Day: May 25, 2025

A former senior economic planner has called for China’s annual growth target to be lowered for the next five years, factoring in the likelihood of a protracted rivalry with the United States and the need to solve deep-rooted structural problems in China. Advertisement Xu Lin, who helped draft Beijing’s five-year plan for decades while an official at the National Development and Reform Commission, made the comments as the world’s second-largest economy is increasingly relying on economic planning for continued growth. Compared with some market estimates of around 4.5 per cent…

In the wake of Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s successful visits to Qatar and Kuwait, Hong Kong’s efforts to deepen connections with emerging markets are gaining strong momentum. The signing of 59 memorandums of understanding and agreements has laid the groundwork for advancing the city’s economic and cultural links with the Middle East. Advertisement The visit underscores Hong Kong’s strategic role as a gateway connecting the Chinese mainland and the world and reflects the city’s strategy to diversify global economic partnerships amid a rapidly evolving landscape. In today’s interconnected world,…

Wendy Cutler comes from a three-decade career in shaping US trade policy. She worked in the Office of the US Trade Representative from 1988 to 2015 before moving into the think tank space. Today, she is vice-president of the Asia Society Policy Institute. Advertisement Cutler uses this accumulated experience to offer a view on the fractious US-China trade relationship at a time when trade ties remain tense despite landmark talks between the two powers, followed by a sharp reduction in tariffs, earlier this month. This interview first appeared in SCMP…

Voting began on Sunday in Surinamese parliamentary elections that will determine who will harness new-found oil wealth to carry out a rags-to-riches transformation of the smallest country in South America. Advertisement The tiny nation – which has growing ties to China – is battling high debt, rampant inflation and poverty affecting nearly one in five of its 600,000 inhabitants. On Sunday, Surinamese began electing a new parliament of 51 members, who within weeks must choose a new president and vice-president for a five-year term to manage that wealth. “It will…

With South Korea’s presidential election less than two weeks away, the stakes couldn’t be higher for a nation at a critical crossroads. Since former president Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment for declaring martial law in December, the country desperately needs leadership to restore domestic stability and navigate increasingly complex geopolitics. Advertisement Society remains deeply divided, with massive demonstrations that support or oppose Yoon. The political turmoil extends to the ruling People Power Party (PPP), which has repeatedly changed its presidential candidate. Recent polling shows opposition Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung leading with…

Pope Leo asked on Sunday for prayers for China’s Catholics to be in communion with the Holy See, as he made his first public remarks about one of the thorniest foreign policy issues facing his new pontificate. Advertisement History’s first American pope recalled that on Saturday the Catholic Church marked a special feast day to pray for the church in China. Pope Benedict XVI had initiated the feast day as part of his efforts to unify China’s estimated 12 million Catholics who were divided between an official, state-controlled church that…