Research
Technology
[Big read] The returnees: Inside China’s AI talent reversal
From Silicon Valley to Beijing and Shenzhen, a growing number of AI researchers are returning to China, reshaping careers, companies and the global balance of tech talent. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Liu Sha examines this high-stakes return and what drives it.
Liu Sha
26 May 2026
Technology
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
Technology
The illusion of independent AI: How the US and China control the machines
The clash over Anthropic reveals a deeper reality: frontier AI is inseparable from state power. While Washington reacts and Beijing plans, both are tightening control, driving a split into rival AI ecosystems. SMU academic Liang Chen shares his analysis.
Liang Chen
26 Mar 2026
Technology
[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
17 Mar 2026
Society
Tu Zhiliang: The man who believes Chinese medicine can save the world
Just as Chinese restaurants thrive wherever there is an ethnic Chinese community, Gu Sheng Tang TCM CEO Tu Zhiliang wants the same for TCM services. Lianhe Zaobao senior lifestyle correspondent Dennis Ng speaks to the wuxia fan with a vision of saving the world through traditional Chinese medicine.
Dennis Ng
11 Mar 2026
Technology
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
27 Feb 2026
Economy
China’s beauty brands shine online as foreign rivals falter
China’s beauty upstarts are seizing the spotlight as foreign brands stumble in a fiercely competitive market. With digital savvy, localisation strategies and “self-developed” formulas, they are rewriting the rules of China’s cosmetics game. Will China’s cosmetics market become a battlefield foreign brands can no longer win?
Caixin Global
20 Feb 2026
Technology
Who’s winning the nuclear fusion race?
One of the many areas where China is vying with the US is the nuclear industry, particularly nuclear fusion for energy. While the US remains ahead for now, China is also moving quickly to build its nuclear infrastructure. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Lim Zhan Ting speaks to academics and those in the industry.
Lim Zhan Ting
13 Feb 2026
Technology
China’s humanoid robot boom: All hype, little practicality?
Over 150 humanoid robot companies are now operating in China, yet questions remain about whether these machines can truly deliver industrial value. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Yush Chau looks at challenges and prospects for the industry.
Yush Chau
12 Dec 2025
Technology
Innovative drugs: The new battleground in US-China rivalry
The race for innovative drugs has become a defining front in US-China competition. While the US leads in original innovation, China is rapidly advancing through strategy, scale and efficiency, shaping the future of global pharmaceutical development, says NUS Emeritus Professor Ong Choon Nam.
Ong Choon Nam
09 Dec 2025
Technology
Where China stands in the nuclear medicine gold rush
China is racing to turn its vast state-backed investment and swelling domestic isotope supply into a global power in nuclear medicine — but its bold drive to lead the next wave of cancer diagnostics and therapies still faces deep structural bottlenecks.
Caixin Global
28 Nov 2025