Retail 'market downgrade' sends alarm signals amid increased e-commerce monopoly
Talk of a so-called “consumption downgrade” has emerged in China in recent years. It refers to a shift of consumer preference from luxury products to cheaper goods amid the economic slowdown. Chinese officials have generally denied such a phenomenon, but even if China is really undergoing a “consumption downgrade,” cutting down spending on luxury goods is just a normal response by people when facing a slowing economy.
Resilient Chinese economy eases anxieties brought by bleak world economic future
China's macroeconomy is at a critical stage as internal economic problems have emerged in the last two years. When we attempted to define the “new normal” of China's economy and chose the path to structural reform on the supply side, we failed to consider world economy changes.
Bumpy road ahead for Libra's global currency goal as supervision called for
Facebook's announcement regarding its global cryptocurrency Libra, to be launched in 2020, has recently sent shockwaves through the world. Regulators in the US and European countries have already said that there would be plenty of scrutiny over the new cryptocurrency.
FedEx lawsuit against Department of Commerce reveals US governance predicament
US carrier FedEx has filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Commerce (DOC) on June 24 to prevent the government from “enforcing prohibitions contained in the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) against FedEx,” according to an online company statement.
Countries need to engage in the digital economy and cyberspace through trust, cooperation
As our societies have stepped into the era of the information technological revolution, a few nations that were slow to embrace the revolution and the new political environment are now taking the lead in international relations so that they can avoid being sidelined this time.
Resilient economy gives China psychological upper hand in upcoming trade talks with US
The truce in a raging China-US trade war, following a meeting in Osaka between the heads of the world's two largest economies on Saturday, is a piece of news eagerly anticipated by many.
The US should give China a fair hearing and pay attention to damage brought by tariffs
At the G20 summit in Japan, the planned meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump on the sidelines has received considerable attention. This high-profile meeting may revive trade talks that reached an impasse in May, pinning high hopes for maneuvering a trade truce that could stave off a fresh round of tariffs.
Second Russia-India-China meeting aimed at concrete trade cooperation measures
China confirmed on Monday that Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend an informal meeting with leaders from Russia and India on the sidelines of the upcoming G20 summit in Osaka, Japan. According to media reports, it was during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Kyrgyzstan's capital, Bishkek that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pitched the idea of the second Russia-India-China meeting to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Given the three countries' respective trade tensions with the US recently, the trilateral meeting will undoubtedly attract high attention during the Osaka G20 summit.
G20 Osaka summit could be game changer if China, Japan explore BRI possibilities
It seems the days when Japanese brands were hotly favored in the Chinese market are gone. However, tangible signs still exist of strong trade and investment ties between the two East Asian economies.
China cannot be absent from the era of global digital currency competition
Last week, Facebook released an official white paper for its cryptocurrency project Libra, a blockchain-powered stablecoin expected to arrive in 2020.
US should not bring confrontation to 5G technology that requires connectivity
There is currently a heated discussion within the international media and governments around the globe regarding the 5G network.
Trade tensions on multiple fronts set the stage for US economic recession
While the US economy is about to break the longest economic expansion record in its history, recession forecasts have quickly made the headlines in recent days amid the continuing trade war and the weakening global economy.
NPL ratios of China's smaller banks significantly lower than those of their global peers
Recent moves by China's central bank to offer liquidity to smaller banks, notably the liquidity support for Inner Mongolia-based Baoshang Bank have brought focus on the nation's banking cleanup. Baoshang Bank has been taken over by regulators since May 24 owing to serious credit risks the city commercial lender poses.
US will lose its short-term advantage as the global oil market becomes unsteady
Two oil tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman last week. Global oil markets reacted with relative calm which saw oil prices dip for the day and then bounce back.
Beijing's response to escalating trade war needs to focus on long-term needs
Amid the escalating trade war, the US has not only imposed punitive tariffs on Chinese goods, but also implemented discriminatory policies against Chinese companies. In response, China has had to take some countermeasures and retaliate by increasing tariffs on US goods and compiling a list of unreliable entities that seriously undermine legitimate interests of Chinese companies. But in addition to these steps, what else should China do?
Washington needs to pay attention to Beijing's call to come back to the trade table
If the Trump administration continues its condescending attitude toward China while refusing to take Beijing as an equal negotiating partner and to make long-overdue compromises on China's legitimate requests, chances remain slim for the two heavyweight economies to reach a trade deal in the coming month or two.
US needs to heed China's call to return to trade talks
If the Trump administration continues its condescending attitude toward China while refusing to take Beijing as an equal negotiating partner and to make long-overdue compromises on China's legitimate requests, chances remain slim for the two heavyweight economies to reach a trade deal in the coming month or two.
Risk looms in Southeast Asian economies amid industrial transfer from trade war
Due to China's dwindling demographic dividend, rising production costs, and environmental protection pressure, many Chinese and foreign-invested companies in recent years have relocated their Chinese factories to Southeast Asia, where labor costs are lower. The intensified US-China trade frictions and deteriorating global trade environment have driven even more companies to move to Southeast Asian countries. However, the business environment in Southeast Asia is not as good as imagined, and industrial transfer doesn't mean that China has lost its competitiveness in the world manufacturing sector.