Science

[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

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

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

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

[Video] Why China’s thorium breakthrough is a win for China’s energy security

Thorium is now emerging as a potential game changer for China’s nuclear energy advancement and energy security, after the country’s world-first breakthrough of converting thorium into uranium fuel in a molten salt reactor. ThinkChina’s Yi Jina explains.

Yi Jina

26 Dec 2025

Chinese medicine injections face rigorous regulation for the first time

China’s once-booming market for traditional medicine injections is facing tough scrutiny as regulators demand modern proof for age-old remedies.

Caixin Global

15 Dec 2025

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

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

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

China’s thorium breakthrough could power ships for ten years on a single charge

China’s recent breakthrough in converting thorium to uranium could potentially free it from reliance on imported uranium. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Yu Zeyuan takes a look at the advantages of thorium as a nuclear fuel and how it could change China’s position in the global energy landscape.

Yu Zeyuan

03 Nov 2025

From Qin Shi Huang to Putin: The dangerous dream of immortality

Throughout history, emperors and dictators have sought immortality. It is no different today as the powerful and wealthy continue to search for ways to live longer, albeit with modern science. Academic Zhang Tiankan says that despite the extreme lengths these people go through, turning back time is just a pipe dream.

Zhang Tiankan

19 Sep 2025

Controversial mind-body therapy attracts over 1 million Chinese seeking miraculous cures

Ajitai Health Group’s Mongolian mind-body interactive (MBI) therapy is captivating over a million Chinese with promises of miraculous cures. This controversial programme, blending modern psychology with traditional medicine, stirs debate between faith and science. While patients flock to its sessions for hope, critics warn of the dangers of its unverified claims.

Caixin Global

18 Jul 2025