Opinion /

China Opinion

Related Topics:
My Take
China Briefing
The View
Macroscope
Illustration: Craig Stephens
US-China relations

Opinion | Picking a global fight may not be the best strategy, as Trump is finding out

Trump wildly overestimated the strength of the US position and underestimated the strength of its trading partners.

videocam
China-Russia relations

Opinion | How China became central to Russia’s Victory Day parade

China economy

Opinion | China knows how to produce. The next test is whether it can consume

videocam
China economy

My Take | China’s ‘instant commerce’ is no fast fix for low consumer spending

Consumers love instant delivery of everything from clothing to everyday items, but no amount of convenience will address China’s demand problem.

videocam
A delivery courier takes a brake on his scooter in Shanghai on April 28. Photo: EPA-EFE
A delivery courier takes a brake on his scooter in Shanghai on April 28. Photo: EPA-EFE
Asean

Opinion | Malaysian flag gaffes expose how AI can inflame deep social divisions

Spate of inaccurately rendered national flag images suggests a careless reliance on AI, which can have grave implications in a polarised society.

videocam
US-China relations

Opinion | Trump’s executive order to boost US deep-sea mining will force China to act

Beijing will continue to sharpen its technological edge, support multilateral governance and may set up maritime joint patrols to monitor the US.

4
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
US-China relations

Opinion | US-China trade war: who will blink first?

While neither side wants to yield before the other, the mounting costs of the conflict mean Xi and Trump are likely to talk soon.

videocam
4
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Illustration: Craig Stephens
US-China relations

Opinion | Thanks to Trump, China has the cards it needs to win the trade war

Trump’s actions have left nations feeling betrayed while accelerating China’s self-sufficiency. These, plus Beijing’s rare earth dominance, could spell victory.

videocam
US-China relations

Opinion | China’s technocratic elite will be a powerful force in rivalry with US

While US graduates from top universities flock to the private sector, in China, national service has become an aspirational calling.

videocam
US-China relations

My Take | Forget Mao, Clausewitz is a better guide to the real US-Chinese trade war

Trade wars, like real wars, are an implicit bargaining tool before the start of formal negotiations.

videocam
4
Street art by Berlin-based Eme Freethinker depicting the US-China fight over tariffs. Photo: EPA
Artificial intelligence

Opinion | The convergence of AI and robotics couldn’t have come at a better time

The country’s manufacturing prowess and sophisticated supply chains will propel humanoid robot development.

videocam
A senior resident interacts with “Xia Lan”, a humanoid robot, at a nursing home in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, on March 3. Photo: Xinhua
A senior resident interacts with “Xia Lan”, a humanoid robot, at a nursing home in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, on March 3. Photo: Xinhua
United States

Macroscope | Trump’s tariffs are waking Asia up from the dream of export-led growth

Asian economies responded to Western exhortations to pursue export-led growth. The resulting ‘economic miracle’ now looks like a mistake.

videocam
Being Chinese

Being Chinese | Once a Chinese frog in a well, I’m now living my travel dreams

When China opened up and millions went abroad, it influenced everything from fashion and cuisine to values and perspectives.

United States

Outside In | Uncertainty unleashed by Trump 2.0 will exact a high price

Companies and countries alike are seeing hedging costs hit the roof amid a loss of trust and certainty in the US, the dollar and Treasuries.

videocam
A trader at the New York Stock Exchange at the opening bell on April 21, as Wall Street stocks opened lower amid lingering uncertainty over US President Donald Trump’s trade policy. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

Opinion | US tariffs a wake-up call for China to improve labour standards

If China’s export competitiveness remains reliant on lowering its labour standards, the US and others will continue their trade-restrictive policies.

videocam
Workers produce pyjamas for export at a clothing factory in Lianyungang, in eastern China’s Jiangsu province, on April 21. Photo: AFP
Workers produce pyjamas for export at a clothing factory in Lianyungang, in eastern China’s Jiangsu province, on April 21. Photo: AFP
US-China trade war

Opinion | The US is fixated on ‘beating China’. It needs to stop beating itself

A bill introduced five years ago epitomises the emotion, chaos and inconsistency with which Washington approaches its ‘China anxiety’.

videocam
11
US-China relations

Opinion | US-China trade war has left ordinary people stuck in the middle

The implication that Chinese people’s aspirations for prosperity must be curtailed to preserve American primacy is deeply problematic.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
US-China relations

Opinion | US vs China: who can endure a trade war longer?

While Trump assumes that China’s trade surplus with the US makes it inherently vulnerable, Beijing appears unfazed.

videocam
11
Parts for toys depicting US President Donald Trump are seen at a factory specialising in solar-powered plastic gadgets in Yiwu, in China’s Zhejiang province on April 11. Photo: AFP
Parts for toys depicting US President Donald Trump are seen at a factory specialising in solar-powered plastic gadgets in Yiwu, in China’s Zhejiang province on April 11. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

Opinion | 4 ways China can reverse its population decline and boost consumption

With the US market largely closed to it, Beijing cannot neglect the wider social impact of couples’ decisions about whether to have children.

videocam
China-Russia relations

Opinion | Russia-China division of power in Central Asia is wearing thin

While Russia held a near monopoly over weapons sales in the region, the war in Ukraine has changed this, offering China an opening.

US-China relations

Opinion | China has the upper hand in trade war as Trump flounders

Beyond defending its interests, Beijing’s long preparations for the tariff war are primed to reshape the future global order.

9
Illustration: Craig Stephens
China economy

Opinion | How China is turning Trump’s tariffs into an opportunity

Beijing’s drive to boost domestic demand will help it weather trade tensions as well as improve ties with major trading partners.

videocam
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Electric & new energy vehicles

My Take | China’s ambitions in electric vehicles go beyond making lots of cars

To become a powerful car nation, China must lead in smart automotive technologies, China’s former industry minister argues.

videocam
US-China relations

Opinion | What’s driving the US’ China policy? Even Trump might not be quite sure

The US president’s approach not only underestimates China but also risks alienating American allies at a time when partnerships still matter.

videocam
5
Diplomacy

Opinion | As Trump rides roughshod over trade, China is ready to pick up the pieces

China’s message of stable cooperation is resonating as Trump accelerates the birth of a post-US world with rising powers independent of US whims.

videocam
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Open Questions series

Scholar Jing Qian on right-sizing China’s economy in the age of Trump

videocam
40
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

US-China rivalry doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game: Jessica Chen Weiss

videocam
29
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

China’s rise, potential recession, no WWIII yet: 11 key interviews from 2024

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Why eco-warrior Ma Jun sees hope for China’s role in Cop29 amid US uncertainty

videocam
4
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Historian on why we aren’t heading towards WWIII yet and how wars have changed

videocam
32
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Scholar Jing Qian on right-sizing China’s economy in the age of Trump

videocam
40
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

US-China rivalry doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game: Jessica Chen Weiss

videocam
29
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

China’s rise, potential recession, no WWIII yet: 11 key interviews from 2024

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Why eco-warrior Ma Jun sees hope for China’s role in Cop29 amid US uncertainty

videocam
4
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Historian on why we aren’t heading towards WWIII yet and how wars have changed

videocam
32
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
MORE FROM THIS SERIES
OPINION
Stephen Olson

Opinion | Picking a global fight may not be the best strategy, as Trump is finding out

Stephen Olson
Nikola Mikovic

Opinion | How China became central to Russia’s Victory Day parade

Nikola Mikovic
Ken Ip

Opinion | China knows how to produce. The next test is whether it can consume

Ken Ip
Zhou Xin

My Take | China’s ‘instant commerce’ is no fast fix for low consumer spending

Zhou Xin
Elina Noor

Opinion | Malaysian flag gaffes expose how AI can inflame deep social divisions

Elina Noor
Ma Bo,Liu Yuhang

Opinion | Trump’s executive order to boost US deep-sea mining will force China to act

Ma Bo
Liu Yuhang
4
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW