Author: heardd16

World powers view the proposed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as a threat and direct challenge to long standing global development banks IMF, World Bank, and Asian Development Bank.  Despite opposition and warning to other nations from US, Japan, Canada, and France, over 40 countries have committed to joining the AIIB.  The AIIB’s capitalization is projected to reach… Continue reading AIIB Multilateral Initiatives A Step Backwards For China →

As China’s economy continues to grow and a growing portion of the population gains access to the internet, social media usage also increases.  However, according to statistics from The Kantar China Social Media Impact Report, a growing proportion of the Chinese populations reports that social media actually makes their lives worse.  Positive attitudes toward social media… Continue reading Negative Feelings Toward Social Media in China →

Some refer to China’s hukou system as being similar to India’s caste system, segregating rural and urban residents and providing social benefits only to certain citizens.  In July of 2014, after decades of rural-urban migration and economic expansion, Beijing put hukou on the national reform agenda.  Instead of providing social benefits based solely on locale of origin and household… Continue reading Hukou Reforms A Small Step in Migration →

China’s southeast Asian neighbors have long contested China’s claim over what China refers to as the South China Sea.  None contest this claim more boldly than the Philippines.  Manila’s confidence in the face of Chinese opposition is backed by two facts.  First, the Philippines has little to lose economically in terms of Chinese retaliation.  Second,… Continue reading Dispute Continues Over South China Sea →

As China’s economy continues to grow, so does its energy needs.  China remains the world’s leading consumer, producer, and importer of coal.  However, as Burke Ugarte blogged about in his post concerning, China has been investing in infrastructure to support other forms of energy (e.g. oil and gas pipelines).  In the wake of the US shale… Continue reading Shale Revolution in China Unlikely →

China’s economic growth may be at its lowest in two decades, but China still has a competitive edge that is sure to continue to benefit its economy.  Over the past two decades, China has become the world’s largest manufacturer.  Although labor costs in China are increasing from increasing wages, China is still able to manufacture… Continue reading China Still At Advantage Despite Slowing Growth →

This past Sunday, China’s government-run television broadcasting station slammed a number of foreign automotive producers on a day known as Consumer Rights Day.  The Wall Street Journal cites Tata Motors (Jaguar), Volkswagen, Daimeler (Mercedes-Benz), and Nissan as bearing the brunt of accusations.  The broadcasting station, CCTV, alleged these automakers gipped gypped Chinese consumers with unfair… Continue reading Foreign Auto Makers Under Attack In China →

China’s most recent economic data clearly suggests slowing economic growth, with inflation increasing just 0.8%, and decreases in both imports and exports. These metrics however are distorted by an astronomical [pu intended?] disparity between the Chinese and Gregorian calendar systems. China celebrated the advent of the Year of the Goat on February 19, 2015, well over a… Continue reading The Goat and Perception of China’s Economy →

Our friends from Economics 244 (The Economics of the Auto Industry), taught last Spring Term, will remember the splash Tesla Motors had just begun to make when the first Tesla Model S reached China in April 2014. Almost a year later, Tesla continues to struggle for footing in the Chinese electric automotive market, where sales account for… Continue reading Tesla Struggles in China →

As a number of developing countries have fallen into deep recession over the past year, one developing country has recognized an opportunity to assert itself as a prominent international financial institution. As commodity prices flounder, developing countries Venezuela, Argentina, and Russia have been propped up by loans from China’s immense savings glut. In an attempt… Continue reading Lending in China →