Market

China, Market, USA

Biden slaps new tariffs on Chinese imports, ratcheting trade war

President Joe Biden has slapped major new tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, advanced batteries, solar cells, steel, aluminium and medical equipment, taking potshots at Donald Trump along the way as he embraced a strategy that’s increasing friction between the world’s two largest economies. The Democratic president said on Tuesday that Chinese government subsidies ensure the nation’s companies do not have to turn a profit, giving them an unfair advantage in global trade. “American workers can outwork and outcompete anyone as long as the competition is fair,” Biden said in the White House Rose Garden. “But for too long, it hasn’t been fair. For years, the Chinese government has poured state money into Chinese companies … it’s not competition, it’s cheating.” China immediately p...
China, Market, USA, World

Biden announces $18bn tariff hikes on Chinese imports

US President Joe Biden announced a series of tariff increases on various Chinese imports, including electric vehicles, computer chips, and medical products. This move risks an election-year standoff with Beijing as Biden aims to appeal to voters critical of his economic policies. Biden will maintain tariffs introduced by his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, while increasing others. The White House stated that this decision is due to “unacceptable risks” to US “economic security” from what it sees as unfair Chinese practices that flood global markets with cheap goods. The new measures affect $18 billion worth of Chinese imports, including steel and aluminium, semiconductors, batteries, critical minerals, solar cells, and cranes, according to the White House. In 2023...
Asia, China, Market

Bangladesh interested in China’s offer of loans in yuan

China has expressed its interest in extending a large amount of loans in its own currency, the yuan, and Bangladesh is exploring ways to accept and make its best use amid ongoing financial woes. The authorities in Bangladesh have already initiated discussions to formulate a set of specific proposals to China in this regard. The US dollar is now the medium of exchange for bilateral trades with China, and Bangladesh is now mulling settlement of the import liabilities using loans obtained in yuan. China is now the largest source of imports for Bangladesh. The authorities believe that the loan may play a crucial role in addressing the dwindling forex reserves in Bangladesh. It was learnt that China aims to offer more than CNY 36 billion – equivalent to $5 billion – in the form of a ‘...
China, Market, World

China’s Ping An sells HSBC shares in US$50 million tantrum after reported protest vote against CEO Noel Quinn

China’s largest insurer Ping An Insurance (Group) has sold HK$392 million (US$50 million) worth of its shares in London-based HSBC in an apparent tantrum days after reports that the bank’s largest shareholder voted against the reappointment of the lender’s departing CEO Noel Quinn as a director. Ping An sold 5,648,800 shares of HSBC, the largest of Hong Kong’s three currency-issuing banks, at an average price of HK$69.3074 on May 7, lowering its stake in the lender to 7.98 per cent from 8.01 per cent, according to a filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange on Friday. Ping An, HSBC’s largest shareholder, lodged a protest vote against Quinn’s leadership at a general shareholder meeting on May 3, Bloomberg reported on Sunday. Quinn was reelect...
China, Market

China: Chase the rally or fade the bounce?

Since peak post-COVID reopening optimism in early 2023, Chinese equities lost over a third of their value, as investors digested worries around a worsening real estate downturn, persistent geopolitical risks and issues around longer-term growth prospects. Zooming out further, Chinese equities are down over 50% since their 2021 high. Recent rumors and headlines around potentially more substantive policy easing in the property sector, capital market support measures and technical dynamics, have coincided with a sharp rebound since mid-January this year. This has propelled the offshore MSCI China over 20% and the onshore CSI300 over 15%, outperforming regional markets like Japan and India – making the Chinese market among the best performers in the world over this time. This surge has captur...
China, Market, World

Chinese network behind one of world’s ‘largest online scams’

More than 800,000 people in Europe and the US appear to have been duped into sharing card details and other sensitive personal data with a vast network of fake online designer shops apparently operated from China. An international investigation by the Guardian, Die Zeit and Le Monde gives a rare inside look at the mechanics of what the UK’s Chartered Trading Standards Institute has described as one of the largest scams of its kind, with 76,000 fake websites created. A trove of data examined by reporters and IT experts indicates the operation is highly organised, technically savvy – and ongoing. Operating on an industrial scale, programmers have created tens of thousands of fake web shops offering discounted goods from Dior, Nike, Lacoste, Hugo Boss, Versace and Pra...
<strong>Sales dip but Chinese EV producers continue price war in Thailand</strong>
Asia, China, Market

Sales dip but Chinese EV producers continue price war in Thailand

In the face of stiff competition and declining sales in Thailand's Electric Vehicle (EV) market, Chinese automakers are battling to carve out a niche for themselves. This spring, a host of Chinese automakers showcased their EVs at an international auto show in Bangkok, Thailand, in an attempt to attract Thai customers. Among the participants were notable companies such as Changan Automobile, BYD, Great Wall Motor Company Ltd., Dong Feng Motor Corporation, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, Nio, Xpeng, Leap motor, Hozon, Geely, JAC, and others. Despite the aggressive pricing strategies employed by these Chinese automakers, their vehicles have yet to gain significant traction among Thai consumers. The sales of EVs in the Thai market continue to be sluggish, casting a shadow over the ...
Asia, China, Market, World

Goldman Sachs, UBS, BNP more positive on Chinese stocks as chorus of favourable sentiment grows in run-up to July plenum

Investment banks including Goldman Sachs, UBS and BNP have become more positive on stocks in China, with foreign selling having subsided. Foreign investors were net buyers of Chinese stocks for a third straight month in April, the longest streak of foreign buying in a year. Global emerging market funds rolled back their underweight position on mainland China stocks and turned neutral, HSBC said in a report last month. Some international hedge funds have shifted their investment positions from US or Japan stocks to China stocks over the past week, Japanese investment bank Daiwa Capital Markets said in a report. Goldman Sachs said changes are afoot in China that point to a potentially stronger risk appetite and a more conducive trading environment for A shares in the near...
China, Market, Singapore

Wall Street Journal cuts Hong Kong staff, shifts focus to Singapore

Hong Kong, China – The Wall Street Journal has announced staff cuts at its Hong Kong bureau as it shifts its “center of gravity in the region” to Singapore, marking the latest blow to the financial hub’s once-thriving media industry. Editor-in-chief Emma Tucker told staff in a company-wide memo on Thursday that the newspaper was following the same path that “many of the companies we cover have done”. The cuts include six editorial staff in Hong Kong and two reporters at the newspaper’s Singapore office, two sources familiar with the matter told Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity. In her memo, Tucker said “some of our colleagues, mostly in Hong Kong, will be leaving us”, while listing several new positions in Singapore, including an editor and several reporters. “At the ...
China, Market, World

China’s continuing influence over Cambodia’s economy

China's significant investment in Cambodia, including infrastructure support as part of the Belt and Road Initiative, has turned Cambodia into a major manufacturing hub and bolstered its global supply chain ties. But given China's dominant influence on Cambodia's economy and substantial loans, it is essential for Cambodia to diversify its investment and trade partners, strengthen its debt management initiatives and invest in education and skills development to ensure long-term economic resilience and sovereignty. For decades, China has influenced global supply chains and has had a major impact on the economic landscape of Asia. Due to its advantageous geographic position and expanding economy, Cambodia has drawn significant interest from China, which has influenced Cambodia’s inte...