Society

[Big read] The northbound drift: Hong Kong’s quiet exodus to the Greater Bay Area

The cost of living in Hong Kong is notoriously high, and some Hong Kongers are choosing to move to cities in the Greater Bay Area in mainland China to live and work, in pursuit of a more manageable pace and quality of life. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Tai Hing Shing finds out more.

Tai Hing Shing

How AI is mining worker data to reshape the labour market

China’s AI boom is entering the office: companies are increasingly turning employees’ habits, decisions and workflows into digital workers — fuelling fears that staff are quietly training their own replacements.

Caixin Global

Deflation: Beijing’s blind spot or its strategy?

China’s deflation reflects both weak demand and deliberate industrial strategy. But the model depends on consumption eventually catching up, raising questions over sustainability and regional spillovers for Southeast Asia. Researcher Genevieve Donnellon-May explains.

Genevieve Donnellon-May

[Big read] Banned or not, Taiwanese keep heading to mainland China anyway

Despite restrictions on group tours, Taiwanese continue travelling to mainland China in growing numbers, driven by demand, rising costs at home and expanding unofficial travel channels. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Chuang Hui Liang reports from Taipei.

Chuang Hui Liang

How Peking duck went from imperial Beijing to Singapore’s kopitiams

Once a delicacy savoured at imperial banquets, Peking duck has shed its exclusivity and reinvented itself for the masses — evolving in style, price and ritual as it finds an unexpected new home in the heartlands. Lianhe Zaobao lifestyle correspondent Tang Ai Wei finds out more.

Tang Ai Wei

China’s political debate finds a new home on YouTube

China’s political debate finds a new home on YouTube, where overseas-based commentators build a parallel public sphere still widely accessed in China via VPN, even as some voices remain on the ground. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Zhang Guanghui explores the shift.

Zhang Guanghui

[Vox pop] How do Chinese people see AI?

In recent years, China has become one of the fastest-moving players in the global AI race. AI is now becoming part of everyday life for many Chinese people. And now, amid the sweeping changes triggered by this technological wave, ThinkChina’s Lu Lingming and Yi Jina speak with some Chinese to hear what they really think about AI today.

Lu Lingming

The politics of mainland spouses in Taiwan

China-born politician Li Chen-hsiu was recently expelled from Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan and the Taiwan People’s Party, highlighting the plight of mainland spouses in Taiwan. The existing legal framework provides ambiguity and thus some flexibility, but the status quo is changing under a government that increasingly defines Taiwan in opposition to China. Malaysian academic Ngeow Chow Bing explores the implications of this development.

Ngeow Chow Bing

[Big read] Nuclear power plants: Energy security or wartime risk? 

Following major nuclear disasters including Chernobyl and Fukushima, safety measures have been ramped up on nuclear facilities, but mostly for accident scenarios during peacetime, and without internationally binding commitments. With energy needs increasing yet geopolitical tensions rising and nuclear power plants sited in potential conflict zones, what concrete steps can governments take to mitigate the risks? Lianhe Zaobao’s associate foreign editor So Geok Lan finds out more.

So Geok Lan

[Video] Lim Siong Guan: Can Singapore survive?

Singapore’s rise from “unwanted independence” to a trusted global brand was no accident. Former head of the civil service Lim Siong Guan reflects on working with Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Keng Swee in an interview with ThinkChina’s James Loo, and explains why small states must think long term in a world of unknown unknowns, as well as how culture, trust and a stellar civil service matter more than ever as Singapore navigates great power rivalry and rapid technological change.

James Loo

[Big read] Pinglu Canal: Redrawing China-ASEAN trade routes

The Guangxi’s Pinglu Canal, hailed as the “project of the century”, is expected to open in September, adding a major artery to the region’s access to the sea and seen as a key to unlocking Guangxi’s development. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Lim Zhan Ting finds out from traders, shipping operators and local residents their expectations from the improved connectivity.

Lim Zhan Ting

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