Finding out that China was the first nation to introduce banknotes comes a surprise to many and it tends to come as even more of a surprise for the average Western observer to hear that yes, China is genuinely on the verge of becoming a cashless society, with over two-thirds of its citizens having switched
Trends in China
16
Sep
Sep
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Retiring in China… Are Retirees a (Financial) Force or Threat?
Those of you who are familiar with the United States demographic landscape know all too well how the “Baby Boomer” generation that consists of individuals who have either retired or are retiring is shaping the economy. Across the US, entire sectors are adapting to the present as well as future needs of the generation in
30
Aug
Aug
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The (Economic) Future of China and That of the United States: A Few Long-Term Thoughts
When analyzing current China and US-related events, it is easy to succumb to the temptation of focusing exclusively on the past (historic trade volume patterns, GDP growth rates, etc.) and the present (describing whichever issue is currently “hot” or let’s say widely-debated), without giving enough thought to the future, especially longer-term considerations. As such, this
23
Jul
Jul
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China’s Great Firewall: From Ideology Enforcement to Trade Barrier?
China’s Great Firewall represents yet another example which makes it clear that investors who view China through a Western lens will be in for more than a few shocking surprises. As much as the Internet has been a massive source of freedom in the Western world pretty much right from the beginning, it has been
12
Jul
Jul
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China’s Service Sector: An Increasingly Important Growth Engine?
As an analyst who is interested in thoroughly covering China, the most frustrating aspect associated with addressing concerns is represented by the various myth one has to inevitably debunk. One of the top myths, perhaps the number one culprit, is that China is overly-dependent on industrial production and in the mind of the average Westerner,
11
Jul
Jul
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China’s Industry and Manufacturing Sector: Past Performance vs. Current Trends
China’s industry and manufacturing dimension is a textbook example of a sector that has experienced tremendous growth, with output having risen more than 300% over the past 10 years and currently sitting well north of 100 trillion CNY. Despite its impressive size and the fact that it accounts for almost 50% of global manufacturing output
08
Jul
Jul
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China’s Tech Industry: From Copy/Paste to Innovation
It’s not exactly a secret that the early days of China’s tech industry, just like the early days of pretty much all of its other sectors, revolved around let’s say “importing” technology if we were to be elegant, whereas others (especially US entities) would most likely choose more blunt terminology. In other words, something which
25
Jun
Jun
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Is China Overrated or Underrated?
The short answer is… well, yes! To elaborate, it’s important to understand that people always love picking sides, picking a proverbial team that they stand behind. And investors are… you’ve guessed it, people. As such, they tend to see things as either black or white, with little to no room for grey areas. China has
05
Jun
Jun
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China and Modern-Day (Post-Reform) Imports: From Bumpy Road to Culture-Altering Phenomenon
December of 1978 marks a momentous occasion, with China’s reforms finally giving foreign players reasonable access to its domestic market and as of 1979, major companies starting taking advantage of the fact that imports were allowed by China, with Japan’s Panasonic, the US companies IBM as well as Coca-Cola and French Pierre Cardin being among
04
Jun
Jun
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Demographic Trends in China Over (Almost) Half a Century
Over the past let’s say 40 years, much like most of the other aspects associated with China, there have been quite a few noteworthy developments when it comes to demographic trends, with implications when it comes to anything from education and family consumption habits to tourism and the pension system. In the 60s, China’s birth