Xu Le

Xu Le

Lecturer, Department of Strategy and Policy, National University of Singapore Business School

Xu Le is a lecturer at the Department of Strategy and Policy at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School. She is scholar of regional and global economy with over ten years of research and educational experience. She received her PhD in Economics from the University of Manchester and her research interests include microeconomics, macroeconomics and game theory. She serves as the coordinator of the Business Economics specialisation in the department and conducts lectures on strategy of economics, global economy and managerial economics. She has also served as an economic consultant to some business entities in China and has rich knowledge about China’s economy and its business environment. 

An advertisement poster promoting China's renminbi (RMB) or yuan , U.S. dollar and Euro exchange services is seen outside at foreign exchange store in Hong Kong, China, 13 August 2015. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

RMB internationalisation growing in momentum with possibility for new currency

With an increasing number of countries and groupings being open to making trade settlements in currencies other than the US dollar, de-dollarisation has gained some momentum and this may also aid China’s efforts for RMB internationalisation. But China may have no intention of letting the RMB replace the US dollar. In that context, would a new “BRICS currency” be better fit for purpose?
Pedestrians and motorcyclists along a road near the Bund in Shanghai, China, on 30 November 2022. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg)

Will China get its economy back on track in 2023?

While China’s prospects for better economic performance in 2023 are bright, says NUS academic Xu Le, the road to economic recovery is expected to be bumpy.
This illustration shows Chinese yuan banknotes, 30 May 2022. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters)

China's efforts to internationalise RMB gaining a foothold in SEA

NUS academic Xu Le explains why China's project to internationalise the RMB still has much room to grow. In that regard, the ASEAN countries could play a role, given their desire to be less reliant on the US dollar.
Workers assemble an electric car at the VinFast electric automobile plant in Haiphong, Vietnam, on 7 April 2022. (Nhac Nguyen/AFP)

Should Beijing worry about the exodus of manufacturing from China to Vietnam?

It appears that Beijing is losing some of its factory orders with MNCs and investors putting their bets on Vietnam. But maybe it is a win-win situation: as China moves to transition its economy to advanced manufacturing, countries like Vietnam with a young and relatively cheap labour force could fill the gap.
A man walks along a street in the central business district in Beijing, China, on 18 April 2022. (Wang Zhao/AFP)

China’s unified national market will benefit ASEAN in the long run

The authorities are taking steps to solve the issue of the Chinese market being “big but not strong” by standardising rules and standards and unifying the national market. But local governments used to fighting for their region’s interest at the expense of the national interest may find the changes hard to swallow.
Ukrainian serviceman secures the site of a bombing at a shopping centre as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine, 21 March 2022. (Marko Djurica/File Photo/Reuters)

The impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on the Chinese economy

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war has brought about significant impacts on the global economy. While some analysts think that China's economy will benefit from the war, NUS academic Xu Le points out that the situation is not clear-cut, as China will have to face hits to its exports, as well as rising energy prices and challenges to food security.
Young women look at panorama of Moskva River and Kremlin at a viewpoint in central Moscow, Russia, 22 March 2022. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

Will de-dollarisation help China and Russia shape a new world order?

Russia and China have a common interest in being less reliant on the dollar in the face of sanctions or anticipated sanctions. But are they moving at the same pace and will their efforts be significant enough to achieve self-reliance and precipitate a sea change in the global economic order?
Digital signs display stock market information in the Central district of Hong Kong on 5 November 2021. (Isaac Lawrence/AFP)

HKEX a refuge for Chinese companies fleeing US stock exchanges?

Amid regulatory concerns and news of Didi Chuxing delisting from the New York Stock Exchange, it seems that the writing is on the wall for Chinese companies seeking overseas listings. Will the Hong Kong Stock Exchange be their natural refuge? The Hong Kong government has implemented reforms to woo new-economy innovative companies and investors, but will these measures be enough? NUS academic Xu Le has the details.
People walk along a street in Beijing, China, on 12 October 2021. (Noel Celis/AFP)

Is a zero-Covid policy adversely affecting China’s economic recovery?

In the face of some turbulence in China’s economic indicators lately, academic Xu Le looks at certain bright spots amid falling aggregate demand and aggregate supply for a realistic gauge of China’s economic prospects in the coming months.