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Aw Cheng Wei

China Correspondent

Cheng Wei is China correspondent at The Straits Times. He is based in the Chongqing municipality in south-western China, where he documents the changes of everyday life as the world’s second-largest economy tries to carve a way to the top. He was previously based in Beijing and Singapore. He holds a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Oxford.

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Four crime families in Myanmar in spotlight as China deepens fraud crackdown

Chinese victims rescued from illegal call center scammer operations in Myanmar being repatriated in 2025 at the Mae Sot Airport on the Thai-Myanmar in Thailand.
Chinese victims rescued from illegal call center scammer operations in Myanmar being repatriated in 2025 at the Mae Sot Airport on the Thai-Myanmar in Thailand.

Don’t overestimate your abilities, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi tells Tokyo in stern warning

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaking during a press conference on foreign policy and external relations during the Fourth Session of the 14th National People's Congress in Beijing, China on March 8.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaking during a press conference on foreign policy and external relations during the Fourth Session of the 14th National People's Congress in Beijing, China on March 8.

From lowering marriage age to 16, to more subsidies, China weighs fixes for falling births

(FILES) Women learn knowledge of taking care of mothers and newborn babies in a neighborhood committee in Yichun in central China's Jiangxi province on August 21, 2024. China's birth rate fell last year to its lowest level on record, official data showed on January 19, 2026, as its population shrank for a fourth year running despite authorities' efforts to curb the decline. (Photo by AFP) / China OUT
(FILES) Women learn knowledge of taking care of mothers and newborn babies in a neighborhood committee in Yichun in central China's Jiangxi province on August 21, 2024. China's birth rate fell last year to its lowest level on record, official data showed on January 19, 2026, as its population shrank for a fourth year running despite authorities' efforts to curb the decline. (Photo by AFP) / China OUT

China to import more to balance trade as surplus causes friction with partners

The photo taken on February 10, 2026 shows people browsing through luxury bags at a second-hand store in Shanghai. Boosting domestic consumption will be among key goals set forth by China's leaders at the annual Two Sessions political conclave this week, but they face an uphill battle. (Photo by Jade GAO / AFP) / To go with AFP story:  China-economy-politics-consumer-travel-retail, FOCUS by Jing Xuan TENG and Peter CATTERALL
The photo taken on February 10, 2026 shows people browsing through luxury bags at a second-hand store in Shanghai. Boosting domestic consumption will be among key goals set forth by China's leaders at the annual Two Sessions political conclave this week, but they face an uphill battle. (Photo by Jade GAO / AFP) / To go with AFP story:  China-economy-politics-consumer-travel-retail, FOCUS by Jing Xuan TENG and Peter CATTERALL

China to boost tech self-reliance in next 5 years as rivalry with US deepens

FILE Ñ A facial recognition display at an artificial intelligence conference in Shanghai, China, July 28, 2025. Chinese policymakers and the public have expressed high levels of optimism about AI, even as many in the West worry about the technologyÕs effects on employment or humanity in general. (Qilai Shen/The New York Times)
FILE Ñ A facial recognition display at an artificial intelligence conference in Shanghai, China, July 28, 2025. Chinese policymakers and the public have expressed high levels of optimism about AI, even as many in the West worry about the technologyÕs effects on employment or humanity in general. (Qilai Shen/The New York Times)

For kinship, not gifts: China’s rise redefines ties with relatives abroad

Gen Zs in China snapping up replicas of museum artefacts. Is this about cultural confidence?

Museums around China are turning some of their most iconic artifacts into exquisite souvenirs to appeal to consumers.
Museums around China are turning some of their most iconic artifacts into exquisite souvenirs to appeal to consumers.

A spat between a restaurant and an influencer was out of control. Then Beijing stepped in

awspat - The popular Paradise Walk mall in central Chongqing during lunch hour on a weekday, a quiet Xibei - an eatery chain that had found itself the target of online allegations in recent months - stands in contrast to its busier neighbours.
Barely a handful of the tables are filled at the restaurant that can seat about a hundred diners. Employees stand attentively at the occupied tables, with wait staff performing magic tricks for children.

ST PHOTO: AW CHENG WEI
awspat - The popular Paradise Walk mall in central Chongqing during lunch hour on a weekday, a quiet Xibei - an eatery chain that had found itself the target of online allegations in recent months - stands in contrast to its busier neighbours.
Barely a handful of the tables are filled at the restaurant that can seat about a hundred diners. Employees stand attentively at the occupied tables, with wait staff performing magic tricks for children.

ST PHOTO: AW CHENG WEI

Many Chinese choosing S-E Asia over Japan for CNY holiday as bilateral spat hits flights

(FILES) Members of a Chinese tour group cross a road in the Ginza shopping district in Tokyo on November 17, 2025. The number of Chinese tourists in Japan plunged 45 percent in December from a year earlier, the transport ministry said on January 20, 2026, as a diplomatic row between Beijing and Tokyo rumbled on. (Photo by GREG BAKER / AFP)
(FILES) Members of a Chinese tour group cross a road in the Ginza shopping district in Tokyo on November 17, 2025. The number of Chinese tourists in Japan plunged 45 percent in December from a year earlier, the transport ministry said on January 20, 2026, as a diplomatic row between Beijing and Tokyo rumbled on. (Photo by GREG BAKER / AFP)

Positive outlook aside, Xi-Trump call points to Taiwan, critical minerals as thorny issues

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping walk as they leave after a bilateral meeting at Gimhae International Airport, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, in Busan, South Korea, October 30, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping walk as they leave after a bilateral meeting at Gimhae International Airport, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, in Busan, South Korea, October 30, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo

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MDDI (P) 046/10/2025. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No.202120748H. Copyright © 2026 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.