Supply Chain

China tech firms drive AI data centre boom in Southeast Asia

China is powering Southeast Asia’s data centre boom. But as demand surges and resources tighten, Chinese companies are localising their operations and reshaping the region’s digital infrastructure.

Caixin Global

28 Aug 2026

Can Vietnam build an industrial powerhouse of its own?

As Chinese manufacturers accelerate their shift into Vietnam to mitigate US tariff risks, can Vietnam build an industrial ecosystem of its own, or will it remain an extension of China’s manufacturing supply chain? Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Lee Chee Yang tells us more.

Lee Chee Yang

12 Aug 2026

Why China’s biotech rise is harder to contain than AI

China is emerging as a biotech powerhouse, but its rise is entwined with US drugmakers through research, licensing and supply chains, making decoupling far more difficult than in AI. Academic Chen Xiangming and biopharma industry practitioner Leon Tang analyse the situation.

Chen Xiangming, Leon Tang

05 Aug 2026

China’s AI-driven robotics boom faces IPO reality check

China’s strides in “embodied AI” — the integration of artificial intelligence into physical systems like robots — is built on world-class manufacturing and bold investor bets. But with IPOs looming, startups must prove their robots can generate real commercial value — not just hype.

Caixin Global

31 Jul 2026

Why global scale is no longer enough in a fractured world

Global scale once delivered efficiency and growth. Today, geopolitical fragmentation demands something more: the ability to govern global operations under pressure, opines Milken Institute’s Robin Hu.

Robin Hu

23 Jul 2026

Why Britain nationalised British Steel despite Chinese outrage 

The UK’s nationalisation of British Steel has drawn sharp criticism from China, but the dispute goes beyond one company. It reflects a broader shift in which national security increasingly outweighs market logic in shaping global investment decisions, says Lianhe Zaobao China news editor Yang Danxu.

Yang Danxu

22 Jul 2026

[Big read] How China weaponised its rare earth monopoly

Rare earths are only part of the story. Over three decades, China has transformed export controls from a regulatory measure into a powerful geopolitical tool, reshaping global supply chains and strategic competition. Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Chen Jing explores how experts see Beijing’s strategy evolving.

Chen Jing

21 Jul 2026

How Mercedes, BMW and Audi hope to win back China

China’s EV boom has disrupted Mercedes, BMW and Audi’s dominance in China, forcing them into a radical reset. As Chinese rivals accelerate, will the German trio abandon decades of engineering tradition to match the speed of China’s auto market?

Caixin Global

17 Jul 2026

How geopolitics rewired China’s economy

Looking beyond the numbers of China’s published half-year economic data, it is clear that structural changes in China’s economy are taking place, which will have broader effects in the longer term, says academic Gu Qingyang.

Gu Qingyang

15 Jul 2026

[Big read] One Taiwan, two speeds: The winners and losers of the AI boom

Taiwan’s AI boom is driving record growth and stock market highs, but beneath the prosperity, widening inequality and geopolitical risks threaten its long-term advantage. Lianhe Zaobao Taipei correspondent Lai Oi Lai speaks with experts and people on the ground to find out.

Lai Oi Lai

15 Jul 2026

Who governs food security now? Why Beijing’s answer matters most

Global food governance is increasingly dispersed across overlapping institutions and frameworks. Few countries are better positioned than China to bridge them, but whether Beijing chooses to do so remains the defining question, says researcher Genevieve Donnellon-May.

Genevieve Donnellon-May

10 Jul 2026

Chinese carmakers push deeper into Europe despite rising EU trade barriers

EU tariffs have not stopped China’s auto advance. Carmakers are capitalising on the popularity of Chinese electric vehicles and deepening their European footprint through local production, partnerships and regulatory adaptation.

Caixin Global

12 Jun 2026