Fou Ts'ong - an obituary
Fou Ts'ong witnessed some of China's darkest pages . Standing his ground and honouring the values of his parents with discretion and fortitude, Mr. Fou's life must be remembered
China
Rebounding? - U.S. and China Retail
Expected to gain the upper hand in short order, China's domestic consumer market is not (yet) living up to its promises while America sticks to the self-assigned mission of gobbling up more foreign goods than ever...aggravating tensions
Not so Pacific Islands
The projection of Chinese power across the Pacific is a game-changer and a two-pronged strategy, asserting military power behind walls and letting trade flows trickle beyond, across the island archipelagos of the Pacific
Imbalances
Plunging again since early 2020, the U.S. trade deficit looks unhinged with consumer demand favoring imported goods and an economic cycle out of step with resurgent Asian countries, China leading the pack
Gambling chips in trade wars
China is betting the house on semiconductor design and advanced technologies but for the US the complexity of the strategic choices impacting the industry, as they relate to technological advance and to national security, is hard to understate
Brazil, foodbasket to the world
Leader in soybean exports, the premier agricultural commodity, and well ahead of the U.S., Brazil agribusiness aims at making the most of the country's natural advantage by maitaining the land and water resources - a contradiction in terms ?
Cars - an industry at bay ?
The confidence of buy-and-hold investors in Tesla’s ability to grow its leading position in the EV market might ultimately rest on the lack of credibility of the established car manufacturers’ effort to catch up
Car Armageddon ?
In 2019, a total production capacity of 137 million vehicles and sales expected to reach 92 million units, excess capacity of 47 million units leaves weaker manufacturers dangerously exposed
Prosus - a familiar newcomer
Prosus may be an unfamiliar entity in the selection of great companies stretching the globalized world, but the biggest underlying asset of the firm is not...
COVID-19 Vaccines
Chaos seems pre-ordained in FDA approval processes of numerous candidate vaccines. With a fluid reference to 'efficacy', the FDA is expected to deliver emergency authorizations within months, followed by rigorous and extensive year-long studies
Withering digital wallets ?
Mobile payments have become a defining feature of Chinese society and the two Internet majors, Aibaba and Tencent, dominate digital consumer transactions at the expense of traditional banking. The Chinese Central Bank is seeking a way out...
Navigating maturing markets
Alibaba, the e-commerce giant, and Tencent, the videogame behemoth, are seeking ways to extend their strong presence in markets roiled by fickle consumer expectations and under competitive pressure. Profits will suffer...
Central Asia crossroads
Eurasia is again a geopolitical reality with the Chinese communication infrastructure on a continental scale and the powerful draw of energy riches, but populous, fragile and deeply divided Central Asia is exposed to overreach by mighty land powers
Healthcare meets the Internet age
Healthcare demand in China is an overwhelming challenge - stretched to the limit by the expectations of a newly empowered middle class and pressured by desperate, impoverished and indebted families
High stakes to ensure China's healthcare needs
Already the largest drugs market after the US, with an aging population, more demanding patients and more combative families, China remains a tumultuous market place