Politics
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
20 Aug 2026
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
19 Aug 2026
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
18 Aug 2026
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
18 Aug 2026
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
17 Aug 2026
Politics
What Zhu Rongji got right — and what he left unfinished
Former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji changed China without changing its political system. His reforms laid the foundations for decades of growth, but also imposed painful costs and left a legacy of unresolved problems. Lianhe Zaobao associate editor Han Yong Hong examines the issue.
Han Yong Hong
14 Aug 2026
Politics
Zhu Rongji’s death triggers China’s ‘superpolitics’
The close proximity in timing of the death of former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, the commemoration of former President Jiang Zemin’s 100th birth anniversary and the upcoming fifth plenum may give Zhongnanhai some cause for worry, says commentator Deng Yuwen.
Deng Yuwen
13 Aug 2026
Politics
[Video] Zhu Rongji: The iron-fisted premier who reshaped China’s economy
Former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji reshaped China’s economy through sweeping reforms that came at a heavy social cost. His forceful style earned him the “economic tsar” label, but his legacy also reflects the limits of his power. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Miao Zong-Han reports.
Miao Zong-Han
13 Aug 2026
Politics
Zhu Rongji: A legacy of transforming China’s economy and forging relations with ASEAN
A key standard-bearer of 1990s economic reform, former Premier Zhu Rongji, who passed away on 12 August, leaves a lasting imprint on China’s taxation, state-owned enterprises, accession to the World Trade Organization, and even on ASEAN. Lianhe Zaobao’s Sim Tze Wei and Tan Ke-Yang take a look at his legacy.
Sim Tze Wei, Tan Ke-Yang
13 Aug 2026
Politics
[Big read] China’s multidimensional squeeze: ‘Governing’ Taiwan before reunification
Beijing is widening its Taiwan strategy, using diplomacy, law, maritime pressure and integration to gradually create conditions for reunification. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Miao Zong-Han speaks with experts to find out.
Miao Zong-Han
12 Aug 2026
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
12 Aug 2026
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
11 Aug 2026
