Legal

Items seized by the police from the homes of members of the "Fujian gang". (Singapore Police Force)

Property, nightclubs, collector items: How ‘Fujian gang’ lifestyles aided money-laundering activities

While members of the “Fujian gang” have made the news recently for their billion-dollar money-laundering case, less is known about their lavish lifestyles and the trails their clandestine activities leave behind. Zaobao senior correspondent Poh Lay Hoon reports.
Luxury cars throng the streets in Changkeng township, Anxi county.

How Fujian’s tea capital became known as a 'scam town'

At least half of the Chinese men who were recently charged in a billion-dollar money-laundering probe in Singapore are from Anxi — a province in Fujian known for producing tea but is now frequently linked to its involvement in scams. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Chen Jing visits the county to find out how prevalent fraudulent activities are and the impact on its locals.
Huang Deyi and his family members were charged for building a bridge without authorisation. (Weibo)

Illegal bridge by Chinese villager sparks debate

​The case of a family of 18 being punished for illegally building a bridge in Jilin province has brought to light the public’s distrust of the courts and grassroots governance and sparked criticism of the local government’s inaction in solving people’s problems. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Yang Danxu looks into the matter.
A labourer piles up steel pipes at a steel and iron factory in Shenyang, Liaoning province, China, 23 April 2010. (Sheng Li/File Photo/Reuters)

Metal magnate’s fall from China’s rich list to bankruptcy

Zhongwang Group founder Liu Zhongtian was once on the Forbes list of China's richest billionaires. But he has now come under legal restraint and his company has filed for bankruptcy. What went wrong?
Beijing has put in place new measures to tighten its grip over domestic data to protect national security. (Thomas White/Illustration/File Photo/Reuters)

How China is tightening controls over cross-border data transfers

In an effort to tighten its grip over domestic data to protect national security, Beijing has implemented the Measures on the Standard Contract for the Cross-Border Transfer of Personal Information, requiring certain personal data processors to sign contracts with overseas recipients before sending data abroad.
This photo taken on 10 May 2023 shows the latest version of a robot called Sophia being tested at Hanson Robotics, a robotics and artificial intelligence company which creates human-like robots, in Hong Kong, China. (Peter Parks/AFP)

AI Stefanie, scams and fake news: China acts on AI regulation

The tech sector has seen a massive shift since the introduction of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in November last year. The AI wave has brought much trepidation for its potential in advancing education, innovation and more; but along with it comes new challenges, especially those that raise copyright infringement issues or break the law. Lianhe Zaobao’s China Desk looks into how AI has been misused in China and the responses.
Paramilitary police officers stand guard south of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on 5 March 2023. (Greg Baker/AFP)

China wielding long-arm jurisdiction of its own

Taiwanese commentator Chen Kuohsiang notes that China seems to be using long-arm jurisdiction to curtail overseas critics, activists and publishers. This has far-reaching consequences, not least in officially annexing Taiwan through legal precedent.
People use their mobile phones outside a closed down business in Hong Kong on 1 November 2022. (Peter Parks/AFP)

Hong Kong's left turn could hit its financial centre status

Commentator Lew Mon-hung explores seven contradictions that he observes in the “one country, two systems” policy for Hong Kong, including the stand on the private sector, governance issues, and the dynamic zero-Covid policy. All of these factors have had an impact on Hong Kong, and it remains to be seen how these points will be addressed to ensure the special administrative region’s growth.
Almost all signboards in the Cambodian city of Sihanoukville are in Chinese. (Kwong Kai Chung/SPH Media)

The revival of Sihanoukville, Cambodia’s ‘Gold Rush’ city

In this fourth instalment of a seven-part Lianhe Zaobao-Business Times series on China and ASEAN, we look at the role of Chinese investors in the rise, fall and recovery of Cambodia’s Sihanoukville province.