Looking at the recent spate of pro-Palestinian student activism on US campuses, US academic Wu Guo reflects on student movements in the US, and the drivers and complexities behind them. The decision to speak up may not always be about principles, democracy or freedom.

From steel and batteries to electric vehicles, the surplus Chinese products that cannot be absorbed by its domestic market are being boycotted by many countries, especially Europe and the US. Is China guilty of dumping? Who has the final say on what qualifies as “overcapacity”? Can China’s trade-in of consumer goods action plan help deal with its overcapacity? 

With the world’s largest democracy currently undergoing elections, Lianhe Zaobao foreign desk journalist Hai Kexian and associate foreign editor So Geok Lan take a look at the possibility of a third term as prime minister for India’s Narendra Modi and the challenges he faces.

US academic Dmitry Shlapentokh looks at the China-Russia and China-US relationships from a historical perspective, explaining why Russia and China are bound to each other in their common interests, despite centuries-old suspicions.

Japanese academic Atsuhito Isozaki explains why China and North Korea share less common ground than what is usually proclaimed in public statements. For that matter, North Korea’s plans of deepening relations with other socialist countries might be a tall order.

Although Asia is the world’s second-largest source of ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs), donations by Asia’s UHNWIs only account for 13% of the global share. This may be about to change, with the rise of family offices being set up in Singapore, and new modes of gifting that make it easier for donations of the wealthy to reach those in need here and in the region.

Technology specialist Yin Ruizhi notes that one major factor hindering China’s AI startup sector is the lack of venture capital coming in, due to a variety of reasons including regulations as well as a conservative approach by the Chinese government.

EAI senior research fellow Lance Gore notes that US concerns over what is perceived as China’s overcapacity might be unfounded and even indicative of US protectionism, and the fear that China might dominate manufacturing.

Academic Lian-Hee Wee and researcher Ng Kum Hoon rue the decline of Hong Kong comics, even if classics like Tony Wong’s crime syndicate-related, pugilistic stories live on to today. Politics aside, is it a question of Hong Kong’s youths being too pampered? Or is the industry bent on sterilising itself?

China has made great strides in its space exploration efforts in the past few years, most recently with the successful launch of Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship. However, Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Yu Zeyuan notes that while China is narrowing the gap in aerospace technology with the US, there is still a long way to go to catch up.

Japanese academic Shin Kawashima says that China’s unclear application of its anti-espionage law is severely hindering people-to-people exchanges between Japan and China.

Although China’s industrial overcapacity, which sits near the worst levels in the last decade, looms large in the minds of foreign leaders and policymakers, it is not new in the country.