Xi Jinping

China’s rural decline: The missing chapter in Zhu Rongji’s legacy

Nostalgia paints the late former Premier Zhu Rongji as China’s ultimate reformer. But a closer look at the 1990s reveals severe policy reversals that left the vast rural population behind. Professor Yasheng Huang analyses the missing piece of the picture.

Yasheng Huang

14 Aug 2026

[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

Is Cai Qi China’s real number two?

Politburo Standing Committee member Cai Qi appears to be Chinese President Xi Jinping’s right-hand man, but depending on whether trust or caution is higher in Xi’s calculations, Cai’s fate will be decided at the 21st Party Congress, says Taiwanese academic Wen-Hsuan Tsai.

Wen-Hsuan Tsai

04 Aug 2026

Xi in Pyongyang: Opening Asia’s frozen northeast frontier

The clearest signal delivered at Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Pyongyang visit was all in the map, says academic Hao Nan. A northern Northeast Asian corridor linking China’s northeast to the Tumen River, North Korea’s Rason, Russia’s Far East and the Sea of Japan, is now more possible than ever. 

Hao Nan

10 Jun 2026

Xi’s missing smile: What AI reveals about his meetings with Trump and Putin

Using a combination of state media news footage, artificial intelligence and a facial coding system, Taiwanese academic Wen-Hsuan Tsai finds that body language speaks volumes when he compares Chinese President Xi Jinping’s facial expressions in the Xi-Trump meetings of May 2026 and November 2017, and the Xi-Putin meeting of May 2026.

Wen-Hsuan Tsai

08 Jun 2026

[Vox pop] Views of China and President Xi Jinping may be turning more positive

Based on soundings from our street interviews with people from different countries, perceptions of China seem rather positive, not only in terms of China’s economic power and high-tech manufacturing leap, but its leadership. ThinkChina’s Yi Jina speaks to the public to understand how views on China, its leadership and its global role are evolving — and what reservations remain.

Yi Jina

05 Jun 2026

Can US-China economic ties regain stability despite rivalry?

The US-China summit underscored efforts to stabilise strained economic ties. Despite rivalry, both sides are exploring ways to reduce uncertainty across trade, investment and strategic sectors. EAI senior research fellow Bo Chen gives his take on what he calls a managed relationship.

Bo Chen

21 May 2026

[Video] US–China tech ties revealed at Xi’s power banquet

A carefully curated guest list at the high-profile state banquet during the Trump-Xi summit placed American and Chinese tech titans side by side, revealing not just diplomatic optics, but a supply chain that remains deeply intertwined despite rising geopolitical tension. ThinkChina’s Yi Jina finds out more.

Yi Jina

20 May 2026

ThinkCartoon (20 May 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

20 May 2026

Trump-Xi summit: Why China scored the bigger strategic win

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s “constructive strategic stability” framework and carefully choreographed optics defined the Trump-Xi summit, yielding modest gains for both sides, but a broader strategic advantage for China in setting the terms of future US-China relations. Academic Dylan Loh examines the details.

Dylan Loh

19 May 2026

Xi and Trump set for a second-best outcome in Beijing

As Trump makes his way to meet Xi in Beijing, the friction between the two countries will be difficult to resolve, and observers believe that the talks are unlikely to produce any major breakthroughs. Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Sim Tze Wei finds out from academics that stability and guardrails for bilateral relations is the least one might expect for a positive outcome of the summit.

Sim Tze Wei

13 May 2026

Why Southeast Asia wants a boring Trump-Xi summit

Southeast Asia is hoping the Trump-Xi meeting delivers something rare: stability. Despite Trump’s unpredictability, ASEAN sees calmer US-China ties as vital while diversifying beyond both powers, says ISEAS researcher Stephen Olson.

Stephen Olson

12 May 2026