Travel

[Video] How Singapore travellers can navigate cashless payment in China

As Singaporeans surge into China, navigating its cashless economy is a key challenge. From card integration to cross-border app remittances, Lianhe Zaobao business journalist Thomas Li Tao breaks down the costs, limits and strategies involved for seamless spending.

Thomas Li Tao

27 Aug 2026

Xi may meet Modi. But can China-India trust return?

Xi Jinping may meet Narendra Modi at next month’s BRICS summit, in what could mark another step in the China-India thaw. But after years of tensions, how far has the improvement in official ties extended to public perceptions? Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Sim Tze Wei examines the issue.

Sim Tze Wei

26 Aug 2026

Passports surrendered: Inside China’s expanding web of exit controls

China’s new regulations have reignited concerns over who may be prevented from leaving the country. While Beijing says the measures are aimed at safeguarding national security, broad discretionary powers and vague definitions could create greater uncertainty for travellers, says Lianhe Zaobao China news editor Yang Danxu.

Yang Danxu

05 Aug 2026

[Big read] Shopping over politics: How Chinese goods are winning over South Koreans 

South Koreans youths are embracing Chinese brands — from bubble tea and electric cars to robot vacuums — separating politics from life products. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Kang Gwiyoung finds out why and if this could lead to improved China-South Korea relations.

Kang Gwiyoung

27 Jul 2026

China tightens control over AI experts at private firms — will this backfire?

The global AI race is heating up as China makes a surprising move to keep top AI talents from leaving the country. Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Sim Tze Wei finds out the implications.

Sim Tze Wei

28 May 2026

[Video] Living in the moment: Two Singaporean artists finding home in Jingdezhen

In Jingdezhen, China’s porcelain capital, Singaporean ceramists Ken Lu and Nelson Lim have each found their own mecca — a place for Ken to put down roots, and for Nelson to continually return to. Living in the Moment, produced by Lu Lingming and Yi Jina, is ThinkChina’s first documentary film. It explores how the city reshapes Ken and Nelson’s identities as Chinese Singaporeans, while tracing their lifelong pursuit of art and craft.

Lu Lingming, Yi Jina

22 May 2026

[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

15 May 2026

Beyond trade: The human ties reshaping Indonesia-China relations

Beyond Chinese infrastructural investment or resources extraction in Indonesia, the web of exchanges formed from building mobility, education and institutional links could help to foster a more holistic approach to building bilateral relations and make them stronger, says analyst Kevin Zongzhe Li.

Kevin Zongzhe Li

28 Apr 2026

Empire in decline? Asian Americans in an age of anxiety

Amid intensified immigration enforcement, many immigrants and Asian Americans report rising fear, discrimination and uncertainty, reshaping daily life and eroding confidence in the American promise. Chinese American academic Wu Guo shares some insight on the long-term impact of ICE operations on the psyche of the Asian community.

Wu Guo

23 Apr 2026

[Photos] Gulangyu: Where Lim Bo Seng studied and Hokkien tycoons built their dreams [Eye on Fujian series]

Gulangyu, a UNESCO-listed island off Xiamen, was once a haven for Hokkien tycoons from Southeast Asia. Housing gems from Lim Bo Seng’s abode in student days to grand mansions, it reflects a rich, transregional past. NUS architecture professor Chen Yu takes us through the mesmerising vistas of Gulangyu.

Chen Yu

26 Mar 2026

[Vox pop] ‘Not all Chinese, but always Chinese?’ How Chinese tourists are seen overseas

Chinese tourists often spark debate in global travel circles: admired for their spending power, yet frequently criticised online for behaviour such as cutting queues or littering. ThinkChina’s Yi Jina and Lu Lingming speak with foreign travellers and mainland Chinese tourists about how these images are formed and how fair they are.

Yi Jina, Lu Lingming

13 Feb 2026

[Big read] Why Singapore’s Malay travellers are falling for China

From halal hotpot in subzero winters to TikTok-fuelled city breaks, Malay Singaporeans are finding a China that upends long-held assumptions — warmer, cheaper and far more welcoming than imagined. Lianhe Zaobao senior writer Wang Hwee Wen finds out more.

Wang Hwee Wen

10 Feb 2026