https://www.scmp.com/rss/264615/feed Breaking news and analysis on China’s economy, including its opening up, the US-China trade war, the impact of tariffs and trade talks, growth rates and other key economic data, the Belt and Road Initiative, and Greater Bay Area plan. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Tony Zhao Tony Zhao China may finally have a chance to loosen the grip of deflation. Yet, the more important question is whether it can do so without making households feel poorer first. The latest producer price index (PPI), which measures the prices factories charge, brings that possibility back into serious debate. China’s March PPI rose by 0.5 per cent year on year, ending 41 months of decline; it was up 1 per cent from February. After years of weak prices, cautious household spending and squeezed corporate... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3352619/can-china-engineer-price-recovery-doesnt-make-people-feel-poorer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3352619/can-china-engineer-price-recovery-doesnt-make-people-feel-poorer?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 May 2026 08:30:04 +0000 Frank Chen Frank Chen China’s flagship civilian aircraft maker is planning to upgrade the cabin capacity of its C919 narrowbody airliner to improve passenger experience and boost the plane’s chances of challenging the Boeing-Airbus duopoly, a source with knowledge of the plans said. Bigger overhead luggage compartments and drip-proof air conditioning outlets are among the design upgrades being sketched out by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac). “Comac has realised it must make passengers as... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352901/chinas-comac-looking-upgrade-c919-flying-experience-more-cabin-luggage-capacity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352901/chinas-comac-looking-upgrade-c919-flying-experience-more-cabin-luggage-capacity?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 May 2026 08:00:12 +0000 Christine Loh Christine Loh There is growing unease in how we describe political systems today. Words that once seemed clear no longer illuminate as they should. “Free”, “democratic”, “liberal” and “authoritarian” are among the most commonly used terms in political discourse, yet their meanings have become increasingly blurred and contested. This is not simply a matter of semantics. It reflects a deeper mismatch between the language we use and the realities we are trying to describe. The problem is not new. In George... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3352499/rise-china-complicates-authoritarian-vs-democratic-binary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3352499/rise-china-complicates-authoritarian-vs-democratic-binary?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 May 2026 01:30:05 +0000 Yeon Woo Lee Yeon Woo Lee China wants artificial intelligence to become a new engine of growth, powering everything from factory upgrades to scientific discovery. But outside the country’s technology hubs, the economic benefits promised by AI may be harder to realise. Recent studies suggest that AI will widen regional divides. Big cities with deep pools of talent, capital and innovative firms are best placed to adopt the technology, while smaller cities and rural areas may struggle to keep up. According to analysts, the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352918/chinas-ai-drive-seen-widening-wealth-gap-testing-common-prosperity-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352918/chinas-ai-drive-seen-widening-wealth-gap-testing-common-prosperity-push?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 May 2026 00:00:09 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang Online content writer Phoebe Zhao is packing her bags to leave Beijing after two years in the Chinese capital. But the 26-year-old is not heading back to her hometown in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province. She is opting instead to pursue postgraduate study in Shanghai, hoping it will serve as a springboard to career opportunities in the surrounding Yangtze River Delta. People born in northern China in the 1980s and ’90s used to consider Beijing the best place to build a career. But for... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352898/why-gen-z-abandoning-beijing-greener-fields-elsewhere-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352898/why-gen-z-abandoning-beijing-greener-fields-elsewhere-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 May 2026 08:00:10 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo You can perhaps judge the rise and decline of a society by the quality of its public intellectuals. In the last century, the United States had some genuinely great thinkers such as Walter Lippmann and Hannah Arendt who addressed a literate public while producing enduring works that can still be read today with great benefit. Now you have people like Francis Fukuyama and Sam Harris who may be studied in the future more as a symptom of their society. A podcast between the two last month went viral... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3352843/has-china-just-ended-end-history?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3352843/has-china-just-ended-end-history?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 May 2026 01:30:05 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer called for stability with Beijing days before US President Donald Trump’s closely watched trip to China, saying the US was not out to reshape the Chinese economy but to rebalance trade. The trade chief told Fox News on Friday that while the world’s two largest economies “always had a really robust trading relationship … it’s been wildly unbalanced with China exporting just vast amounts of goods to the United States and largely blocking a lot of US imports... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3352961/trump-trade-chief-says-us-wants-balanced-trade-not-change-chinas-system?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3352961/trump-trade-chief-says-us-wants-balanced-trade-not-change-chinas-system?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 May 2026 18:57:54 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang China’s international arbitration efforts have made significant progress, but more work is needed to attract foreign parties to arbitrate in China amid US-China rivalry, according to arbitrators and law scholars. China’s newly revised Arbitration Law took effect in March, marking the most significant overhaul of the country’s commercial dispute framework since 1994, in a move to promote cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen to develop into international arbitration centres, competing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352822/trust-key-if-chinas-international-arbitration-goals-are-succeed-experts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352822/trust-key-if-chinas-international-arbitration-goals-are-succeed-experts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 May 2026 15:45:04 +0000 Daniel Ren Daniel Ren Leapmotor, one of China’s strongest-performing electric vehicle (EV) makers this year, has taken a major step towards building cars locally for European customers after agreeing with shareholder Stellantis to add a line at a Spanish plant previously earmarked for Opel. The Hangzhou-based company and Stellantis, owner of Peugeot, Fiat and Jeep, would jointly build Opel’s new fully electric C-sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and B10 models at the Figueruelas plant in Zaragoza, according to a... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3352948/chinese-ev-maker-leapmotor-taps-stellantis-spanish-plant-eu-production?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3352948/chinese-ev-maker-leapmotor-taps-stellantis-spanish-plant-eu-production?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 May 2026 13:40:59 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang China’s shipping giants are bracing for a harsh new reality of persistent global volatility, as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz shifts from being a problem of transit delays to a hard volume shock. With the crucial energy corridor still paralysed as the US-Israel war on Iran drags on with no clear end in sight, China’s state-backed shipping majors are doubling down on long-term contracts and creating new multimodal routes in an attempt to hedge against future shocks. Cosco Shipping Holdings,... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352902/chinas-shipping-firms-brace-new-era-chaos-iran-war-drags?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352902/chinas-shipping-firms-brace-new-era-chaos-iran-war-drags?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 May 2026 13:30:06 +0000 Karen Tian Karen Tian Overseas-invested securities firms collectively saw income from their China businesses skyrocket in 2025, as combined net profits climbed more than fourfold from a year earlier to 2.65 billion yuan (US$390 million), according to their annual reports. However, while the industry’s bottom line surged last year – fuelled by China’s lifting of capital restrictions and a rebound in the capital market – the individual performances of firms showed a widening gap in scale. A South China Morning Post... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352912/wall-street-giants-lead-china-profit-surge-despite-market-polarisation-uneven-recovery?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352912/wall-street-giants-lead-china-profit-surge-despite-market-polarisation-uneven-recovery?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 May 2026 12:00:15 +0000 Alice Li Alice Li China’s rapid technological gains and aggressive pricing are making it increasingly difficult for South Korean firms to find profitable areas of industrial synergy with their Chinese counterparts, according to experts. Speakers at a recent forum in Beijing urged firms from both countries to pivot towards building more interdependent ecosystems in high-growth sectors such as batteries and artificial intelligence, while also calling for the advancement of negotiations towards an upgraded... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3352913/how-chinas-sharper-tech-edge-forces-south-korea-rethink-decades-industrial-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3352913/how-chinas-sharper-tech-edge-forces-south-korea-rethink-decades-industrial-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 May 2026 10:30:13 +0000 David Dodwell David Dodwell Even as “China shock 2.0” is roiling Western manufacturers, we must, it seems, brace for “China shock 3.0” – to the global food economy – as President Xi Jinping doubles down on the imperative that has obsessed Beijing for decades: food security. “China’s Food Future”, a consultation paper by Systemiq funded by the California-based Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, warns that China is poised to “reshape global agricultural commodity supply chains”. It suggests China is set to apply to... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3352799/prepare-china-shock-30-global-food-economy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3352799/prepare-china-shock-30-global-food-economy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 May 2026 08:30:05 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang China’s rapidly growing low-altitude economy has reached a new milestone, with the first four domestically trained commercial airship pilots receiving their licences – a step officials believe could help address a critical talent shortage in the sector. Issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), the licences “signify a breakthrough that addresses the vacuum”, the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) said in a statement this week. AVIC said the achievement... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352833/china-marks-milestone-first-home-certified-airship-pilots?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352833/china-marks-milestone-first-home-certified-airship-pilots?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 May 2026 03:00:31 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told US President Donald Trump on Thursday that his country’s rare earth reserves are open to investment from China and any other nation willing to process the minerals on Brazilian soil, resisting pressure to side with Washington in its contest with Beijing over critical mineral supply chains. “We have no preference. What we want is to share with whoever wants to invest in Brazil,” Lula said at a press conference at the Brazilian embassy in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352824/lula-wont-sideline-china-or-anyone-rare-earths-tells-trump-refining-stays-brazil?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352824/lula-wont-sideline-china-or-anyone-rare-earths-tells-trump-refining-stays-brazil?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 23:01:58 +0000 Daniel Ren Daniel Ren Beijing’s tighter oversight of vicious price competition in the automotive sector is expected to increase borrowing pressure on mainland carmakers and accelerate the exit of weaker, debt-laden players amid softening consumer demand, according to S&P Global Ratings. The warning is likely to deepen bearish sentiment surrounding mainland China’s more than 100 car assemblers, many of which have been at the forefront of global electric vehicle (EV) technology and production. “Financially fragile... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3352760/chinas-move-cut-ev-payment-cycles-may-push-weaker-carmakers-out-sp?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3352760/chinas-move-cut-ev-payment-cycles-may-push-weaker-carmakers-out-sp?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 23:00:11 +0000 Frank Chen Frank Chen US President Donald Trump’s landmark visit to China comes as the US-Iran war disrupts global energy supplies, fuels economic uncertainty and adds fresh strain to Washington-Beijing ties. In the second instalment of a series examining how rivalry, interdependence and geopolitical crises are reshaping the relationship between the two powers, we weigh the odds of a major deal for Boeing aircraft after nearly a decade without a significant order from Chinese airlines. Shanghai Airlines was flying... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352756/wrapped-boeing-will-trumps-china-visit-include-another-aircraft-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352756/wrapped-boeing-will-trumps-china-visit-include-another-aircraft-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 22:00:07 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado Teresa Elena Frontado The Trump administration has expanded its pressure campaign against Cuba into the critical minerals sector, sanctioning a nickel joint venture tied to Canadian miner Sherritt International in a move that could reverberate through China-linked battery supply chains. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions on Thursday against Moa Nickel SA, a joint venture between Sherritt and Cuba’s state-owned General Nickel Company, as part of a broader effort targeting Havana’s military-controlled... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352815/us-targets-cuba-nickel-operation-move-implications-china-linked-supply-chains?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352815/us-targets-cuba-nickel-operation-move-implications-china-linked-supply-chains?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 18:15:08 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick China made Brazil its top global investment destination last year, pouring US$6.1 billion into the country across a record 52 projects. The figures come from the China-Brazil Business Council (CBBC), which released its annual report on Thursday. The 45 per cent jump in value from the previous year far outpaced the 4.8 per cent rise in total foreign investment into Brazil. It also dwarfed China’s worldwide outbound flows, which grew just 1.3 per cent. Brazil absorbed 10.9 per cent of all Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352676/china-pours-us61b-brazil-making-it-beijings-top-investment-worldwide-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352676/china-pours-us61b-brazil-making-it-beijings-top-investment-worldwide-report?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 14:30:05 +0000 Dominik Mierzejewski Dominik Mierzejewski As Beijing increasingly sees the country as a chessboard, the central government is no longer simply asking every province to grow faster; it wants them to grow differently. Reporting on the end of the 14th five-year plan and preparation for the 15th five-year plan frames provinces and cities as specialised implementation units, reflecting a territorial division of labour. The central government wants provinces to find their rightful place in national development and act in accordance with their... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3352501/why-beijing-wants-provinces-find-their-own-productive-forces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3352501/why-beijing-wants-provinces-find-their-own-productive-forces?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 12:30:05 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings China and the United States drove a rapid accumulation of global debt in the first quarter of 2026, a trend that could spread amid war in the Middle East and mounting geopolitical tensions, a major finance industry body said. Global debt hit a record high of nearly US$353 trillion in the first quarter, according to the Institute of International Finance (IIF), with a US$4.4 trillion rise from January to March, driven largely by government borrowing and marking the fastest increase since the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3352794/china-us-drive-global-debt-record-353-trillion-iran-war-adds-pressure-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3352794/china-us-drive-global-debt-record-353-trillion-iran-war-adds-pressure-report?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 12:08:41 +0000 Zhu Wenqian Zhu Wenqian The majority shareholder of Shenzhen-listed Wuliangye Yibin (Wuliangye) – China’s iconic premium baijiu producer – plans to increase its equity stake in the listed unit by purchasing between 3 billion yuan (US$441 million) and 5 billion yuan worth of shares over the next six months, in a move aimed at bolstering investor confidence after the stock slid to a six-year low. Analysts said the stake increase followed a prolonged downturn in China’s baijiu sector and growing unease among investors... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3352780/wuliangye-majority-shareholder-steps-large-scale-stake-purchase?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3352780/wuliangye-majority-shareholder-steps-large-scale-stake-purchase?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 11:04:40 +0000 Frank Chen Frank Chen The sudden collapse of Spirit Airlines is serving as a stark warning for the global aviation industry, as China’s own carriers just struggled through a disappointing May Day holiday marred by surging fuel costs and an embrace of the nation’s high-speed rail network. Hopes that the five-day “golden week” could provide a meaningful lift for airlines operating in China were dashed, as the US-Israel war with Iran, now in its third month, has caused fuel prices to nearly double. While no Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3352759/fuel-shocks-thin-margins-why-chinas-airlines-should-heed-spirits-mistakes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3352759/fuel-shocks-thin-margins-why-chinas-airlines-should-heed-spirits-mistakes?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 10:00:34 +0000 Karen Tian Karen Tian China’s central bank has set the yuan’s exchange rate at its strongest level against the US dollar in more than three years, as Beijing pushes to internationalise its currency and global confidence in US dollar assets continues to waver. The People’s Bank of China set the yuan’s midpoint rate at 6.8487 per US dollar on Thursday, the strongest level since April 2023. The fixing rate, used as a reference for daily market trading, was 6.8562 a day earlier. Analysts expect the Chinese currency to... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352735/chinas-exporters-face-test-yuan-hits-3-year-high-against-us-dollar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352735/chinas-exporters-face-test-yuan-hits-3-year-high-against-us-dollar?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 08:22:07 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham The EU’s outgoing top trade official used her departing appearance at the European Parliament to pour cold water on the prospect of an investment deal with China, hinting instead that new weapons for dealing with Chinese “macroeconomic imbalances” could be on the way. Sabine Weyand, who is leaving her role as the EU’s director general for trade after a seven-year tenure, said the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment – signed in the last days of 2020 but frozen soon after in a row over human... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352714/china-eu-investment-deal-should-stay-deep-freezer-warns-outgoing-trade-chief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352714/china-eu-investment-deal-should-stay-deep-freezer-warns-outgoing-trade-chief?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 06:35:20 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang China is strengthening gas storage capacity in Hainan as part of an expanding energy security strategy aimed at reducing exposure to external supply shocks, including disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz during the US-Israeli war in Iran. Against this backdrop, the second phase of a major liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in the southern island province has reached a crucial milestone, with construction nearly 50 per cent complete and full completion expected by 2027, state broadcaster... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352611/chinas-energy-security-strategy-expands-south-how-hainan-becoming-lng-storage-hub?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352611/chinas-energy-security-strategy-expands-south-how-hainan-becoming-lng-storage-hub?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 01:30:11 +0000 Ningrong Liu Ningrong Liu During a summer trip to Europe 15 years ago, I sat with friends in a Monaco hotel as we discussed their bold new idea. One of them, trained in technology and just beginning his entrepreneurial journey, shared his vision: to make the lectures of world-class professors accessible online to college students across China. I admired his passion, though I doubted whether such a venture could succeed. Not long ago, that company, now a leading provider of digital solutions for higher education in China,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3352556/how-scientist-entrepreneurs-are-shaping-chinas-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3352556/how-scientist-entrepreneurs-are-shaping-chinas-future?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 01:30:05 +0000 Daniel Ren Daniel Ren Profit trajectories between automotive assemblers and electric vehicle (EV) battery producers in China are set to diverge further due to lacklustre car sales and buoyant demand for energy-storage systems. Leading players, including China’s EV battery king Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL), would continue to attract buying interest in their shares, spurred by improved profitability, according to analysts. They added that flat vehicle prices, coupled with a dip in new car sales, had... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3352561/falling-sales-widen-profit-gap-between-chinas-ev-makers-and-battery-suppliers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3352561/falling-sales-widen-profit-gap-between-chinas-ev-makers-and-battery-suppliers?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 01:00:08 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Stellar economic development can exact a price in industrial accidents, as China found in its very high-growth years. Since then, one of its less noticed achievements – alongside lifting hundreds of millions out of extreme poverty – is to have also made mines and factories safer for those who work in them. As a result, reports of deaths and injuries in major workplace accidents are no longer so commonplace. Sadly, they continue to happen – everywhere, including Hong Kong. Reminders can still be... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3352605/china-fireworks-factory-blast-sharpens-focus-workplace-safety?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3352605/china-fireworks-factory-blast-sharpens-focus-workplace-safety?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 May 2026 23:15:07 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier The scheduled summit next week between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will almost certainly include proclamations about cooperation, friendship and respect between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies, but beneath the surface, major trade conflict is building, said trade experts on Wednesday. In the past, a weaker China was forced to grit its teeth and grudgingly accept US tariffs, export restrictions and other restrictions, but Beijing has quietly and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352674/trump-xi-summit-hides-simmering-trade-tensions-under-surface-industry-experts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352674/trump-xi-summit-hides-simmering-trade-tensions-under-surface-industry-experts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 May 2026 21:11:48 +0000 Frank Chen Frank Chen China remains on the radar of foreign aviators keen to scout out opportunities in the world’s second-largest economy, with many unfazed by the sector’s prolonged recovery and the dwindling number of expat pilots. Those expats still flying in China hail high job satisfaction and long-term outlook, but they also warn newcomers of competition and that overseas credentials and experiences are losing their acclaimed status. Jang Kwang-chol, an instructor captain with Chengdu Airlines who hails from... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352586/expat-pilots-hoping-take-china-told-their-credentials-are-no-longer-hot-ticket?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352586/expat-pilots-hoping-take-china-told-their-credentials-are-no-longer-hot-ticket?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 May 2026 13:00:06 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings China’s railway network broke passenger records during the long May Day holiday as millions hit the rails. Meanwhile, a shift towards budget-conscious destinations such as the African coast, coupled with rising fuel costs, signalled a cautious consumer landscape despite the surge in mobility. China’s Ministry of Transport said on Wednesday that “cross-regional” trips during the holiday reached nearly 1.52 billion, a 3.49 per cent increase over the 2025 break, and a record high for the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352618/chinas-may-day-travel-surges-spending-chases-value-budget-conscious-pivot?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352618/chinas-may-day-travel-surges-spending-chases-value-budget-conscious-pivot?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 May 2026 12:00:08 +0000 Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma The European Commission is working on a new trade weapon as the continent struggles to contend with a flood of low-cost imports from China. The tool may be presented at a May 29 gathering of the European Union’s executive branch, the South China Morning Post reported on Tuesday. Plans for a China-focused meeting were delayed from last month after the US-Israeli war on Iran prompted a new agenda focused on energy prices. It’s not clear what form the instrument will take. Business groups have been... https://www.scmp.com/plus/economy/china-economy/article/3352604/europe-readies-trade-war-weapon-amid-china-export-deluge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/economy/china-economy/article/3352604/europe-readies-trade-war-weapon-amid-china-export-deluge?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 May 2026 09:02:57 +0000 Xiaofei Xu Xiaofei Xu The European Union’s push to bar Chinese suppliers from its critical infrastructure under a proposed new Cybersecurity Act would cost the bloc a jaw-dropping €367.8 billion (US$431.4 billion) over the next five years, a new study has warned. The law’s vast price tag comes from the need to rip out and replace huge amounts of Chinese hardware – a task that alone could cost €146.2 billion – with other losses stemming from resource reallocation, service disruptions, employment adjustments and legal... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352610/eu-cyber-plan-barring-chinese-suppliers-will-cost-us430-billion-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352610/eu-cyber-plan-barring-chinese-suppliers-will-cost-us430-billion-report?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 May 2026 08:59:46 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu China’s Labour Day holiday box office has posted sluggish results despite a wave of new releases, as cautious consumer spending continued to weigh on the world’s second-largest film market. Cinemas had raked in 759 million yuan (US$111.1 million) over the five-day holiday, which ended on Tuesday, according to Chinese box office data tracker Beacon Pro, up slightly from 2025’s 748 million yuan but about half the levels recorded in both the two preceding years and the pre-pandemic period. The... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352523/chinas-labour-day-box-office-underwhelms-consumer-spending-stays-cautious?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352523/chinas-labour-day-box-office-underwhelms-consumer-spending-stays-cautious?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 May 2026 01:30:19 +0000 Mia Nurmamat Mia Nurmamat On a Monday morning, Li Hangyan hurried through the doors of her shop, just as she does every day. Lately, however, the pace of work has picked up as a growing stream of customers arrives with questions about orders ahead of the 2026 Fifa World Cup. In Yiwu, a city in eastern China’s Zhejiang province about 300km (186 miles) from Shanghai and home to the world’s largest wholesale market for small commodities, foreign buyers from across the globe are once again gathering to source goods. At Li’s... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352306/how-chinese-city-netting-profits-amid-world-cup-fever?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352306/how-chinese-city-netting-profits-amid-world-cup-fever?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 13:00:06 +0000 Yeon Woo Lee Yeon Woo Lee Samsung Electronics’ surprise leadership reshuffle in its TV division points to a strategic pivot away from a hardware-led model, analysts have said, as intensifying competition from Chinese rivals pushes the company to rethink how it generates revenue beyond television sales. The South Korean tech giant on Monday appointed Lee Won-jin, former head of its global marketing office, to lead the visual display business. Samsung said Lee was “expected to spearhead business turnarounds and identify... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3352511/samsung-reshuffle-signals-shift-beyond-hardware-china-rivalry-intensifies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3352511/samsung-reshuffle-signals-shift-beyond-hardware-china-rivalry-intensifies?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 10:29:35 +0000 Ji Siqi Ji Siqi Four years after Shanghai’s harsh citywide lockdown, there are signs the city’s expatriate population – which thinned significantly during the pandemic – is starting to rebound, though with a notably different demographic profile. The sound of English, Korean and French is once again often heard drifting through the plane-tree-lined streets of Shanghai’s former French Concession – widely seen as the heart of the city’s international community. And local residents point to a gradual, though... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352494/4-years-after-lockdown-shanghais-expat-community-recovering-and-changing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352494/4-years-after-lockdown-shanghais-expat-community-recovering-and-changing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 10:00:16 +0000 Matt Terrell Matt Terrell When it comes to artificial intelligence, the United States still dominates the headlines – and, by most conventional measures, the technology itself. American institutions continue to produce a large share of high-impact AI research, and private investment reached over US$109 billion in 2024, nearly 12 times China’s total, according to the Stanford Institute for Human-Centred AI. At the same time, the economics of AI are rapidly improving. Training and deployment costs have fallen dramatically... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3352235/america-builds-ai-china-uses-it-gap-may-decide-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3352235/america-builds-ai-china-uses-it-gap-may-decide-future?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 08:30:05 +0000 Xiaofei Xu,Finbarr Bermingham Xiaofei Xu,Finbarr Bermingham The EU has taken its most direct step yet to cut Chinese clean energy hardware out of publicly funded projects, banning Chinese inverters from all EU-funded schemes in a move Brussels described as the first in a series of actions targeting high-risk suppliers. “We decided we will take concrete action right now … that has included developing guidance on restricting the use of EU funds for projects involving inverters from high-risk suppliers,” European Commission spokeswoman Siobhan McGarry said... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352435/brussels-bans-chinese-inverters-eu-funded-power-projects-connected-european-grid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352435/brussels-bans-chinese-inverters-eu-funded-power-projects-connected-european-grid?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 02:57:16 +0000 Haining Gao Haining Gao Other economy factsheets: China’s US$1.2 trillion trade surplus Price wars in China China’s energy mismatch https://www.scmp.com/plus/economy/china-economy/article/3352429/chinas-economy-2026?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/economy/china-economy/article/3352429/chinas-economy-2026?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 02:29:56 +0000 Kandy Wong Kandy Wong Chinese multinational company Landbridge Group’s legal claim regarding Darwin Port – the first case ever brought against Australia at the international tribunal – is likely to yield a multi-year proceeding, which could serve as a buffer to provide some positive impacts for the Australia-China relationship, analysts said. The owner of Landbridge, Ye Cheng, filed a case with the World Bank’s International Centre for Settlement of Investor Disputes (ICSID) requesting “arbitration proceedings” over... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352339/chinas-fight-keep-darwin-port-could-help-fragile-sino-australian-relations-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352339/chinas-fight-keep-darwin-port-could-help-fragile-sino-australian-relations-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 01:00:14 +0000 Daniel Ren Daniel Ren Chinese self-driving technology firm ZYT is edging closer to mass production of semi-autonomous trucks that can improve fuel efficiency and save logistics costs, likely to benefit the country’s manufacturing businesses amid a global energy crisis. The Shenzhen-based start-up, a spin-off from drone maker DJI, has formed partnerships with mainland China’s top six heavy-truck makers to produce models fitted with its navigation on autopilot (NOA) systems, with the first deliveries expected as early... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-evs/article/3352396/chinese-start-zyt-eyes-mass-production-semi-autonomous-trucks-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-evs/article/3352396/chinese-start-zyt-eyes-mass-production-semi-autonomous-trucks-year?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 23:00:08 +0000 Mia Nurmamat Mia Nurmamat As the Middle East conflict spreads uncertainty among farmers around the world, Chinese farmers are carrying out their spring ploughing as usual and appear largely untroubled. “The supply of chemical fertilisers for spring ploughing is ample,” an official with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said at a news conference last month, adding that domestic fertiliser prices were “far lower than international prices” and spring sowing was proceeding as normal. While policymakers around the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352366/how-middle-east-crisis-expanding-chinas-agrochemical-influence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352366/how-middle-east-crisis-expanding-chinas-agrochemical-influence?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 22:00:10 +0000 Orange Wang Orange Wang The US-Israel war on Iran could bolster Beijing’s leverage on issues such as hi-tech supply chains and Taiwan during the coming Trump-Xi summit, according to American experts. US President Donald Trump is expected to meet his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, next week. “He’s not going to move to reschedule it,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said during an interview with Fox News on Sunday, after Trump confirmed on Friday that his visit would take place as scheduled. The summit, expected to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352399/iran-war-could-give-xi-upper-hand-meeting-trump-us-experts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352399/iran-war-could-give-xi-upper-hand-meeting-trump-us-experts?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 15:00:08 +0000 Frank Chen Frank Chen China’s top tech hub, Shenzhen, saw retail sales grow by just 0.5 per cent year on year in the first quarter after reporting gross domestic product growth of 5.8 per cent for the same period, casting a spotlight on its unbalanced development as mortgage and living costs weigh heavily on residents’ sentiment. A policy analyst said the city, in southern China’s Guangdong province, could have already seen retail sales decline if not for the rising number of bargain-hunters from Hong Kong crossing... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352367/shenzhens-retail-sales-flatline-export-boom-fails-benefit-residents?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352367/shenzhens-retail-sales-flatline-export-boom-fails-benefit-residents?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 14:00:09 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings US technology companies should stay in China, despite persistent political pressure for their exit, to capitalise on revenue potential and stifle local competition while monitoring consumer trends, according to a Washington-based policy think tank. Sales generated by American firms within China can be reinvested in research and development back in the United States, thereby helping “sustain US innovation leadership”, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) said in a new... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3352371/us-tech-can-use-china-listening-post-global-edge-washington-think-tank-explains?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3352371/us-tech-can-use-china-listening-post-global-edge-washington-think-tank-explains?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 13:00:13 +0000 Nikola Mikovic Nikola Mikovic Amid the trade war with the United States, the last thing China needs is an economic confrontation with the European Union – Beijing’s major export destination. But with the EU seemingly determined to protect its market by introducing measures that many see as controversial, an economic stand-off appears inevitable. When European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen blamed China last June for showing an “unwillingness to live within the constraints of the rules-based international system”,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3352160/made-europe-law-sets-stage-economic-showdown-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3352160/made-europe-law-sets-stage-economic-showdown-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu China and Indonesia have launched a new cross-border QR payment system, marking the latest step in Beijing’s drive to build a regional digital payments network as it pushes to internationalise the yuan and reduce dependence on the US dollar. Users can now use domestic mobile apps – such as China’s Alipay and Indonesia’s QRIS – to scan QR codes and make retail payments in either country using their home currencies. Alicia Garcia-Herrero, chief economist for the Asia-Pacific region at French... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3352360/china-indonesia-launch-cross-border-qr-payments-boost-global-yuan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3352360/china-indonesia-launch-cross-border-qr-payments-boost-global-yuan?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 09:00:26 +0000 Alice Li Alice Li The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has launched a new financing facility aimed at strengthening critical mineral supply chains across the Asia-Pacific region, as a global push to loosen China’s chokehold over the sector continues. The initiative is designed to help Asia-Pacific nations move up the critical minerals value chain – moving beyond just mining – by equipping them with the technical capabilities to process and recycle the materials, according to the ADB. “Asia and the Pacific should be... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352352/asia-races-de-risk-critical-minerals-supply-chain-new-financing-tool?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352352/asia-races-de-risk-critical-minerals-supply-chain-new-financing-tool?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 08:15:00 +0000