Innovation

How caviar became China’s most unexpected success story

China’s culinary tradition prized technique over luxury ingredients. Now, rising affluence and innovation are changing that — turning caviar and other premium foods into symbols of status and engines of growth. Economist Li Jingkui looks at how high-end ingredients can play a part in boosting the economy.

Li Jingkui

Why Seedance beat Sora in the race for AI video generation

Chinese AI companies’ focus on cost efficiency and concrete applications — compared with US companies’ focus on fundraising and compliance over deployment — has given them the upper hand in dominating global market share and reach. Chinese technology expert Yin Ruizhi observes that aside from the AI video generation field, China is poised to overtake the US in more AI domains.

Yin Ruizhi

China’s tech titans tussle in AI video gold rush

AI agents were all the rage in March, but by April, the spotlight had shifted to AI-generated video. The pace of launches has accelerated, but so has the regulatory scrutiny and backlash due to copyrighted IP.

Caixin Global

ByteDance’s billion-RMB bet on China’s first AI-native hospital

Backed by the deep pockets of ByteDance, a private hospital in Beijing is attempting an ambitious architectural experiment: building a medical centre where AI is not just an assistant, but the “native” brain of the entire institution — though the path from “digital employee” to medical reality faces steep technical and financial hurdles.

Caixin Global

From exception to rule: Top scientists reshape China’s party leadership

Academicians from China’s top scientific bodies, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), are increasingly entering the CCP’s leadership, reshaping elite governance and driving the country’s rapid, innovation-led technological rise, observe academic Li Cheng and pre-doctoral fellow Zhao Xiuye of the Centre on Contemporary China and the World in Hong Kong.

Li Cheng

[Big read] China’s young workers pay the price of AI before reaping the gains

Jobs are not only being replaced by artificial intelligence, those seemingly secure will be restructured, with different tasks or a cut in pay. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Li Kang speaks with Chinese employees who are feeling the impact to find out what they are doing to secure their future.

Li Kang

When cost and practical application takes priority: China surpasses US in AI adoption

Chinese AI models have surpassed US’s in global call volume recently, marking a turning point in the global AI development landscape. Chinese technology expert Yin Ruizhi breaks down why Chinese AI companies have been able to leap ahead in such a short time.

Yin Ruizhi

[Big read] China’s ‘fur kids’ fuel a billion-dollar pet boom

China’s growing love for pets has created a billion-dollar industry, with smart devices, AI services and full life-cycle care. Local governments are also backing the trend to boost domestic consumption. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Zeng Shi speaks to industry players to find out more about the shift in social attitudes and policies that have led to this growth.

Zeng Shi

Lawrence Wong: China at the heart of Asia’s stability and prosperity

China’s growing economic scale, technological innovation and active engagement in trade and regional initiatives make it a crucial force in shaping Asia’s stability, growth and prosperity over the next 25 years. This is the transcript of the speech delivered by Singapore’s Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong at the 2026 Bo'ao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference on 26 March 2026.

Lawrence Wong

Will Fujian ever surpass Taiwan in GDP and income? [Eye on Fujian series]

For many years, Fujian’s development narrative included an ambitious goal: to surpass Taiwan in GDP first and per capita income later. Slower growth and Taiwan’s tech edge make that increasingly challenging. EAI senior research fellow Bo Chen explains Fujian’s rise and its challenges.

Bo Chen

[Big read] Li Zexiang: The professor behind China’s drone boom and its future engineers

When DJI CEO Frank Wang’s undergraduate project failed, most would have turned him away. But Professor Li Zexiang, a leading innovator in China’s engineering education, recognised his potential and took him under his wing. Han Yong May, deputy editor-in-chief of SPH’s Chinese Media Group, sits down with Li as part of Lianhe Zaobao’s Future 365 interview series, to find out how his new engineering education system is building a new generation of engineers.

Han Yong May

China’s tech giants burn cash to try to dominate AI healthcare

Tech giants in China are splashing huge sums on AI healthcare assistants, while regulators and medical tests push the technology forward — but with most services still free and business models unclear, can AI really transform healthcare and make money?

Caixin Global