China-US Tech War

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

How US curbs could split the robot world 

US restrictions on foreign-made advanced robotic devices are unlikely to hurt China in the long term, but a greater concern is the fragmentation of the global robotics industry into competing technological ecosystems, say researcher Songruowen Ma and analyst Tony Zhao.

Songruowen Ma, Tony Zhao

22 Sep 2026

Inside the US$50 billion rise of Moonshot AI

China’s Moonshot AI’s impressive open-weight Kimi K3 model sent shockwaves through the tech world in the last few months, triggering geopolitical rhetoric, a US$50 billion valuation explosion and a cut-throat price war.

Caixin Global

18 Sep 2026

Xi Jinping’s tech diplomacy meets harsh realities of BRICS

BRICS is gaining cohesion, but internal divisions remain. As it seeks a bigger global role, China is using AI cooperation to expand its network of partners, promote its standards and gain an edge over the US. Lianhe Zaobao China news correspondent Edwin Ong reports.

Edwin Ong

14 Sep 2026

[Video] Shenzhen is not just China’s factory. It wants to be its innovation engine

Shenzhen is betting its future on innovation. From AI and robotics to electric aircraft, talent and startups, manufacturing and capital are converging in Shenzhen, putting the city at the heart of China’s tech race. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Lee Chee Yang finds out more.

Lee Chee Yang

07 Sep 2026

[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

Can Apple’s new engineer-CEO master the China balancing act?

Outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook mastered corporate diplomacy balancing the company’s relations with rivals US and China. Academic Ruay-Shiung Chang takes a look at what incoming CEO John Ternus will inherit.

Ruay-Shiung Chang

19 Aug 2026

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

How China is funding its AI ambitions without US capital

China’s hard tech sector once relied heavily on US and other overseas capital. As geopolitical tensions closed that funding channel, Beijing built a multi-tier domestic capital system that is now reshaping how Chinese AI and semiconductor companies grow, exit and attract private investment, opines technology specialist Yin Ruizhi.

Yin Ruizhi

13 Aug 2026

[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

ThinkCartoon (11 August 2026)

Heng Kim Song has been the freelance editorial cartoonist for Lianhe Zaobao since 1984. His cartoons are also featured in many major international publications including The New York Times, Asahi Shimbun, JoongAng Ilbo, South China Morning Post and Yazhou Zhoukan. His many awards include the Top Award in United Nations ESCAP’s Cartoon Competition and the Grafica Internazionale Award presented by Italian Museum of Political Satire and Caricature. Heng has also participated in many international exhibitions and events, including the World Economic Forum Annual Meetings held in Davos, Switzerland.

Heng Kim Song

11 Aug 2026

Why Xi gathered China’s top scientists in Beidaihe

China’s annual Beidaihe retreat has put basic research and frontier technologies centre stage, offering a rare glimpse into President Xi Jinping’s priorities as Beijing seeks breakthroughs in critical technologies. Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Chen Jing finds out.

Chen Jing

06 Aug 2026