Digital Economy
Economy
Can Southeast Asia survive Pinduoduo’s price onslaught?
Competing with Chinese e-commerce giants on price is a losing battle for Southeast Asia. Entrepreneur Simon Lim proposes a new model that leverages global supply chains, distributed local retail networks and AI to help it gain the strategic edge.
Simon Lim
11 Sep 2026
Technology
China’s new AI export: Tokens, not chips
Soaring costs, tightening semiconductor restrictions and the near-parity performance of Chinese AI models are driving some Southeast Asian countries to bypass the “build data centres” route in favour of outsourcing and purchasing inference results, says commentator Imran Khalid.
Imran Khalid
01 Sep 2026
Society
[Video] How Singapore travellers can navigate cashless payment in China
As Singaporeans surge into China, navigating its cashless economy is a key challenge. From card integration to cross-border app remittances, Lianhe Zaobao business journalist Thomas Li Tao breaks down the costs, limits and strategies involved for seamless spending.
Thomas Li Tao
27 Aug 2026
Technology
Undersea cables: The new US-China frontline
From trade wars to the seabed, Washington and Beijing are locked in a high-stakes struggle for control over global undersea cables and leadership of the future digital order. Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Sim Tze Wei looks into the matter.
Sim Tze Wei
24 Jun 2026
Technology
The illusion of independent AI: How the US and China control the machines
The clash over Anthropic reveals a deeper reality: frontier AI is inseparable from state power. While Washington reacts and Beijing plans, both are tightening control, driving a split into rival AI ecosystems. SMU academic Liang Chen shares his analysis.
Liang Chen
26 Mar 2026
Society
Xiamen: The city that gives residents a score and rewards good behaviour [Eye on Fujian series]
The familiar Minnan saying that harmony brings prosperity, is given a distinctly modern take in Xiamen’s Bailu Score (白鹭分), or “White Egret Score”. This is a personal credit score developed under the Xiamen municipal government which turns trust into usable currency in daily urban life. Economics professor Cai Xiqian explains.
Cai Xiqian
25 Mar 2026
Technology
How AI made animation a mass industry in China
By slashing costs and production times, AI has turned animation in China from a studio-led craft into a mass industry. Thousands of short drama series are now made by small teams and individual creators, says Chinese technology expert Yin Ruizhi.
Yin Ruizhi
26 Jan 2026
Technology
How China’s self-driving cars could redefine Europe’s tech rules
China’s carmakers are outpacing the West not just with cheaper EVs but with smarter strategies — adapting fast, partnering deep, and shaping the logic that will govern Europe’s autonomous future. Technopreneur Akhmad Hanan notes that Europe welcomes the tech, but fears the dependence.
Akhmad Hanan
24 Oct 2025
Economy
From outdated to unstoppable: The rise of mainland brands in Hong Kong
Compared with the overall leap in quality of mainland Chinese domestic products, Hong Kong brands have in the past few years appeared traditional and rigid, with dated reputes. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Tai Hing Shing takes a look at the appeal of mainland Chinese brands to Hong Kongers.
Tai Hing Shing
16 Oct 2025
Politics
Israel’s ‘digital bombs’: Is everyday tech becoming a weapon of war?
Israel’s digital warfare now extends from exploding pagers to cloud servers and AI tools. As global tech giants work with Israeli intelligence, academic Ma Haiyun cautions that the lines between war and civilian life — and between devices and weapons — are vanishing.
Ma Haiyun
13 Oct 2025