Tan Kong Yam

THE WRITER, A FORMER CHIEF ECONOMIST OF THE SINGAPORE GOVERNMENT, IS EMERITUS PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS AT NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY. HE WAS A SENIOR ECONOMIST AT THE WORLD BANK’S OFFICE IN BEIJING FROM JUNE 2002 TO JUNE 2005.

New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani speaks at an event in San Juan, Puerto Rico, November 6, 2025. REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo

Why Zohran Mamdani won New York’s mayoral race: The revolt of the ‘struggling yuppies’

His triumph reflects a profound shift in New York City’s political economy

(FILES) (COMBO) This combination of pictures created on November 07, 2024 shows former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (L) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on November 4, 2024, and Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) at a press conference in Belgrade, on May 8, 2024. Chinese President Xi Jinping held phone talks on January 17, 2025, with US president-elect Donald Trump, Chinese state media reported. CCTV said the phone call happened "on the evening of January 17", without providing any immediate further details. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU and Elvis Barukcic / AFP)

The new rare earth Cold War: China’s trump card in US tariff poker?

The confrontation embodies a broader reality: interdependence no longer guarantees stability – it guarantees leverage

Industry-specific innovation consortia have been formed in key sectors such as EV production, enabling Chinese firms to become global leaders.

The wind beneath China’s wings: New productive forces

The country is aiming for technological self-sufficiency, financial stability and global leadership in an era of economic transformation and geopolitical competition