Economy

Chinese RMB banknotes are seen behind an illuminated stock graph in this illustration taken on 10 February 2020. (Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/Reuters)

What’s in store for RMB internationalisation in 2023?

The RMB is now one of the most actively traded currencies in the world and is set to gain further traction globally this year, as the People’s Bank of China implements the government’s strategy to boost the currency’s use overseas, challenging the dominance of the US dollar in the long term.
A Tesla electric vehicle is seen through a charging point displayed during a media day for the Auto Shanghai show in Shanghai, China, 20 April 2021. (Aly Song/File Photo/Reuters)

Chinese EV manufacturers face tough challenge against Tesla amid subsidy cuts

Despite a booming electric vehicle (EV) market in China, local EV manufacturers are facing a tough road ahead as the Chinese government cuts subsidies and EV giant Tesla increases its competitiveness by lowering prices. Chinese financial commentator Tan Haojun believes that Chinese EV manufacturers would need to compete in terms of research and development in order to stay in the EV market.
Visitors walk past the Casino Lisboa during Lunar New Year in Macau, China, 24 January 2023. (Lam Yik/Reuters)

Can Macau’s economy move beyond the gambling and gaming industry?

Gambling and casino-hopping have long been Macau's calling card. Lianhe Zaobao’s China Desk looks into what else Macau has to offer, and how the local government is trying to wean its economy off the gaming industry, especially given mainland China’s clampdown on illegal gambling.
Signage at the Alibaba office in Beijing, China, on 17 January 2023. (Bloomberg)

Will Beijing truly 'reconcile' with Chinese private enterprises in 2023?

Verbal sparring by Chinese internet opinion makers seem to suggest that the winds are blowing in favour of private firms at the moment. But will officials be able to walk the talk in their quest to use the private sector to drive China’s economic growth?
An electronic board shows Shanghai and Shenzhen stock indexes, at the Lujiazui financial district, in Shanghai, China, 25 October 2022. (Aly Song/File Photo/Reuters)

China boots record number of companies from its bourses

Regulators are ramping up efforts to cull poorly performing firms and those that violate the rules or break the law. A record number of companies got the boot from Chinese mainland stock exchanges last year, and that number could even double in 2023.
The Gateway of India in Mumbai, India, on 7 January 2023. (Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg)

India could drive the next big change in the global economy, just as China did

India holds the prospect of driving the biggest change in the global economy in the next quarter century just as China did in the previous one, says economic professor Arvind Panagariya. India has several factors in its favour, but it must also push ahead with its reform agenda and open its economy wider to friendly countries through free trade agreements to make the best of its time in the sun.
People walk with their luggage at a railway station during the annual Spring Festival travel rush ahead of the Lunar New Year, in Shanghai, China, 16 January 2023. (Aly Song/Reuters)

China’s economy is bound to recover in 2023

China research analyst Chen Long gives a positive assessment of China’s economic prospects in 2023, pointing out that the swift U-turn on Covid policies may wreak havoc in the short-term, but be the catalyst to drive economic growth in the Year of the Rabbit. Variables are looking favourable, with the consumer spending and housing sector showing potential, and government policies going in the right direction.
A pedestrian walks at Central Business District (CBD) in Beijing on 16 January 2023. (Wang Zhao/AFP)

Politics a threat to China’s economy

Political commentator Jin Jian Guo observes that China economic policy has always been ruled by politics, and while it seems that the pendulum is swinging back in favour of private firms after a period of bashing and stifling, this is not a given as the politics of the day still rules.
This file photo taken on 2 October 2018 shows Alibaba Group co-founder and executive chairman Jack Ma attending the opening debate of the 2018 edition of the WTO public forum on sustainable trade, at the WTO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP)

Where to now for Alibaba in the post-Jack Ma era?

Chinese billionaire Jack Ma has given up controlling rights in the company he founded, Ant Group Co. All eyes are now on what lies ahead for Ant and Alibaba, which owns 33% of the company and was co-founded by Ma.