Is China’s Politburo spoiling for a showdown with America? – Telegraph

Posted by Matt in March 14th, 2010 | no comment

Published in China, 1920s, 1980s, Beijing University, Bonds, Case Professor, China Economy, China S Economy, Credibility, Dysfunctional, Gdp, Global Gdp, Indictment, Local Governments, Margins, Michael Pettis, Modern History, Politburo, Professor Victor, Realities, Shuh, Telegraph, Trillion, Wafer, Yuan

Michael Pettis from Beijing University argues that China’s reserves of $2.4 trillion – arguably $3 trillion – are a sign of weakness, not strength. Only twice before in modern history has a country has amassed such a stash equal 5pc to 6pc of global GDP: the US in the 1920s, and Japan in the 1980s. [...]

Epoch Times – Exiled Chinese Scholar Warns of Taiwan’s Fate

Posted by Matt in February 10th, 2010 | no comment

Published in Taiwan, Chinese Communist Party, Chinese Scholar, Democratic System, Disaster, Economy Culture, Epoch Times, Fate, Taiwan Culture, Taiwan Economy, Taiwan Politics, Yuan

“The Chinese Communist Party seeks to control and further eliminate Taiwan’s democratic system by thoroughly infiltrating Taiwan’s politics, economy, culture, and social activities by 2012,” said Yuan Hongbing, author of Taiwan Disaster, quoting from a key document disclosed in his book.
Epoch Times – Exiled Chinese Scholar Warns of Taiwan’s Fate

The Problem with China – Mercantilism | NYTimes.com

Posted by Matt in January 2nd, 2010 | no comment

Published in China, Forecasts, Capital Inflows, China Currency, Chinese New Year, Columnist, Cost Advantage, Dollar Euro, Exchange Rate, Foreign Exchange Reserves, Hoard, Inflow, Mercantilism, New Year, Nytimes, Private Investors, Rivals, Trade Surplus, Trade Surpluses, Trillion, Yen, Yuan

China has become a major financial and trade power. But it doesn’t act like other big economies. Instead, it follows a mercantilist policy, keeping its trade surplus artificially high. And in today’s depressed world, that policy is, to put it bluntly, predatory.
Here’s how it works: Unlike the dollar, the euro or the yen, whose values [...]

China Dares Currency Reprisals

Posted by Matt in December 10th, 2009 | no comment

Published in China, beijing, China Currency, Corporates, Current Situation, Dares, Economic Distress, English Proverb, Horse To Water, Intransigence, Mid Term Elections, Reprisals, Retaliation, Scapegoats, Scope, Sentinel, Stimulus, Sums, Target, Unemployment, Yuan

US economic distress could trigger retaliation against the cheap yuan
“You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink”. This old English proverb sums up the current situation with the US economy. The government is intending to throw in yet more budgetary stimulus but it seems a better than even chance that [...]

Hold the Champagne on China’s Economy | The American, A Magazine of Ideas

Posted by Matt in October 24th, 2009 | no comment

Published in China, 1980s, Accounting Practices, Bloomberg, Champagne, China Economy, China S Economy, Consumption Patterns, Crash, Doubts, Economic Gains, Economist, Familiar Feeling, Global Economic Crisis, Global Economy, Japan, Observers, Rise And Fall, Spectacular Rise, Sustainability, Yuan

Those who witnessed Japan’s spectacular rise and fall in the 1980s should get a familiar feeling watching China these days.
Yet unsettling questions about the social effects of this stunning climb are also abundant. Of particular concern is an emerging asset bubble, noted by The Economist and Bloomberg, among others. Fueled by an undervalued yuan and [...]

Amid the global economic crisis, China rises

Posted by Matt in October 7th, 2009 | no comment

Published in China, Associated Press, Australian Iron, British Auto, Central Asia, Chinese Money, Economic Growth, Factories, Federal Debt, Financial Crisis, Financing Development, Global Economic Crisis, Global Financial Crisis, Iron Mines, Next Decade, Oil Fields, Oil Prices, Stimulus, Trillion, Trillions, Venezuela, Yuan

The financial crisis set back U.S. growth by years and will add trillions to the federal debt over the next decade. But China avoided the worst of the crisis. Its banks are healthy and, with the help of a 4 trillion yuan ($586 billion) stimulus, this year’s economic growth is on track to top 8 [...]

China positioning its currency for a run at world supremacy

Posted by Matt in April 3rd, 2009 | no comment

Published in China, Financial, Baby Steps, China, China Currency, Chinese Officials, Currency, Face, George Washington, Mao Tse Tung, Positioning, Reserve Currency, shanghai, World Currency, World Supremacy, Yuan

Could the world’s currency of choice have the face of Mao Tse-tung on it, not George Washington?
Quixotic or not, the Chinese are preparing for that day.
In a series of what might be called baby steps, Chinese officials recently have moved to globalize the yuan and promote its influence overseas, with Shanghai designated as command [...]

Bad Economy Could Cause China Crackup

Posted by Matt in December 1st, 2008 | no comment

Published in China, Economy, Challenges, Currency, Dollar, Economic Development, Economy China, Extent, Financial Crisis, Global Economic Growth, Global Financial Crisis, International Financial Crisis, Jintao Hu, Journalist, Momentum, Partner, Ruling Communist Party, Will Hutton, Writing On The Wall, Yuan

Don’t believe me? Here is what President Jintao Hu said over the weekend at a party meeting:
“In this coming period, we will starkly confront the effects of the sustained deepening of the international financial crisis and pressure as global economic growth clearly slows. … Whether we can turn this pressure into momentum, turn challenges into [...]

China’s military ambition fuels Asian arms race

Posted by Matt in September 13th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Asia, China, Military, Ambition, Army, Asian Arms Race, beijing, China, Defence Budget, Defence Spending, India, Japan, Military Arms, Military Budget, Military Spending, Russia, Spacewalk, Yuan

China’s growing military ambition, matched only by its growing military spending, is fuelling a rapid Asian arms race.
Beijing deploys the world’s biggest army, its defence spending is rising faster than any other power and, to cap it all, its forces will this month carry out their first spacewalk.
With India, Japan and Russia also investing heavily [...]

The Dollar: Shrinkable but (So Far) Unsinkable

Posted by Matt in May 11th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Economy, Middle East, U.S., Budget, Buying Cars, Buying Homes, Cars, China, Confidence, Crisis, Currency, Dollar, Dominance, Economists, Euro, Financial Circles, Fiscal Crisis, Interest Rates, Money, Next Decade, People, Rival, Suggestion, Yuan

Now, however, people in international financial circles detect a subtle shifting of the ground in confidence about the dollar. A few years ago, the suggestion that another currency could rival the dollar would have been ridiculed. Today, some economists say the dollar could begin surrendering some of the advantages of dominance to the euro [...]