WARC (July 24)
“Around the world, AI is developing and it is quickly reaching a point where it is speeding up human work to the point of replacing humans. This is a point in time for brands and agencies to really think about the technology and work out what ethical, responsible uses look like.” The rise of virtual influencers in China marks “one of the first instances of true competition between humans and machines for work and will be an important test case for the technology and the labour questions it raises.”
Tags: AI, Brands, China, Competition, Developing, Ethical, Humans, Replacing, Responsible, Technology, Uses, Virtual influencers, Work
Institutional Investor (July 18)
“The cyclically adjusted price-to-earnings ratio for emerging market equities is 15x, compared to 27x for those in developed markets and 34x for those in the U.S.” At just above 10x, “China is trading at a significant discount,” but investors can also easily “steer clear of China.” Other emerging market opportunities “worth considering” include Korea, Brazil, Malaysia, Hungary, Thailand, Mexico, and much of Latin America where P/E ratios range from 10x to 25x.
Tags: Brazil, China, Cyclically adjusted, Developed markets, Discount, Emerging markets, Equities, Hungary, Investors, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, P/E ratio, Thailand
Wall Street Journal (July 15)
“China became the largest auto exporter in the world in the first quarter, yet the economy is ailing by many measures.” Its “economy might look good on paper, but it feels like a recession” and “many say conditions in world’s No. 2 economy are grim.”
Tags: Ailing, Auto exporter, China, Conditions, Economy, Grim, Q1, Recession, World
Wall Street Journal (July 7)
“China’s decision this week to restrict the export of two minerals used in semiconductors, solar panels and missile systems was more than a trade salvo. It was a reminder of its dominant hold over the world’s mineral resources—and a warning of its willingness to use them in its escalating rivalry with the U.S.”
Tags: China, Decision, Dominant, Escalating, Export, Mineral resources, Missile systems, Restrict, Rivalry, Semiconductors, Solar panels, Trade salvo, Warning
South China Morning Post (July 4)
“Beijing’s decision to impose export controls on critical raw materials used in manufacturing semiconductors, communication equipment and solar panels could complicate the US-led efforts to shift critical supply chains away from China.” Its latest move appears to seek “leverage in negotiations with Washington over access to core technology.”
Tags: China, Communication equipment, Core technology, Critical, Export controls, Impose, Leverage, Manufacturing, Negotiations, Raw materials, Semiconductors, Solar panels, Supply chains
The Telegraph (July 1)
“Twenty-six years ago today, Hong Kong was handed over to China on a promise…. Beijing made the commitment, under an international treaty, to protect Hong Kong’s freedoms, the rule of law, human rights, way of life and autonomy.” China has effectively “ripped up its promises. If there is one lesson from the city’s suffering, it is that China cannot be trusted on any commitments it makes to the West.”
Tags: Autonomy, Beijing, China, Commitment, Commitments, Freedoms, Hong Kong, Human rights, International treaty, Promise, Rule of law, Suffering, Trusted
Reuters (June 23)
“Chinese faith in the economy is shaken…. Those who thought property was a one-way winning bet are rushing to pay down mortgages. With industrial profits plunging, companies are exhibiting similar conservatism.” Confronting this “double whammy of depressed consumption and investment is raising fears of long-term stagnation similar to Japan’s ‘lost decade’ in the 1990s.” Without successful countermeasures, “China risks slowly slipping into the same outcome.”
Tags: China, Depressed consumption, Double whammy, Economy, Faith, Fears, Investment, Japan, Mortgages, Plunging, Profits, Property, Shaken, Stagnation
Washington Post (June 22)
“America’s Asian allies are quietly joining forces to confront China.” Beijing may want “to split off Asian allies from the United States and each other, but its actions are pushing them together.” Amid perceived threats from China, “mini-laterals” have been cropping up, including the very first meeting of JAROPUS, which brought together “national security advisers from Japan, the Republic of the Philippines and the United States.”
Tags: Actions, Asian allies, Beijing, China, Confront, Japan, JAROPUS, Joining forces, National security advisers, Philippines, U.S.
New York Times (June 19)
“China’s economic weakness holds benefits and dangers for the global economy. Consumer and producer prices have fallen for the past four months in China, putting a brake on inflation in the West by pushing down the cost of imports from China. But weak demand in China may exacerbate a global slowdown. “
Tags: Benefits, China, Consumer, Dangers, Demand, Global economy, Imports, Inflation, Producer prices, Weakness, West
The Economist (June 18)
“China’s economy is on course for a ‘double dip.’ The post-covid economy was meant to roar. But it is faltering again.” Since April, “retail sales, investment and property sales all fell short of expectations. And the unemployment rate among China’s urban youth rose above 20%, the highest since data began to be recorded in 2018.”
Tags: China, Double-dip, Economy, Expectations, Faltering, Investment, Post-Covid, Property sales, Retail sales, Unemployment rate, Urban youth
