Joe Biden says US needs major infrastructure plan to keep pace with China
US president says his phone conversation with Xi Jinping lasted ‘two straight hours’. ‘If we don’t get moving they’re going to eat our lunch,’ Biden tells lawmakers during White House meeting. Addressing reporters in the Oval Office before a closed-door meeting with senators on infrastructure spending, Biden pointed in particular to China’s extensive high-speed rail network and efforts to develop clean energy alternatives to power cars. “They’re investing billions of dollars in dealing with a whole range of issues that relate to transportation, the environment and a whole range of other things,” Biden said. “So we just have to step up.”
https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/joe-biden-says-us-needs-major-infrastructure-plan-to-keep-pace-with-china/ar-BB1dBEk5
The China problem Trump left for Biden
Does anybody remember the “phase one” trade deal the Trump administration struck with China a little over a year ago? It’s still in effect, and it’s not turning out to be a very good deal.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-china-problem-trump-left-for-biden-124622100.html
Competing with China: the ‘Harding way’ or the ‘harder way’?
A healthy competition between the United States and China serves everyone’s interests in the international community since a rising tide lifts all boats. Treating China as the enemy and designing policies to counter China’s every move have become a major obstacle to a normal U.S.-China relationship. As the Biden administration develops its China policy, it is well advised to follow the “harder way” — pursuing fair and smart competition with China, which is more likely to achieve America’s policy goals as well as restoring America’s global leadership.
https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/538436-competing-with-china-the-harding-way-or-the-harder-way
China-backed RCEP trade deal unlikely to benefit developing members in short term, analysts say
Signed in November, the Regional Cooperation Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a free-trade agreement between 15 Asia-Pacific nations It is seen as a China-backed alternative to the US-led Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/rcep-unlikely-benefit-developing-members-054428381.html
Is China concerned about its population?
China’s overall population continued to grow in 2019, rising to 1.4 billion, up from 1.39 billion a year earlier Chinese mothers gave birth to 14.65 million babies in 2019, the lowest birth rate since 1961 According to an estimate from the China Population and Development Research Centre, a think tank under the central government, China’s population could peak around 2027 – the year when India could overtake China as the most populous country in the world – and fall to around 1.32 billion by 2050.
https://www.msn.com/en-xl/money/other/is-china-concerned-about-its-population/ar-BB1dCHgA
Strong as an Ox? The Chinese economy has performed well during the pandemic – here are three potential opportunities for investors
China was the best performing fund sector in January, delivering 6.2 per cent It has been the strongest region for the past year despite its connotations as being the origin of the coronavirus outbreak As it celebrates Chinese New Year, we look at its case for investing Healthcare, tech and the green economy are areas worth keeping an eye on
https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/investing/article-9242921/Chinese-New-Year-investment-case-strong-Ox.html
Businesses laud China-Europe cooperation, voice hope for closer ties
As China and Europe have pushed forward cooperation in a world faced with mounting challenges, businesses across Europe have applauded the amity and expressed hope for stronger ties. “Airbus values its strong partnership with China and is willing to support the modernization of China’s industry by further strengthening cooperation with China’s supply chain and business partners,” the aerospace giant’s CEO Guillaume Faury told Xinhua.
https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202102/12/WS6025c765a31024ad0baa8c45.html
China food security: time to boost domestic output as focus on imports ‘fundamentally incompatible’
China’s focus on self-reliance in food security this year means stronger domestic production and so fewer imports over time, analysts say Food supply self-reliance has become a hot political issue and economic priority ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party this year China food security: time to boost domestic output as focus on imports ‘fundamentally incompatible’ China is a nation with 1.4 billion people rather than a small country, it will cause big problems if we rely too much on foreign crops to feed our own population Wang Hongguang, executive director of Peking University’s China Centre for Strategic Studies, projected in a book published in November that China’s annual grain imports could be controlled at around 100 million tonnes in the foreseeable future. “In 2021, pork and corn supply and demand dynamics are set to reverse under state intervention,” But he said the recovery of the pig population and larger chicken production might boost China’s demand for soybean imports. “Imported grain is no more than a supplement,” added Ma from Beijing Orient Agribusiness Consultant. “China is a nation with 1.4 billion people rather than a small country, it will cause big problems if we rely too much on foreign crops to feed our own population.”
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/china-food-security-time-boost-043350444.html
How AAA-rated PMs are riding China’s Year of the Ox
Citywire Selector asked outperformers in the Chinese equity space to explain what drove their returns
https://citywireselector.com/news/how-aaa-rated-pms-are-riding-chinas-year-of-the-ox/a1464616
China’s stock market: company earnings will plough ahead in the Year of the Ox
While investors have piled into the A-share market, there is still value to be found. Apart from consumer stocks likely to benefit from China’s growth and those boosted by changing habits as a result of Covid-19, companies related to green energy could also do well
https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/china-s-stock-market-company-earnings-will-plough-ahead-in-the-year-of-the-ox/ar-BB1dCbc2
Huawei to seek UK court order to access HSBC records in bid to clear CFO
Chinese company turns to UK high court in attempt to stop extradition of Meng Wanzhou from Canada to the US
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/feb/12/huawei-to-seek-uk-court-order-to-access-hsbc-records-in-bid-to-clear-cfo
BBC ban angers US, British officials
There’s been swift condemnation from both the United States and Britain after Beijing’s broadcasting regulator banned BBC World Service from Chinese territory for what state media described as “serious content violations”.
https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1575425-20210212.htm
MAJOR LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN EVENTS GO VIRTUAL BUT MAINTAIN QUALITY AND IMPORTANCE
Industry events, conferences and exhibitions have not been immune from COVID-19, as witnessed by the number of gatherings canceled due to global travel restrictions and social distancing measures. However, many event organizers looked to digital solutions, quickly pivoting away from in-person and toward virtual events to keep the momentum going from their previous well-attended shows and conferences. According to Eventbrite, a global self-service ticketing platform, business and professional online events increased 1,100 percent when comparing April 2020 with April 2019.
https://www.globaltrademag.com/major-logistics-and-supply-chain-events-go-virtual-but-maintain-quality-and-importance/
Here Are 2021’s Best Chinese New Year “Red Pockets”
Celebrate the Year of the Ox with brands like Louis Vuitton, BAPE, Porsche, Audemars Piguet, and more.
https://hypebeast.com/2021/2/year-of-ox-chinese-new-year-2021-red-pockets-bape-rimowa-audemars-piguet-leica-hbx-valentino
Will Global Brands Take the Podcast Plunge in China?
For major global brands working to strike the right balance in their China marketing mix, one of the biggest and more consistent challenges is deciding which online platforms to adopt and which to ignore. Over the past decade, brands flocked first to Weibo and then to WeChat to reach (and ultimately sell to) consumers in mainland China. More recently, brands have turned to launching official accounts on platforms such as Douyin, Xiaohongshu, and Bilibili, allowing them to leverage the popularity of e-commerce livestreaming and short video among millennial and Gen Z consumers.
https://jingdaily.com/will-global-brands-take-the-podcast-plunge-in-china/
Chinese Luxury Staycationing at Its Best: The Hainan Experiment
Hainan may not be your idea of the ideal vacation, but it’s sure good enough for some serious shopping now — Happy Lunar New Year! Think travel retail is finished for luxury as the world is shut? Think again… Welcome to Hainan! The “Chinese Hawaii” epitomizes the localization trend we discussed in last week’s column, and the future is bright with the island developing at the expense of Hong Kong, Macau, and South Korea. From the brands’ perspective though, it’s not all smooth sailing, as there is likely to be an arbitrage between hefty volumes and appropriate brand perception.
https://jingdaily.com/hainan-travel-retail-duty-free-luxury/
First-time launchers in the pharmaceutical industry
Increasingly, small biopharmaceutical companies are launching their new drugs themselves rather than relying on large pharma companies to do it for them. How can they get it right the first time?
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/pharmaceuticals-and-medical-products/our-insights/first-time-launchers-in-the-pharmaceutical-industry
China and America talk of co-operating on climate. It will be hard
FOR THE first decades of global wrangling about climate change, China’s foot-dragging caused alarm. Its self-interested approach to climate action—once summarised by a Beijing-based diplomat as seeking “maximum credit for the minimum effort”—frustrated governments that were ready to enact costly measures. Worse, China’s blame-shifting ways gave cover to politicians clinging to climate denial and inaction in America and elsewhere. Soon, the most disruptive force in global climate politics may be China’s ambition. Its economy is being readied for a low-carbon world sooner than many expected. Its companies are under orders to develop world-beating clean-energy technologies, including by aggressively pushing foreign firms to share them. China says it wants to re-engage with America on climate matters
https://bit.ly/3qgXyGr
Scientific fraud or false claim? China confronts a research crisis
A prominent scientist has been cleared of accusations of wrongdoing over an experiment more than two decades ago His accuser alleged that the results could not be reproduced, raising questions about the credibility of the country’s scientific output In 2019, China spent US$322 billionon research and development, second only to the US. But the reputation of Chinese scientists has been blighted by a series of scandals, from a massive retraction of medical papers by Chinese doctors to illegal modification of babies’ genes.
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/scientific-fraud-false-claim-china-144455408.html
WHO Covid Expert Peter Daszak’s Alleged China Connection and CCP Money Trail: What’s the Truth?
Reports alleged that US scientist Peter Daszak, one of the members of WHO’s COVID-19 investigation team, was funded by China and worked at the Controversial Wuhan lab for years.
https://www.ibtimes.sg/who-covid-expert-peter-daszaks-alleged-china-connection-ccp-money-trail-whats-truth-55511
Could an Iran nuclear deal be the start of a US-China relations reset?
Top Chinese and American envoys have already held in-depth talks on the issue and the leaders of both countries have expressed a need for common ground But big differences remain and a new agreement with Tehran might be tougher to broker this time around, observers say
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/could-iran-nuclear-deal-start-143141543.html
China military watch
As tensions rise over China’s recent aggressive air patrolling across the Taiwan Strait, and concern mounts that Beijing may stage a provocation to coerce Taipei and test the mettle of President Joe Biden and his administration, how might the Chinese government employ the People’s Liberation Army in a crisis involving Taiwan? Key events in Taiwan also need to be considered, as they could well alter Beijing’s strategy and timeline for any coercive measures against Taiwan. For instance, Taiwan will hold its nine-in-one local government elections in 2022, followed by a presidential election in 2024. Beijing could try to capitalise on Taiwan being preoccupied with its domestic politics and calculate that further grey-zone or military operations would have a higher probability of success. Those are contingencies that the Biden administration will need to think through carefully.
https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/china-military-watch-6/
Denmark to spend more on Arctic defence as melting sea ice prompts jostle for control
Shrinking sea ice has fast-tracked a race among global powers for control over resources and waterways
Nato-member Denmark currently has one aircraft, four helicopters and four ships to monitor the vast The military build-up comes as both China and Russia have been making increasingly assertive moves in the region, even as Denmark and its Arctic neighbours have tried in recent decades to keep the region what they call a “low tension” area. Lawmakers in the Nordic country agreed to spend half of the allocated 1.5 billion Danish crowns (US$245 million) on drones to improve surveillance in Greenland, a semi-autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2021-02-11/denmark-to-spend-more-on-arctic-defence-as-melting-sea-ice-prompts-jostle-for-control
It’s the Year of the Ox, So Where’s the Beef?
Beef consumption was taboo in much of China for millennia before Western missionaries began evangelizing for the nutritional and cultural value of red meat.
https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1006796/
Covid-19: Chinatowns fighting racism and pandemic to survive
Lunar New Year is usually the busiest period for businesses in Chinatowns around the globe. But in 2020, it coincided with the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, leaving many restaurants empty. A year on, the BBC speaks to business owners to find out how they survived – and what’s next.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-55986359
Chinese TV’s Lunar New Year gala features blackface performers
“We cannot stress enough the impact scenes such as these have on African and Afro-diasporic communities living in China,” one group said.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/chinese-tv-s-lunar-new-year-gala-features-blackface-performers-n1257595
Coronavirus: in Wuhan, Lunar New Year brings remembrance of loved ones lost
The festive season is usually a time of celebration but Deng Wei will spend it at the tombs of her father and grandmother Deng’s mother survived a brush with death but struggles with fatigue and a decline in mental health
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3121502/coronavirus-wuhan-lunar-new-year-brings-remembrance-loved-ones-lost
Chinese New Year: The Year of the Ox explained
The Year of the Ox is the second Chinese zodiac symbol of the 12-year cycle. People born this year are often hardworking and honest.
https://www.inkstonenews.com/china/chinese-new-year-year-ox-explained/article/3121397
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