China is arming the Global South — and expanding its influence

China’s first-quarter data show stark decelerations in several regions. However, Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Chen Jing notes that this could be a more accurate record of the economic situation.

Evergrande’s fraud has caught up with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Hong Kong, bringing major fines, client exits and criminal probes, and casting doubt over the accounting giant’s future in Hong Kong and mainland China.

From rare, handwritten manuscripts surviving only in Singapore to the multibillion-view world of modern xianxia, wuxia remains a cultural powerhouse. Lianhe Zaobao senior correspondent Lim Fong Wei gives us a glimpse of a special exhibition from this year’s City Reading @ SG festival, tracing how these legendary martial arts tales evolved from newspaper serials into global screen phenomena.

Singapore’s rise from “unwanted independence” to a trusted global brand was no accident. Former head of the civil service Lim Siong Guan reflects on working with Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Keng Swee in an interview with ThinkChina’s James Loo, and explains why small states must think long term in a world of unknown unknowns, as well as how culture, trust and a stellar civil service matter more than ever as Singapore navigates great power rivalry and rapid technological change.

From a shop in Singapore’s Chinatown, a homegrown brand with over 100 years of history steadily sells its products to locals and tourists alike. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Lilia Yeo speaks to the third-generation owners and discovers the rich heritage of this store that began by selling medicated oils.

The Guangxi’s Pinglu Canal, hailed as the “project of the century”, is expected to open in September, adding a major artery to the region’s access to the sea and seen as a key to unlocking Guangxi’s development. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Lim Zhan Ting finds out from traders, shipping operators and local residents their expectations from the improved connectivity.

After months of review, Chinese authorities have decided to stop Meta’s acquisition of Manus, ordering the deal to be reversed over the next few weeks. Lianhe Zaobao China news editor Yang Danxu finds out what this development means and whether such a deal can be undone.

China’s culinary tradition prized technique over luxury ingredients. Now, rising affluence and innovation are changing that — turning caviar and other premium foods into symbols of status and engines of growth. Economist Li Jingkui looks at how high-end ingredients can play a part in boosting the economy.

With young consumers in China looking beyond established Western luxury brands, homegrown brands are increasingly winning people over with their designs and quality. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Liu Liu finds out more.

US AI leadership has long relied on Chinese talent, from leading researchers in top institutions to foreign-born engineers driving innovation, underscoring how global talent flows have been central to its technological dominance. Economist Min-Hua Chiang gives her analysis.

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.

Chinese AI companies’ focus on cost efficiency and concrete applications — compared with US companies’ focus on fundraising and compliance over deployment — has given them the upper hand in dominating global market share and reach. Chinese technology expert Yin Ruizhi observes that aside from the AI video generation field, China is poised to overtake the US in more AI domains.

Reflecting on the assassination attempts against US President Trump, commentator Deng Yuwen argues that institutions once seen as sources of public confidence have weakened, while repeated gunfire in symbolic spaces of power shows external hatred increasingly penetrating the system’s boundaries. This is especially dangerous when the US president becomes a highly symbolic figure embodying political conflict.

China and the US have reasons to work together to tackle the scourge of cyberfraud in Southeast Asia. The problem, however, is that their geopolitical rivalry gets in the way.

China is turning seeds into a strategic frontier — balancing domestic food security needs with global ambitions in agricultural supply chains, biotech dominance and the geopolitics of food production. Researcher Genevieve Donnellon-May explains.

For decades, industrial policy was discouraged in developing economies, even as China’s state-led model reshaped global supply chains. Now, with the US and Europe embracing massive interventions, the old orthodoxy looks less like principle than self-interest. Academic Guanie Lim examines how the discourse on industrial policy has shifted.

AI agents were all the rage in March, but by April, the spotlight had shifted to AI-generated video. The pace of launches has accelerated, but so has the regulatory scrutiny and backlash due to copyrighted IP.