The Guardian (September 4)
“With the population expected to decline dramatically in the coming decades–leaving a gaping hole in the workforce–Japan is quietly easing restrictions and accepting record numbers of migrants, mostly from Asian countries such as Vietnam, China, Indonesia and the Philippines.” Recent data shows “a jump in overseas-born residents, to an all-time high of around 3 million, almost 50% up on a decade ago.”
Tags: China, Decline, Dramatically, Easing, Indonesia, Japan, Migrants, Philippines, Population, Record numbers, Restrictions, Vietnam, Workforce
New York Times (September 1)
“The narrative about China has changed with stunning speed, from unstoppable juggernaut to pitiful, helpless giant.” This isn’t solely, however, the result of a recent turn of events. “China’s economic problems have been building for a long time.” The outlook for the next few years seems bleak, but China remains “a bona fide superpower, with enormous capacity to get its act together. Sooner or later it will probably get past the prejudices that are undermining its policy response.”
Tags: China, Economic problems, Helpless, Narrative, Outlook, Pitiful, Policy response, Superpower, Unstoppable juggernaut
Washington Post (August 29)
“Desperate political leaders of all stripes — Republican, Democratic, communist — have found a common enemy: free trade…. American political forces that are usually at odds apparently agree on the appeal of autarky — that economies should be as closed off as possible, whatever the consequences.” This seems to be part of a global phenomenon, with “nationalists and populists in other countries” also pushing “for more trade barriers. Even China, which has enriched itself through trade with other countries, is now reportedly flirting with curbing trade to demonstrate its lack of dependence on the West as its own economy falters.”
Tags: Autarky, China, Common enemy, Communist, Consequences, Democratic, Desperate, Free trade, Nationalists, Political leaders, Populists, Republican, Trade barriers
The Economist (August 24)
“Whatever has gone wrong? After China rejoined the world economy in 1978, it became the most spectacular growth story in history…. Yet instead of roaring back after the government abandoned its ‘zero-covid’ policy at the end of 2022, it is lurching from one ditch to the next.” It is unlikely to be fixed soon because “an increasingly autocratic government is making bad decisions.”
Tags: 1978, 2022, Autocratic, Bad decisions, China, Fixed, Government, Growth story, Lurching, Rejoined, Spectacular, World economy, Wrong, Zero-Covid
The Guardian (August 21)
“A spate of recent statistics shows that the Chinese economy is faring poorly,” but the most worrying stat “is the one that we can’t see. The youth unemployment rate was suspended from the monthly economic data release, having reached a record 21.3% in June – suggesting not only that July was grimmer, but that improvement is not expected soon.”
Tags: 21.3%, China, Economic data, Economy, Grimmer, July, June, Record, Spate, Statistics, Suspended, Worrying, Youth unemployment rate
CNN (August 18)
“The CNN Business Fear & Greed Index, which looks at seven indicators of market sentiment, is showing signs of fear on Friday for the first time since March. That’s a big change from just one month ago, when the index was in ‘extreme greed’ territory.” The culprit? “China’s economy is in trouble” and that “spells bad news for US stocks, and potentially for your portfolio.”
Tags: Big change, China, Culprit, Economy, Extreme greed, Fear & Greed Index, March, Market sentiment, Portfolio, Stocks, Trouble, U.S.
Wall Street Journal (August 12)
“The political world has finally awakened to China’s economic woes…. The evidence has been building for years that much of China’s economic growth was a debt-inflated bubble, and this week another Chinese property developer defaulted on some of its debt.”
Tags: Awakened, Bubble, China, Debt-inflated, Defaulted, Economic woes, Evidence, Growth, Political world, Property developer
Institutional Investor (August 11)
“China’s waning role as the world’s factory means it’s time for emerging market investors to find opportunities elsewhere…. China’s manufacturing sector is so big that even a slight shift in manufacturing activity away from the country would greatly benefit other emerging market economies.”
Tags: Benefit, China, Emerging market economies, Investors, Manufacturing sector, Opportunities, Waning, World’s factory
The Guardian (August 10)
“China’s attempt to hold together conflicting interests on the war in Ukraine – maintaining its ‘no limits’ partnership with Russia, without damaging its relationship with western nations and its tarnished global brand too greatly – has proved awkward.” Beijing’s gestures “should not be mistaken for a substantive shift in position. But they should not be ignored either.”
Tags: Awkward, China, Conflicting interests, Damaging, Gestures, Global brand, Partnership, Russia, Tarnished, Ukraine, War, Western nations
Bloomberg (August 8)
“China’s trade plunged in July as slowing global demand clouded the outlook for exports, while domestic pressures weighed on imports in a hit to the economic recovery.” Exports (dollar denominated) fell 14.5% while imports decreased 12.4%. Both figures “were worse than what economists polled by Bloomberg had expected.”
Tags: Bloomberg, China, Domestic pressures, Economic recovery, Economists, Exports, Global demand, Imports, Outlook, Plunged, Trade
