A Bridge on Economic Issues between China and the World
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Can Foreign Direct Investment Boost Social Mobility? Evidence from China
Jianpeng Deng, Zibin Huang, Qing Shi, Xin Zhao, Apr 01, 2026Using China’s foreign direct investment (FDI) liberalization following WTO accession as a quasi-natural experiment, we examine whether foreign direct investment can promote intergenerational occupational mobility.
Decoupling of Incomes and CO₂ Emissions in China and the US
Chuanzhi Huo, Angqi Li, Prakash Loungani, Jul 23, 2025Johns Hopkins University. (The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to Johns Hopkins University.)
AI Patents in the United States and China: Measurement, Organization, and Knowledge Flows
Hanming Fang, Xian Gu, Hanyin Yan, Wu Zhu, Jun 16, 2026ebates about artificial intelligence (AI) often ask whether the United States and China are technologically decoupling. Using a new high-precision measure of AI patents, we show a more nuanced picture. AI innovation in the two countries is converging in scale and technological direction, but remains highly asymmetric in institutional organization, geographic diffusion, and cross-border knowledge dependence. Chinese AI patents rely heavily on US frontier technologies, while US reliance on Chinese innovation is more limited.
The Narrowing Path: Trade and Development in a New Era
Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg, Michele Ruta, Feb 11, 2026International trade will continue to be important for economic performance..
Pollution in the Rain: Strategic Evasion of Water Pollution Regulations in China
Runhao Zhao, Ye Yuan, Apr 15, 2026Rain dilutes and cleanses surface water—but not always. We document a novel “polluting-in-the-rain” phenomenon: industrial firms strategically time the release of untreated wastewater into waterways during heavy rainfall, exploiting the natural dilution effect to evade water quality regulations that are primarily designed for dry-weather conditions. Such strategic emissions pose a serious threat to local water quality and significantly undermine China’s national pollution abatement efforts.
