Economic Power
Economy
What SpaceX’s IPO means for China
While the SpaceX IPO may spur greater Chinese investment in AI-related high technology, it could also lead to side effects like speculative bubbles. Meanwhile, with national security politics overriding commercial pragmatism, China may increasingly be at a disadvantage. EAI senior research fellow Bo Chen analyses the situation.
Bo Chen
15 Jun 2026
Politics
The Middle Corridor: Where Turkey’s rise meets China’s ambitions
At a time of geopolitical uncertainty when Central Asian countries are hedging their bets and China’s Belt and Road Initiative itself is evolving, Turkey is rising as a power that can cultivate deeper relations with Central Asia and dominate Eurasian transit flows through the Middle Corridor. Academic Alessandro Arduino looks at the issue.
Alessandro Arduino
09 Jun 2026
Society
[Vox pop] Views of China and President Xi Jinping may be turning more positive
Based on soundings from our street interviews with people from different countries, perceptions of China seem rather positive, not only in terms of China’s economic power and high-tech manufacturing leap, but its leadership. ThinkChina’s Yi Jina speaks to the public to understand how views on China, its leadership and its global role are evolving — and what reservations remain.
Yi Jina
05 Jun 2026
Economy
Can US-China economic ties regain stability despite rivalry?
The US-China summit underscored efforts to stabilise strained economic ties. Despite rivalry, both sides are exploring ways to reduce uncertainty across trade, investment and strategic sectors. EAI senior research fellow Bo Chen gives his take on what he calls a managed relationship.
Bo Chen
21 May 2026
Politics
Trump in Beijing: Why even limited success is remarkable
Pomp and pageantry aside, the US-China summit focused on business and trade deliverables, with upbeat atmospherics masking deeper tensions. US academic Zhiqun Zhu explains why even limited progress is notable in a relationship defined by rivalry, mistrust and deep structural tensions.
Zhiqun Zhu
15 May 2026
Politics
How the EU is trapped in a status quo that rewards China
Europe finds itself at an impasse in its relations with China. Fundamentally, China holds more of the cards, and this does not change even with recent escalating events like the US-Israeli war on Iran. French researcher Mathieu Duchâtel gives his assessment.
Mathieu Duchâtel
26 Mar 2026
Politics
War in Iran could rewire China’s global role
In the longer term, the Iran war presents not just threats but also opportunities for China’s economy, such as by correcting deflationary pressure domestically and being viewed as a better bet in global supply chains and investment. Academic Gu Qingyang gives his analysis.
Gu Qingyang
23 Mar 2026
Politics
Hormuz closed: East Asia’s energy shock and strategic shift
East Asia stands to be massively affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, given its reliance on just-in-time liquefied natural gas (LNG) deliveries. Critical will be the way governments diversify their energy resources and maintain power-sector reliability and industrial continuity. Academic Hao Nan looks into the variables.
Hao Nan
10 Mar 2026
Economy
China as number three?
The latest OECD projections suggest that India will be the world’s largest economy in the next 40 years or so, with the US stabilising in second and China third. EAI non-resident senior fellow Bert Hofman offers an analysis of the reasons and factors behind this forecast.
Bert Hofman
04 Mar 2026
Politics
[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
27 Feb 2026
Politics
The limits of courts against shameless power
The Supreme Court’s ruling on US President Trump’s “reciprocal tariffs” is not proof that American democracy is alive and well and that the system will self-correct. Instead, it shows that usual guardrails like Congress and the fourth estate have been breached, leaving the Court the last line of defence but a shaky one at that. Does that leave American democracy forever damaged under Trump? Commentator Deng Yuwen weighs in.
Deng Yuwen
25 Feb 2026