The US’s recently enacted Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act prohibits the import of Xinjiang-produced goods, leaving US companies in a bind. In response, Walmart and Tesla have taken different approaches. While Sam’s Club under Walmart removed Xinjiang products, drawing the ire of Chinese consumers, Tesla gained cheers for opening a new showroom in Urumqi. Will US companies be forced to choose sides? Zaobao correspondent Chen Jing looks into the matter.

New regulations announced by the Chinese authorities seem to have made it more complicated for Chinese companies to get listed overseas, even though the variable interest entity (VIE) structure is still in play. Given the added obstacles ahead, will Chinese companies still want to go through the trouble of seeking overseas listings? Zaobao correspondent Chen Jing reports.

Despite having a head start in being established as a special economic zone (SEZ), Xiamen’s economy lags behind other cities in Fujian province such as Quanzhou and Fuzhou. Coupled with disproportionately high property prices, Xiamen is not doing as well as other places like Pudong New Area and Shenzhen either, which started their development spurt later but have overtaken Xiamen. Zaobao correspondent Chen Jing looks at how Xiamen can turn things around.

Ahead of the US Summit for Democracy this week to which it is not invited, China has been aggressively taking the floor to explain its own brand of democracy and ensure that it is not isolated from the conversation. It has released a white paper elaborating on China’s “whole-process people’s democracy” and a report on the state of democracy in the US. Underlying its proactive behaviour is a great anxiety that this is yet another means of containing China. Zaobao correspondents Edwin Ong and Chen Jing examine China's rhetoric on democracy and seek views from the experts.

With the pandemic showing no signs of abating, foreign companies in China are feeling the strain with difficulties of bringing in foreign employees and obtaining visas for their families amid changing Covid regulations. Meanwhile, China’s greater emphasis on “domestic circulation” is making foreign enterprises feel at an even greater disadvantage. Zaobao correspondent Chen Jing speaks to the American, European and Singaporean chambers of commerce to find out more.

More young Chinese job-seekers are looking for "iron rice bowls" within the government. It is even becoming increasingly common for PhD holders to apply for regular jobs. Nothing wrong in that per se, but for a nation seeking greater innovation and technological supremacy, would this be a stumbling block?

Below-the-line marketing tactics of high-end brand Prada sees a wet market in Shanghai wrapping its walls, stalls and vegetables — yes, even the edibles — in Prada packaging. Lucky shoppers also get to receive limited edition Prada paper bags. And it's not just in Shanghai; trendy markets that have cafes, reading areas, exhibition spaces and bars are popping up in first-tier cities all around China.

Despite Netflix not being in the China market, Chinese viewers have still managed to watch the global hit show Squid Game, prompting questions on whether China can come up with its own global hit. It is not so much a question of box office ticket sales or viewership revenue, but the gains of soft power and cultural diplomacy that can be reaped. What are China’s barriers to creating global hits?

The Chinese authorities are not just clamping down on celebrities for their excesses or “unhealthy’ fandoms, but setting the ground rules for media portrayals of gender norms of appearance and behaviour. In particular, the "effeminate aesthetics" of male celebrities and female influencers marketing themselves in Chinese temples have come under attack. But why are Chinese women feeling targeted? Are these necessary actions to moderate the internet economy or just signs of an over-the-top paternalistic bent?