Poverty

[Big read] The Chinese chasing gold across Africa

Driven by the lure of riches, Chinese miners are risking it all to mine for gold in Africa. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Lim Zhan Ting finds out if it is worth it, amid government crackdowns and the known dangers.

Lim Zhan Ting

11 Jun 2026

[Big read] From 80 square feet to a home: New hope for Hong Kong’s poor?

Hong Kong’s persistently high property prices have left hundreds of thousands of its residents with little choice but to rent subdivided units with terrible living conditions. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Tai Hing Shing speaks to residents to find out if government initiatives are helping.

Tai Hing Shing

08 Oct 2025

[Big read] Durians, tea and livestreams: Can rural China power its 2035 modernisation dream?

Durians and livestreaming are boosting China’s rural economy, but can border trade compete with established hubs? Experts weigh in on the challenges of revitalising remote areas, from corruption to talent drain, as China aims for modernisation by 2035. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Sim Tze Wei reports from Malipo county on the China-Vietnam border.

Sim Tze Wei

04 Jun 2025

Extreme policies by Trump and Musk may not work for a weakened US

The American economy faces significant challenges, including a poverty crisis and a budget deficit. Can Trump and Musk address these issues with their radical policies, or might they exacerbate them? Political science professor Han Dongping suggests that their approaches may be too extreme for a divided and weakened US.

Han Dongping

13 Dec 2024

Is China's middle class slipping back into poverty?

As the group of people most sensitive to social change, the middle class is a yardstick for measuring the state of China's current economy and a window into the future. At the moment, the signs are there that China's middle class is not doing as well as before, leading to cutting down on spending and saving on daily expenses.

China Desk, Lianhe Zaobao

03 Apr 2024

China's 'first generation of migrant workers' fail to achieve generational leap

As China's migrant workers get older, it can get harder for them to find jobs, especially for those aged 50 and above. Add to that the challenges of physical limits, lack of education and general disadvantages in terms of salary and insurance, and the issue of elderly migrant workers becomes very stark.

China Desk, Lianhe Zaobao

17 Jan 2024

American dream shattered: Chinese drifter with doctoral degree stirs debate in China

Recent news reports featured a Chinese man who slept on the streets of New York, who turned out to be a doctoral degree holder educated in Fudan University and the US. The story of how he did not return to China after getting a scholarship and became a US citizen but ultimately ended up on the streets drew reactions from the Chinese, who questioned why China should take him back.

China Desk, Lianhe Zaobao

16 Jan 2024

Rise of youth suicides in HK: Academic and unemployment woes

Youth suicide rates are on the increase in Hong Kong, with stresses such as academic pressure and unemployment woes some of the key factors. While the issue is multifaceted, giving hope and promoting mental well-being is a project that everyone in society can work on together.

Paul Yip

13 Dec 2023

The utopian post-capitalist world we can create with AI

Today, China faces almost the same set of problems that the capitalist states are struggling with. In a post-capitalist world where an entire demographic degenerate into the "useless class", capitalism will lose the market on which it depends. EAI senior research fellow Lance Gore imagines what this could mean for the Chinese Communist Party and other advocates of the socialist path.

Lance Gore

05 Jun 2023

[Comic] Against the blazing sun

People from northeastern China are like African Americans or Osakans. We have a history of wandering, irrational optimism and a sense of righteous clannishness. In our veins runs comic talent, along with being governed and discriminated against. Under all the snow and ice lie warm poems and folk songs, while the wild fires, steel and concrete encase a helpless rebelliousness. We understand everything, we know everything, but we choose to be kind. We are forced to leave our homes to seek a place that will accept us. We will say nothing. Our leather coats and dark glasses will never come off. We will tell you: "This is nothing to us." - Bai Yi, comic artist

Bai Yi

17 Mar 2023

The complex economics behind gifting in rural China

A common practice in rural China is to give monetary gifts during important occasions, be it weddings or funerals. These gifts can drain a sizeable part of a person's income, and deciding on the amount to give is an art in itself. Economics professor Zhang Rui tells us more about this longstanding tradition.

Zhang Rui

16 Feb 2023

What is China's 'new era'? [Part 1]

EAI senior research fellow Lance Gore explains why the sudden reversal of globalisation, constant turbulence due to global developments and the fragmentation of international relations are some very real coordinates of China's "new era". In response, apt and concrete policies along the socialism axis can be devised to meet the challenges.

Lance Gore

03 Feb 2023