Chen Xiangming
Paul E. Raether Distinguished Professor of Global Urban Studies and Sociology, Trinity College, ConnecticutArticles by Chen Xiangming
Economy
Why the Iran war won’t shake China’s Middle East strategy
China’s economy has remained largely unaffected by the US-Israel war against Iran, despite China’s strong oil dependence on Iran and its extensive economic ties with the Middle East. US academic Chen Xiangming explains why.
Chen Xiangming
08 Apr 2026
Technology
Built for chaos: Why China’s robotaxis are streets ahead
Chinese robotaxis — Apollo Go, Pony.ai and WeRide — lead globally by mastering chaotic traffic and keeping costs low, outpacing US rivals Waymo and Tesla as autonomous services expand worldwide. Hedge fund CEO Taylor Lynch Ogan and US academic Chen Xiangming survey the field.
Taylor Lynch Ogan, Chen Xiangming
10 Feb 2026
Economy
Indonesia’s high-speed rail hits a money crunch — can it pull through?
Indonesia’s Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Rail (Whoosh) faces heavy financial losses as ridership falls short and debt payments rise. Can the project overcome these challenges and stay on track? Researcher Michael Hutahaean and academic Chen Xiangming examine the situation.
Michael Hutahaean, Chen Xiangming
12 Dec 2025
Technology
Shenzhen: The city that built China’s tech empire
With China intent on leading global technology, Shenzhen has emerged as its foremost hub of innovation. Researcher Chen Xiangming and entrepreneur Taylor Ogan explore how this powerhouse of hardware, talent, and spinout startups is propelling China’s tech ambitions — and reshaping the US–China innovation rivalry.
Chen Xiangming, Taylor Lynch Ogan
21 Oct 2025
Economy
Yiwu: How a barter town became the heartbeat of global small trade
From a place for rural barter trade in the 1970s to the world’s largest hub for small commodities, Yiwu’s growth defies conventional models. Rooted in pragmatism, powered by enthusiastic traders and shaped by global flows, it offers a masterclass in economic adaptability. Researchers Zhang Shuyue and Chen Xiangming tell us more.
Zhang Shuyue, Chen Xiangming
05 Sep 2025
Economy
Nusantara: Indonesia’s bold new capital and China’s rising influence
China is playing a major role in Indonesia, not least in the relocation of Indonesia’s capital from Jakarta to Nusantara, where China is involved in areas from infrastructure to high-tech industries. Researcher Michael Hutahaean and academic Chen Xiangming tell us more.
Michael Hutahaean, Chen Xiangming
08 Aug 2025
Economy
How BYD became the leading EV brand in Southeast Asia
The Chinese EV company BYD, after overtaking Tesla in selling more EVs in 2024, has ascended to the pole position in global green mobility. How did BYD rise so fast from a budding battery maker? And how did BYD expand its overseas markets? BYD senior specialist Huang Jiayi and US academic Chen Xiangming examine BYD’s success over the past three decades, with a focus on its footprint in Southeast Asia.
Huang Jiayi, Chen Xiangming
14 Jul 2025
Economy
China’s ‘small’ BRI still thinks big: The return of grand infrastructure
China’s BRI enters a new phase with a softer slogan — “small and beautiful” — but its cross-border rail projects show that big, strategic infrastructure is still very much on track. US academic Chen Xiangming gives his take.
Chen Xiangming
30 Jun 2025
Economy
Kashgar and Ruili: A tale of two cities on China’s frontier
Since the Chinese government launched its “Go West” campaign and embarked on the Belt and Road Initiative, pushing further west, strengthening ties with Eurasia while pushing southwest towards Southeast Asia, several small cities on China’s overland frontiers have risen from marginal locations to dynamic economic outposts. US academic Chen Xiangming explores Kashgar and Ruili, two such cities which have benefited from this outreach.
Chen Xiangming
11 Feb 2025
Politics
Trump, the Panama Canal and US-China rivalry
As China’s economic presence has grown, it is not surprising that Trump’s interest in reclaiming the Panama Canal is a mere smokescreen for the larger geopolitical contest between the US and China in the western hemisphere, says US academic Chen Xiangming.
Chen Xiangming
24 Jan 2025
Economy
Chongqing: At the heart of China’s logistics ambitions
The New Land-Sea Corridor has elevated the logistical importance and influence of Chongqing as China’s key western city shipping node between China and Europe and, increasingly, between China and Southeast Asia. US academic Chen Xiangming takes a closer look.
Chen Xiangming
28 Nov 2024
Politics
China’s growing infrastructure projects in Cambodia and their geostrategic implications
With talk of China possibly looking at Ream Naval Base as its second overseas military base after Djibouti, US academic Chen Xiangming notes that coupling a new canal with even a periodic naval visit at Ream would allow China to monitor the critical shipping lane of the Strait of Malacca from a close geostrategic point.
Chen Xiangming
23 Sep 2024