Hi-Tech Manufacturing

How geopolitics rewired China’s economy

Looking beyond the numbers of China’s published half-year economic data, it is clear that structural changes in China’s economy are taking place, which will have broader effects in the longer term, says academic Gu Qingyang.

Gu Qingyang

15 Jul 2026

[Big read] One Taiwan, two speeds: The winners and losers of the AI boom

Taiwan’s AI boom is driving record growth and stock market highs, but beneath the prosperity, widening inequality and geopolitical risks threaten its long-term advantage. Lianhe Zaobao Taipei correspondent Lai Oi Lai speaks with experts and people on the ground to find out.

Lai Oi Lai

15 Jul 2026

Is China a threat, or just out-engineering everyone?

Inverting Joseph Needham’s questions about the failure of modern science in China gives us a framework to understand China’s advances in science and innovation today, especially its edge in AI, says academic Erik Baark.

Erik Baark

13 Jul 2026

Has China hit the limits of chip self-reliance?

China is producing more chips than ever, but because its exports remain cheap compared to high-end imports, Beijing still depends heavily on foreign semiconductor technology. Economist Min-Hua Chiang shares her findings.

Min-Hua Chiang

16 Jun 2026

China’s space rise is real — yet key gaps still keep the US ahead

Beijing is rapidly catching up to Washington in the global space economy, with China dominating key dual-use technologies. However, Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Li Kang finds out that China still lags behind in scale.

Li Kang

10 Jun 2026

[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

Rewriting the rules: Huawei’s new gamble to break the US’s chip blockade

Huawei has unveiled a new chip design law that could help China bypass US semiconductor restrictions and achieve tech sovereignty. Lianhe Zaobao associate editor Han Yong Hong tells us more.

Han Yong Hong

29 May 2026

Mythos vs DeepSeek: Why cheap AI could tip the US-China tech race

While US AI platforms such as Claude may be more sophisticated or advanced than Chinese products such as DeepSeek, perhaps one key advantage of Chinese technology is that it is much cheaper, which may make all the difference in the long term. Technology expert Yin Ruizhi weighs in.

Yin Ruizhi

21 May 2026

AI drives markets as valuations race ahead of earnings

From Wall Street to Shanghai, stock markets are hitting record highs as investors crowd into a narrowband of AI and semiconductor giants, turning the rally into a concentrated surge rather than a broad advance. But with gains increasingly reliant on a handful of megacap companies, is the AI boom an overstretched bubble?

Caixin Global

11 May 2026

China is arming the Global South — and expanding its influence

China has turned its defence industry into a formidable exporter, reshaping security across the Global South. As researcher Tahir Mahmood Azad argues, its weapons come bundled with ties that draw states into Beijing’s strategic orbit.

Tahir Mahmood Azad

05 May 2026

China’s seed war for food security and supply chains

China is turning seeds into a strategic frontier — balancing domestic food security needs with global ambitions in agricultural supply chains, biotech dominance and the geopolitics of food production. Researcher Genevieve Donnellon-May explains.

Genevieve Donnellon-May

27 Apr 2026

Who steers AI: China’s industrial state vs America’s frontier builders?

As AI ultimately is controlled by people, capital and intentions, understanding the US and China’s different approaches to AI will help to unlock the trajectory of Al development of the future, beyond the rhetoric of an AI “war” or counting who’s winning, says Danish academic Erik Baark.

Erik Baark

14 Apr 2026