Economic Systems
Economy
Can Abenomics save Japan — or doom its next leader?
Japan’s economy faces mounting challenges as inflation rises and competitiveness declines. Liberal Democratic Party leader Sanae Takaichi is pushing to revive Abenomics policies, but with doubts over her leadership and the plan’s past shortcomings, economic recovery remains uncertain. Academic Zhang Yun examines the issue.
Zhang Yun
Society
From Mao to livestreams: The new face of China’s collective living
Chinese vloggers who have set up communal living arrangements, or “shared homelands”, have been trending online, claiming to offer a new type of home where one eats and lives for free. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Li Kang finds out if they are sustainable and if there are any strings attached.
Li Kang
Economy
[Big read] With real estate’s heyday over, China hunts for its next growth engine
From a plot of land to a new home, it does not just involve China’s real estate sector alone, but an entire system. If a critical link in the system goes wrong, related parties would come under pressure. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Liu Sha takes a look at how the upstream and downstream real estate industrial chain has been affected by the sector’s slump.
Liu Sha
Economy
[Big read] Stablecoins are reshaping global finance — Can China keep up?
With the US advancing stablecoin regulation, China is weighing its next move. The outcome could redefine the global monetary order — and the future role of the renminbi. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Yush Chau talks to academics and experts about China’s options.
Yush Chau
Economy
Key challenges China’s next Five-Year Plan needs to tackle
As China maps out its 15th Five-Year Plan, the nation confronts global turbulence and domestic shifts with bold strategies. Aiming for socialist modernisation by 2035, the plan focuses on boosting domestic consumption, fostering innovation-led growth and addressing demographic changes.
Caixin Global
Economy
Vietnam amid great power rivalry: Is it playing the economic game well enough?
Vietnam’s uneven industrialisation experience reveals the limits of a pro-international trade and pro-FDI strategy, says academic Guanie Lim. To move beyond the role of assembler and connector, it could adopt some of China’s approaches.
Guanie Lim
Economy
US-China tariff wars: Hitting the pause button for now
The US and China’s joint statement on 12 May announcing a mutual reduction of tariffs marks a silver lining to the strained bilateral relations between the two economic powers. Lianhe Zaobao China news correspondent Yush Chau speaks with academics to find out what to expect next.
Yush Chau
Economy
From Ukraine to treasury bonds: Can America still be trusted?
Trump’s betrayal of Ukraine has shattered US credibility, raising urgent questions about the trustworthiness of US debt and the dollar. Chinese academic Deng Xize asks: can the world still rely on a system built on faith in a now uncertain partner?
Deng Xize
Politics
The end of American exceptionalism? How a changing America is reshaping global power
US elites often use American “exceptionalism” to explain why the country is so generous in its economic and security policies. However, academic Zhang Yun explains that the post-war abnormality of the US did not stem from altruism, it was a necessity to maintain its superpower status.
Zhang Yun
