Artificial Intelligence
Technology
China’s AI battle moves from chatbots to agents
China’s tech giants Tencent, Alibaba and ByteDance are racing to turn AI agents into the next essential workplace tool, moving beyond chatbots to software that can independently carry out complex tasks. But as they vie to reshape how businesses operate, questions remain over adoption, profitability and whether these agents can deliver measurable value.
Caixin Global
16 Oct 2026
Economy
China’s banks are using AI tokens to assess credit. Is it risky?
China’s banks are using AI token consumption as a new metric for offering credit. But without neutral data and stable pricing, can measuring compute usage really substitute for traditional collateral? Academics Mingyang Jian and Jiang Kun analyse the matter.
Mingyang Jian, Jiang Kun
12 Oct 2026
Technology
Southeast Asia’s mixed AI stacks: Pragmatic but not risk-free
Regional initiatives such as Singapore’s SEA-LION and Indonesia’s Sahabat-AI show that Southeast Asia can combine technologies from American, Chinese and regional sources. But mixed AI stacks do not automatically reduce dependence. ISEAS academic Zenobia Chan tells us more.
Zenobia Chan
08 Oct 2026
Technology
Apple’s foldable bet isn’t the screen — it’s the AI
Apple may not have built the world’s best foldable with the iPhone Duo, but its entry into the field is more about gaining inroads into the larger battlefield of agentic AI capabilities, intensely contested by Chinese smartphone makers. Chinese commentator Ni Tao explains.
Ni Tao
06 Oct 2026
Technology
China’s second Belt and Road may be built on AI
Al lies at the heart of China’s second Belt and Road. The Global South provides users, workloads, scale and revenues that flow through the Chinese AI stack and help finance its next climb up the technology ladder. Researcher Hao Nan explains.
Hao Nan
05 Oct 2026
Society
China’s new graduates get hired, then cut loose
China’s new graduates are finding that landing a first job is no longer the end of the struggle. Offers are being withdrawn, probationary hires cut and entry-level roles squeezed by AI, leaving young workers searching for a foothold in an increasingly uncertain market.
Caixin Global
02 Oct 2026
Economy
Hong Kong’s capital hub moment: Can it fuel broader economic growth?
Hong Kong is back at the centre of Asian capital formation, with Chinese tech firms’ IPO boom, record Stock and Bond Connect flows, and a more flexible listing regime. But the real test is if the capital hub’s growth momentum can be sustained beyond a few trending themes, says EAI senior research fellow Yu Hong.
Yu Hong
01 Oct 2026
Politics
[Video] Trump and Xi meet again: What changed and what didn’t
This year’s historic Trump-Xi state visits delivered memes and pageantry, though Xi’s trip to Washington was shadowed by protests and Trump’s media ban. ThinkChina’s Yi Jina and Lingming Lu compare the two summits to see what changed and what didn’t.
Yi Jina, Lu Lingming
29 Sep 2026
Politics
US-China relations: No war, no peace, but a rivalry kept in check
The Washington summit did not end US-China rivalry, but pointed to a new model for managing it: fierce competition within clearer guardrails, selective economic interdependence and sustained dialogue to prevent confrontation from spiralling into conflict. Academic Tan Kong Yam explains.
Tan Kong Yam
29 Sep 2026
Politics
Trump-Xi summit: Grand optics, unresolved rivalry
The Trump-Xi summit delivered grand ceremony and a few practical gains, while playing to the domestic audiences of both leaders. But issues such as AI, trade and Taiwan remain unresolved, underscoring the deep rivalry between the US and China. Joseph Chinyong Liow, Dean and Wang Gungwu Professor in East Asian Affairs, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS, shares his analysis.
Joseph Chinyong Liow
28 Sep 2026