A consensus unites PRC pundits on the country’s trade surplus: it stems from manufacturing upgrades and deeper integration into global supply chains, is broadly legitimate, and should be fine-tuned rather than suppressed by force. Where they diverge is on how.
trade
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27 Aug 2026
Beijing began pairing richer eastern provinces with poorer western ones 30 years ago. The official goal now is a shift from moving funds west to building industries able to stand alone: demand-led, locally staffed, and judged by markets rather than by how fast funds were dispensed to set them up.
food & agriculture
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21 Aug 2026
Once a description of uneven post-pandemic recovery, the notion of a K-shaped economy has become an organising frame for PRC macro debate, increasingly common in commentary on the economy’s direction. The argument now turns on what is driving the divergence, and therefore what policy should do about it.
economy
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14 Aug 2026
Weakening demand for NEVs, continued production growth and a prolonged price war have put sustained pressure on industry margins. Beijing's concern about this predates the anti-involution campaign. Premier Li Qiang 李强 warned about the risks of 'involution' in June 2024. The Politburo followed the next month, summoning automaker executives over below-cost pricing. Even so, the competition continued.
economy
R&D
energy
environment & carbon neutrality
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06 Aug 2026
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how Beijing squares its trade surplus
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the next test for east–west collaboration
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same K, different diagnoses
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what's Beijing's response to NEV involution?
monitoring
recent commentary
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circular economy...read more25 Aug 2026
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growth modelstrategic and emerging industriesspatial planninginfrastructurecentral SOEstech transfer, R&Dinternet infrastructure...read more25 Aug 2026
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going globalODIforeign policy rhetoricexternal law...read more24 Aug 2026
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growth modelstrategic and emerging industriescyber and data securityscience and technologytech transfer, R&D...read more21 Aug 2026
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Wei YimingBeijing Institute of Technology Carbon Neutrality System Engineering Lab director Beijing Institute of Technology
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