Economy

Amid fears of an increasing dependence on China being played up with regards to foreign investment for Indonesia's new capital in East Kalimantan, one must first ask if Indonesia offers an attractive enough proposition for Chinese (and other) investors, says Indonesian researcher Siwage Dharma Negara.

Even as Shanghai aims to reach “social zero Covid” in the coming days, it has moved to resume key manufacturing industries and businesses. Undoubtedly, notes Zaobao correspondent Yu Zeyuan, the authorities are well aware that Shanghai is China’s economic and political nerve centre and that any disruption could easily spell trouble.

Over the past three decades, China has implemented and revised its labour regulations in an effort to progress its market economy. Despite the strengthening of labour protection, young migrant workers have fallen through the cracks. Chinese economics professor Li Jingkui believes that the labour reforms have led to the social phenomenon of “Sanhe legends” — youths who are caught in an employment cycle characterised by poor working conditions, low wages and a lack of stability.

China’s coal and electricity shortage last year and the current impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on global energy supply have highlighted China’s energy security concerns and the risks to fulfilling its climate goals. Nevertheless, while EAI academic Chen Gang believes that China is unlikely to significantly reduce its consumption of fossil fuels in the short term, he notes that there remain several drivers that will accelerate China's clean energy transition.

The immediate impact of the Ukraine war on the Chinese economy remains limited except for high commodity prices, assesses economist Alicia García Herrero. But the full impact will depend on the political decisions China makes on the Ukraine war. China seems keen to abide by the letter of the law to comply with Western sanctions on Russia, but not so much in terms of the spirit of the law. By taking risks and helping Russia as much as it is able to, will it get caught in the crossfire between the West and Russia?

China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has gone beyond just infrastructure projects to other areas such as digital development, health and green energy. In the face of negative perceptions of China, Beijing has sought to show its commitment to forging a multilateral BRI that would generate benefits for all participating countries and not China alone. But do old habits die hard?

With the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, logistics providers have been hard put to keep goods moving between China and Europe. One route is the China Railway Express (CRE) that cuts through Russia and Ukraine, which gives sellers and suppliers cause for concern, leading to a sharp drop in the volume of goods being transported via that route. Zaobao correspondent Edwin Ong takes a look at the impact of the war and how the CRE can get through the challenging period that is coming.

Zaobao’s China Desk analyses the impact of the recent China Eastern Airlines crash, touted as China’s worst aviation disaster since 2010. This comes at a time when China has been improving its flight safety record and its airlines are struggling to recover from the losses suffered from the Covid-19 slowdown. Will the aviation industry regroup and come back stronger from this?

China is currently dealing with its worst Covid outbreak since the start of the pandemic in 2020. It is aso facing the "triple pressures" of shrinking demand, disrupted supply and weakening expectations. The central government has introduced new policies and measures such as tax cuts for businesses, the easing of property market restrictions, and providing support for local governments' infrastructure investment, but analysts are expecting a bumpy road ahead for China's economic growth.