Yu Zeyuan

Yu Zeyuan

Beijing Correspondent and Senior Researcher, Lianhe Zaobao

Yu Zeyuan (real name Yu Haisheng) started in 1993 as a journalist and editor with Xinhua's foreign news desk, then joined the University of Hawaii as a visiting academic from 1996 to 1997. Since 2000, he has been Lianhe Zaobao's Beijing correspondent and senior researcher.

Visitors walk past military aircraft displayed at Airshow China, in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, China, 29 September 2021. (Aly Song/Reuters)

China displays its new weapons amid cross-strait tensions

Zaobao correspondent Yu Zeyuan notes that over the past month, China has revealed several new military aircraft, such as stealth fighters and early warning aircraft, as well as a powerful missile system. This is a signal that China is catching up with the US in terms of aircraft technology. Furthermore, the timing of these unveilings might have more than a little to do with the current state of cross-strait relations.
People walk in a subway station in Shanghai on 12 October 2021. (Hector Retamal/AFP)

Can there be a China-style democracy?

In a speech last week, Xi Jinping painted the broad strokes of China’s views on democracy, including criteria for assessing democratic systems and what such systems ought to do for the people. However, with the West convinced that China lacks democracy and is not in a position to preach about it, how far can the country advance its brand of ‘whole-process people’s democracy’? Zaobao correspondent Yu Zeyuan explores the topic.
Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou waves as she steps out of a charter plane at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China, 25 September 2021. (Jin Liwang/Xinhua via Reuters)

Canada the biggest loser in Meng Wanzhou saga?

Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou returned to China over the weekend to much fanfare. The swift end to this incident after almost three years and the release of two Canadians who had been detained in China point to political machinations behind the scenes. Is this ending just a stalemate running its course or does it signify a restart of China-US and China-Canada relations?
A worker stands in front of Mao Zedong sculpture at Dandong station at the border city of Dandong, in China's northeast Liaoning province on 11 August 2021. (Noel Celis/AFP)

China's growing north-south gap: Can the north catch up?

Zaobao correspondent Yu Zeyuan notes the growing gap between northern and southern China in terms of economic and population growth, as businesses and people become more concentrated in the south. How will the central government tackle this imbalance?
Pedestrians cross a traffic intersection near commercial buildings in Beijing, China, 25 August 2021. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg)

Why China is setting up the Beijing Stock Exchange

With President Xi Jinping’s announcement of a new Beijing Stock Exchange, innovation-oriented SMEs will benefit and Beijing’s stock as a credible financial centre will also rise. Not only that, it is hoped that this will show China’s resolve to continue pursuing the market economy as it continues its push for “common prosperity”.
Left to right: acting chairwoman of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region People’s Government Wang Lixia, Chengdu party secretary Shi Xiaolin, Nanjing party secretary Han Liming, and Changsha party secretary Wu Guiying. (Internet)

Youngest provincial party leader a sign of change for women in politics?

With the appointment of Shi Xiaolin as Chengdu party secretary making her the youngest top provincial official, the higher-ups in the Chinese Communist Party seem to be paving the way for the rise of a younger batch of leaders in their 50s and a wider slate of women in leadership roles. Will this position be sustained?
A screen grab from the video by CCTV, showing the launch of the new missile. (Screen grab/CCTV)

Did PLA fire new missiles over Biden's statement on Taiwan?

The People’s Liberation Army launched two new missiles over the weekend while conducting joint live-fire assault drills in multiple locations near Taiwan. Analysts say that these may be flashes of their trump card to ward off the US and other opponents against conflict in the Taiwan Strait. Zaobao correspondent Yu Zeyuan has the details.
Taliban fighters sit on a vehicle along the street in Jalalabad province, Afghanistan on 15 August 2021. (AFP)

Inroads for China in a Taliban-led Afghanistan?

With the US in retreat and the Taliban seizing control of Kabul, it looks like Afghanistan and the region will see major security and geopolitical shifts. Where does China stand in all of this and what cautious moves will it make?
Children stand at the entrance of the Forbidden City in Beijing on 12 June 2021. (Noel Celis/AFP)

China to impose strict measures on tuition centres to allay anxiety over education

In recent years, Chinese children have been sacrificing their playtime to shuttle through various tuition centres after school and during the holidays so that they can become more powerful “examination machines”. Now, China has released a set of guidelines that aims at easing such anxiety over education. It details requirements in reducing homework and improving the quality of education and after-class services provided by schools. It will also impose unprecedented strict measures on tuition centres and their activities. Zaobao correspondent Yu Zeyuan discusses the impetus behind these measures and the challenges of its implementation.