Diplomacy
Technology
Can Apple’s new engineer-CEO master the China balancing act?
Outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook mastered corporate diplomacy balancing the company’s relations with rivals US and China. Academic Ruay-Shiung Chang takes a look at what incoming CEO John Ternus will inherit.
Ruay-Shiung Chang
19 Aug 2026
Politics
[Big read] China’s multidimensional squeeze: ‘Governing’ Taiwan before reunification
Beijing is widening its Taiwan strategy, using diplomacy, law, maritime pressure and integration to gradually create conditions for reunification. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Miao Zong-Han speaks with experts to find out.
Miao Zong-Han
12 Aug 2026
Politics
Iran misread what China meant by ‘strategic partner’
Iranians have long considered how China would act in a crisis involving the US and Israel. It got its answer in the recent Iran war, where it has had to lower its expectations and extract practical gains from China, observes Iranian analyst Mohammad Khatibi.
Mohammad Khatibi
11 Aug 2026
Politics
Quietly, not silently: How Vietnam deals with China on the South China Sea
Vietnam did not sign the joint statement on the Tribunal Award invalidating China’s claims on the South China Sea. Hanoi’s consistent “speak less, do more” approach combines public restraint with a range of quieter policy tools, observes ISEAS academic Huynh Trung Dung.
Huynh Trung Dung
04 Aug 2026
Politics
Why China rescued Vietnam’s ship in the South China Sea but targets the Philippines
China rescued a Vietnamese vessel in disputed waters even as maritime tensions with the Philippines flared. The contrast reveals Beijing’s South China Sea calculus. Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Sim Tze Wei explains.
Sim Tze Wei
30 Jul 2026
Politics
Has China really ‘won’ in the Iran war?
The Iran war has boosted China’s leverage in the energy sector and deepened its commercial presence in the Gulf. But states in the region want China to be a more proactive stakeholder, a role Beijing may not be ready to take on, says researcher Jing Lin.
Jing Lin
30 Jul 2026
Politics
The new AI blocs: Are China’s WAICO and America’s Pax Silica splitting the tech world?
China’s WAICO and the US-led Pax Silica represent two competing approaches to AI governance. As both gain traction, the question is whether they will create rival technological spheres or coexist within a shared global framework, says academic Hao Nan.
Hao Nan
24 Jul 2026
Politics
Why does Beijing want North Korea’s Tumen River?
Beijing’s latest rapprochement with Pyongyang reflects a calculated exchange of economic assistance, security coordination and geopolitical interests, with the long-blocked Tumen River sea route emerging as a potential strategic payoff. Journalist Kang Gwiyoung explains.
Kang Gwiyoung
21 Jul 2026
Politics
Not just about China: New Japan-India synergies
Japan’s approach to India used to be tinted by its relations with China, hence the phrase “hot politics, cool economics”. Not anymore, as Trump 2.0 policies and energy security worries now mean greater scope for working with India, says Japanese academic Toru Ito.
Toru Ito
20 Jul 2026
Politics
Ten years after the South China Sea ruling: Is China’s position better or worse?
The reality of the South China Sea is increasingly being shaped by Chinese power. This is the outcome that could matter more than 2016’s arbitral ruling and the countries rallying around it, says commentator Deng Yuwen.
Deng Yuwen
16 Jul 2026
Society
Too fast to censor: How online rage is turning on China’s elites
From singer Han Hong to China’s ambassador to India, recent online backlashes reveal how China’s attention economy can turn public frustration into viral outrage before regulators are able to respond. Lianhe Zaobao associate editor Han Yong Hong tells us more.
Han Yong Hong
10 Jul 2026