Leading China economist Arthur Kroeber, author of China’s Economy: What Everyone Needs to Know®, looks at what is known about the upcoming 15th 5-year plan, bound to be approved by the National People’s Congress in March 2026. Most of the known information suggests no major changes, with an ongoing focus on manufacturing rather than consumption, as in the past, he tells Keith Yap in the Front Row Podcast.Read More →

For years, the growth of AI was built on scaling up its GPUs, but innovation expert Alvin Wang Graylin, author of Our Next Reality: Preparing for the AI-powered Metaverse, sees now a move to more collaboration. Nvidia is not the only winner anymore, as competition is growing and AI models can develop through more experience and need less capacity to grow, as China’s Deepseek proved earlier this year, he says at the Big Bang Future Lab.Read More →

TikTok, Temu, and Shein are better in branding than most Western brands, argues branding expert Björn Ognibeni on his weblog. The result of this miscalculation is evident in performance differences: While many Asian platforms boast strong user retention and high time spent on site, Western providers are struggling with declining conversion rates and rising acquisition costs.Read More →

Shanghai-based business analyst Shaun Rein, author of  The Split: Finding the Opportunities in China’s Economy in the New World Order,  explains why China is winning the trade war with the US and has been preparing for a new exchange with the US over the past seven years, he tells at WTFinance.  Read More →

Marketing expert Ashley Dudarenok explains the difference between TikTok and its Chinese sister Douyin at her website Chozan. In 2025, Douyin was named China’s most valuable brand, with a valuation of US$105.8 billion. That marked a 26% increase from the previous year, driven by the platform’s deep integration into everyday digital life. In March 2025, Douyin reached 1 billion monthly active users in China. What exactly is Douyin?Read More →

Financial analyst  Victor Shih dives into China’s fiscal policies. Most of the country’s expenditure has traditionally been only for a marginal percentage on consumption, but on government investments. So, while consumption has gone down, the way to push the economy ahead is not to encourage consumption, but government spending, he argues. He turns against the current government policy of austerity at local governments; it should move in the opposite direction, he argues at the Asia Society, Northern California chapter.Read More →

Ask Chinese consumers what their leading platform is for purchases, both domestically and internationally, and they will point at the Xiaohongshu, or Little Red Book, as it is called in English. It offers a lead against competitors like Douyin and is a leading source for travellers, although only available in Chinese. “Xiaohongshu wants you deep in niche rabbit holes with people who care about the same weird stuff you do. “This isn’t just a slogan change,” says branding expert Ashley Dudarenok in Campaign Asia, “it’s Xiaohongshu cementing its moat against rivals like Douyin.”Read More →

The number one mistake the West has about China is that China wants to replace the US as the leading global force, says China veteran Kaiser Kuo in an extensive interview in the Smart Cookies Episode. But that is only one of many misunderstandings.Read More →

China’s consumers are dramatically changing their spending habits, says business analyst Shaun Rein at CNBC. They might not spend on EVs and real estate, but they are sitting on massive savings and will spend when they see the value. Why is Legoland winning the fight for the Chinese consumer, while Starbucks is losing it? Why do they enjoy holidays in mainland China, rather than Thailand or Europe?Read More →