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China economy

China’s Cities Are Run by Venture Capitalists

24 October 2026 by Jaime Xiao
The Bay Glory ferris wheel at dusk, with the Bao'an skyline behind it

Chinese city governments behave like venture capital partnerships: they pick companies, back them with equity, cash and free flats, then wait for the taxes to come back. The property slump and the DeepSeek moments are the same balance sheet seen from opposite ends.

Categories Insights, Opinion Tags China economy, China tech, Local government finance, Venture capital

The Corpse That Sells Out Cinemas

31 July 202630 July 2026 by Jaime Xiao

The Economist sent a reporter to Shantou to cover a hit film. What came back was an autopsy. They are wrong about the patient. The piece (”Bottom of the class”, July 23) declares Shantou the special economic zone that failed, the odd one out among four. GDP per person of 54,000 yuan. Growth of 0.1% … Read more

Categories Opinion Tags China economy, Shantou, Special Economic Zones, The Economist Leave a comment

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