Economy
How Taiwan overtook China as Singapore’s top trading partner
Fuelled by the global AI boom and a complementary chip ecosystem, total trade between Singapore and Taiwan surged in 2025, unseating mainland China from the top spot. Lianhe Zaobao senior business correspondent Lewis Ong Yong Huat speaks with economists to find out more.
Lewis Ong Yong Huat
Economy
Beyond Elon Musk: Who benefits from the trillionaire era?
As SpaceX propels Elon Musk into the history books as the first trillionaire, academic Ruay-Shiung Chang posits that the ultimate test for the modern economy is whether tech prosperity can be shared, or if inequality will skyrocket.
Ruay-Shiung Chang
Technology
Undersea cables: The new US-China frontline
From trade wars to the seabed, Washington and Beijing are locked in a high-stakes struggle for control over global undersea cables and leadership of the future digital order. Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Sim Tze Wei looks into the matter.
Sim Tze Wei
Society
[Big read] Inside China’s arts exam shadow market
Behind China’s arts entrance exams lies a costly world of influence and opaque deals, where talent alone rarely secures a place. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Qi Lu speaks to those who have lived through such experiences, and to academics who explain how the system works.
Qi Lu
Economy
Why Chinese banks now act like local governments
China’s banks are increasingly shaped by state-directed targets, whitelists and performance indicators, pushing them to prioritise policy goals over market logic and resemble local governments in their behaviour. Economist Chen Kang warns of the systemic risks in trading market pricing for rigid policy-driven lists.
Chen Kang

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History
Politics
Are China-Philippines tensions sinking the South China Sea Code of Conduct?
Recent remarks by the Philippines suggesting that China may be a stumbling block to the conclusion of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) drew a harsh response from the latter. Why are these tensions resurfacing now, and what real impact does it have on the negotiations on the COC? Researcher Chau Do gives her take.
Chau Do
Politics
High quality, high anxiety: Southeast Asia’s BRI paradox
An online survey by ISEAS on perceptions of Chinese-built infrastructure in Southeast Asia reflects both the tangible benefits of these projects and broader considerations shaping regional views of China as an infrastructure development partner. ISEAS academics Eugene RL Tan and Hoang Thi Ha explain.
Eugene RL Tan, Hoang Thi Ha
Politics
A tungsten mine exposes Myanmar’s China-Russia balancing act
Russia’s recent entry into tungsten mining in Myanmar reveals a three-way resource-security triangle: China controls much of the flow, Russia seeks a stake, while Myanmar’s military government is using access to resources as leverage. Academic Hao Nan gives his assessment.
Hao Nan
Society
Sold by the kilo: China’s pet protection blind spot
Celebrity dog Chutou was stolen and sold to a dog meat restaurant in China, with the thieves and the slaughterer nonchalantly and unapologetically offering compensation. Will this start a new awareness of animal rights? Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Li Kang gives her views.
Li Kang
Politics
Did Japan and the Philippines expand Beijing’s reach in Taiwan’s eastern waters?
Taiwan seems to be the biggest loser, whatever the outcome of Japan-Philippines maritime delimitation talks, since this gives Beijing greater cause to regularise patrols in Taiwan’s eastern waters. Commentator Deng Yuwen shares his views.
Deng Yuwen
Politics
G7 unity: Europe yields as Trump declares ‘I’m the boss’
At the G7 summit, European leaders went to great lengths to flatter Donald Trump. Yet behind the smiles lies deep anxiety over an unpredictable US and a looming trade war with China. Lianhe Zaobao associate editor Han Yong Hong tells us more.
Han Yong Hong
Society
Why more Hong Kong youths are opting out of work
Some young people in Hong Kong are becoming disengaged and content to drift along aimlessly, living with their parents who indulge them amid a more accepting society. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Tai Hing Shing examines the rise of the NEETs (Not in Education, Employment or Training).
Tai Hing Shing
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
Economy
From HK department store heir to outback cattleman: Inside Bruce Cheung’s US$130m wagyu gamble
When he was nearing 60, Bruce Cheung stepped away from China International Duty Free Group, the company he had co-founded and built up for more than 20 years, starting a journey of self-discovery that took him along half of Australia’s coast. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Li Yaning speaks to the founder of agriculture company Pardoo Wagyu.
Li Yaning
Politics
How Trump’s Iran war boosted Beijing
China’s diplomacy in the Middle East has seen highs and lows, most recently garnering some success in the Iran war, after troughs during the post-7 October 2023 period and initial highs when the US withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021. Chinese academic Fan Hongda explains.
Fan Hongda
Politics
Beijing’s sanctions only strengthened the Philippine defence chief
After Beijing made strong remarks and sanctioned Philippine defence chief Gilberto Teodoro Jr, the moves backfired — bolstering his standing at home, validating his criticisms of China and further damaging Beijing’s image in Southeast Asia, says Philippine academic Elaine Tolentino.
Elaine C. Tolentino
Cartoon
ThinkCartoon (17 June 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
Society
[Big read] Why China’s viral cities rise fast and fade faster
As local governments in China bank on becoming the next viral sensation to revive local economies, experts warn that turning short-term internet hype into sustainable growth is a steep climb. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Zeng Shi tells us more.
Zeng Shi
Economy
Why desperate local governments fund corporate fantasies
Driven by an insatiable hunger for economic performance, China’s local officials are plunging public funds into overhyped corporate ventures. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Lim Zhan Ting looks inside the desperate game of “fleecing the old geezers”, or beng laotou.
Lim Zhan Ting
Technology
Who rules space may shape the world below: The US-China battle for orbit
Space is no longer simply a frontier of exploration. It is the newest arena of US-China rivalry — and a contest spanning military power, technological leadership, economic influence and alliances that could shape the global order for decades to come, argues researcher Tahir Mahmood Azad.
Tahir Mahmood Azad
History
[Photos] What I saw at Tiananmen in 1989 before I was shot (Part 2)
In the second part of a two-part article, historical photo collector Hsu Chung-mao recounts his rescue, treatment and recovery following his near-fatal gunshot wound to the neck as a young journalist during the 1989 Tiananmen incident.
Hsu Chung-mao