Innovation
Technology
Winning the AI race without an OpenAI
Countries don’t need to build the next OpenAI to lead in AI. The real advantage lies in embedding AI across the economy, institutions and public services faster than everyone else, argue researchers Laurence Liew and Willie Shi.
Laurence Liew, Willie Jianzheng Shi
02 Jul 2026
Economy
‘We’re not that wealthy’: Beijing’s answer to China Shock 2.0
As trade tensions flare, China’s leadership is fiercely defending Chinese enterprises and rejecting the Western narrative of China as a threat. Lianhe Zaobao associate editor Han Yong Hong takes a look at the key takeaways of Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s speech during the Summer Davos forum.
Han Yong Hong
26 Jun 2026
Economy
High-tech farming cannot rescue China’s smallholders
China has grand plans for innovation-driven productivity in the agricultural sector, but how will these initiatives trickle down to the regions and the large proportion of smallholder farmers? Researcher Genevieve Donnellon-May discusses the issue.
Genevieve Donnellon-May
26 Jun 2026
Economy
From SpaceX to Meta: The geopolitics of who gets to invest
While SpaceX underwriters barred orders from investors in mainland China and Hong Kong leading up to its IPO, the Chinese government blocked Meta’s acquisition of Manus. Law experts Tan Chong Huat and Amanda Chen analyse the implications of such moves.
Tan Chong Huat, Amanda Chen
25 Jun 2026
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
Technology
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
Economy
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
29 Apr 2026
Technology
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
28 Apr 2026
Technology
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
20 Apr 2026
Politics
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, Zhao Xiuye
17 Apr 2026