Economy

With the annual Singles’ Day sale coming around again, e-commerce platforms are once again preparing to fight for a slice of the consumer market, not just among themselves but now also with physical stores joining the mix. But as consumers become more prudent in their spending and less inclined to navigate complicated terms and conditions for discounts, what can e-commerce platforms do to survive?

Singapore has become a favoured business hub to set up headquarters for foreign companies, especially Chinese enterprises. However, this may come at a cost for the country, including a negative reputation and soaring real estate demand. Lianhe Zaobao senior correspondent Chew Boon Leong speaks with analysts to find out why international businesses are moving from their home base and the implications.

China's economic boom has driven the flourishing of private entrepreneurship and led to the emergence of tens of millions of family businesses in the country. But many of these businesses are facing a challenge now: who will be their successor? Caixin journalists tell us more.

World events have not been kind to Thailand’s economic plans. Besides high oil prices and US interest rates, Thailand faces prolonged slowdowns in its Northeast Asian economic partners. The challenges and opportunities are many, and ultimately hinge on stable democratic leadership.

Political infighting within and between parties, a ballooning federal debt and a widening income gap; these are just some of the multitude of challenges that the US is dealing with now. However, commentator Jin Jian Guo says that even amid the chaos, the US environment that supports innovation and diverse values is what helps it thrive globally.

A broader depression has been weighing on the country’s supermarket sector, especially for big-box retailers that are fighting the rising tide of competition from online shopping platforms and smaller physical stores.

A 400% price jump in the past year has made Miniso Group Holding Ltd. the best-performing stock on the Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index. Zaobao journalist Lee Kuo Ai speaks to Robin Liu, chief marketing officer of lifestyle brand Miniso, to find out more about the secret behind its stellar stock price rise, how IP collaborations have helped it to turn in strong performances within and outside of China, and how it plans on tackling the challenges ahead.

Zaobao correspondent Chen Jing notes that despite the high likelihood of China’s economy meeting its growth target this year, there is still a chance that the government might take strong measures to stimulate the economy further. However, given that it is late in the year, would any measures implemented achieve their intended effect and which sectors should they be targeted at?

Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Yang Danxu notes that after ten years, the BRI has a somewhat mixed report card. Some analysts say that the BRI has helped some countries, while others observe that progress has sometimes come at a cost, ranging from heavy debt to other indirect effects such as corruption and environmental damage.