Newsletter By 2025-09-19
The establishment of a unified national market in China is undoubtedly a strong and promising concept, depending on how one interprets it. The primary goal of such a market is to ensure a "solid foundation". The employment market largely relies on the private sector, which is a key component of the market economy. While private enterprises are stagnant or unwilling to grow, the stability of the foundation becomes an issue. To build a unified national market, the first step must be to have a functioning market in the foremost position. In this context, the most important task is to make a firm decision to withdrew those radical policies. When public policies address market economies, it would be unrealistic to try to boost every single sector at once. Focusing on a few areas to "stimulate growth" may seem like an obvious approach, but it often misses the mark. Therefore, policy intervention in a market economy is limited, as it is impossible to address every sector in detail. What truly stimulates, drives, and improves the business environment are macro-level policies that have a broad and significant impact, according to
Kung Chan, ANBOUND’s founder.
>>[Present Value] The United States is facing a convergence of challenges. Student debt has surpassed $1.7 trillion, leaving too many graduates financially burdened for decades. Higher education enrollment has declined steadily over the past decade, especially in community colleges and regional universities. Employers continue to struggle to find skilled talent, particularly in critical fields like health care, teaching, and technology. Traditional higher education models are not solving these problems at the needed pace. Apprenticeship degrees offer a compelling alternative: accessible, as students earn a paycheck while they study, lowering the financial barriers that keep many from pursuing college; affordable, with tuition costs significantly reduced because employers co-invest in the education; and aligned, with programs designed with industry to ensure graduates have skills that match real jobs. This model offers powerful benefits: for learners, they earn while they learn, build a resume as they build credits, and graduate without the crushing burden of debt; for employers, they create a talent pipeline customized to their needs, reduce turnover, and increase employee loyalty; for higher education, it allows them to innovate beyond the classroom, reach new learners, and demonstrate clear return on investment to skeptical families,
writes Jesse McCree, Senior Advisor to ESI, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for South Central PA Works.
Existentialism resurfaces during times of transition, decline, and major change, making it a form of realism. In today's world, where globalization is reversing and geopolitical conflicts are escalating, it is undeniable that the world is once again facing the rise of this cultural movement. Existentialism is destined to become a popular way of life once more, and may even emerge as a popular philosophy for policy-making, analyzed
Zhijiang Zhao, Research Fellow for Geopolitical Strategy programme at ANBOUND.
>>Opening up to the outside world is a long-standing policy of the Chinese government. Large-scale and active foreign-funded enterprises and foreign capital are important proof of and contributors to the vitality of China's opening-up efforts. According to data from China's Ministry of Commerce, in the first seven months of this year, Japanese direct investment in the country increased by 53.7%, defying the overall downward trend of a 13.4% decline in total foreign investment. This growth is especially noteworthy. As a key foundation for ensuring China's continued participation in global supply chains and capital flows, the question of how China can genuinely retain Japanese companies deserves in-depth exploration, in the opinion of
Zhou Chao, Research Fellow for Geopolitical Strategy programme at ANBOUND.
>>Under the current trend of deglobalization, stability is the better choice when it comes to exchange rate policy decisions. While yuan depreciation can help lower the cost of export goods and promote exports, it also tends to increase capital flows, affect domestic asset prices, and, in turn, impact domestic demand in China. Conversely, placing too much emphasis on its appreciation may encourage capital inflows, but it also puts additional pressure on exports subject to retaliatory tariffs. Although appreciation may enhance purchasing power and support the expansion of the Chinese domestic consumer market, it also raises the cost of labor competitiveness. This can lead to further offshoring of labor-intensive industries, exacerbating the trend of industrial "hollowing out". The yuan central parity rate has shown a pattern of “rapid appreciation and slow depreciation”. Such an adjustment is not one-sided and involves many uncertainties, said
Wei Hongxu, Senior Economist at ANBOUND.
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