Sorry, you have not enabled Javascript for your internet browser, so some of our website's pages may not render as fully as intended.
Please Click here for easy instructions on how to enable Javascript on your browser or consult your IT support staff for help.

Economy

12 3 4 5 6... 45

Reading the tea leaves

Is 2019 shaping up to be a bad year for China?
Jan 11, 2019 (WiC 436)

“Those with knowledge don't predict. Those who make predictions don't have knowledge.” Thus intoned Lao Tzu, the ancient Chinese philosopher who founded Taoism. In spite of this sage advice we will still start the year by forecasting five of ...

Jobs on the line

State Council takes steps to shore up employment rates in 2019
Dec 14, 2018 (WiC 435)

“Stability must take precedence over everything.” So said former paramount leader Deng Xiaoping in one of his more famous quotes and it has been a theme in 2018: the fortieth anniversary of the launch of China’s ‘open door’ ...

Why Alibaba is upset by latest Hurun list
Nov 16, 2018 (WiC 432)

The Hurun Research Institute became a household name in China by compiling a list that ranked local tycoons by their estimated net worth. It devised other rankings too. However, its “2018 Hurun Cash-Out Rich List” has backfired ...

Retail politics

Shanghai’s latest expo rebrands China as an import giant
Nov 9, 2018 (WiC 431)

Trade fairs often have an outsized impact in China. For instance, eight years ago WiC published a special edition on the Shanghai Expo. That lavish event was deftly positioned as a celebration of China’s arrival on the global stage. But in ...

Could Macau’s casinos become a bargaining chip in the trade war?
Nov 9, 2018 (WiC 431)

The Sands casino in Macau opened in May 2004. In less than a year its boss Sheldon Adelson recouped his $265 million investment. The gaming mogul took his company public a few months later. By 2008, according to the New Yorker, his personal ...

Let’s have a chat

Xi Jinping convenes more meetings with bosses from the private sector
Nov 9, 2018 (WiC 431)

The Communist Party of China has a reputation for political pageantry. Its most important gathering is its Party Congress, where it picks its senior leaders. Additionally there are annual congresses of the country’s lawmakers and their ...

Party puts out list of ‘Top 100’ entrepreneurs – but who doesn’t feature?
Nov 2, 2018 (WiC 430)

The All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC) was founded in 1953 with 640 representatives. It was extremely difficult for private sector entrepreneurs to get an invite. They needed the blessing of the Communist Party’s United Front ...

Trying to be fair

Two expos in China tell a new story on trade
Oct 26, 2018 (WiC 429)

Canton and commerce have been inextricably linked for centuries. However, for the Chinese some of the city’s trading history still rankles. Canton was on the receiving end of gunboat diplomacy in the nineteenth century when the Royal Navy kept ...

Keeping things private

A blogger’s call for a centralised economy strikes a nerve in business circles
Oct 19, 2018 (WiC 428)

Like many businesspeople in China, Wu Xiaoping’s name card is stuffed with job titles. He identifies himself as an economist, a professor and a banker. He also mentions other accolades. He’s a “financial industry veteran” from China ...

Fleeing the scene

Why business bosses are running away – again
Aug 31, 2018 (WiC 422)

It’s the vacation season for beleaguered bosses around the globe but in China a few of them have headed off on holidays from which they did not intend to return. Yang Zhizhui, the chairman of casino operator Landing International, was one of ...

12 3 4 5 6... 45