China

Forums:

It's rarely talked about in the press but China is headed for recession or worse. They have damaged their economy with their zero covid policy, they are desperately trying to prop up a huge housing bubble, and the rest of the world is starting the process of pulling their manufacturing out of there.

The government gets all of it's legitimacy from promising economic growth, and this will be their first down turn. Because of their autocratic government with no clear process of succession there has always been a huge speed bump in China's future, but with the economy starting to falter that speed bump just got closer. 

If you are interested in the economy in China this is a good source

https://twitter.com/michaelxpettis/status/1551926740070588416

They have had previously well-hidden economic bumps but, yea, this one will be difficult to squash or cover-up.

My sister works for a major international consulting firm and they are at loggerheads with the Chinese government over cyber security.  The Chinese government is insisting that the company's internet service be connected to the Chinese internet.  My sister's company said no way, for fear that the Chinese could use their system as a back door to hack into the firm's global network and the systems of its clients.  They are in a bit of a Mexican standoff and are threatening to pull the plug on the company's planned operations in China over this issue.

^I worked for a company that went through a similar shit storm over there in the early 2000's but it was more so related to hardware designs that were blatantly being counterfeited nearly immediately after they were imported for actual use, not even for production/manufacturing. They are very sneaky and under-handed to say the least. Their economic growth rate/GDP is BS too and cannot keep increasing indefinitely either.

If the Chinese, and Huawei Technologies specifically, can infiltrate US telecommunication systems with relative ease, including those near US military installations, they can certainly control all aspects of internet service on their home turf.

FBI investigation determined Chinese-made Huawei equipment could disrupt US nuclear arsenal communications

https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/23/politics/fbi-investigation-huawei-china-d...

And then there's the noise that China has been making about Taiwan recently.

U.S. Officials Grow More Concerned About Potential Action by China on Taiwan

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/25/us/politics/china-taiwan-biden-pelosi...

what will/can they do?

we need our iphones...

we have been too beholden to the modern just-in-time delivery models and stock buy backs to have noticed how leveraged we are...

Apple is already moving iPhone production to India. The thing that has changed is up until 2019 people who makes decisions about where to manufacture never thought twice about China. That isn't the case anymore. India and Mexico are the big winners so far.

Mexico was a big winner in the 90's for a little while (and may make more sense again) until the bigger winners upstaged them with bigger incentives. Japan used to be a big winner too as these things ebb & flow but China is losing more lately as India and others in SE Asia play their hands as well. It will all continue to be interesting anyhow. The drivers, as ever, are cheap labor and little regulation so greed and profit rules it all.

What happens when the supply for thievin' and stealin' runs out or gets cut off?

I can not see a future where China is able to get away with their action.

It seems behind the veil, they are really on life support existing on their spoofing and payoffs.

Pushing the smack through the border only goes so far.

How many people are refusing to pay mortgages?

 

 

 

Buckle Up. All I can say is that even before yesterday's 75 base point Fed rate increase (+0.75%), real estate sales have been absolutely parked in LA. I have been here 3 years and at no point since has anything in this area sat more than a couple days is now languishing untouched for weeks.....so far. The next shoe to drop is price cuts but that was probably inevitable anyway.

"Asia's richest woman loses half her $24 billion fortune due to China’s growing real estate crisis"

https://www.yahoo.com/news/asias-richest-woman-loses-half-223643116.html

...all while the the Fed & the Biden Administration are trying to change what a recession is and means which is and always has been '2 consecutive quarters of negative growth' and that just happened in Q1 & Q2 2022.

...and it's spreading.

"Analysis: South Korea's sudden property slump tests world's most indebted consumers"

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/analysis-south-koreas-sudden-property...

 

20220729_075607.jpg

...the old Western flick with Clint Eastwood, Red Sun, is a good one too

>  the Fed & the Biden Administration are trying to change what a recession is and means which is and always has been '2 consecutive quarters of negative growth' 

Once you've accepted an idea like "negative growth", anything is possible.

lol @ Bss. Perfection.

This thread needs some Grateful Dead music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x948CxRQ8R4

A little wanky but pretty much spot on. It could even fall into the We Need Water thread and others as it condenses and analyzes many of the peripheral issues and problems the world faces.

"The World’s Energy Problem Is Far Worse Than We’re Being Told"

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/world-energy-problem-far-worse-140000...