Manufacturing

Deflation: Beijing’s blind spot or its strategy?

China’s deflation reflects both weak demand and deliberate industrial strategy. But the model depends on consumption eventually catching up, raising questions over sustainability and regional spillovers for Southeast Asia. Researcher Genevieve Donnellon-May explains.

Genevieve Donnellon-May

[Big read] From spare parts to world champions: China’s motorcycle shock rise

Chinese motorcycle manufacturer ZXMOTO’s win in the World Superbike Championship has captured international attention towards China’s “Motorcycle Capital” Chongqing. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Liu Liu speaks with motorcycle enthusiasts and industry insiders to trace the industry’s breakthrough, growth and trajectory.

Liu Liu

The West’s industrial policy double standard

For decades, industrial policy was discouraged in developing economies, even as China’s state-led model reshaped global supply chains. Now, with the US and Europe embracing massive interventions, the old orthodoxy looks less like principle than self-interest. Academic Guanie Lim examines how the discourse on industrial policy has shifted.

Guanie Lim

Capital realism: A divided world, more connected than ever

Global trade is not fragmenting into isolation but entrenching new forms of interdependence. As rules diverge, connections multiply, deepen, and become harder to unwind, argues the Milken Institute’s Robin Hu.

Robin Hu

War in Iran could rewire China’s global role

In the longer term, the Iran war presents not just threats but also opportunities for China’s economy, such as by correcting deflationary pressure domestically and being viewed as a better bet in global supply chains and investment. Academic Gu Qingyang gives his analysis.

Gu Qingyang

Qatar helium shutdown adds new risk to chip supply chain

Qatar’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) shutdown has triggered a global helium shortage, pushing prices up, testing China’s chipmakers and disrupting import-dependent supply chains. Can Qatar’s missing capacity be offset by higher production from other countries?

Caixin Global

America’s tariff wars are far from over

While the Supreme Court ruling on tariffs has put a dent in President Trump’s strategy and the Middle East crisis adds caution, the US’s tariffs wars are far from over. China and other major surplus economies could be vulnerable to new measures. As trade talks continue and China-US industrial relations stay firmly intertwined, says Chinese academic Tao Zhigang, Chinese companies need to transform to survive.

Tao Zhigang

[Big read] He Dong: Trump’s tariffs could spur ASEAN integration

He Dong, AMRO chief economist, tells Lianhe Zaobao business editor Shen Yue how US tariffs could push ASEAN to tear down trade barriers, integrate payment systems, coordinate resources and move up the industrial value chain. This conversation is part of Lianhe Zaobao’s Future 365 interview series.

Shen Yue

Trump is mistaken: China is a wind power giant

Contrary to US President Trump’s Davos comments on Chinese wind farms, China’s wind power is a central pillar of its energy transition, with wind farms dotted around the country’s northern and northwestern regions, and in recent times, along its southeastern coastlines too. But these efforts are not without its challenges, such as an entrenched top-down approach and the difficulty of turning wind capacity into efficiently used, reliably transmitted clean power. EAI deputy director Chen Gang shares his insights.

Chen Gang

Built for chaos: Why China’s robotaxis are streets ahead

Chinese robotaxis — Apollo Go, Pony.ai and WeRide — lead globally by mastering chaotic traffic and keeping costs low, outpacing US rivals Waymo and Tesla as autonomous services expand worldwide. Hedge fund CEO Taylor Lynch Ogan and US academic Chen Xiangming survey the field.

Taylor Lynch Ogan

[Big read] Luen Thai Group deputy CEO Jeffrey Tan: Continuing a 60-year legacy of integrity and diligence

An ethos of hard work and groundedness has kept Hong Kong-based Luen Thai Group going for 60 years, and this tradition is being carried on by its third-generation leader Jeffrey Tan. Lianhe Zaobao’s journalist Li Yaning speaks to Luen Thai’s deputy CEO.

Li Yaning

ByteDance riles smartphone ecosystem with AI pitch

ByteDance’s new Nubia M153 smartphone, powered by an AI assistant, has taken China’s handset market by storm, directly challenging the traditional app-based business model. While the phone sold out instantly on its first day of release, rivals like Tencent and Alibaba are asking questions about data privacy and the future of mobile tech.

Caixin Global