Healthcare

[Big read] China has the drugs. Can it build the next Pfizer?

Chinese pharmaceutical companies are moving from licensing to big pharma to building their own R&D, manufacturing and sales ecosystem overseas. Lianhe Zaobao China news correspondent Lim Zhan Ting speaks with industry insiders to find out how China managed to catch up.

Lim Zhan Ting

09 Oct 2026

[Big read] Big Pharma bets billions on China biotech — will Washington pull the plug?

Western drugmakers are pouring billions into China’s fast-growing biotech sector, but the US’s push to scrutinise outbound investment could put one of the few thriving areas of US-China cooperation at risk. Lianhe Zaobao’s senior foreign correspondent Pang Kia Nian finds out more.

Pang Kia Nian

25 Sep 2026

BRICS must implement what it proposes

As long as BRICS cannot find a way to set implementation rules for its proposals, it can only target low-hanging fruit such as collaboration in health and food security, says ISAS academic Amitendu Palit.

Amitendu Palit

17 Sep 2026

[Big read] From singing bowls to forest therapy: China’s 10-trillion-RMB healing economy

China’s healing economy is booming as consumers spend on emotional wellbeing, from singing bowls and forest therapy to trendy toys. But as healing becomes big business, concerns over commercialisation and misleading claims are growing. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Zeng Shi finds out.

Zeng Shi

10 Sep 2026

[Big read] Is Singapore the ultimate ‘China+1’ biopharma hub?

China’s biotech industry is becoming a formidable force in drug R&D and manufacturing. For Singapore, its rise brings new competition — but also an opportunity to strengthen its role as a trusted China+1 hub for global pharma. Lianhe Zaobao senior business correspondent Lewis Ong Yong Huat speaks with industry players and government officials to find out more.

Lewis Ong Yong Huat

09 Sep 2026

Why China’s biotech rise is harder to contain than AI

China is emerging as a biotech powerhouse, but its rise is entwined with US drugmakers through research, licensing and supply chains, making decoupling far more difficult than in AI. Academic Chen Xiangming and biopharma industry practitioner Leon Tang analyse the situation.

Chen Xiangming, Leon Tang

05 Aug 2026

[Video] Effortlessly beautiful: China’s new obsession with ‘invisible’ cosmetic procedures

Why are millions of Chinese paying for cosmetic procedures that nobody is supposed to notice? The pursuit of “natural beauty” is reshaping the country’s booming medical aesthetics industry. ThinkChina’s Yi Jina finds out more.

Yi Jina

31 Jul 2026

How China’s changing the brain-computer interface race

By taking a semi-invasive approach to developing brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) — systems that link brain signals to computers — China is moving ahead of the US in commercialising BCI applications. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Liu Sha examines this development.

Liu Sha

20 Jul 2026

US’s biotech scrutiny tests China’s drugmakers abroad

A proposed US bill to tighten scrutiny of biotech investment in China is casting a shadow over cross-border drug licensing, threatening a fast-growing partnership model that has fuelled innovation and global drug development.

Caixin Global

10 Jul 2026

Cheap, fast and everywhere: Why China leads AI adoption

The tech race is not just about building the smartest AI — it is about who uses it first. China’s mature ecosystems and practical demands are driving hyper-rapid adoption, beating the US and other markets, says academic Huijuan Peng.

Huijuan Peng

09 Jul 2026

[Big read] Why Beijing wants its citizens to lose weight

China’s obesity crisis is growing despite a nationwide campaign to reverse it. Why is the problem getting worse? Lianhe Zaobao China journalist Meng Dandan speaks with experts and ordinary Chinese to find out.

Meng Dandan

08 Jul 2026

A journalist’s farewell: The people who changed how I see China

As her stint ends, Lianhe Zaobao Shanghai correspondent Li Kang looks past the trade wars and economic data to remember the raw resilience, vulnerability and quiet dignity of the ordinary people she met.

Li Kang

29 Jun 2026