The Hub with Wang Guan

Daniel Morales, an Associate Professor at Sun Yat-Sen University, and Jiang Shishue, Director of the Center for Latin American Studies at Shanghai University, delve into China's upcoming visa-free policy for five Latin American nations. They discuss how this initiative will strengthen political, economic, and cultural ties, particularly benefiting young travelers and businesses. The conversation also highlights the historical context of visa restrictions and explores the agricultural partnerships enhancing trade, especially between China and Brazil.

In this engaging discussion, Liu Baocheng, an expert in the Chinese economy, and William Lee, chief economist at the Milken Institute, delve into China's solid economic growth in 2025, including a surprising 5.4% GDP increase. They explore strategies to enhance consumer confidence and the importance of investments in education for sustainable development. The duo also tackles the challenges of U.S.-China trade relations, emphasizing how China navigates tariffs and shifts focus to high-tech manufacturing to stay competitive in a global market.

Over the past decade, China and countries across Latin America and the Caribbean have developed a partnership built on growing trust and shared goals, despite the distance between them. With 22 countries in the region now signed on to the Belt and Road Initiative, cooperation is expanding fast. How far have we come in the past ten years? And where is this relationship heading next?

The Hub covers hot-button geopolitical and economic issues, as well as interesting stories and trends in culture, education, technology and lifestyle. It aims to connect people, cultures and societies across the East and the West.

China has set the target for full-year economic growth at around 5 percent for 2025. Is it realistic? The answer is yes, according to high-level Chinese officials. They point out that China has ample leeway to achieve this year's economic and social development goals and tasks despite current uncertainties. How so?

April 2nd, 2025, was the Trump administration's self-proclaimed "Liberation Day." But the question is, liberation from what? Common sense? This whiteboard of tariff math simply fails in the real world where supply chains don't obey MAGA algebra.

Global education is facing headwinds from policies in the US framed as "national security safeguards." For the Educational Testing Service (ETS), the world's largest private educational testing and assessment organization, these are indeed testing times. But it's also creating plenty of opportunities. From reimagining standardized testing to AI-driven innovations, ETS is trying to shape the future of learning worldwide. How is ETS leveraging cutting-edge technology to redefine educational benchmarks? When cross-border collaboration encounters geopolitical friction, can international education forge a third path forward, transcending all these zero-sum paradigms?

It's a race against time as Myanmar reels from the 7.9-magnitude earthquake on March 28. Villages have been flattened, roads severed, and hospitals overwhelmed as the death toll keeps rising and millions have been displaced. Survivors now also have to battle 35°C heat, landslides, and cholera threats. What is the situation on the ground? What humanitarian aid is urgently needed at this point?

The screw tightens as the U.S. doubles down on its tariff measures on April 2, a so-called “Liberation Day", according to President Donald Trump. Sweeping tariffs unveiled a minimum 10 percent tariff on all trading partners, as well as so-called "reciprocal" actions on dozens of countries. Under Trump's plan, the U.S. will add a new 34 percent tariff on Chinese goods, on top of the 20 percent tariff that he has already imposed on Beijing in recent months. Will this plan truly "Make America Wealthy Again"? What's on Trump's mind this time around? How will the global economy bear the pressure?

This year's China Development Forum convenes over 700 government officials, corporate representatives, and thought leaders from around the world. On the sidelines of the event, we caught up with Ms. Joanne Crevoiserat, CEO of Tapestry, the parent company of brands such as Kate Spade and Coach, and discussed how Western luxury brands are adapting to China's rapidly evolving socio-economic and aesthetic shifts.