Freedom Of Speech
Society
China’s political debate finds a new home on YouTube
China’s political debate finds a new home on YouTube, where overseas-based commentators build a parallel public sphere still widely accessed in China via VPN, even as some voices remain on the ground. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Zhang Guanghui explores the shift.
Zhang Guanghui
12 May 2026
Society
Under typhoon skies: Rediscovering the Hong Kong I thought I’d lost
After a recent trip to Hong Kong that coincided with Typhoon Wipha, ThinkChina’s Candice Chan muses about the Hong Kong she knew and loved before, and the Hong Kong she got to know again, under the wind and rain.
Candice Chan
08 Aug 2025
Politics
[Video] Professor Yasheng Huang: Xi Jinping and the challenge of reform
Professor Yasheng Huang, Professor of Global Economics and Management at the MIT Sloan School, speaks with ThinkChina editor Chow Yian Ping in a wide-ranging interview, covering topics including global instability, the result of the US elections and China’s political system. The following is an edited transcript of part two of the interview.
Chow Yian Ping
04 Apr 2025
Politics
The influencer-in-chief: How Trump tamed the social media beast
Extensive free speech protections and the advent of the internet and social media have rendered the US fertile ground for the rise of influencer leaders, argues academic Fei-ling Wang. Leading the charge is US President Donald Trump, says Wang, who tells us more about the recent political trend.
Fei-Ling Wang
02 Apr 2025
Cartoon
[Comic] Wukong’s shadow: China’s search for self
Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk wisely observed, “We are neither slaves of our great tradition, nor enemies of it.” This holds true for China, a nation with a rich aesthetic heritage that nonetheless struggles to find a contemporary artistic language. In our globalised world, “re-encoding” tradition often reduces it to superficial symbolism, obscuring its intellectual core and contemporary relevance. This weakens art’s reflective power and limits its cultural openness. Aesthetics should transcend mere emotional comfort in times of crisis; it should provoke reflection, questioning, and deeper understanding. It should foster dialogue with the world and facilitate self-examination for individuals and cultures alike. This is not simply about innovation in form, but also a way of being “human”. “Aphasia” and “fragmentation” haunt Chinese contemporary art. Ideally, contemporary art should move beyond the reshaping or glorification of traditional symbols, and reject the siren song of consumer culture. Instead, it must transcend symbolism and commercialisation, and strive for a more authentic cultural expression. — Bai Yi, comic artist
Bai Yi
27 Dec 2024
Politics
Quick fixes and false promises: The rise of populism in the West
Commentator Chen Kuohsiang says that the rise of the far right in the West offers seemingly simple solutions to current issues such as immigration, economic difficulties and military conflicts, but it does not get to the root of the problem.
Chen Kuohsiang
29 Oct 2024
Politics
Taiwan media has freedom of the press but...
Just because Taiwan's press freedom ranks among the world's best, it does not mean that there is freedom of speech that allows one to spout whatever one wishes. Nor does it mean that Taiwan's news would be trustworthy, fair and objective, says former member of Taiwan's Legislative Yuan, Tsai Pi-ru. She compares the situations between Taiwan and Singapore and wonders what would be ideal.
Tsai Pi-ru
29 Sep 2023
Culture
Why a 'nonsense song' is all the rage in China
Hua Language Centre director Chew Wee Kai gives his take on nonsense songs, from children's rhymes to the latest viral hit in China - Luocha Haishi by Dao Lang. At first glance, these ditties seem to indulge one's imaginations, but on closer inspection, they offer commentaries on the world.
Chew Wee Kai
18 Aug 2023
Society
No one wants to see China's propaganda slogans in London. Not even as graffiti
A London-based Chinese student's graffiti has drawn widespread attention, as he painted the 12 core socialist values of the Chinese Communist Party on a wall in Brick Lane. While he denies political significance in the work, many local residents have responded to it by adding their own take, while netizens are debating its meaning. Lianhe Zaobao's China Desk looks at the young student's motivation and its result.
China Desk, Lianhe Zaobao
16 Aug 2023
Politics
Why can't God of Wealth and Taylor Swift exist side by side: Reflecting on Washington Post's article on Lianhe Zaobao
A recent piece in the Washington Post claims that Lianhe Zaobao is a pro-China mouthpiece that lacks its own stand. Lianhe Zaobao's associate editor Peter Ong examines the paper's editorial considerations and responds to the Post's comments.
Peter Ong
14 Aug 2023
Society
Can stand-up comedians cross lines and tackle taboos in China?
A Chinese stand-up comedian has landed himself in trouble after cracking a joke seeming to compare the People's Liberation Army with dogs. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Wong Siew Fong finds out why people are up in arms, and if the authorities' slew of punishment is justified.
Wong Siew Fong
25 May 2023