Crime
Society
I went to Nanning to find the pyramid schemes that lured Singaporeans
After 52 Singaporeans were arrested in Guangxi, Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Sim Tze Wei travelled to Nanning to trace the pyramid schemes said to have lured them in — and found a city where real policies and projects can be repackaged as fake investment opportunities.
Sim Tze Wei
07 Sep 2026
Society
Dating apps build a business around catfishing older men
China’s dating scams are becoming an industrial business. Fraud rings use dating apps, fake local profiles and paid chat operators to build emotional ties with men and push them to spend on virtual gifts, ensnaring thousands of victims.
Caixin Global
14 Aug 2026
Society
Thai Buddhist amulets draw China’s anxious youth — and laundering networks
Thai Buddhist amulets have become a lifeline for anxious young Chinese — and an ideal vehicle for cross-border money laundering, forcing Thai authorities to crack down on the fast-growing amulet trade.
Caixin Global
07 Aug 2026
Society
Sold by the kilo: China’s pet protection blind spot
Celebrity dog Chutou was stolen and sold to a dog meat restaurant in China, with the thieves and the slaughterer nonchalantly and unapologetically offering compensation. Will this start a new awareness of animal rights? Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Li Kang gives her views.
Li Kang
22 Jun 2026
Politics
Can Trump survive a fourth political assassination attempt?
Reflecting on the assassination attempts against US President Trump, commentator Deng Yuwen argues that institutions once seen as sources of public confidence have weakened, while repeated gunfire in symbolic spaces of power shows external hatred increasingly penetrating the system’s boundaries. This is especially dangerous when the US president becomes a highly symbolic figure embodying political conflict.
Deng Yuwen
28 Apr 2026
Economy
China captures Prince Group associate tied to US$24 billion crypto network
The arrest of a senior associate of alleged crime boss Chen Zhi exposes the hidden machinery behind Prince Group’s empire, as China’s widening crackdown pulls back the curtain on a vast Southeast Asian network of scams, gambling and illicit finance.
Caixin Global
10 Apr 2026
Politics
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
12 Jan 2026
Society
‘Hanger war’ and more: Chinese merchants fight over logistics turf in Prato, Italy
In the city of Prato in Tuscany, Italy, incidents of crime involving the Chinese mafia are on the rise, not least in the the textile industry where feuds such as a “hanger war” among Chinese manufacturers have taken place. While the key fight is in the logistics arena, the overall atmosphere of tension has local officials on the alert. Italian academic Alessandro Albana surveys the situation.
Alessandro Albana
05 Dec 2025
Economy
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
11 Nov 2025
Society
Scam meals and broken hearts: The hidden cost of love in Hong Kong
A recent luxury dining scam in Hong Kong — where a man ditched a woman with a hefty bill — highlights a bigger story: a striking gender imbalance that is shaking up relationships and sparking unexpected twists in the city’s social scene. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Tai Hing Shing examines the issue.
Tai Hing Shing
22 Sep 2025