu speaks to young people and academics for their views.
People walk past a China Energy coal-fired power plant in Shenyang, Liaoning province, China, 29 September 2021. (Tingshu Wang/Reuters)

The conspiracy theories behind China's power cuts

Last year, Western media attributed the cause of China's power shortages to the latter's unofficial ban on Australian coal. This year, Chinese netizens and we-media are claiming that power cuts are necessary and a result of “an invisible exchange of swordplay in big country economic competition”. Leveraging nationalism and big power competition to garner attention and support is indeed the order of the day. Zaobao journalist Liu Liu explains why Chinese authorities and state media are debunking these conspiracy theories and refusing to ride on the patriotism wave.
A vendor (centre) sells meat at her stall in front of a residential building in Hanoi, Vietnam on 31 March 2021. (Manan Vatsyayana/AFP)

Shifting supply chains from China to Southeast Asia is hard but necessary

Amid the effects of the China-US trade war and the Covid-19 pandemic, global manufacturers are seeing the need to adopt a ”China+1“ strategy by diversifying their supply chains or business operations beyond China. However, moving parts of the supply chain to the Southeast Asian region is not so straightforward. What challenges do they face and how are they overcoming them? Will China's position as the "world's factory" be shaken and how will its economic model be changed?