There are three things to know: digitalization, consolidation, and Alibaba.
Retail in China has been defined by two trends: the rapid growth of e-commerce and market consolidation. The share of the market controlled by the country's ten biggest retailers has nearly doubled since 2008, and the three largest retailers all run operations that are primarily online.
Though the United States remains the world's biggest market for retail sales, China is the largest e-commerce market, accounting for nearly half the world's retail e-commerce sales, according to McKinsey
Exclusive longform investigative journalism, Q&As, news and analysis, and data on Chinese business elites and corporations. We publish China scoops you won't find anywhere else.
A weekly curated reading list on China from David Barboza, Pulitzer Prize-winning former Shanghai correspondent for The New York Times.
A daily roundup of China finance, business and economics headlines.
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Bob Fu's relationship with China has gone through phases. First, he thought money would solve his problems there; then he joined protesters at Tiananmen Square, thinking the politics could change. In the end, he determined, only God could save China, and he's been fighting for religious freedom in China ever since he resettled in Texas. With his nonprofit, ChinaAid, prospering like never before, he says the U.S. is finally catching on.
A podcast about how the two nations, once friends, are now foes.
Hear why things are so complicated now. Host Jane Perlez, former New York Times Beijing bureau chief, talks with diplomats, spies, cultural superstars like Yo Yo Ma, and more to understand why the dangers are so high, and why relations went awry.