China - Strolling through the XXth Century
By keeping a sense of perspective, the confident East-West dialogue, engaged by a Chinese diplomat in the dying days of the Qing dynasty, in the early 20th century, remains just as relevant today

By keeping a sense of perspective, the confident East-West dialogue, engaged by a Chinese diplomat in the dying days of the Qing dynasty, in the early 20th century, remains just as relevant today
Published every other year in January, with new entries, the article is testimony to the resilience of thinkers committed to China's rich moral, social and political tradition of spiritual life, acting in harmony and without struggle
In the run-up of tranformative discoveries such as AI, it is not so hard to set bubbly excess apart from sensible investment opportunities. By scrutinizing chokepoints and toll-keepers, risk exposure and competitive strengths will stand out
Amidst the brouhaha and the excitement, the AI supply chain offers insights about dependencies between the links, about drivers of unabated optimism, and about business models, both solid and flimsy ones
Gaps are not where you look - in rare earhs, they are real in the processing and the refining, not in the mining. In actuators, there is no real gap in the technology but an abysmal gap in volume supply at low price for fast growing novel industries
It is easy to overthink a portfolio construction because of the massive data you can access - By selecting filters, the investor will be clarifying true priorities (and test their relevance)
Reflecting global reach, credibility of national governance and economic dominance, currency convertibility can be facilitated in practice but cannot be summoned by diktat; trust will be earned in the long haul
Debt issuance in U.S. dollars is privilege but the reserve currency status is a straight jacket with flaws - Expectations run high, everyone wants a piece while American control gets harder, diluting responsability and credibility
Self-sufficiency in the production of intermediate goods and machinery is powered by automation, generating a structural mismatch between growing exports of all types and weakened imports of advanced manufactured products
Factory equipment manufacturers are on a roll as automakers rush the installation of EV (electrical vehicles) production lines
The year on year share price performance (topping 100%) is compelling but investors anticipate very strong earnings, going forward, to bring PE in line with the high flyers of the semiconductor supply chain
The disruptive potential of AI-based technologies has raised American concern about China's 'military-civil fusion' strategy and the forceful geopolitical pressure by U.S. Administrations on foreign allies has been successful, up to a point...
Inspired by the Meiji Restoration, mutually supportive relationships anchored Japanese industrial firms on strong foundations, in Japan and globally, making partnerships on Western markets attractive and mutually beneficial
Japanese debt seems overwhelming, qualifying unhappily as sole defining factor of the country's outlook but commanding economic strengths, with deeply rooted supply chains, will shift investor perceptions over time
With victory in the Revolt against Spain in 1648, the challenge had evaporated and the Dutch Republic needed to find a fresh purpose in itself, above and beyond its outstanding economic success
The Seventeenth Century - or at least its first 75 years - was called 'Golden' in the Northern Netherlands not just as symbol of material abundance but by virtue of the social cohesion the small Republic achieved
EU trade policies are credible when competing in unison on global markets, but ambivalent efforts by Germany (and others) to keep China on-side pin Europe down. Atrophy beckons...
Germany is one of the strongest exporters worldwide and readily accessible energy sources are indispensable to the country's industrial success. A close partnership with Russian energy providers has turned into unwarranted dependence - Trust betrayed