China’s gig economy could help it survive the trade war
It is vast, and ready to absorb displaced workers
As China’s export machine sputters under the weight of 145% tariffs, jobs are at risk. Some 16m workers are involved in the production of goods bound for America, says Goldman Sachs, a bank. Nomura, another bank, projects a possible 5.7m job losses in the near term and 15.8m in the long run, as the shock ripples through the economy.
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This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Deliverance”
From the May 10th 2025 edition
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Why so many Chinese are drowning in debt
Some contemplate suicide. Others vaunt their folly as influencers
Leung Kwok-hung, Hong Kong’s shaggy agitator for democracy
His League of Social Democrats, the territory’s last pro-democracy party, disbanded this week
Beware tomes of Chinese political gossip!
Our new number-crunching on reading banned books
Hong Kong’s last functioning pro-democracy party disbands
A long campaign against dissent crushes a final few democrats
China’s growth targets cause headaches—even when met
Local officials wrestle with competing incentives
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They could change its internet for good and turbocharge AI efforts