Corruption

China delivers its harshest military corruption sentences in years

China’s crackdown on corruption among high-level officials has recently meted out one of its most severe punishments for two former military leaders. Lianhe Zaobao associate editor Han Yong Hong takes a look at the downfall of the top brass over the years.

Han Yong Hong

China’s 21st Party Congress set for major leadership overhaul

Analysing with data the likely extent of leadership renewal at the 21st Party Congress in 2027, academic Li Cheng and research assistant Du Lang of the Centre on Contemporary China and the World in Hong Kong find that except for General Secretary Xi Jinping, a massive shakeup is expected, and the longstanding practice of age limits will still play a big factor.

Li Cheng

[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] The real danger behind China’s military purge

China has purged nearly its entire top military leadership. While debate centres on whether this accelerates or delays a Taiwan conflict, the more consequential question may be how risk is structured, assessed and misread. ThinkChina’s Yi Jina finds out more.

Yi Jina

Shadow banking under fire: AVIC Trust’s collapse

Trust companies in China have become a major source of financing outside the banking system. AVIC Trust’s failure shows how weak oversight, high-risk lending and a slumping property market can bring even state-owned institutions down. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Li Kang tells us more.

Li Kang

How will China fill its military leadership vacuum?

With the recent personnel upheaval in China’s military, the army’s professional competence and judgment will be affected in the short term. Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Sim Tze Wei takes a look at the options ahead to fill the leadership vacuum.

Sim Tze Wei

China’s military leadership vacuum: A boon or bane for Taiwan?

The recent shake-up of China’s Central Military Commission means that the top leadership now lacks real combat experience. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Miao Zong-Han observes that this could mean a delay in combat readiness of the People’s Liberation Army, or a more aggressive stance from younger generals looking for professional advancement.

Miao Zong-Han

Last man standing: Xi’s purge of the Central Military Commission

Only Chairman Xi Jinping and the lowest-ranking member, Zhang Shengmin, remain on the Central Military Commission. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Yu Zeyuan analyses the purge of Zhang Youxia and other top PLA leaders, underscoring the CCP’s uncompromising stance on corruption and disloyalty.

Yu Zeyuan

Why alleged scam kingpin Chen Zhi was sent to China, not the US

Despite facing criminal charges in the US, Prince Group founder and chairman Chen Zhi was deported to China. His case sheds light on Cambodia’s geopolitical calculations — and why Beijing’s pull outweighed Washington’s claims. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Liu Liu looks at the implications.

Liu Liu

When Chinese mining meets weak governance in Africa — who pays?

The Lubumbashi dam collapse exposes the human and environmental toll of Chinese mining in Africa. Weak oversight leaves communities and forests at risk — a warning spotlighted at COP30. Researcher Genevieve Donnellon-May unpacks the stakes.

Genevieve Donnellon-May

Loyalty or defeat: How Xi shapes China’s military

Chinese President Xi Jinping sees factionalism and corruption as existential threats to China’s armed forces. The purges of generals He Weidong and Miao Hua underscore his belief that combat readiness — and loyalty to him — trump personal ties, even with his own allies, according to Japanese academic Takashi Suzuki.

Takashi Suzuki

How scammers are tarnishing Singapore’s incorruptible image

Singapore’s spotless reputation as a disciplined financial hub faces a reckoning as luxury property, philanthropy, and family offices become tools for global scam syndicates — testing how incorruptible the city-state truly is, says former journalist Goh Choon Kang.

Goh Choon Kang