December 15, 2025. Shanghai – From global trade tensions and technological disruption to shifting consumer trends and social change, 2025 has been a year of profound challenges and opportunities for global business. Throughout the year, CEIBS faculty offered timely analysis and insight across economics, management, finance, and society, helping to make sense of fast-moving developments at home and abroad. The following pieces highlight some of the most influential ideas and insights that shaped the year.

At the beginning of the year, as China faced an uncertain economic and geopolitical environment, CEIBS Professor of Economics and Santander Chair in Economics (and now Vice President and Co-Dean) Zhu Tian outlined the country’s outlook in a piece entitled China’s 2025 Economy: Can bold policies drive a turnaround?

The explosive arrival of Pop Mart’s Labubu collectibles was one of the year’s biggest stories in global business, offering a new route to success for Chinese brands and IP. Writing in Labubu: Birth of the top-tier IP, CEIBS Assistant Professor of Marketing Lu Yi and Research Assistant Wang Xiaozhou analysed its success.

In an article entitled Why aren't young people in China getting married?, CEIBS Associate Professor of Management Michael Kwan dove into a social phenomenon that could have profound implications for China’s economy.

For Chinese companies expanding globally, the Middle East offers an intriguing and potentially lucrative new market, but one filled with potential pitfalls. In a detailed analysis entitled Chinese Companies in Saudi Arabia: Opportunities & Obstacles, CEIBS Associate Professor of Management Practice and Deputy Director of Global MiM Programme Majid Ghorbani offered advice to firms looking to make the leap.

In a piece entitled Should China retaliate in this trade war?, written hot-on-the-heels of US announcements of 145% tariffs on Chinese goods, CEIBS Professor of Accounting Dingbo Xu thought through China’s possible responses to the trade policies that sent shockwaves through the global economy.

Artificial intelligence is rewriting the rules of global businesses across all industries – and management education is no exception. CEIBS President and Professor of Management Wang Hong set out how schools like CEIBS should respond to technological disruption in an article entitled How can business schools navigate the AI revolution?

After a few years of being written off as a global financial centre, Hong Kong’s stock market rebounded impressively in 2025. Writing in What is driving HK's stock market comeback - and will it last?, CEIBS Professor of Finance and Director of EMBA Programme Huang Sheng sought to understand how and why.

In a year filled with news of Chinese companies going global, the international moves of one company stood out and surprised many. In a piece entitled Luckin comes to America: Can China's Starbucks thrive in the US?, CEIBS Associate Professor of Operations Management Liang Chao analysed how the once scandal-plagued company was attempting to make its mark in the mature US coffee market.

Amid tariff chaos in early 2025, many worried about how China would cope with an onslaught of US-led trade turbulence. Not CEIBS Professor of Economics and Director of Global EMBA Programme Bala Ramasamy. In an article entitled Why tariffs will not hurt China, he and Associate Professor of Marketing at Hong Kong Metropolitan University Mathew Yeung outlined why they thought China would prove to be less vulnerable than many believed.

For Chinese companies seeking international markets, Southeast Asia represents a natural destination. But, despite its cultural and geographical proximity, any ambitious firms must still tread with caution if they are seeking sustained success. Writing in An ultimate guide for businesses expanding to Southeast Asia, CEIBS Professor Emeritus Su Xijia offers a comprehensive overview of the challenges, opportunities, and effective strategies that Chinese companies entering the region must be mindful of.

Finally, China announced significant reforms to its complex social welfare system in 2025. In a piece entitled Could China's social welfare reforms spur economic growth?, CEIBS Professor of Management Han Jian offered a detailed analysis of China’s system, the new reforms, and what their effect may be on the country’s economy.

Taken together, these articles reflect the breadth and depth of CEIBS scholarship, as well as the school’s commitment to engaging with the most pressing issues facing China and the global economy. From policy and markets to innovation and social change, they provide not only analysis of what has happened, but also guidance on what may come next—offering valuable perspective for leaders navigating an increasingly complex world. Stay tuned for more in 2026!