Bloomberg (April 16)
“China’s economy soared in the first quarter as consumer spending strengthened, joining production and investment in recovering from the Covid slump a year ago.” Year on year, GDP “climbed a record 18.3%,” but that is “skewed by comparisons from a year ago when the economy was in lockdown. A better reading of the economy’s momentum comes from quarter-on-quarter growth, which slowed to 0.6% from 2.6% in the previous three months.”
Tags: China, Consumer spending, Covid, Economy, GDP, Investment, Lockdown, Momentum, Production, Record, Recovering, Skewed, Slump, Strengthened
The Guardian (April 12)
“Japan does not especially want to deliver the prestige of the first major global sporting event since the pandemic started to China.” Cancelling the Olympics would also place “billions of dollars at stake.” But “set against that are the lives that could be lost…. Undoubtedly, the cancellation of the Games would lead to disappointment and financial losses. However, these factors must be weighed against any risk that the Olympics could make the pandemic worse.”
Tags: Cancellation, China, Disappointment, Dollars, Global, Japan, Lives, Losses, Olympics, Pandemic, Prestige, Risk, Sporting event
The Economist (March 20)
Last week China slapped down democracy in Hong Kong. The imposition of tight mainland control over the territory is not just a tragedy for the 7.5m people who live there, it is also a measure of China’s determination not to compromise over how it asserts its will.” But China has pressure points. It is “more tightly coupled with the West than communist Russia ever was. This presents the free world with an epoch-defining question: how should it best secure prosperity, lower the risk of war and protect freedom as China rises?”
Tags: China, Communist, Compromise, Control, Democracy, Hong Kong, Imposition, Mainland, Prosperity, Risk, Russia, Territory, War
CNN (March 10)
“Westerners are increasingly scared of traveling to China as threat of detention rises.” The increased apprehensiveness extends to academia and could have ripple effects. “With fewer academics willing to travel to China… the result could be fewer Western minds reporting on and studying China firsthand at a time when, arguably, the world has never had a greater need to understand the country.”
Tags: Academics, Arguably, China, Detention, Scared, Studying, Threat, Travel. Reporting, Westerners
Washington Post (March 5)
“This week’s report by a bipartisan commission on artificial intelligence is an early sign of what could become a major shift in America’s economic strategy: Without much public debate, the United States is moving toward what amounts to a U.S. version of industrial policy to compete with China on technology.”
Tags: AI, Bipartisan, China, Commission, Compete, Economic strategy, Industrial policy, Major shift, Public debate, U.S.
Wall Street Journal (February 28)
“Hong Kong authorities moved this weekend to imprison nearly the entire opposition movement. The message is that anyone who runs as a pro-democracy candidate will be treated as a criminal…. China is violating its international obligations as it tramples Hong Kong’s freedoms. So far it has paid little price, which the world may come to regret as President Xi Jinping sets his sights on Taiwan.”
Tags: Candidate, China, Criminal, Freedoms, Hong Kong, Imprison, Obligations, Opposition movement, Pro-democracy, Regret, Taiwan, Tramples, Violating, Xi
The Economist (January 30)
“No part of the world matters more to America’s interests than Asia, and no part stands to lose so much from an American retreat.” As he sets about repairing four years of Trump damage, Joe Biden will find many receptive. “None of China’s neighbours wants it to call all the military and economic shots,” but “the trick for President Joe Biden will be to restore faith in America without asking Asian countries to take its side openly against China.”
Tags: Asia, Biden, China, Damage, Economic shots, Interests, Military, Receptive, Repairing, Restore, Retreat, Trump, U.S.
Bloomberg (January 18)
“China’s successful control of Covid-19 made it the only major economy to have grown last year, but a wide income inequality gap and still weak consumer spending reflects an unbalanced recovery.”
Tags: China, Consumer spending, Control, COVID-19, Gap, Income inequality, Major economy, Successful, Unbalanced recovery, Weak
Reuters (December 30)
““China’s gravy train will bypass Wall Street,” where the “easiest money from selling Chinese shares in New York is destined to fade.” Given renewed protectionism, global investment banks will also find it more challenging “to use their international networks to help companies find acquisition targets abroad…. It will be a harder slog for less money as the China gravy train makes fewer stops on Wall Street.”
Tags: Acquisition, Challenging, China, Gravy train, Investment banks, Networks, Protectionism, Shares, Targets, Wall Street
Bloomberg (December 18)
“The U.S. launched yet another broadside at China’s technological ambitions this week by blacklisting more than 60 Chinese companies…. While the action will be painful, over the longer term it could be a shot in the arm.” The restrictions may very well “help make China great again.” Under this “massive pressure, Chinese tech giants finally have an incentive to use and improve local suppliers.”
Tags: Ambitions, Blacklisting, Broadside, China, Incentive, Painful, Pressure, Restrictions, Suppliers, Tech giants, U.S.
