https://www.scmp.com/rss/321971/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com From the Brexit vote and Donald Trump’s election as US president to rising support for populist parties in countries like Germany and Italy, much of the electoral upheaval in Western democracies in recent years has been attributed at least partly to a backlash against globalisation. But globalisation does not deserve voters’ ire.  There is no doubt that globalisation can leave specific groups within trading economies worse off. Those who work in industries that are susceptible to rising... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2144206/nobody-really-against-globalisation-least-not-parts-help?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2144206/nobody-really-against-globalisation-least-not-parts-help?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 May 2018 03:36:12 +0000 The fourth industrial revolution stands out from its predecessors in a critical way: rather than making it easier for humans to use their surroundings more effectively for their own benefit, technology is displacing humans in the workplace. The question is who will benefit now. Automated or otherwise technology-enabled services can increase profit margins for companies, while representing for users cheaper, more convenient or more reliable options than those produced exclusively by humans. But,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2134699/ai-revolution-creative-children-not-wannabe-bots-are-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2134699/ai-revolution-creative-children-not-wannabe-bots-are-future?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Feb 2018 07:29:42 +0000 President Donald Trump’s unpredictable approach to policymaking has fuelled widespread concern about where the United States is headed. Yet America’s stock market has performed well since Trump’s election, faltering only when his administration’s political future appears in doubt. That is no accident: on the economic front, Trump’s approach might have some redeeming qualities. From the outset, the Trump administration has maintained a pro-business attitude, exemplified by his commitment to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2109071/can-trumps-sound-economic-policies-outweigh-his-damaging?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2109071/can-trumps-sound-economic-policies-outweigh-his-damaging?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Aug 2017 05:52:14 +0000 When Donald Trump, in one of his first acts as president, announced that the United States would withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, many assumed that the mega-regional trade deal was dead. But such assumptions may have been premature. The TPP was originally envisioned as a rules-based economic area spanning the Pacific and comprising 12 member countries – Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the US and Vietnam – which collectively... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2100681/why-us-businesses-will-be-wishing-trump-had-stayed-tpp?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2100681/why-us-businesses-will-be-wishing-trump-had-stayed-tpp?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jun 2017 04:14:10 +0000 As with any human interaction, international relations, whether economic or political, is a combination of cooperation and competition. The “cooperation” part benefits all involved, whether by sustaining world peace or boosting growth and prosperity through free trade. The “competition” part creates serious risks, from economic impediments to war and environmental destruction. So why don’t countries cooperate more? The answer comes down, in part, to the so-called prisoner’s dilemma. Countries... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2091420/why-trump-test-case-tit-tat-foreign-relations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2091420/why-trump-test-case-tit-tat-foreign-relations?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Apr 2017 03:59:38 +0000 World leaders seem to be at a loss about how to approach relations with US President Donald Trump, given his worrying positions and often bizarre behaviour towards politicians and the media, allies and enemies alike. Trump is not just challenging political convention to “shake things up”; he is testing the foundations of US democracy. That test has the potential to transform existing assumptions about the United States and its global role. Trump was elected largely for one reason: a substantial... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2075010/american-people-must-rein-worst-donald-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2075010/american-people-must-rein-worst-donald-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Mar 2017 10:02:11 +0000 In a bold attempt to re-inflate the Japanese economy, the Bank of Japan has pushed interest rates on deposits into negative territory. Though this policy is not new – it is already being pursued by the European Central Bank and others – it is uncharted ground for the BOJ. And, unfortunately, markets have not responded as expected. READ MORE: Japan’s big gamble on negative interest rates In theory, negative rates should spur increased lending to companies, which would then spend more, including... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1918567/markets-limp-response-negative-rates-underscores-japans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1918567/markets-limp-response-negative-rates-underscores-japans?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Feb 2016 08:30:59 +0000 In September, I visited China for the first time in nearly 10 years. With so much time having passed since my last visit, it was easy to see where China has prospered – and where it continues to struggle. China’s major cities embody the extraordinary success of the development policies that Deng Xiaoping (鄧小平) initiated in the 1980s. They are home to most of the hundreds of millions of Chinese who have been lifted out of extreme poverty in just a few decades. Beijing and Shanghai are almost... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1894048/china-must-honour-its-pledge-let-market-lead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1894048/china-must-honour-its-pledge-let-market-lead?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Dec 2015 16:00:39 +0000