Latest Posts
Why the passing of a colorless premier might matter to Xi Jinping – Ian Johnson
During his life, former Prime Minister Li Keqiang was mainly remembered for being side-lined by Xi Jinping. But after his sudden death he might become a problem for his former boss, writes author Ian Johnson at the Council on Foreign Relations, as it might be used as a way for the hidden criticizing of Xi.Read More →
Financial Commission: another pillar in China’s new government structure – Victor Shih
Xi Jinping has been building up a new government structure and the just-installed Central Financial Commission will be key in making financial decisions for the central government, says political analyst Victor Shih in the Financial Times. The “de facto watchdog, planner, and decision maker for China’s US$61tn financial sector, weakening the power of state institutions such as the People’s Bank of China and China Securities Regulatory Commission.”Read More →
Going global: key for getting rich – Rupert Hoogewerf
The 2023 Hurun China rich list sees changes, and Rupert Hoogewerf, the Hurun Report chairman and chief researcher, sees efforts to go global as a key factor for growing riches, he tells Reuters. PDD’s Temu, ByteDance’s short-video platform TikTok, and ultra-fast fashion brand Shein he sees as examples.Read More →
How China’s leadership changed its contract with the people – Arthur Kroeber
China has entered a new era, where the communist party has changed its contract with the people, says economist Arthur Kroeber, according to Bloomberg. The new iteration? It’s called values-based legitimacy.
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How innovation will change our lives – Alvin Wang Graylin
Technological change severely disrupts our lives in the next 5 to ten years, innovation expert Alvin Wang Graylin explained at the Edge Asia-World Expo in Hong Kong. AI and XR come to the rescue, he says. And what does it mean for our jobs?Read More →
China: the innovation factory – Ashley Dudarenok
Marketing guru Ashley Dudarenok released today – together with co-author Ron Wardle – their book Innovation Factory: China’s Digital Playbook The two examine China’s digital transformation and its unique e-commerce and share what Western brands can learn to boost innovation, increase competitiveness, and foster a brighter future.Read More →
Working as a journalist in China – Ian Johnson
China journalist, senior fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations, and Pulitzer prize winner Ian Johnson discusses his time as a foreign correspondent in China since 1994. He was expelled in 2020 but returned to finish his latest book, Sparks: China’s Underground Historians and their Battle for the Future, in 2023. At the Asia Society for the China Books Review Launch, he is interviewed by his former colleague Dave Barboza.Read More →
China should improve position of single mothers – Zhang Lijia
While fixing the dropping birth rate in China might be challenging, improving the current position of single mothers should be a no-brainer, says author Zhang Lijia in the South China Morning Post. Some provinces have started to deal with the Sishengzi, or “secretly born child”, as a growing number of women do not want to marry, but still want to have a child, she writes.Read More →
Why consumer confidence in China is down – Shaun Rein
Geopolitical tensions and the crisis in real estate have hurt consumer confidence over the past 18 months, says Shanghai-based business analyst Shaun Rein at ABC. He does not expect a big-scale stimulus, since the government is short of money to spend, but a slow recovery of retail is emerging, he adds.Read More →
An expelled journalist returns to China – Ian Johnson
China veteran Ian Johnson tells how he got expelled from China and what he found when he returned in 2023 to Foreign Affairs—and discovered what had changed over the past three years with COVID-19 hitting the country. He found a country is in stagnation, he tells in a gloomy diagnosis, although he also discovered dissent was not wholly stifled.Read More →
China lacks consumer and business confidence – Ben Cavender
Consumer confidence is at a new low, and businesses are not optimistic, says business analyst Ben Cavender in the Jing Daily. Luxury consumption is especially suffering, he says. “However, brands will have to work much harder to resonate with consumers and get them to spend.”Read More →
China’s economy: signs of slow recovery – Ben Cavender
After a slow start, after opening up after COVID-19, China’s economy is showing slow signs of recovery this autumn, says Shanghai-based business analyst Ben Cavender in the state-owned China Daily.Read More →