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Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

The latest news and top stories on the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). A prominent Paris, France-based intergovernmental organisation, the OECD was founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade. Its primary mission is to promote policies that improve the economic and social well-being of people globally. The OECD focuses on diverse areas including economics, trade, education, employment, environment, taxation, and technology, providing a forum for governments to share experiences and seek solutions. It is recognised for its influential economic data publications, policy analysis, and setting international standards.

While there is acknowledgement in the EU of the growing quality of Chinese exporters, concern remains that it is tainted by unfair trading practices that make competition impossible for European firms. Photo: AFP

China-EU relations

Exclusive | EU and China set for Paris talks this week as trade war fears mount

Bloc puts ‘carrot-and-stick’ approach to test in high-stakes meeting with Beijing’s international trade envoy on sidelines of OECD meeting.

3 Jun 2026 - 8:55PMvideocam

China manufacturing

China’s overseas expansion fuelled by government subsidies: OECD report

2 Jun 2026 - 4:52PMvideocam

South Korea

What Lee’s Netanyahu ‘war criminal’ remark means for South Korea’s diplomacy

21 May 2026 - 5:18PM

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong’s market surge drives ‘fear of missing out’ among French investors

Finance chief Paul Chan says shift fuelled by city’s strong market performance and improved geopolitical situation, especially after Xi-Trump summit.

20 May 2026 - 7:47PM

Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan (right) meets local banking and finance leaders in Paris. Photo: Handout

US-China relations

As I see it | US’ scientific self-harm will only help China

While Washington slashes funding for the sciences, Beijing is clinching its lead in everything from patent applications to publications.

13 May 2026 - 9:30AMvideocam

South Korea

‘She was just a human’: the world forgot K-pop’s suicides. These fans never did

Years after three high-profile K-pop suicides shook South Korea’s idol machine, the grief – and guilt – remains.

10 May 2026 - 8:00AM

Wealth: Healthcare

Future-proofing: how longevity medicine is reshaping health prospects

With people living longer and fewer children being born to support older generations, can preventive longevity medicine help provide a more secure and healthy future?

Supported by

Standard Chartered

As more of us expect to live for many years after we stop working, there is a growing need to consider how we will live those extra years in sound physical, mental and financial health. Photo: Getty Images

Indonesia

Mixed bag: Indonesia’s 8% growth dream hits a plastic ceiling

Soaring packaging costs amid the Iran war hint at a deeper malaise as the middle class contracts and growth hits a plateau.

26 Apr 2026 - 10:01AMvideocam

South Korea

Why are South Koreans hoarding rubbish bags from supermarkets?

The won is at a 17-year low, parliament is in damage control mode and shop shelves are being stripped clean of plastic bags.

1 Apr 2026 - 3:22PMvideocam

US-China trade war

China and US trade talks off to a low-key start after first meeting in Paris

Discussions expected to focus on trade, investment and rare earths ahead of crucial Xi-Trump summit later this month in Beijing.

16 Mar 2026 - 9:33AMvideocam

The Chinese delegation arrives in Paris for trade talks with the United States on Sunday. The first meeting between the world’s two biggest economies proved to be a low-key affair. Photo: EPA

Two Sessions 2026

Why China is moving away from tax cuts and pushing for reform

Tax revenue is way below peer countries – and Beijing is pushing for change.

6 Mar 2026 - 11:00AMvideocam

Premier Li Qiang is visible on a screen during the opening session of the National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

China technology

China’s tech surge leaves Japan and South Korea trailing in global rankings

Propelled by strategic R&D, China’s tech prowess is now the third highest, with key sectors such as batteries and biotech showing big gains over rivals.

26 Feb 2026 - 11:41AMvideocam

Indonesia

Exclusive | Inside Indonesia’s inner circle: Hashim Djojohadikusumo on Prabowo’s vision

The Indonesian president’s brother talks ‘fried’ stocks, ‘mosquito’ rivals and MSCI’s Turkmenistan insult in an exclusive interview.

8 Feb 2026 - 9:24AMvideocam

Taiwan

Will US exit from world bodies deal fresh blow to Taiwan’s global profile push?

Opposition lawmakers fear the island’s international space will shrink still further without Washington’s voice in dozens of global bodies.

18 Jan 2026 - 11:06AMvideocam

United States

Macroscope | Multilateral institutions’ critique of Trump’s actions is too muted

US funding of multinational bodies seems to be keeping their critique muted. The power of the purse should not ensure immunity from criticism.

17 Jan 2026 - 5:07PMvideocam

US President Donald Trump dances at the Detroit Economic Club in Detroit, Michigan, on January 13. Photo: Reuters

Social media

Opinion | West is getting on the same page as China for children’s social media use

Governments face the same problem: how to let young people grow up in a connected world, around products not designed with their well-being in mind.

26 Dec 2025 - 9:30AMvideocam

Banking & finance

Hong Kong eyes info sharing on crypto assets to combat tax fraud, evasion

Compliance with OECD framework is of ‘paramount importance’ to maintain Hong Kong’s reputation as a finance hub, secretary says.

9 Dec 2025 - 7:30PMvideocam

Technology

Opinion | Does AI’s rise have to mean job losses? East Asia tells a different story

Studies from Vietnam to South Korea show AI adoption has not cannibalised jobs. Instead of simple mechanisation, economies are synergising.

7 Dec 2025 - 9:30AMvideocam

The automated Seres Super Factory fpr electric vehicles in Liangjiang New Area, southwest China’s Chongqing, on September 19. Photo: Xinhua

China's population

Living to 79: China’s record longevity puts economic wrinkles in focus

Improved healthcare outcomes are colliding with China’s three-year population decline, testing social safety nets despite improvements in medical infrastructure.

3 Dec 2025 - 8:30PMvideocam

Diplomacy

Opinion | Why next year’s G20 could be make or break for global development

As the US prepares to chair the G20, it faces a strategic choice: engage or revert to a narrower agenda.

26 Nov 2025 - 7:57AMvideocam

Singapore

Singapore’s teachers are stressed out and overworked, study finds

More than one in four teachers report ‘a lot’ of stress, far higher than their global peers, with administrative duties a major factor.

7 Oct 2025 - 12:44PMvideocam

An educator writes Chinese characters on a whiteboard in Singapore. Photo: Reuters

Banking & finance

Opinion | Why Asia-Pacific is rewriting terms of trade from dollar to yuan

It is both a pragmatic response to deepening regional trade integration and, more profoundly, a strategic drive for fiscal independence.

2 Oct 2025 - 5:50PMvideocam

Against a backdrop of uncertainty, we are seeing a remarkable acceleration of direct currency settlements, particularly involving the yuan, bolstering the case for the globalisation of the Chinese currency. Photo: dpa

South Korea

Suicide overtakes cancer as top cause of death among South Koreans in their 40s

Concerns about a mental health crisis are growing after the nation recorded its highest suicide toll since 2011.

26 Sep 2025 - 7:04PMvideocam

Hong Kong economy

Letters | Stop counting tourists, start valuing communities in Hong Kong

Readers discuss the impact of efforts to attract tourists, the city’s role in global AI governance, and a popular comic strip.

29 Aug 2025 - 11:31AM

US-ally trade wars

Opinion | Trump’s tariffs may be a political success but they fail economic test

The chaos created by Trump’s trade policies underscores the chasm between a compelling political story and the realities of a globalised economy.

20 Aug 2025 - 5:25PMvideocam

People walk past Procter & Gamble products on sale at a store in Los Angeles on July 29. The company has announced it needs to raise prices on a quarter of the goods it sells in the US to mitigate costs faced because of the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. Photo: EPA

Japan

‘Hotspot’: Asia’s plastic leakage could rise 70% by 2050, OECD says

Methods to curb plastic demand are widely underused, according to a new Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development report.

11 Aug 2025 - 8:56AMvideocam

Youngsters walk past plastic waste after flood waters recede from the banks of a river in Kathmandu, Nepal, last year. Photo: Reuters

Hong Kong

Opinion | Time to end Hong Kong’s licensing regime to foster innovation

The city’s licensing system for food stalls, taxis and care homes creates unfair power dynamics. A more flexible approach is needed.

6 Jul 2025 - 3:18PM

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Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

.css-1f6sr3w{color:#727272;}Exclusive | EU and China set for Paris talks this week as trade war fears mount

Bloc puts ‘carrot-and-stick’ approach to test in high-stakes meeting with Beijing’s international trade envoy on sidelines of OECD meeting.

China’s overseas expansion fuelled by government subsidies: OECD report

What Lee’s Netanyahu ‘war criminal’ remark means for South Korea’s diplomacy

Hong Kong’s market surge drives ‘fear of missing out’ among French investors

Finance chief Paul Chan says shift fuelled by city’s strong market performance and improved geopolitical situation, especially after Xi-Trump summit.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}As I see it | US’ scientific self-harm will only help China

While Washington slashes funding for the sciences, Beijing is clinching its lead in everything from patent applications to publications.

‘She was just a human’: the world forgot K-pop’s suicides. These fans never did

Years after three high-profile K-pop suicides shook South Korea’s idol machine, the grief – and guilt – remains.

.css-12ooj4n{font-family:Roboto Condensed,Roboto Condensed fallback,sans-serif;}Future-proofing: how longevity medicine is reshaping health prospects

With people living longer and fewer children being born to support older generations, can preventive longevity medicine help provide a more secure and healthy future?

Mixed bag: Indonesia’s 8% growth dream hits a plastic ceiling

Soaring packaging costs amid the Iran war hint at a deeper malaise as the middle class contracts and growth hits a plateau.

Why are South Koreans hoarding rubbish bags from supermarkets?

The won is at a 17-year low, parliament is in damage control mode and shop shelves are being stripped clean of plastic bags.

China and US trade talks off to a low-key start after first meeting in Paris

Discussions expected to focus on trade, investment and rare earths ahead of crucial Xi-Trump summit later this month in Beijing.

Why China is moving away from tax cuts and pushing for reform

Tax revenue is way below peer countries – and Beijing is pushing for change.

China’s tech surge leaves Japan and South Korea trailing in global rankings

Propelled by strategic R&D, China’s tech prowess is now the third highest, with key sectors such as batteries and biotech showing big gains over rivals.

Exclusive | Inside Indonesia’s inner circle: Hashim Djojohadikusumo on Prabowo’s vision

The Indonesian president’s brother talks ‘fried’ stocks, ‘mosquito’ rivals and MSCI’s Turkmenistan insult in an exclusive interview.

Will US exit from world bodies deal fresh blow to Taiwan’s global profile push?

Opposition lawmakers fear the island’s international space will shrink still further without Washington’s voice in dozens of global bodies.

Macroscope | Multilateral institutions’ critique of Trump’s actions is too muted

US funding of multinational bodies seems to be keeping their critique muted. The power of the purse should not ensure immunity from criticism.

Opinion | West is getting on the same page as China for children’s social media use

Governments face the same problem: how to let young people grow up in a connected world, around products not designed with their well-being in mind.

Hong Kong eyes info sharing on crypto assets to combat tax fraud, evasion

Compliance with OECD framework is of ‘paramount importance’ to maintain Hong Kong’s reputation as a finance hub, secretary says.

Opinion | Does AI’s rise have to mean job losses? East Asia tells a different story

Studies from Vietnam to South Korea show AI adoption has not cannibalised jobs. Instead of simple mechanisation, economies are synergising.

Living to 79: China’s record longevity puts economic wrinkles in focus

Improved healthcare outcomes are colliding with China’s three-year population decline, testing social safety nets despite improvements in medical infrastructure.

Opinion | Why next year’s G20 could be make or break for global development

As the US prepares to chair the G20, it faces a strategic choice: engage or revert to a narrower agenda.

Singapore’s teachers are stressed out and overworked, study finds

More than one in four teachers report ‘a lot’ of stress, far higher than their global peers, with administrative duties a major factor.

Opinion | Why Asia-Pacific is rewriting terms of trade from dollar to yuan

It is both a pragmatic response to deepening regional trade integration and, more profoundly, a strategic drive for fiscal independence.

Suicide overtakes cancer as top cause of death among South Koreans in their 40s

Concerns about a mental health crisis are growing after the nation recorded its highest suicide toll since 2011.

Letters | Stop counting tourists, start valuing communities in Hong Kong

Readers discuss the impact of efforts to attract tourists, the city’s role in global AI governance, and a popular comic strip.

Opinion | Trump’s tariffs may be a political success but they fail economic test

The chaos created by Trump’s trade policies underscores the chasm between a compelling political story and the realities of a globalised economy.

‘Hotspot’: Asia’s plastic leakage could rise 70% by 2050, OECD says

Methods to curb plastic demand are widely underused, according to a new Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development report.

Opinion | Time to end Hong Kong’s licensing regime to foster innovation

The city’s licensing system for food stalls, taxis and care homes creates unfair power dynamics. A more flexible approach is needed.

Exclusive | EU and China set for Paris talks this week as trade war fears mount

As I see it | US’ scientific self-harm will only help China

Future-proofing: how longevity medicine is reshaping health prospects