China

China Markets Set for Post New Year Upside on Trade Optimism
19Feb mmBy Walter ParezNo Comments
China, Market

China Markets Set for Post New Year Upside on Trade Optimism

China Mainland equity markets and the Hang Seng Index have outperformed the Nasdaq Composite Index and S&P 500 year-to-date in 2026. With Mainland China’s Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) closed for trading from February 16 through February 23 for the Lunar New Year, traders have a week to reflect on key developments and potential speed bumps. Non-US external demand remains strong despite a stronger Chinese Yuan (CNY). Pre-Lunar New Year holiday USD-RMB flows suggesting continued diversification from the US dollar. Meanwhile, deflation and the housing market remain hurdles for Beijing to address if stimulus measures targeting domestic consumption are to be effective. Despite weak domestic consumption and the ongoing housing crisis, expectations of further policy su...
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Is India last lifeline for China’s sinking economy? Why the Dragon’s eyes are locked on Delhi
19Feb mmBy Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia, China

Is India last lifeline for China’s sinking economy? Why the Dragon’s eyes are locked on Delhi

Recent data shows growing pressure on China’s economy. Factory activity has slowed, the property sector is weak and export-focussed companies face trade barriers in developed markets. Because of this, many companies are looking outside China to expand and maintain stable earnings. China’s economic slowdown has begun to influence its outward investment plans, with India emerging as a potential destination for fresh capital flows. Several Chinese companies are exploring opportunities in the Indian market as domestic growth loses pace and external trade conditions become more restrictive. Recent data shows growing pressure on China’s economy. Factory activity has slowed, the property sector is weak and export-focussed companies face trade barriers in developed markets. Because of t...
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“Financial ruin, family breakdown, even death” – China’s Singapore casino warning
18Feb mmBy Joe RodriguezNo Comments
China, Singapore

“Financial ruin, family breakdown, even death” – China’s Singapore casino warning

China’s embassy in Singapore has warned that engaging in gambling leads to ‘a path of no return’ in a dark message to its citizens. The message comes in the wake of the embassy dealing with the aftermath of a Chinese national jumping to his death from the Marina Bay Sands hotel, which the embassy attributed to gambling. “Participating in gambling leads to a path of no return, including financial ruin, family breakdown, and even death,” stated the embassy. “Cross-border gambling may also bring risks such as fraud, money laundering, kidnapping, detention, human trafficking, and smuggling.” Gambling is strictly prohibited in China, and Chinese citizens are also legally prevented from cross-border gambling, even if they are situated in a jurisdiction where ...
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How China could win the geopolitical game by default
16Feb mmBy Brian ThompsonNo Comments
China, USA

How China could win the geopolitical game by default

Is China winning the geopolitical game? The US appears isolated as President Donald Trump attacks not just rivals but long-standing allies. Trump’s boorish behaviour towards other countries allows Chinese leaders to act as the responsible adults in the room. China clearly wants to assume the mantle of being the defender of multilateralism and free trade, and the linchpin of a stable world order.  The reality is more complex. The rest of the world is wary of China’s embrace. Beijing benefited from the rules underpinning the multilateral system, turning that system to its advantage. For instance, even as it gained access to worldwide markets for its exports, China kept its own markets mostly closed. In two important respects, though, China is winning the geopolitical game. First, Trump is s...
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Fading US dollar trust threatens world economy, ex-IMF official Zhu Min warns
14Feb mmBy Joe RodriguezNo Comments
China, USA

Fading US dollar trust threatens world economy, ex-IMF official Zhu Min warns

Dwindling global trust in the US dollar is one of the most prominent risks facing a vulnerable world economy this year, according to Zhu Min, an ex-deputy director of the International Monetary Fund and former deputy governor of the People’s Bank of China. He noted that the credibility of the US dollar was being challenged as its share of global foreign exchange reserves had fallen to 57 per cent – from 70 per cent in the past. On the other hand, “the proportions of gold, the euro and the yuan are rising, reflecting the market’s confidence that the US dollar is dropping”, Zhu wrote in an article for China’s International Finance magazine on Wednesday. Zhu added that the US Federal Reserve’s interest rate cuts would be a critical measure for steadying the financial m...
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Op-ed: With world in ‘rupture’, too many economic roads lead away from Trump and back to China
13Feb mmBy Michael SmithNo Comments
China, USA

Op-ed: With world in ‘rupture’, too many economic roads lead away from Trump and back to China

The geopolitical tectonic plates are on the move again, and the early tremors are already visible across the global landscape with significant consequences for traditional alliances, global markets, and national power realignment.  What we are seeing unfold during the first quarter of 2026 increasingly feels like one of those historical earthquake moments, not because of any single headline associated with President Donald Trump, or a single moment like Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s “rupture” in the world order speech at Davos, or any one bilateral meeting or state visit. But taken together, along with the cumulative weight of high-level diplomatic gambits to Beijing now underway — and many more on the horizon...
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Hong Kong, Singapore to be biggest winners as global capital flows shift to Asia: DBS CEO
9Feb mmBy Brian ThompsonNo Comments
Asia, China, Singapore

Hong Kong, Singapore to be biggest winners as global capital flows shift to Asia: DBS CEO

The two financial hubs are best choices for global investors seeking to diversify their portfolios amid geopolitical risks, Tan Su Shan says Hong Kong and Singapore are set to be the biggest winners in attracting new capital inflows as global investors diversify their asset allocations amid geopolitical risks and trade tensions, according to the top executive at DBS Group. The two Asian financial centres would be the best choice for international investors who previously held overweight positions in US markets but now sought to diversify their portfolios, Tan Su Shan, CEO of the largest lender in Southeast Asia, said in an interview last week. US interest rate cuts and ongoing geopolitical tensions have prompted international investors to eye faster-growing Asi...
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China’s infrastructure finance in Africa: impacts and lessons
7Feb mmBy Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia, China

China’s infrastructure finance in Africa: impacts and lessons

China has been a major financier of African infrastructure over the past two decades, supporting large-scale projects in sectors such as hydropower, mining and rail. But this role is changing. As bilateral lending declines and the Belt and Road Initiative shifts towards a ‘small and beautiful’ approach, China’s infrastructure finance is increasingly shaped by new priorities – including digital and green technologies – and a more competitive global landscape. This paper takes a retrospective view of China’s infrastructure finance in Africa to draw policy lessons for today’s infrastructure investors. Using case studies across hydropower, rail, digital and renewable energy in Angola, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya and Zambia, it examines both the development impacts of Chinese-financed pr...
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China’s financial powerhouse Shanghai aims for 5% growth, ‘global influence’
4Feb mmBy Brian ThompsonNo Comments
China

China’s financial powerhouse Shanghai aims for 5% growth, ‘global influence’

Chinese megacity ranks in the world’s five most powerful metros after New York, Tokyo and Los Angeles, with a GDP of 5.67 trillion yuan China’s economic locomotive Shanghai is aiming for a growth rate of around 5 per cent this year, after gradually rebounding since 2023 and reaching a better-than-expected 5.4 per cent growth last year.The megacity, whose economic size is comparable to that of Belgium with last year’s GDP totalling 5.67 trillion yuan (US$816.2 billion), is upgrading its role as a global financial, trade and shipping centre, Mayor Gong Zheng told the city’s annual plenary sessions on Tuesday.The government is leading more foreign businesses to invest in advanced manufacturing, modern services, cutting-edge technologies and green projects, with research and developmen...
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China Highlights Xi’s Old Speech on Risks, Powerful Currency
2Feb mmBy Brian ThompsonNo Comments
China

China Highlights Xi’s Old Speech on Risks, Powerful Currency

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s pledge to curb financial risks and build a powerful currency with global reserve status, reiterated in a state publication, is boosting expectations of an accelerated push for yuan internationalization. “What constitutes a strong financial nation?” according to Xi’s remarks published Saturday by the Qiushi magazine, based on his 2024 speech. “First, it should have a powerful currency, widely used in international trade, investment and foreign exchange markets, holding the status of a global reserve currency.” The remarks in Qiushi, the Communist Party’s flagship journal and a window into high-level policy intent, likely signal China’s drive to internationalize the yuan and expand its financial clout. The timing is pivotal, as the dollar’s haven app...
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