Research
Economy
[Video] AI, robots, innovative drugs: China’s high-tech trio rattles the West
AI, robotics and innovative drugs, coined the “new ‘new three’”, are leading China’s exports up the value chain, marking the country’s shift from labour-driven to knowledge-driven growth. ThinkChina’s Yi Jina explains.
Yi Jina
19 Oct 2026
Society
[Video] This PhD dropout exposes China’s academic fraud — can he change the system?
Online exposés by Student Geng, a PhD dropout-turned-influencer, have led to the downfall of top Chinese researchers and the largest academic misconduct investigation to date. ThinkChina’s Lu Lingming and Yi Jina find out what is fuelling the problem.
Lu Lingming, Yi Jina
09 Oct 2026
Economy
[Big read] China has the drugs. Can it build the next Pfizer?
Chinese pharmaceutical companies are moving from licensing to big pharma to building their own R&D, manufacturing and sales ecosystem overseas. Lianhe Zaobao China news correspondent Lim Zhan Ting speaks with industry insiders to find out how China managed to catch up.
Lim Zhan Ting
09 Oct 2026
Technology
[Big read] When tech listens to life: Material scientist Chen Xiaodong’s vision for the future
Materials scientist Chen Xiaodong is developing flexible electronics that can read signals from plants and sense the human body. For him, the future of technology lies not in making machines more powerful, but more attuned to life. Lianhe Zaobao senior writer Wang Hwee Wen finds out more.
Wang Hwee Wen
08 Oct 2026
Economy
[Big read] Is Singapore the ultimate ‘China+1’ biopharma hub?
China’s biotech industry is becoming a formidable force in drug R&D and manufacturing. For Singapore, its rise brings new competition — but also an opportunity to strengthen its role as a trusted China+1 hub for global pharma. Lianhe Zaobao senior business correspondent Lewis Ong Yong Huat speaks with industry players and government officials to find out more.
Lewis Ong Yong Huat
09 Sep 2026
Technology
China’s 582-tonne fusion magnet is not a weapon — yet
China’s 582-tonne superconducting magnet is not a weapon; it is a marker of integrated technological power. The real strategic weight lies in how its dual-use foundations could reshape energy, security and supply-chain leverage for generations to come, argues researcher Tahir Mahmood Azad.
Tahir Mahmood Azad
08 Sep 2026
Economy
How Guangzhou and Shenzhen weathered Trump’s tariff storm
Guangzhou and Shenzhen, manufacturing and technology engines of Guangdong province, were hard-hit by Trump 2.0 tariffs, but they managed to bounce back or even hold steady with resilience under pressure. Economics professor Jiang Kun gives her analysis in ThinkChina’s Eye on Guangdong series.
Jiang Kun
26 Aug 2026
Technology
How did Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou become the world’s number one tech hub?
The Global Innovation Index published by the World Intellectual Property Office puts the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou innovation cluster in first place. The tech hub’s unique combination of strengths has allowed it to surpass the usual suspects in Silicon Valley, observes academic Erik Baark in ThinkChina’s Eye on Guangdong series.
Erik Baark
25 Aug 2026
Society
Are Chinese universities abolishing the ‘iron rice bowl’?
Tongji University’s decision to replace faculty tenure with three-yearly assessments effectively ends the traditional “iron rice bowl” concept for university lecturers. Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Chen Jing explores the issue.
Chen Jing
20 Aug 2026
Politics
Fudan targeted as universities become casualties of the tech war
Fudan University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University have been placed on a US national security list, while China has targeted a European university. The moves signal a new era in which academic research is increasingly treated as a security risk. Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Sim Tze Wei reports.
Sim Tze Wei
18 Aug 2026
Politics
Why Xi gathered China’s top scientists in Beidaihe
China’s annual Beidaihe retreat has put basic research and frontier technologies centre stage, offering a rare glimpse into President Xi Jinping’s priorities as Beijing seeks breakthroughs in critical technologies. Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Chen Jing finds out.
Chen Jing
06 Aug 2026
