Robin Xing on how China’s ‘two-speed’ economy can solve contrasting problems
Por Frank Chen — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement China's economic recovery Economy China Economy Exclusive Robin Xing on how China’s ‘two-speed’ economy can solve contrasting problems
Morgan Stanley’s chief China economist on how a new industrial revolution and demand-centric reflation can sustain China’s growth
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Frank Chen in Shanghai Published: 6:00am, 19 Oct 2026
Robin Xing is chief China economist at Morgan Stanley. A famed economist and Peking University graduate, Xing has a PhD in economics from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and previously worked at Goldman Sachs and China International Capital Corp.
In his second Open Questions interview , Xing dissects China’s K-shaped economic divergence and why he remains convinced that the “top half of the K” can offset challenges such as deflation and weak consumption. He also discusses Beijing’s real priorities, the “fallacy of composition” and why helping consumers will sustain and accelerate China’s tech advance. This interview first appeared in SCMP Plus . For other interviews in the Open Questions series, click here . President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump have met twice and are expected to meet two more times this year. Will the meetings deliver stability in trade, investment and broader economic ties? Can businesses now proceed with their trade and investment plans with greater clarity and confidence? Is the two-month extension of the tariff truce a disappointment? SCMP Series Open Questions – SCMP interviews with global opinion leaders [ 140 of 140 ] Select Voice Select Speed 0.8x 0.9x 1.0x 1.1x 1.2x 1.5x 1.75x 00:00 00:00 1x AI-generated voice
