Technology
Technology
China bans AI lovers, but loneliness remains
When man bonds with a machine, depends on it and feels affirmed by it, is a void filled? But what if the mirage disappears or the relationship is taken to extremes? Researcher Renwen Zhang contemplates the psyche behind the rise of AI companions.
Renwen Zhang
14 Aug 2026
Technology
How China is funding its AI ambitions without US capital
China’s hard tech sector once relied heavily on US and other overseas capital. As geopolitical tensions closed that funding channel, Beijing built a multi-tier domestic capital system that is now reshaping how Chinese AI and semiconductor companies grow, exit and attract private investment, opines technology specialist Yin Ruizhi.
Yin Ruizhi
13 Aug 2026
Economy
China’s beverage king Zhong Shanshan: E-commerce is killing ‘real’ commerce
Nongfu Spring founder Zhong Shanshan’s attack on platform dominance has reignited a bigger debate: have e-commerce platforms become too powerful, and who ultimately pays the price? Lianhe Zaobao China news editor Yang Danxu examines the issue.
Yang Danxu
12 Aug 2026
Politics
[Video] Bilahari Kausikan: How to navigate the new world order
Bilahari Kausikan, in an interview with ThinkChina editor Chow Yian Ping, examines how US-China rivalry is reshaping the global order, why China’s “China dream” narrative of national rejuvenation remains powerful but limiting, and how a more fluid, multipolar Asia will test the nimbleness of smaller states such as Singapore.
Chow Yian Ping
12 Aug 2026
Cartoon
ThinkCartoon (11 August 2026)
Heng Kim Song has been the freelance editorial cartoonist for Lianhe Zaobao since 1984. His cartoons are also featured in many major international publications including The New York Times, Asahi Shimbun, JoongAng Ilbo, South China Morning Post and Yazhou Zhoukan. His many awards include the Top Award in United Nations ESCAP’s Cartoon Competition and the Grafica Internazionale Award presented by Italian Museum of Political Satire and Caricature. Heng has also participated in many international exhibitions and events, including the World Economic Forum Annual Meetings held in Davos, Switzerland.
Heng Kim Song
11 Aug 2026
Technology
Can governments control an AI that breaks its cage?
Experts warn that advanced AI models with cyberattack capabilities should not be made open to the public. With defence windows down from weeks to hours in an AI cyberattack, Lianhe Zaobao journalist Tan Jet Min finds out what regulators need to do to mitigate the risks.
Tan Jet Min
11 Aug 2026
Politics
[Video] Is China stopping its own citizens from leaving?
China has introduced new rules on exit and entry administration, setting out when authorities can intervene in border crossings and when citizens may be barred from leaving the country. The regulation brings national security, export controls and technology concerns more directly into the rules governing cross-border movement. ThinkChina’s Lingming Lu looks into the issue.
Lu Lingming
07 Aug 2026
Economy
Tan Kong Yam: China’s dual economy is built for the long game
Singapore economist Tan Kong Yam argues that Beijing believes China’s weak traditional economy can endure while its technology sector drives long-term growth, eventually pulling the broader economy towards a gradual recovery. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Edwin Ong reports.
Edwin Ong
07 Aug 2026
Technology
Kimi K3’s lesson: The AI race won’t be won by containing China
China’s Kimi K3 shows that export controls alone cannot preserve US leadership in AI. The next phase of competition will depend less on slowing rivals than on strengthening America’s own innovation ecosystem. US academic Sarah Kreps weighs the issue.
Sarah Kreps
07 Aug 2026
Politics
Why China and the US need each other to compete
Far from heading towards complete decoupling, China and the US remain locked in a relationship where mutual dependence underpins both competition and cooperation, reshaping the future global order, notes academic Tan Kong Yam.
Tan Kong Yam
06 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
