Gu Qingyang

Gu Qingyang

Associate Professor, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy

Dr Gu Qingyang is an Associate Professor with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP) at the National University of Singapore (NUS). His main research interests include the Chinese economy, urban planning and development, government policy and strategy, as well as globalisation and global governance.

People walk in a shopping district in Beijing, China, 14 July 2023. (Thomas Peter/Reuters)

China needs a new model of economic development to revive the economy

Over the past four decades, China’s economic growth has been mainly driven externally by exports and internally by investments. But China can no longer count on exports to drive economic growth. Thus, the country is seeking to boost domestic demand. Academic Gu Qingyang shares that China needs a multi-prong approach, which would require a significant transformation of the economy.
People walk past the headquarters of the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the central bank, in Beijing, China, 28 September 2018. (Jason Lee/Reuters)

China’s 2022 economic growth will start low and end high

China's 2021 quarterly economic figures showed a general weakening, falling to a low 4% in the fourth quarter. While international analysts are of the view that China’s economy is in rapid decline, Gu Qingyang thinks otherwise. But that does not mean China's road ahead in the new year will be smooth sailing. Policies will need to be tweaked to ensure a stable economic trajectory in 2022.
Workers produce adhesive tapes for flexible printed circuits (FPC) at a factory in Yancheng, Jiangsu province, China, on 15 September 2021. (STR/AFP)

How can China benefit from the CPTPP?

China has made it clear that it wants to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). This will allow it to strengthen its image as an advocate of free trade, gain some cover from future sanctions by the US, and most importantly, spur domestic reform. Academic Gu Qingyang delves into the topic.
A woman walks with an umbrella amid rainfall in Shanghai, China, 13 September 2021. (Aly Song/Reuters)

Why China needs to set its own house in order with a regulatory spurt

China has introduced a wave of strong regulatory moves on various industries over the past months, alarming international observers and causing jitters in the financial market. However, says academic Gu Qingyang, these moves could be necessary and might just set China in the right direction to face future challenges better.
Models gesture as they present creations for medical professionals, which are designed by Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology in collaboration with Dishang, during China Fashion Week in Beijing, China, 11 September 2021. (Tingshu Wang/Reuters)

A zero-Covid strategy has worked in China, but will it work elsewhere?

Despite various waves of the coronavirus resurfacing in different parts of China, the authorities have effectively implemented a zero-Covid policy to control the spread of infections, including the more transmissible Delta variant. Academic Gu Qingyang notes that while the policy has largely worked and helped to keep China’s economy humming, it is specific to China's conditions and may not be replicable elsewhere.
Visitors walk on the Bund in Shanghai, China, on 21 December 2020. China’s central bank is striking out on its own with signals of tighter monetary policy, widening a divergence with other large economies that will shape global capital and trade flows next year. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg)

How China’s dual circulation strategy will affect the world economy

In May this year, China’s leaders proposed a new dual circulation strategy featuring both domestic and international circulation, with emphasis on the former. Associate Professor Gu Qingyang of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP) notes how this new strategy will complement the current global economic system, and how it will affect the rest of the world.
A police robot keeps watch on a shopping street in Shanghai, following the Covid-19 outbreak, on 16 June 2020. (Aly Song/Reuters)

Smart cities: The future of ASEAN-China cooperation

In the post-Covid-19 world, global supply chains are expected to be reconfigured as countries look to reduce their reliance on China. Enter greater room for ASEAN-China cooperation, particularly in areas related to the digital economy, such as in the development of smart cities. Associate Professor Gu Qingyang of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP) sets out the arguments.
People commute on a bus during morning rush hour in Beijing on 22 May 2020. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP)

China's turn towards domestic market amid global uncertainties — good for the world?

China is speeding up its construction of a “domestic circulation system” to complement its international efforts, in a bid to protect itself from any anticipated effects of decoupling from global supply chains. If the world wishes to cut itself off from China, it seems to say, so be it, as it can make its own plans.
A person wearing a face mask walks past a mural by French photographer JR on 20 April 2020 in New York. (Angela Weiss/AFP)

Humanity is facing a crisis of global governance, not globalisation

Don’t shoot the messenger, Prof Gu says. Anti-globalisation activists may be quick to point fingers at globalisation per se for the coronavirus mess the world finds itself in. But such quick conclusions miss the message that many have been saying all along that stronger international institutions are needed to make globalisation work. If the world learns these lessons, globalisation can come back from this crisis stronger than before.