Shuli Ren

The question of China’s “investability” first came up late last year when Beijing’s harsh regulatory crackdowns on big tech and real estate companies wiped trillions of dollars off foreign investors’ books. Financial markets sent an unequivocal message. US-listed Chinese stocks crumbled…

You can’t have your cake and eat it too. It’s an expression that warns people not to want things that are inherently incompatible. China would do well to heed this wisdom. In recent years, the government launched quite a few ambitious top policies that would fundamentally alter its economy…

It is spreading like wildfire. Homebuyers in China are refusing to pay the mortgage on properties they’ve bought but that their financially strapped developers can’t finish. Some say that they will only resume payments when construction restarts. The protest involved more than 100 delayed…

A company is in distress. Its financials are in shatters. Its brand value is being questioned. The chief executive officer has a broad blueprint to revamp and he has the support of some board members. But for a complete re-branding, he needs the approval of the chairman first. This is a process…

All of a sudden, the hawks in the Chinese government are loosening the grip on their prey. The big tech companies that suffered the most from a yearlong crackdown might soon see light at the end of the tunnel. In recent days, China accelerated the approval of new video game titles, ending an…

It’s not easy being second in command. China’s Premier Li Keqiang, sidelined for years by President Xi Jinping, should know this better than anyone else. In recent weeks, Li has re-emerged with his own voice. He has been pressing officials to stabilize an economy ravaged by draconian Covid…

President Xi Jinping has told senior officials to ensure that China’s gross domestic product growth outpaces the US’s this year. He’s determined to show that his one-party system is superior to Western democracy, and that the US is in decline, reported the Wall Street Journal. At first read,…

Judging by the latest inflation numbers, developed nations are turning into emerging markets. The US reported 8.5% year-on-year jump in March, while inflation in the UK soared to 7%, a 30-year high. Meanwhile, Chinese consumers saw only a 1.5% rise in prices last month. This is not how it’s…

In the US and Europe, the phrase “living with the virus” refers to reopening the economy and trusting that vaccines work. Not in China. In the public discourse, that would be tantamount to “lie flat,” a catchphrase for encouraging inaction — an approach that has grown so popular that it drew a…