[Video] Effortlessly beautiful: China’s new obsession with ‘invisible’ cosmetic procedures

My Aquarian mother who ran with bound feet [Part 1]

Taiwanese art historian Chiang Hsun pieces together the life of the woman who raised him — a daughter of a fallen Manchu family whose memories survived revolution, war and displacement.

Chiang Hsun

[Video] Is China stopping its own citizens from leaving?

China has introduced new rules on exit and entry administration, setting out when authorities can intervene in border crossings and when citizens may be barred from leaving the country. The regulation brings national security, export controls and technology concerns more directly into the rules governing cross-border movement. ThinkChina’s Lingming Lu looks into the issue.

Lu Lingming

Tan Kong Yam: China’s dual economy is built for the long game

Singapore economist Tan Kong Yam argues that Beijing believes China’s weak traditional economy can endure while its technology sector drives long-term growth, eventually pulling the broader economy towards a gradual recovery. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Edwin Ong reports.

Edwin Ong

Why Trump is ready to lose the midterms

As the US midterms loom and polls plunge, Donald Trump appears strangely indifferent to his party’s fate. US commentator Ian Bremmer argues that despite Trump’s claims of rigged systems, US institutional guardrails will hold as the post-Trump era nears.

Ian Bremmer

Thai Buddhist amulets draw China’s anxious youth — and laundering networks

Thai Buddhist amulets have become a lifeline for anxious young Chinese — and an ideal vehicle for cross-border money laundering, forcing Thai authorities to crack down on the fast-growing amulet trade.

Caixin Global

Why China and the US need each other to compete

Far from heading towards complete decoupling, China and the US remain locked in a relationship where mutual dependence underpins both competition and cooperation, reshaping the future global order, notes academic Tan Kong Yam.

Tan Kong Yam

Why Xi gathered China’s top scientists in Beidaihe

China’s annual Beidaihe retreat has put basic research and frontier technologies centre stage, offering a rare glimpse into President Xi Jinping’s priorities as Beijing seeks breakthroughs in critical technologies. Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Chen Jing finds out.

Chen Jing

Is Washington driving global talent towards China?

Washington’s tougher stance on immigration and academia is reshaping the global race for talent. China is seizing the opportunity, but the biggest winners may lie elsewhere, says researcher Parama Sinha Palit.

Parama Sinha Palit

The AI squeeze: No juniors, no seniors, more burnout

As older workers and the very young exit or are not able to even enter the workforce, the “squeezed middle” may have to take on extra burdens. For this group, the AI age might be making work harder, not easier, says NUS academic Weiyi Ng.

Weiyi Ng

Passports surrendered: Inside China’s expanding web of exit controls

China’s new regulations have reignited concerns over who may be prevented from leaving the country. While Beijing says the measures are aimed at safeguarding national security, broad discretionary powers and vague definitions could create greater uncertainty for travellers, says Lianhe Zaobao China news editor Yang Danxu.

Yang Danxu

Is Taiwan’s proposed AI-powered T-Dome shield combat-ready?

Taiwan is leveraging AI to boost its defence capabilities, but it will still face challenges such as China’s robust electronic warfare and cybersecurity capabilities in the event of a Taiwan emergency, says academic Ghulam Ali.

Ghulam Ali

China has a tech boom. So why won’t people spend?

China's AI and manufacturing sectors are booming, but domestic demand remains stubbornly weak. The contradiction, argues Professor Yasheng Huang, is no accident — it is the product of a tech-first policy agenda.

Yasheng Huang

Why China’s biotech rise is harder to contain than AI

China is emerging as a biotech powerhouse, but its rise is entwined with US drugmakers through research, licensing and supply chains, making decoupling far more difficult than in AI. Academic Chen Xiangming and biopharma industry practitioner Leon Tang analyse the situation.

Chen Xiangming, Leon Tang

Why hyper-efficient Singapore is Asia’s most AI-anxious society

A survey across Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and mainland China found Singapore leads the region in AI adoption, but also records the highest levels of anxiety over job displacement, deepfakes and AI dependence. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Lee Si Min tells us more.

Lee Si Min

Japan and Taiwan’s strategic convergence in the Indo-Pacific

Japan’s updated Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy and Taiwan’s expanding diplomatic vision are helping to foster an increasingly aligned approach while avoiding unnecessary confrontation with China. Japanese academic Madoka Fukuda tells us more.

Madoka Fukuda

Quietly, not silently: How Vietnam deals with China on the South China Sea

Vietnam did not sign the joint statement on the Tribunal Award invalidating China’s claims on the South China Sea. Hanoi’s consistent “speak less, do more” approach combines public restraint with a range of quieter policy tools, observes ISEAS academic Huynh Trung Dung.

Huynh Trung Dung

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

Why China’s universities stopped fighting AI

Having initially sought to restrict the use of generative AI, Chinese universities are increasingly incorporating it into teaching and research. However, institutions are also grappling with difficult questions over authorship, accountability and how to preserve academic integrity in the age of AI, notes Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Liu Liu.

Liu Liu