Decoupling

What the US–Australia rare earth deal means for China

Australia and the US have struck a multi-billion-dollar deal to challenge China’s dominance in rare earths. But breaking Beijing’s near-monopoly will demand more than investment — it will test the foundations of the global economic order itself, argues academic Naoise McDonagh.

Naoise McDonagh

22 Oct 2025

From chips to cooking oil: Who plays the final card in US–China rivalry?

As much as they want to, China and the US cannot fully decouple from each other, and their tit-for-tat response to sanctions and export controls have put each other in a chokehold. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Sim Tze Wei notes that China is only taking a page from the US’s playbook.

Sim Tze Wei

16 Oct 2025

A ‘world minus one’: How Trump’s tariffs are pushing America out of global trade

US President Donald Trump’s tariff and trade wars are shaping a new world that is detrimental to the US. His tactics have alienated allies, and by abandoning the multilateral free trade system and international rules that the US itself helped build after World War II, the country has severely damaged its own credibility and is essentially destroying itself, says former journalist Goh Choon Kang.

Goh Choon Kang

12 Aug 2025

How the US–China education crackdown is fracturing the future

Amid the recent flurry of activity among US universities with regards to foreign students, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has taken aim at Chinese students, announcing aggressive actions to revoke visas. Lianhe Zaobao China news editor Yang Danxu looks at the possible consequences.

Yang Danxu

03 Jun 2025

The real winner of the tariff war

As the US seeks a “total reset” of China-US trade relations, China is at the critical juncture of industrial upgrading and economic transformation, with the success of its modernisation hanging in the balance, says academic Jianyong Yue.

Jianyong Yue

27 May 2025

[Big read] Sanctioned but surging: How China is building its AI empire

US efforts to restrict China’s access to advanced semiconductor technology have not stalled Beijing’s tech rise, but seems to have spurred a surge in China’s domestic innovation. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Tan Jet Min speaks to academics and industry players to find out more.

Tan Jet Min, ThinkChina

21 May 2025

China-US chip war heats up ahead of Trump 2.0

The Biden administration has hit China with another wave of tech sanctions, heating up the chip war ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s administration. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Yu Zeyuan takes a look at the impact of the chip rivalry between the two major powers.

Yu Zeyuan

09 Dec 2024

OpenAI’s block in Hong Kong and mainland China deepens China-US divide

After OpenAI blocks access to its application programme interfaces (APIs) for Hong Kong and mainland China, startups and large corporations alike would plan on splitting their consumer markets into two camps. Hong Kong commentator Eric Tse discusses the issue. 

Eric Tse

10 Jul 2024

Gravitation towards China Russia’s best geopolitical choice

US academic Dmitry Shlapentokh looks at the China-Russia and China-US relationships from a historical perspective, explaining why Russia and China are bound to each other in their common interests, despite centuries-old suspicions.

Dmitry Shlapentokh

07 May 2024

Chinese Minister Liu Jianchao: Asia's choice matters

Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Liu Jianchao made a keynote speech at the FutureChina Dialogue 2024 on 27 March co-organised by Business China Singapore, Lianhe Zaobao and ThinkChina. He spoke about Asia's role amid turbulence and the realignments of relationships among major countries of the world, and China's role in engaging with the region and working together to build better lives for their peoples. This is an edited transcript of his speech.

Liu Jianchao

28 Mar 2024

Pragmatism shall rule in China's 2024 international relations playbook

Amid China's top diplomat Wang Yi's stern warnings against "de-sinicisation in the name of de-risking" at the recent Munich Security Conference, academic Alessandro Arduino asks: is China prepared to alter its international relations playbook?

Alessandro Arduino

26 Feb 2024

What can we expect from the Xi-Biden summit?

While the US focuses on the competitive dimension of the relationship and emphasises the need to manage competition responsibly, China stresses a win-win outcome of the relationship through cooperation, says US academic Zhu Zhiqun. Will it be "never the twain shall meet" for the US and China?

Zhiqun Zhu

06 Nov 2023