News & Insights

Interview I China’s Tech Moguls See $80 Billion of Wealth Evaporate in 2021 I Zhiwu Chen

2021 has been a record year for China’s internet moguls: according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, the country’s 10 richest tech tycoons lost $US80 billion in combined net worth amid widescale crackdowns by Chinese regulators. “The best days for China’s tech sector are behind us for now,” Asia Global Institute Director Zhiwu Chen told Bloomberg. “Without access to American capital markets, the history of China’s tech sector would have been very different.”

Interview I China Property Moguls Use Billions of Their Own Cash on Rescues I Zhiwu Chen

Billionaire owners of Chinese developers have dipped into their own pockets for at least $3.8 billion to save their troubled companies from default, as a cash crunch engulfs the industry. Zhiwu Chen, director of the Asia Global Institute, shares more insights on personal and company assets in the developing Evergrande situation in Bloomberg.

Interview I US-China relations; and pay trend survey I Alejandro Reyes

Alejandro Reyes, director of knowledge dissemination at the Asia Global Institute, was joined by fellow panellists at RTHK to discuss US-China relations.

Interview I Evergrande's most bizarre holdings? A hodgepodge of amusement parks all over China called 'Fairyland' I Zhiwu Chen

In 2020, real estate giant Evergrande outlined a bold plan for itself - it was going to conquer Tesla. But the real estate giant is now $305 billion in debt, and still hasn't sold a single car. Zhiwu Chen, director of the Asia Global Institute, comments on Evergrande's electric-vehicle business in Insider.

Interview I Evergrande: who is Xu Jiayin and how he led his company to have a debt of US $300,000 million I Zhiwu Chen

Evergrande is on tenterhooks with its creditors – inside and outside China – its suppliers, its employees and the thousands of families who invested their savings in buying homes and now fear being ruined. "Chinese government officials have been busy intervening and actively working on a feasible restructuring plan," says Zhiwu Chen, director of the Asia Global Institute, in BBC News.

Interview I Why China’s Economy Is Threatened by a Property Giant’s Debt Problems I Zhiwu Chen

The real estate developer Evergrande once binged on debt. Now the music has stopped, investors are panicking and experts are warning of an imminent failure. Zhiwu Chen, director of the Asia Global Institute, comments on Evergrande's latest development in The New York Times.

Op-ed I A World of Heat and Headwinds I Michael Spence

Author: Michael Spence, Advisory Board Co-Chair, Asia Global Institute

Asia Global Institute Advisory Board Co-Chair and Nobel Laureate Michael Spence sees ample reason to worry that future global growth and development are in peril.

Op-ed I The One-Earth Balance Sheet I Andrew Sheng

Author: Andrew Sheng, Member, Asia Global Institute

Getting the whole spectrum of governments, academia and civil society to track “natural capital” would help create shared efforts toward solving shared problems like the climate crisis. Asia Global Institute's Distinguished Fellow Andrew Sheng explains the need for a "One-Earth Balance Sheet" in Noema.

Interview I The effects of involution in China I Zhiwu Chen

Zhiwu Chen, director of the Asia Global Institute, discusses the impact of involution, or "neijuan", on technological innovation in China in an interview with the Hong Kong Economic Journal Monthly.

Op-ed I How Great Powers Should Compete I Michael Spence

Author: Michael Spence, Advisory Board Co-Chair, Asia Global Institute

Asia Global Institute Advisory Board Co-Chair and Nobel Laureate Michael Spence proposes a new framework for China and the West to understand the state of the world and their place in it.

Interview I NATO, G7 and China I Alejandro Reyes

Alejandro Reyes, director of knowledge dissemination at the Asia Global Institute, was joined by fellow panellists at RTHK to discuss NATO, G7 and China.

Interview I Broken Bonds I Zhiwu Chen

Zhiwu Chen, director of the Asia Global Institute, comments on the case of a former CLSA banker accused of wrongdoing in a bond deal with the CEFC in the Wire China.

Op-ed I Vaccine Licensing, Production, and Global Distribution I Michael Spence

Author: Michael Spence, Advisory Board Co-Chair, Asia Global Institute

Asia Global Institute Advisory Board Co-Chair and Nobel Laureate Michael Spence considers how to maximize global production and minimize unintended consequences when the next pandemic hits.

Interview I Iron ore is saving Australia's trade with China. How long can it last? I Heiwai Tang

With the iron ore trade likely to continue as a major driver for economic growth in China and Australia, the two countries might be stuck with each other for the foreseeable future. Diplomatic ties between the two could only deteriorate so much when they were still linked by iron ore, Heiwai Tang, associate director of Asia Global Institute, tells CNN Business.

Op-ed I High Growth Sectors in the Post-Recovery Decade I Michael Spence

Author: Michael Spence, Advisory Board Co-Chair, Asia Global Institute

Asia Global Institute Advisory Board Co-Chair and Nobel Laureate Michael Spence sees reasons to hope for the long-awaited return of aggregate productivity growth after the pandemic.

Webinar I Pandemic, Inequalities, Human Rights, And Nation States I Alejandro Reyes

In a webinar conducted by the Canadian International Council, Alejandro Reyes, director of knowledge dissemination at the Asia Global Institute, analyzed alongside other experts how the concepts of pandemics, inequalities, human rights and nation states are interconnected in the globalized world.

Interview I HSBC Pivot Stokes Tension Between Hong Kong, London Bankers I Zhiwu Chen

HSBC's pivot to Asia is stoking tension between Hong Kong and London. Zhiwu Chen, director of the Asia Global Institute, shares his comments with Bloomberg on HSBC's latest moves.

Interview I Hong Kong Wants to Bring Back Factory Jobs That Left Long Ago I Heiwai Tang

Reindustrialization could be Hong Kong's key to meeting its goal of increasing spending on R&D on new products to 1.5% of its GDP by 2022. Heiwai Tang, associate director of Asia Global Institute, tells Bloomberg Businessweek that authorities should be more aggressive and set a target of expanding the manufacturing sector’s contribution to the city's GDP to as much as 10% within a decade, with the chief executive taking the lead.

Op-ed I The Shape of Global Recovery I Michael Spence

Author: Michael Spence, Advisory Board Co-Chair, Asia Global Institute

Asia Global Institute Advisory Board Co-Chair and Nobel Laureate Michael Spence anticipates a rapid rebound across advanced economies in the second half of this year.

Op-ed I Winners and Losers in the Digital Transformation of Work I Michael Spence

Author: Michael Spence, Advisory Board Co-Chair, Asia Global Institute

Asia Global Institute Advisory Board Co-Chair and Nobel Laureate Michael Spence explains why we should worry less about technological unemployment and more about inequality.

Event I 2020 Economic Summit Forum I Heiwai Tang

Heiwai Tang, associate director of Asia Global Institute, says that re-industrialization can be seen as a tool to diversify Hong Kong economy in the 2020 Economic Summit Forum hosted by HK01.

Interview I Discussion on China's new antitrust rules I Zhiwu Chen

Zhiwu Chen, director of the Asia Global Institute, comments on China's new antitrust rules in this interview with Hong Kong Economic Journal.

Op-ed I Biden's vaccine challenge I Michael Spence

Author: Michael Spence, Advisory Board Co-Chair, Asia Global Institute

Asia Global Institute Advisory Board Co-Chair and Nobel Laureate Michael Spence explains that containing Covid-19 has become as a logistical issue as a scientific one.

Op-ed I Signing of the RCEP I Heiwai Tang

Author: Heiwai Tang, Associate Director, Asia Global Institute

15 countries have joined together to sign the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) on November 15, 2020. Heiwai Tang, associate director of Asia Global Institute, discusses the main features of RCEP and its regional impacts in his latest article in the Hong Kong Economic Journal.

Interview I What the incoming Biden administration could mean for US-China relations I Zhiwu Chen

Zhiwu Chen, director of the Asia Global Institute, shares his views on what the incoming Biden administration could mean for US-China relations and the trend of secondary listings of Chinese companies in Hong Kong at Bloomberg Markets: China Open Full Show.

Interview I In conversation wtih Michael Spence I Michael Spence

Asia Global Institute Advisory Board Co-Chair and Nobel Laureate Michael Spence applies his Nobel Prize-winning research to government's trust problem, predicts the pandemic likely effect on climate action, and explains how digital data can boost inclusivity.

Interview I The economic impact of Covid-19 I Zhiwu Chen

2020 has proven to be an exceptionally challenging year and one that is filled with unprecedented uncertainty worldwide. In his interview with The Paper, Zhiwu Chen, director of the Asia Global Institute, discusses governments’ actions to Covid-19 and what the global economy looks like heading into 2021.