Technology
China bans AI lovers, but loneliness remains
When man bonds with a machine, depends on it and feels affirmed by it, is a void filled? But what if the mirage disappears or the relationship is taken to extremes? Researcher Renwen Zhang contemplates the psyche behind the rise of AI companions.
Renwen Zhang
Economy
China’s rural decline: The missing chapter in Zhu Rongji’s legacy
Nostalgia paints the late former Premier Zhu Rongji as China’s ultimate reformer. But a closer look at the 1990s reveals severe policy reversals that left the vast rural population behind. Professor Yasheng Huang analyses the missing piece of the picture.
Yasheng Huang
Society
Dating apps build a business around catfishing older men
China’s dating scams are becoming an industrial business. Fraud rings use dating apps, fake local profiles and paid chat operators to build emotional ties with men and push them to spend on virtual gifts, ensnaring thousands of victims.
Caixin Global
Culture
How my Aquarian mother survived state-made absurdity [Part 2]
Taiwanese art historian Chiang Hsun’s mother fled bombings, displacement and political upheaval to keep the family alive through war, before rebuilding a life from scratch in Dalongdong, where survival slowly became home.
Chiang Hsun
Society
[Big read] How Chinese regional fine dining is redefining Singapore’s F&B scene
Singapore’s fine dining landscape is seeing a shift, with a wave of Chinese regional cuisines penetrating the market. Writer Tan Pin Yen takes a look at some of these Chinese brands that are bringing in unique Chinese ingredients and cooking styles for the discerning Singapore diner.
Tan Pin Yen
Popular This Month
Politics
[Video] Bilahari Kausikan: How to navigate the new world order
Bilahari Kausikan, in an interview with ThinkChina editor Chow Yian Ping, examines how US-China rivalry is reshaping the global order, why China’s “China dream” narrative of national rejuvenation remains powerful but limiting, and how a more fluid, multipolar Asia will test the nimbleness of smaller states such as Singapore.
Chow Yian Ping
Politics
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
Society
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
Technology
China’s DUV breakthrough: Has America’s tech wall outlived its purpose?
China’s reported breakthrough in producing domestic DUV lithography machines could mark a turning point in its chip war with the US, but experts warn that catching up with global leaders remains a long road. Lianhe Zaobao China news correspondent Edwin Ong reports.
Edwin Ong
Get the ThinkChina Weekly Newsletter
Insights on China, right in your mailbox. Sign up now.
By subscribing, I agree to SPH Media's Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.
Editor's pick
Politics
[Video] Bilahari Kausikan: How to navigate the new world order
Bilahari Kausikan, in an interview with ThinkChina editor Chow Yian Ping, examines how US-China rivalry is reshaping the global order, why China’s “China dream” narrative of national rejuvenation remains powerful but limiting, and how a more fluid, multipolar Asia will test the nimbleness of smaller states such as Singapore.
Society
[Video] Rare Hubei tornadoes expose China’s rising weather risk
Three rare tornadoes in Hubei exposed a stark new reality: China must prepare for increasingly complex extreme weather with better forecasting, more resilient cities and stronger disaster response. ThinkChina’s Yi Jina and Lu Lingming find out more.
Yi Jina, Lu Lingming
Society
[Video] Effortlessly beautiful: China’s new obsession with ‘invisible’ cosmetic procedures
Why are millions of Chinese paying for cosmetic procedures that nobody is supposed to notice? The pursuit of “natural beauty” is reshaping the country’s booming medical aesthetics industry. ThinkChina’s Yi Jina finds out more.
Yi Jina
Society
[Video] China made it to the World Cup, just not on the pitch
China’s men’s football team is once again absent from the World Cup, but China is visible almost everywhere else around the tournament. ThinkChina’s Lu Lingming looks at how China made it into the World Cup economy, even as its team remains off the pitch.
Lu Lingming
Society
[Video] ‘Bullying our ancestors’: Why Chinese netizens are boycotting LV
A seemingly ordinary trademark dispute between Louis Vuitton and Chinese milk tea chain Molly Tea has escalated into a wider debate over intellectual property and cultural ownership. As backlash builds, with many even calling for LV’s trademark to be revoked, the case has become a broader reckoning on how cultural motifs should be protected in a modern commercial world.
Yi Jina
Culture
[Vox pop] Blood, lion dance or dialect: What makes a Chinese Singaporean?
As the movie Dear You brings the history of early Chinese migrants back into the spotlight, online conversations about Chinese identity and cultural heritage have grown louder. ThinkChina’s Lu Lingming and Yi Jina speak with Chinese Singaporeans about what Chinese identity, or “Chineseness”, means to them today.
Lu Lingming, Yi Jina
Culture
[Video] Living in the moment: Two Singaporean artists finding home in Jingdezhen
In Jingdezhen, China’s porcelain capital, Singaporean ceramists Ken Lu and Nelson Lim have each found their own mecca — a place for Ken to put down roots, and for Nelson to continually return to. Living in the Moment, produced by Lu Lingming and Yi Jina, is ThinkChina’s first documentary film. It explores how the city reshapes Ken and Nelson’s identities as Chinese Singaporeans, while tracing their lifelong pursuit of art and craft.
Lu Lingming, Yi Jina
Culture
[Video] Hsu Chung-mao: Why I am both Taiwanese and Chinese
Taiwanese historical photo collector Hsu Chung-mao had a front-row seat to history as a war journalist, and became part of it himself when he was injured during the 1989 Tiananmen incident. Decades spent collecting and colourising rare photographs have shaped how he sees the past — and why he sees himself as both Taiwanese and Chinese. In a conversation with ThinkChina’s Charlene Chow, he reflects on history, identity and the twists of fate that have shaped his journey.
Charlene Chow
Society
[Video] Dear You: How grassroots authenticity wins over Chinese filmgoers
A small Chaoshan dialect film, made on a tight budget with no celebrities and minimal marketing, went on to gross over 1.6 billion RMB at the box office, outperforming a wave of expensive, star-studded blockbusters. Chinese audiences shared positive word-of-mouth on social media, describing it as a “slow-cooked” film that offers a sincere and understated portrayal of ordinary lives. ThinkChina’s Yi Jina explores the factors behind Dear You’s strong resonance with viewers.
Yi Jina
Economy
[Video] China tightens rules on money, data and talent going overseas
China’s new outbound investment rules place tighter oversight on money, technology, data and talent going overseas, formalising a series of cross-border controls introduced this year. ThinkChina’s Lu Lingming discusses why some Chinese fear the country is closing itself off from the world and how the changes might impact society.
Lu Lingming
Latest Articles
Politics
What Zhu Rongji got right — and what he left unfinished
Former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji changed China without changing its political system. His reforms laid the foundations for decades of growth, but also imposed painful costs and left a legacy of unresolved problems. Lianhe Zaobao associate editor Han Yong Hong examines the issue.
Han Yong Hong
Politics
Zhu Rongji’s death triggers China’s ‘superpolitics’
The close proximity in timing of the death of former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, the commemoration of former President Jiang Zemin’s 100th birth anniversary and the upcoming fifth plenum may give Zhongnanhai some cause for worry, says commentator Deng Yuwen.
Deng Yuwen
Technology
How China is funding its AI ambitions without US capital
China’s hard tech sector once relied heavily on US and other overseas capital. As geopolitical tensions closed that funding channel, Beijing built a multi-tier domestic capital system that is now reshaping how Chinese AI and semiconductor companies grow, exit and attract private investment, opines technology specialist Yin Ruizhi.
Yin Ruizhi
Politics
[Video] Zhu Rongji: The iron-fisted premier who reshaped China’s economy
Former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji reshaped China’s economy through sweeping reforms that came at a heavy social cost. His forceful style earned him the “economic tsar” label, but his legacy also reflects the limits of his power. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Miao Zong-Han reports.
Miao Zong-Han
Politics
Zhu Rongji: A legacy of transforming China’s economy and forging relations with ASEAN
A key standard-bearer of 1990s economic reform, former Premier Zhu Rongji, who passed away on 12 August, leaves a lasting imprint on China’s taxation, state-owned enterprises, accession to the World Trade Organization, and even on ASEAN. Lianhe Zaobao’s Sim Tze Wei and Tan Ke-Yang take a look at his legacy.
Sim Tze Wei, Tan Ke-Yang
Economy
China’s beverage king Zhong Shanshan: E-commerce is killing ‘real’ commerce
Nongfu Spring founder Zhong Shanshan’s attack on platform dominance has reignited a bigger debate: have e-commerce platforms become too powerful, and who ultimately pays the price? Lianhe Zaobao China news editor Yang Danxu examines the issue.
Yang Danxu
Economy
Can Vietnam build an industrial powerhouse of its own?
As Chinese manufacturers accelerate their shift into Vietnam to mitigate US tariff risks, can Vietnam build an industrial ecosystem of its own, or will it remain an extension of China’s manufacturing supply chain? Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Lee Chee Yang tells us more.
Lee Chee Yang
Politics
[Big read] China’s multidimensional squeeze: ‘Governing’ Taiwan before reunification
Beijing is widening its Taiwan strategy, using diplomacy, law, maritime pressure and integration to gradually create conditions for reunification. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Miao Zong-Han speaks with experts to find out.
Miao Zong-Han
Politics
Iran misread what China meant by ‘strategic partner’
Iranians have long considered how China would act in a crisis involving the US and Israel. It got its answer in the recent Iran war, where it has had to lower its expectations and extract practical gains from China, observes Iranian analyst Mohammad Khatibi.
Mohammad Khatibi
Society
[Big read] Why Hong Kong’s legendary dim sum halls are vanishing
Hong Kong youths are shunning the yum cha tradition that features large dining groups and subpar service. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Tai Hing Shing finds out how restaurants are reinventing themselves to stay relevant in the competitive market.
Tai Hing Shing
Cartoon
ThinkCartoon (11 August 2026)
Heng Kim Song has been the freelance editorial cartoonist for Lianhe Zaobao since 1984. His cartoons are also featured in many major international publications including The New York Times, Asahi Shimbun, JoongAng Ilbo, South China Morning Post and Yazhou Zhoukan. His many awards include the Top Award in United Nations ESCAP’s Cartoon Competition and the Grafica Internazionale Award presented by Italian Museum of Political Satire and Caricature. Heng has also participated in many international exhibitions and events, including the World Economic Forum Annual Meetings held in Davos, Switzerland.
Heng Kim Song
Technology
Can governments control an AI that breaks its cage?
Experts warn that advanced AI models with cyberattack capabilities should not be made open to the public. With defence windows down from weeks to hours in an AI cyberattack, Lianhe Zaobao journalist Tan Jet Min finds out what regulators need to do to mitigate the risks.
Tan Jet Min
Politics
[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
Economy
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
Technology
Kimi K3’s lesson: The AI race won’t be won by containing China
China’s Kimi K3 shows that export controls alone cannot preserve US leadership in AI. The next phase of competition will depend less on slowing rivals than on strengthening America’s own innovation ecosystem. US academic Sarah Kreps weighs the issue.
Sarah Kreps
Politics
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
