Income inequality

A labourer pushes a handcart at the Mercato open-air marketplace in Ketema, district of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 21 July 2022. (Tiksa Negeri/File Photo/Reuters)

China joins effort to avert sovereign debt crisis

China, India, Saudi Arabia and the Paris Club of mostly Western traditional creditor nations are collaborating on debt resolution cases in multiple countries for the first time. Lengthy negotiations on debt reduction have been underway among creditors to determine who should bear potential losses and how restructuring plans should be arranged. Whether and how China will provide debt relief is a key element of these discussions.
Alibaba founder Jack Ma visits Hangzhou Yungu School in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China in this handout picture released on 27 March 2023. (Hangzhou Yungu School/Handout via Reuters)

Jack Ma has returned but Chinese entrepreneurs will still have a hard time

Jack Ma’s recent return to China has made waves and offers some hope for the revival of the entrepreneur class in China. But this group of people have never shaken off their dual identity as entrepreneur-capitalists. With the rise of a group of diehards romanticising the glory of past eras, entrepreneurs, and in turn the development of China’s market economy, face obstacles.
Shoppers at a night market in the Xintiandi shopping area in Shanghai, China, on 25 March 2023. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg)

Can China's economic choices build its dream society?

As the world’s second largest economy, China’s domestic consumption has a major influence on the global economy. The Chinese government has said that its focus is on boosting China's domestic economy and consumption. But how should it go about achieving it? Researcher Ding Ke says it depends on the kind of society China wants to build.
This photo taken on 7 January 2023 shows a man guiding goats in a rural area in Tai'an, China's eastern Shandong province. (Noel Celis/AFP)

The complex economics behind gifting in rural China

A common practice in rural China is to give monetary gifts during important occasions, be it weddings or funerals. These gifts can drain a sizeable part of a person’s income, and deciding on the amount to give is an art in itself. Economics professor Zhang Rui tells us more about this longstanding tradition.
Young people in New Taipei City on 27 January 2023. (Sam Yeh/AFP)

Tackling the growing income gap in Taiwan

Veteran journalist Gu Erde looks at the impact of Taiwan's widening income gap, especially on the youth. Is the government doing enough to strengthen the social security network and protect people's livelihoods?
A woman takes a picture next a tree decorated with paper lanterns at the entrance of a park in Beijing, China, on 26 January 2023. (Wang Zhao/AFP)

What is China’s 'new era'? [Part 1]

EAI senior research fellow Lance Gore explains why the sudden reversal of globalisation, constant turbulence due to global developments and the fragmentation of international relations are some very real coordinates of China’s "new era". In response, apt and concrete policies along the socialism axis can be devised to meet the challenges.
People walk and ride their bicycles in Jakarta, Indonesia, 20 November 2022. (Willy Kurniawan/Reuters)

'Perfect storm': Indonesia's opportunities in a world in crisis

Taking an overview of global megatrends, including rising inflation, changes to business valuation and the race for technological supremacy, Indonesian business magnate Ang Tjoen Ming (Tahir) sieves out opportunities for Indonesia, and ways forward that could see it becoming one of the world’s seven largest economies in the next ten years.
Richard Liu Qiangdong, founder of JD.com. (JD.com website)

Salary cuts for senior managers: Is JD.com founder Richard Liu championing ‘common prosperity’?

JD.com founder Richard Liu has been in the news lately following an announcement that the company is set to improve social benefits for rank-and-file employees, while cutting salaries for senior management. While it seems to kill many birds with one stone, is this a long term solution for private firms?
Elderly eat in a community canteen in Changbai county, Jilin province, China, on 17 November 2022. (CNS)

Not everything has to be run by the state: Thoughts on communal canteens in China

US academic Wu Guo looks at the recent online furore over the mushrooming of state-run communal canteens in China and offers his views from the US. While providing food for the needy should be part of the state's responsibility, there should also be space for civil society, private enterprises and the public to play a role to create kind and healthy communities.