The Robot Reckoning
China is betting on a future with humanoid robots. When will it arrive?
Articles
China’s Flying Cars Hit a Snag
The mid-air collision of two Xpeng vehicles has put the emerging technology under the spotlight.
Fool’s Gold?
Laopu Gold, a homegrown jewelry brand that defied the consumer slowdown, is hailed as China’s Hermès. But some are raising doubts over whether it can sustain its success.
Rough Times at SenseTime
China’s former AI giant has faded out of the picture in recent years. Can it make a comeback?
The Chip Catalyst
The U.S.’s latest attempt to contain China’s chip ambitions lasted little more than a month. Back in May, the Trump administration introduced a ban on exports of electronic design automation (EDA) software to China, a suite of tools used by chip designers to create the...
The Company that Refuses to Decouple
Walmart should be in trouble in China, where its competitors are in retreat and its sourcing operations have been criticised by both Beijing and Washington. But the American retailer seems to have found a way forward in a difficult sector and remains one of the...
Nicholas Borst on China’s Complicated Relationship with the Private Sector
The analyst on how Beijing’s need for control hamstrings its businesses and entrepreneurs.
The One Chinese Toy that Even Trump Tariffs Can’t Kill
Pop Mart, the company behind Labubu, is a rare example of a Chinese toy company finding global success with its own product.
The Hunt for an Heir
The entrepreneurs at the forefront of China’s economic emergence in the 1980s and '90s are retiring. Who will succeed them?
China’s Aging Migrant Workforce
Some 300 million Chinese workers are facing a more precarious future amid the country’s economic transition.
Hong Kong’s ‘Conscience’ Leaves the Stage
David Webb, who for years fought for fairer markets and better-run companies in Hong Kong, passed away on January 13, 2026. In tribute, we are resurfacing this article about his career, first published in May 2025.
Paul G. Clifford on How China Made it Easier to Move Things Around
The business strategist and historian of modern China talks about robots in Chinese warehouses and fixing broken links.