Colonialism

Lai Ching-te’s Japan-era tribute clouds Trump-Xi summit

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s visit to honour Japanese-era engineer Yoichi Hatta at Wushantou Reservoir has triggered political backlash at home and criticism from Beijing, coming just days before the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing, where Taiwan tensions loom. Lianhe Zaobao’s China Desk looks into the matter.

China Desk, Lianhe Zaobao

Xi-Cheng meeting and the limits of peace in the Taiwan Strait

For the Taiwanese people, the question has never been whether Beijing would talk about peace, but whether its governance record is strong enough to convince people that such promises would be honoured institutionally. Taiwan-based Malaysian columnist Ngo Jian Nam assesses what would make for a successful cross-strait peace agreement.

Ngo Jian Nam

[Photos] A tale of two homelands: Fujian and Taiwan [Eye on Fujian series]

Fujian, a historic maritime gateway and strategic frontier in China, has played a defining role in China’s past. Taiwanese historic photo collector Hsu Chung-mao takes us on a pictorial journey that explores the rich history and culture of his ancestral homeland, while reflecting on his personal ties to the region.

Hsu Chung-mao

[Video] George Yeo: America’s deep pain — and why China won’t colonise

George Yeo, in an interview with ThinkChina editor Chow Yian Ping, explores America’s deep social pain, China’s struggle with corruption rooted in Confucian ties, and why change is hard. He also weighs the risk of war in the Taiwan Strait and Singapore’s future in a fast-shifting world order. This is the first episode of ThinkChina Conversations, a series of in-depth interviews with experts on China.

Chow Yian Ping

[Video] Ethnic Chinese new villages: Malaysia’s hidden heritage or controversial legacy?

Malaysia’s ethnic Chinese new villages, born from colonial control against the communists, face decline amid ageing and migration. Yet revitalisation efforts through tourism and community initiatives offer hope, sparking debate over their cultural value and potential UNESCO heritage status. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Seoow Juin Yee speaks to residents and community leaders to find out more.

Seoow Juin Yee

From imperial elixirs to kopi-o: Tracing the opium trail in Asia

From emperors and opium dens to kopi-o myths and colonial trade, this is the story of how opium shaped culture, addiction, and power across China and Southeast Asia.

Chew Wee Kai

The 2024 Nobel laureates are not only wrong about China, but also about the West

Professor Yuen Yuen Ang notes that this year’s Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences should have been awarded 20 years ago, when few would have questioned Western-centric narratives. She contends that in today’s increasingly multipolar world, the simplistic binary of “inclusive, non-extractive” Western democracies versus “non-inclusive, extractive” non-Western non-democracies is misleading.

Yuen Yuen Ang

[Photo story] Taiwanese historical photo collector: My ties to Singapore

As his three-volume set of historical photographs of Singapore, Singapore Yesterday, is rolled out this year, historical photo collector Hsu Chung-mao describes his professional and personal connection to Singapore, and his impressions of Singapore, alongside a collection of old photos of Singapore.

Hsu Chung-mao

[Photo story] A Taiwanese collector's treasured photos of old Southeast Asia and Singapore

Historical photo collector Hsu Chung-mao showcases photographs of Singapore at the cusp of great change, from a more rural environment with many kelongs and farms to a bustling trade, finance and tourism hub. Through it all, the Singapore River has witnessed many of these changes, as seen in this collection.

Hsu Chung-mao

[Photo story] Puyi: The last emperor of China

The tragic life of the last emperor of China has been the subject of much popular culture, not least the movie The Last Emperor. But why was he often thought of as a political puppet and how did he go from emperor to commoner? Historical photo collector Hsu Chung-mao provides a glimpse into the final period of China's imperial rule.

Hsu Chung-mao

Wang Gungwu: China, ASEAN and the new Maritime Silk Road

Professor Wang Gungwu was a keynote speaker at the webinar titled "The New Maritime Silk Road: China and ASEAN" organised by the Academy of Professors Malaysia. He reminds us that a sense of region was never a given for Southeast Asia; trade tied different peoples from land and sea together but it was really the former imperial masters and the US who made the region "real". Western powers have remained interested in Southeast Asia through the years, as they had created the Southeast Asia concept and even ASEAN. On the other hand, China was never very much interested in the seas or countries to its south; this was until it realised during the Cold War that Southeast Asia and ASEAN had agency and could help China balance its needs in the maritime sphere amid the US's persistent dominance. The Belt and Road Initiative reflects China's worldview and the way it is maintaining its global networks to survive and thrive in a new era. This is an edited transcript of Professor Wang's speech.

Wang Gungwu

[Picture story] The Sino-French War of 1884 and the collapse of Western colonialism

Historical photo collector Hsu Chung-mao notes that the Sino-French War showed the weaknesses of Western colonial powers, particularly France. This ultimately led to the end of colonialism following World War II.

Hsu Chung-mao