https://www.scmp.com/rss/520757/feed Lizzi C. Lee is a fellow on Chinese economy at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Centre for China Analysis. She is an economist turned journalist, and graduated from MIT’s PhD programme in economics before joining the New York-based independent Chinese media outlet Wall St TV. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Lizzi C. Lee Lizzi C. Lee The idea of a token economy is gaining traction. The concept is still nascent, loosely defined and easy to dismiss as just another piece of artificial intelligence jargon. It is no surprise Chinese policymakers are quick to jump on the bandwagon. But in the Chinese context, there is a more concrete policy logic that deserves attention. It reflects an emerging attempt to reframe how energy, infrastructure and digital services interact, and in doing so, how China positions itself in the next phase... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3350766/chinas-ai-token-drive-really-about-upgrading-inland-economies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3350766/chinas-ai-token-drive-really-about-upgrading-inland-economies?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Apr 2026 01:30:09 +0000 Lizzi C. Lee,Huiyan Li Lizzi C. Lee,Huiyan Li During a press conference of the annual “two sessions”, National People’s Congress spokesperson Lou Qinjian referenced the grass-roots football league Suchao or Su Super League, which drew millions of spectators in Chinese stadiums last year. At a time when boosting domestic demand tops Beijing’s economic agenda, discussing an amateur sports tournament at the national podium goes beyond mere cultural commentary. It hints at something broader about how policymakers are approaching the consumption... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3347017/china-struggles-boost-demand-no-one-size-fits-all-solution-will-work?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3347017/china-struggles-boost-demand-no-one-size-fits-all-solution-will-work?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Lizzi C. Lee Lizzi C. Lee For decades, China’s role in the global economy was easy to define. It made things cheaply and at astonishing scale. “Made in China” became shorthand for industrial capacity. It was often contentious, sometimes admired, sometimes feared. In the years after China joined the World Trade Organization, its firms were deeply embedded in global supply chains, mostly at the lower end of the value chain. They produced for others. Western and Japanese companies controlled the premium segments and brand... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3343986/how-next-china-shock-shaping-hearts-and-minds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3343986/how-next-china-shock-shaping-hearts-and-minds?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Feb 2026 01:30:14 +0000 Lizzi C. Lee Lizzi C. Lee At the World Economic Forum’s “Summer Davos” in Tianjin last month, Premier Li Qiang reaffirmed China’s ambition to become a “mega-sized consumer powerhouse”. It’s a message of political will: that, after four decades as the “factory of the world”, China is ready to drive global growth through domestic demand. However, reality tells a more complicated story. Despite targeted subsidies, trade-in schemes and repeated political commitments to boosting consumption, Chinese households are still not... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3316382/why-chinas-consumption-problem-also-supply-issue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3316382/why-chinas-consumption-problem-also-supply-issue?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Jul 2025 12:30:08 +0000 In the season of China’s annual “two sessions” meetings, what remains unsaid often carries more weight than what is openly declared. When President Xi Jinping met privately with China’s top entrepreneurs in Beijing last month to offer lip service in support of the private sector, the implicit message was clear, if subtle: China’s state-dominated economic model has hit a wall. Premier Li Qiang’s repeated exhortation to pull out all the stops and his call for bureaucrats to be relentless... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3302790/what-was-unsaid-chinas-two-sessions-and-why-it-matters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3302790/what-was-unsaid-chinas-two-sessions-and-why-it-matters?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Mar 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Donald Trump’s return to the White House revives a playbook China knows all too well: tariffs, trade restrictions and relentless threats to cut China off from the US financial and tech ecosystem. Beijing’s natural instinct might be to hunker down, double down on self-sufficiency and ride out the storm. However, that reflex risks deepening its vulnerabilities, not solving them. China’s domestic economy is not in great shape. Policymakers are juggling tools, but each comes with heavy trade-offs.... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3293006/why-trumps-return-opens-door-china-reform-capital-markets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3293006/why-trumps-return-opens-door-china-reform-capital-markets?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Jan 2025 01:30:08 +0000