Extreme passion and energy are some of the key features of the Year of the Fire Horse (Wu Wu), a powerful appearance in the 60-year cycle of the zodiac.

Historically, the Year of the Fire Horse was viewed with a mix of awe and caution in East Asian cultures. Because the traits of the Fire Horse—independence and strong-headedness—clashed with traditional values of quietude and domesticity, ancient superstitions often labeled the year as “tumultuous.” However, in a modern context, these same traits are frequently celebrated as the marks of innovators, world travelers, and visionary leaders.Read More →

Already in early 2025, China watcher Kaiser Kuo predicted Western leaders would change their view on how to deal with China and Xi Jinping. In a discussion on Novara Media, those Western leaders are queuing up to go to Beijing to restore relations they just a few years ago warned against. And where does Donald Trump fit into that change?Read More →

Business analyst Shaun Rein, author of The Split: Finding the Opportunities in China’s Economy in the New World Order, discusses a fundamental difference in the politics of China and the USA concerning the rich. China focuses on the 90% of the population who are not rich, while the US goes for the rich, he says at the Thinkers Forum.Read More →

China’s society is changing fast, and youngsters are adjusting their attitudes on how to organize their lives. Marketing expert Ashley Dudarenok looks at those changes for Time. Individualism and self-love are some of the new features.  “When traditional markers of success like marriage and homeownership become structurally inaccessible for many, young people are forced to redefine what a ‘good life’ means,” Dudarenok says.Read More →

Leading AI expert Alvin Wang Graylin, on the road to the World Economic Forum in Davos, discusses how China will be one of the AI dark horses to watch in 2026, as he tells at the Big Bang Tech Report. He points at Minimax, Moonshot, and Z.AI, and also on the hardware side, Huawei, he adds.Read More →

On January 19, the Hurun Research Institute released the ‘2025 Hurun China Top 50 Artificial Intelligence Enterprises’ report, showing a firm rise for the country’s AI companies, including Cambricon Technologies, Moore Threads, and Muxi. Rupert Hoogewerf, Chairman and Chief Research Officer of Hurun Report, points at the US export controls as the main reason for the change, according to Futubill.Read More →

The split between China and the US is irreversible, argues Shanghai-based business analyst Shaun Rein, author of The Split: Finding the Opportunities in China’s Economy in the New World Order, in a discussion with Keith Yap on his YouTube channel. Trade with China has helped the United States, he says.Read More →

Heytea started in 2012 as a premium tea brand, but it has since become entangled in the China tea wars, following a trend to go cheap. Consumer experts Ashley Dudarenok and Arnold Ma are two of a range of experts figuring out whether Heytea can survive in Campaign Asia. will international growth offset China’s quality challenges?Read More →

Stagnation is one of China’s economic key issues, but most China experts miss what is really going on because they left the country a decade ago, says Shanghai-based business analyst Shaun Rein to Glenn Diesen, author of “The Split: Finding the Opportunities in China’s Economy in the New World Order”. Unlike the previous financial crisis, the Chinese are sitting on a load of money and they are not in panic, but also do not spend their resources.Read More →

While there has been a shift in language on domestic consumption at the recent China’s annual Central Economic Work Conference, leading economist Arthur Kroeber, author of China’s Economy: What Everyone Needs to Know®, does not see a change in policies for China’s economy in 2026 toward supporting the sluggish domestic consumption, he says at a debate at the Asia Society.Read More →

Returns on China’s stock markets have been great, but that reflects only marginally on the consumer market, warns Shanghai-based business analyst Shaun Rein at CNBC. Only six percent of Chinese citizens hold equity, unlike, for example, the US, he says. 90 Percent is still trading down and not spending more on luxury goods, he adds.Read More →