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G-7 leaders expected to discuss China's "economic coercion"

May 15, 2023
China has been accused of exerting its power by refusing to buy certain products from countries that cross it. Beijing is pushing back.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden at a G-20 summit. China rejects criticism of its trade practices and has accused wealthy nations of using economic and military coercion.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Businesses keep close watch on Blinken China visit

Feb 3, 2023
U.S.-China tensions have put Chinese businesses on edge.
Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, is expected to meet with senior Chinese leaders in a visit that could set the tone for the wider U.S.-China relationship.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

For business owners in China, a touch-and-go reopening after zero-COVID

Jan 30, 2023
While China's most high-profile executives express unflagging optimism on TV, for small business owners, the picture is more complicated.
Food vendors at the Muslim quarter in Xi'an seem bored without customers in late December 2022. That was when COVID infections swept across China.
Jennifer Pak/Marketplace

Fans in China bemoan the departure of Airbnb and Kindle

Jul 26, 2022
Loyal users of the companies say they didn't try hard enough to acquire users in addition to making basic missteps.
A subway commuter in Shanghai uses a Kindle in July.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace

Shanghai's lockdown has eased, but businesses are still tallying the costs

Jul 14, 2022
Shanghai's lockdown crippled supply chains and logistics. Materials and transport costs climbed, and there have been personal struggles too.
Authorities put barriers around Shanghai streets to enforce the severe lockdown in the spring.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace

China lacks psychologists, so businesses fill the mental health care gap

Nov 22, 2021
One entrepreneur is placing her bets on a paid online listening service for women.
In China, online and app-based companionship services have cropped up to address isolation. Above, a man sits alone on his cellphone in Beijing.
Courtesy Shanghai 808 Studio

Who is going to provide funding to Afghanistan under the Taliban?

With the Taliban in control, the business picture there could look foggy to the rest of the world, especially when it comes to how much money the government will actually have.
Taliban fighters stand guard in Kabul on August 17, 2021, as the Taliban moved quickly to restart the Afghan capital following their stunning takeover of Kabul and told government staff to return to work.
Photo by WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images

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What U.S. businesses should know about China’s anti-foreign sanctions law

Jul 27, 2021
U.S. businesses in China are advised to audit supply chains and revisit contracts.
When the U.S. blacklists Chinese companies, it's relatively straightforward for American businesses: just cut ties. But China’s new anti-foreign sanctions law complicates things a bit more.
Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images

Chinese businesses take stock a year after their pandemic pivot

Jan 14, 2021
A tea shop supplier and a brush manufacturer switched to making masks after the lockdown. But the gamble didn't pay off.
Manufacturer Qian Wensheng is stuck with rolls of substandard melt-blown fabric that he cannot use in face masks.
Courtesy of Qian Wensheng

COVID-19: Office disruptions in Shanghai

Feb 25, 2020
Chinese officials say they will help businesses resume operations, but trying to adhere to all the rules may make one's head spin.
The few remaining restaurants open in Shanghai are forced to only offer take-out service in recent days.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace