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Intelligence for the New World Economy

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Intelligence for the New World Economy
Semafor World Economy

Semafor China

China gig economy fears grow as AI threatens jobs

More than 200 million people are flexibly employed in China, but AI has made many of those jobs precarious.
People line up at career guidance booths during a job fair in Beijing.Florence Lo/Reuters

China is betting on medical tourism boom

The country has set up a special international medical tourism zone in Hainan, and relaxed visa rules have encouraged visitors.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee visits Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone at the free trade port in Hainan, China cnsphoto via Reuters

China scolds e-commerce giants

The scolding dented shares of Alibaba and JD.com and came weeks after regulators told the companies to avoid an aggressive price war.
Isabel Infantes/Reuters

Rising trade barriers could reshape China’s clean tech investments

Tariffs, localization requirements, and other trade barriers abroad are making a pure export strategy trickier to sustain.
Drone view shows electric vehicles (EV) for export and containers sitting at a port in Shanghai.China Daily via Reuters

Chinese investors want in on US IPOs

The workaround involves cryptocurrency that purportedly has exposure to the underlying stocks.
Aly Song/Reuters

China’s $300 billion plan to build more data centers

The government wants to construct a network of “computing hubs.”
Dado Ruvic/Reuters

China exports beat forecasts amid global AI boom

Year-on-year exports jumped by close to 20%, driven partly by a 110% surge in semiconductor shipments.

Germany bears the brunt of China Shock 2.0

As Western economies scramble to defend themselves against the second China shock, their corporate and national interests are again radically at odds.

Pentagon blacklists some of China’s biggest tech firms

The entrants to the list include Alibaba and Baidu, EV behemoth BYD, a leading robot-maker, and a top biotech firm.

Xi looks to win over Kim during North Korea visit

Pyongyang’s ties to Beijing have been strained by a virtual freeze in trade during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chinese blue-collar wage growth outpaces white-collar jobs’

Wage growth for blue-collar workers in China has outpaced that of their white-collar peers for six consecutive years, in a sign of the strength of the country’s booming gig economy.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping plans North Korea visit

Xi aims to court the pariah state’s dictator, Kim Jong-un, who has been strengthening ties with Moscow while tightening his own grip on power.

DeepSeek nears $7B haul in first raise

Tech giant Tencent and battery pioneer CATL are reportedly among the investors in the maiden fundraise.

Intelligence alliance warns of China’s spy recruiting efforts

The global Five Eyes intelligence alliance warned that China was using LinkedIn and other social media platforms to recruit spies.

Japan capitalizes on China backlash, courts Pacific island nations

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said her government would help smaller states strengthen their “autonomy and resilience,” part of an anti-China push by Japan.

Gig economy spurs revival in Chinese worker’s literature

A raft of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction is emerging about, and by, working-class laborers.

Beijing targets cooling consumer spending

Beijing is pushing new efforts to battle the lagging consumption weighing on China’s economy.

Mainland IPOs fuel Hong Kong’s comeback

Hong Kong has overtaken Switzerland as the top hub for cross-border wealth.