https://www.scmp.com/rss/511966/feed Kim Bo-eun is a reporter with The Korea Times. She is currently based in Hong Kong, writing for both the South China Morning Post and The Korea Times, under an exchange programme. She has been in journalism for the past decade and currently covers China's economy and other related issues. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Renewed talks between China and South Korea to further open their service sectors could represent a “win-win situation for both economies”, analysts said. The discussions over the second phase of a free-trade agreement that went into effect in December 2015 began in 2018, with nine working-level discussions taking place, although progress stalled, prompting a meeting between chief negotiators on July 13. China’s commerce ministry said that the two sides had “in-depth consultations on... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3186792/china-south-korea-renew-service-sector-talks-opening-win-win?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3186792/china-south-korea-renew-service-sector-talks-opening-win-win?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Jul 2022 21:00:27 +0000 An apparent shift in the external economic policy of South Korea’s new government has put the brakes on a number of efforts in Russia and China that were initiated under the previous administration. And while the shift also reflects developing situations such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the abrupt sea change that has occurred with the leadership change has come at the cost of greater government funds, time and effort. Under the previous administration of Moon Jae-in, an ambitious plan was... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3185431/south-koreas-china-russia-deals-derailed-amid-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3185431/south-koreas-china-russia-deals-derailed-amid-new?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Jul 2022 00:00:11 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3185414/womens-health-matters-beyond-fertility?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3185414/womens-health-matters-beyond-fertility?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Jul 2022 08:30:28 +0000 This month, Japan announced it would set up a research group next year to look into the weight and dietary habits of young women. On the surface, this is a welcome move. A 2019 survey showed one in five Japanese women in their 20s were underweight – a higher proportion than those of other developed countries. A 2021 survey showed the number of girls under 20 newly diagnosed with anorexia was up 60 per cent. While these are recent figures, the issue has been of concern in Japan for a while,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3185293/framing-anorexia-fight-birth-rate-solution-harmful-women?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3185293/framing-anorexia-fight-birth-rate-solution-harmful-women?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Jul 2022 07:00:14 +0000 Record-high inflation, aggressive rate hikes and stock market chaos have stoked concern that the US economy could slip into recession, causing a growth slump in other parts of the world. In Asia, eyes are also fixed on China, with some wondering whether the world’s No 2 economy will be able to act as a buffer against a potential contraction in the United States. China has a significantly lower rate of inflation than the US and “prudent” economic policy during the first two years of the pandemic... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3183852/could-chinese-demand-soften-blow-us-recession-hong-kong-south?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3183852/could-chinese-demand-soften-blow-us-recession-hong-kong-south?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Jul 2022 00:00:16 +0000 South Korea’s decision to join a US-led pact on mineral supply helps satisfy a “definite need” to cut dependency on China for key resources, including rare earths, analysts said. Securing key resources has become a core task for major economies around the world, as minerals are a crucial element incorporated into cutting-edge technologies, green energy and national defence industries. Countries have traditionally relied on China as it not only holds the largest amount of rare earth reserves, but... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3183244/us-led-rare-earths-pact-satisfies-south-koreas-definite-need?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3183244/us-led-rare-earths-pact-satisfies-south-koreas-definite-need?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Jun 2022 20:30:23 +0000 Kim Bo-eun,Luna Sun Kim Bo-eun,Luna Sun Japan has long been the poster boy for population crisis, but South Korea’s fertility rate is now one of the lowest in the world, and China’s is not much better. Last year, in a nation of over 51 million people, the average number of children a woman in South Korea was expected to give birth to in her lifetime sat at 0.81 – the lowest since Statistics Korea began compiling related data in 1970 when the figure stood at 4.53 and down from over 2 in 1983. According to an estimate from a team of... https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3182824/china-south-korea-battle-population-woes-children-are?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3182824/china-south-korea-battle-population-woes-children-are?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Jun 2022 22:00:30 +0000 Hong Kong will include Korean in the foreign language category of the city’s university entrance exam starting from 2025, but will drop both Hindi and Urdu. The Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Hong Kong confirmed on Wednesday that the city’s Examinations and Assessment Authority and South Korea’s National Institute for International Education had reached an agreement to include Korean as part of the Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (DSE). “The documents on the agreement... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3182656/hong-kong-include-korean-university-entrance-exam-2025-amid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3182656/hong-kong-include-korean-university-entrance-exam-2025-amid?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Jun 2022 09:16:24 +0000 Ji Siqi,Kim Bo-eun Ji Siqi,Kim Bo-eun North Korea bought a large volume of soybeans from China in May even though overall imports from its neighbour slumped more than 80 per cent from the previous month, trade data from Beijing showed, amid suspicion the reclusive state is suffering food shortages as it fights a coronavirus outbreak. North Korea spent US$2.97 million on 3,744 tonnes of Chinese soybeans last month, the second largest monthly amount since 2017, Chinese customs data showed. The country imported just 500 tonnes of... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3182516/north-korean-imports-chinese-soybeans-surge-coronavirus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3182516/north-korean-imports-chinese-soybeans-surge-coronavirus?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jun 2022 12:15:15 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3182049/wwii-sex-slave-issue-looms-large-over-south-koreas-ties-japan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3182049/wwii-sex-slave-issue-looms-large-over-south-koreas-ties-japan?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Jun 2022 08:00:13 +0000 South Korean businesses in Shanghai are rushing to normalise operations after the city lifted its two-month long citywide lockdown on Wednesday. Park Sang-min, a South Korean businessman based in the commercial hub, said many companies involved in trade like his own had lost business partners during the lockdown, when cargo-handling capacity at the city’s port plunged. The city’s port, the world’s biggest based on cargo throughput, handled 17 per cent fewer containers in April compared with the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3180195/coronavirus-shanghai-reopens-south-korean-firms-race-shake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3180195/coronavirus-shanghai-reopens-south-korean-firms-race-shake?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Jun 2022 13:00:24 +0000 During Hong Kong’s fifth Covid-19 wave, when basically all establishments were closed in the evenings and there was little to do outside the home except for taking a stroll in parks, one could easily spot trainers with their trainees there. What appeared to be nice outdoor sessions were actually trainers trying to survive through the four-month shutdown of sports centres from January through April of this year. Following the outbreak of the pandemic in early 2020, these facilities were closed... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3180158/hong-kong-gym-owners-see-glimmer-hope-covid-19-recovery-takes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3180158/hong-kong-gym-owners-see-glimmer-hope-covid-19-recovery-takes?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Jun 2022 10:45:13 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3178527/whats-deal-south-koreas-gender-ministry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3178527/whats-deal-south-koreas-gender-ministry?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 May 2022 10:00:16 +0000 South Korea’s president Yoon Suk-yeol is gearing up to reorganise his country’s trade relations by reducing dependence on China and building “supply chain alliances”. The world’s No 2 economy is by far South Korea’s largest trading partner, accounting for 25 per cent of total trade last year, followed by the United States’ share of 15 per cent. But under Yoon’s new conservative administration – which is seen as more hawkish towards China – South Korea is looking to forge closer ties with a range... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3178370/south-korea-looks-break-china-import-dependence-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3178370/south-korea-looks-break-china-import-dependence-and?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 May 2022 00:15:13 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/economy/article/3177882/south-koreas-new-leader-thrust-us-china-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/article/3177882/south-koreas-new-leader-thrust-us-china-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 May 2022 12:00:00 +0000 The European Union appears to be increasingly reaching out to economies in Asia, as the world’s largest trading bloc reassesses its economic ties with China and seeks greater engagement with the Indo-Pacific region. The EU Council, composed of government ministers from each EU country, endorsed its Indo-Pacific strategy in October and has been accelerating moves to bolster ties with economies there. In a time of escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing, Brussels is weighing the risks... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3176818/eus-china-ties-spotlight-brussels-moves-bolster-alliances?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3176818/eus-china-ties-spotlight-brussels-moves-bolster-alliances?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 May 2022 06:00:22 +0000 Bilateral trade between South Korea and Hong Kong is set to get a boost in coming years when the city joins the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the world’s largest trade bloc. In the first three month of the year, Hong Kong’s exports to South Korea increased by 10.8 per cent to HK$18.7 billion (US$2.4 billion) compared to the same period last year, Census and Statistics Department figures released on Thursday showed. However, there was a small year on year fall of 1.1 per... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3175858/hong-kong-south-korea-economic-ties-set-boost-under-worlds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3175858/hong-kong-south-korea-economic-ties-set-boost-under-worlds?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Apr 2022 11:30:17 +0000 With its cheap and abundant manpower, China has long relished its role as the so-called world’s factory, offering lower production costs to lure global brands and retain domestic manufacturers for decades. But a gradual rise in expenses, such as labour costs, has been weakening China’s role as a go-to source of production for companies over the past five years, according to a new report by the Korea International Trade Association. Multinational firms are being increasingly pressured to move... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3175223/chinas-south-korean-firms-mull-over-whether-stay-or-go-covid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3175223/chinas-south-korean-firms-mull-over-whether-stay-or-go-covid?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Apr 2022 21:30:25 +0000 The rivalry between China and the United States has escalated in recent years and is set to intensify with the launch of multiple trade groupings in Asia. The latest to be negotiated is the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), a US-led initiative which is widely seen as an effort to counter China’s influence in the Asia-Pacific. The economic potential of the region is considered massive, with a young population and growing middle class. But stronger ties with countries in Asia go beyond... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3174211/what-ipef-and-will-it-help-us-counter-chinas-influence-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3174211/what-ipef-and-will-it-help-us-counter-chinas-influence-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Apr 2022 05:00:11 +0000 North Korea is steadily restoring trade with China after bilateral commerce dived in 2020 and 2021 as the reclusive state closed its border to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Trade with China totalled US$318 million in 2021, down by 41 per cent from the previous year and by 90 per cent from levels before the pandemic, according to China Customs data. Last year’s total was the lowest with its northwestern neighbour since Kim Jong-un assumed leadership in December 2011. But after mainly... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3173601/china-north-korea-trade-recovering-after-covid-induced?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3173601/china-north-korea-trade-recovering-after-covid-induced?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Apr 2022 04:00:21 +0000 Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has added to disruptions caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, has created increasing uncertainty for most industries, with shipbuilding one of them. South Korean and Chinese shipbuilders rank among the industry’s top players, and as tensions are growing, the impact of the geopolitical decisions made in both Seoul and Beijing over the Ukraine crisis are starting to filter through. Firms in South Korea face the risk of delayed payments from Russian owners... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3171866/south-korean-shipbuilders-weigh-us65-billion-cost-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3171866/south-korean-shipbuilders-weigh-us65-billion-cost-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Mar 2022 20:30:25 +0000 When a major Chinese video-streaming platform added a hit Korean romantic drama to its programming slate this month, South Korean content producers were elated and perhaps a bit cautiously optimistic. Something in the Rain is the first Korean TV series to obtain approval from Beijing’s broadcast regulator in five years, after Korean content was blocked in mainland China following Seoul’s 2017 deployment of an American-made missile-defence system. China’s iQiyi started offering the show –... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3171026/chinas-first-k-drama-approvals-years-come-under-cloud-yoons?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3171026/chinas-first-k-drama-approvals-years-come-under-cloud-yoons?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Mar 2022 01:00:14 +0000 The election of conservative Yoon Suk-yeol as South Korea’s next president has raised questions over the future direction of relations between Seoul and Beijing, with the former prosecutor making clear he plans to strengthen trade and security ties with Washington. Yoon has taken a harder stance on China than outgoing liberal president Moon Jae-in, who has placed considerable importance on ties with the world’s No 2 economy, both in terms of trade and its ability to help negotiate with North... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3170398/china-south-korea-ties-enter-new-era-president-elect-yoon-suk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3170398/china-south-korea-ties-enter-new-era-president-elect-yoon-suk?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Mar 2022 20:30:15 +0000 Kim Bo-eun Kim Bo-eun China carved out a lead in fintech services over the past decade, with big tech firms having taken the lead on the back of deregulated government policies and surging public demand for electronic payment options. As a result, the world’s second-largest economy is largely cashless, and mobile payments via private-sector platforms are ubiquitous in commerce. Meanwhile, Beijing has been rolling out a central bank digital currency that has undergone several pilot programmes throughout the country,... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3168671/chinas-fintech-ecosystem-worlds-largest-will-beijings-tech?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3168671/chinas-fintech-ecosystem-worlds-largest-will-beijings-tech?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Feb 2022 20:30:20 +0000