Podcasts about despite china

Despite China's resilience on coming to the negotiating table, Kevin Hincks points out that 70 countries already have. He believes this morning's rally shows hope tariff relief is on the horizon, combined with a drive to bounce off technical lows. One downside came from a significant decline in the NFIB Small Business Optimism Index.======== Schwab Network ========Empowering every investor and trader, every market day.Subscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribeDownload the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watchWatch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-exploreWatch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/Follow us on X – https://twitter.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/schwab-network/About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about

U.S. President Trump has hit pause on his tariff war with Canada and Mexico - a move that calmed consumers and investors around the world. Despite China announcing new retaliatory tariffs on select American imports, market sentiment remained cautiously optimistic. To what extent does President Trump's tariff strategy reflect a genuine commitment to border security? And how might a trade war reshape international trade dynamics and geopolitical alliances? Joining today's show is Steve Verheul, Canada's former Chief Trade Negotiator, for an insightful conversation on trade policy and negotiation, and what incoming tariffs may mean for investors. As Canada's Chief Trade Negotiator from 2017 to 2021, Steve was responsible for negotiating Canada's most important trade deals including the new NAFTA, or, USMCA, and the Canada-European Union trade agreement. Most recently, Steve served as a special advisor on trade policy to Canada's Deputy Minister of Finance. Recorded on February 5, 2025. At Fidelity, our mission is to build a better future for Canadian investors and help them stay ahead. We offer investors and institutions a range of innovative and trusted investment portfolios to help them reach their financial and life goals. Fidelity mutual funds and ETFs are available by working with a financial advisor or through an online brokerage account. Visit fidelity.ca/howtobuy for more information. For a fourth year in a row, FidelityConnects by Fidelity Investments Canada was ranked #1 podcast by Canadian financial advisors in the 2024 Environics' Advisor Digital Experience Study.

Apple shares soar more than 3 per cent in after-hours trade boosted by strong revenue from services. However, iPhone sales disappoint, dragged down by poor Chinese demand. Canadian and Mexican imports into the U.S. will be hit with 25 per cent tariffs from tomorrow but President Trump says he is still undecided whether the measures will affect oil. The ECB slashes euro interest rates by 25bps. It's the central bank's fifth cut of the cycle amid growing concerns about sluggish growth throughout the bloc. President Christine Lagarde says that a larger cut was not on the table. And two black boxes have been recovered from the Potomac River in Washington D.C. following Wednesday night's fatal mid-air collision between a regional American Airlines jet and a military Black Hawk helicopter. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's episode of The Daily Voice, Sam discusses yesterday's movers and shakers as we enter the last day of the month. Sam reviews Apple's earnings, the ECB's rate decision, and Gold making new all-time highs. He finishes up by previewing the day ahead, which includes earnings from Chevron and Exxon.

Joe's Premium Subscription: www.standardgrain.comGrain Markets and Other Stuff Links-Apple PodcastsSpotifyTikTokYouTubeFutures and options trading involves risk of loss and is not suitable for everyone.0:00 Rumors and China3:27 Corn/Soybean Acreage Estimates6:47 China Tariffs on Feb 1st?8:24 South America Update10:25 Strong Corn Shipments

Tom welcomes back Christopher Grove to the show. Chrisopher is President and Director of Commerce Resources and an expert on the rare earth element market. Despite China's lack of direct involvement in the export halt of germanium, gallium, and antimony to the U.S., it underscores Beijing's dominance in the sector. With the surge in demand for rare earth elements due to technology advancements, particularly permanent magnets for electric vehicles, no new significant producers have emerged since 2011-2012. Prices have reverted to levels last seen then as a result. China's manipulation of input feedstock prices has caused unease and encouraged nations to seek alternative rare earth element sources The US Department of Defense is investing in vertically integrated supply chains, as shown by the Defense Industrial Base Consortium and the Global Partnership Initiative. China's market dominance remains a concern but presents an opportunity for countries to invest in creating alternative sources. Chris discusses the challenges he faced as CEO of Commerce Resources, including high Canadian mining regulations and the repeal of the uptick rule on the Toronto Stock Exchange. This rule change has led to significant losses for resource companies when they release positive news. Grove plans to list Commerce Resources on the Australian stock exchange in late Q1 or early Q2 of 2025 as a potential solution to address this challenge. The discussion discusses the complexities and challenges of mining in Canada and importance of advocacy efforts to relevant government bodies. Commerce Resources is completing an updated preliminary economic assessment for its Ashram project and awaiting responses from grant opportunities in Canada and the United States. Time Stamp References:0:00 - Introduction0:47 - Rare Earths & China8:15 - China & Processing11:33 - Western Deregulation?15:50 - Substitution18:59 - Recycling?19:57 - Adapting to China21:34 - Biggest Deposits?25:45 - Personal Challenges29:21 - Miners & Shorting34:52 - Canadian Challenges38:15 - Commerce Resources41:33 - Wrap Up Talking Points From This Episode China's dominance in rare earth elements poses challenges but also opportunities. No significant new rare earth producers have emerged since 2011-2012. US Defense Department investing in vertical supply chains to reduce dependence on China. Guest Links:Twitter: https://twitter.com/commercerescceWebsite: https://commerceresources.com/ Mr. Christopher Grove is President and Director of Commerce Resources since September 2014. Previously, he worked as Corporate Communications for Commerce since 2004 and has significant contacts within the financial communities in North America and Europe. Mr. Grove joined the Commerce Resource board in 2012 and has been active in representing the company abroad.

China is planning a fresh set of policies to propel growth in the equipment manufacturing sector, focusing on nurturing new growth engines such as new energy vehicles and low-altitude aircraft, amid the country's concerted efforts to promote industrial upgrading and enhance global supply chain resilience, said officials and experts.The move mirrors the directive to nurture technological innovation to boost the development of new quality productive forces and the establishment of a modern industrial system, which was mapped out at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on Monday.The meeting, which was presided over by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, anchored China's key focal points for next year's economic development, as the nation is in a pivotal process of changing its development paradigm from quantity-driven to quality-driven.The vision is backed by China's ever-stronger equipment manufacturing capability, as reflected in the fact that annual production of new energy vehicles passed the milestone of 10 million units on Nov 14, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, making China the only nation to realize such an achievement.It took only six years for this figure to grow from 1 million to 10 million, showcasing the nation's unwavering commitment to innovation-driven development."Innovation stands as a pivotal force propelling the high-quality advancement of the manufacturing sector, and companies are increasingly assuming central roles in driving innovation," said Li Jinghong, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a professor at Tsinghua University.To date, China has built nearly 10,000 digital workshops and smart factories, of which over 400 have developed into national-level intelligent manufacturing demonstration factories. Artificial intelligence, digital twins and other cutting-edge technologies have been applied in more than 90 percent of these demonstration factories, according to a report released at the 2024 World Internet Conference.In the first 10 months of this year, total output of high-tech manufacturing businesses grew 9.1 percent year-on-year, surpassing the average growth rate of businesses from all industries by 3.3 percentage points, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.Businesses are also stepping up efforts to promote green transformation. NBS data showed that the proportion of nonfossil energy consumption increased 2.6 percentage points in the first three quarters, compared with the same period last year, while coal consumption decreased 1.9 percentage points and petroleum use fell 0.9 percentage point."Despite China's rapid advancement in the manufacturing sector, challenges persist, notably in balancing innovation investments with operational demands," said Li, the CAS academician. "The substantial investments required for technological innovation exert significant operational pressures on companies, posing dilemmas between long-term innovation and short-term financial sustainability."Xin Guobin, vice-minister of industry and information technology, said at a recent conference that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's upcoming policies to further boost manufacturing are expected to strengthen the implementation of large-scale equipment upgrades and trade-in programs for consumer goods to stimulate consumption of major commodities like automobiles.Xin said that policies are also underway to proactively foster new growth drivers such as intelligent connected NEVs, low-altitude aircraft and service robots, as well as major technological projects such as machine tools and smart manufacturing systems."It is crucial to unlock the innovation capabilities of companies and make full use of the leading role of industry front-runners in research investment and the fostering of practical technologies. Further efforts are also expected to enhance the collaboration among businesses, academia and research institutes," Li said.Shan Zenghai, chief engineer and vice-president of the listed arm of construction equipment maker Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group, said that promoting the renewal of construction machinery equipment can foster new growth points for related businesses such as electronic components and software development, and further propel the high-quality development of the manufacturing sector.It is expected that policy support for the renewal of construction machinery equipment will be accelerated, while the transformation from traditional fuel-powered construction machinery to equipment powered by new energy sources will be encouraged, the market environment will be continuously optimized, and the coordinated development of the industrial chain will be promoted, he said.Zhang Xiaolun, chairman of China National Machinery Industry Corp, underscored the importance of machine tools as the foundation of the manufacturing sector. Despite China's dominance in global production and consumption of machine tools, a gap exists in high-end manufacturing in this specific sector, compared with international rivals. Efforts are required to foster a robust industrial ecosystem and propel technological progress, Zhang said.

Despite China's stimulus announcement, cattle and beef markets remain subdued for another week.   Disclaimer:   Important Information This podcast is approved and distributed by Global Economic & Markets Research (“GEMR”), a business division of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia ABN 48 123 123 124 AFSL 234945 (“the Bank”). Before listening to this podcast, you are advised to read the full GEMR disclaimers, which can be found at www.commbankresearch.com.au. No Reliance This podcast is not investment research and nor does it purport to make any recommendations. Rather, this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not to be relied upon for any investment purposes. This podcast does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. It is not to be construed as a solicitation or an offer to buy or sell any securities or other financial products, or as a recommendation, and/or investment advice. You should not act on the information in this podcast. The Bank believes that the information in this podcast is correct and any opinions, conclusions or recommendations made are reasonably held at the time given, and are based on the information available at the time of its compilation. No representation or warranty, either expressed or implied, is made or provided as to accuracy, reliability or completeness of any statement made. Liability Disclaimer The Bank does not accept any liability for any loss or damage arising out of any error or omission in or from the information provided, or arising out of the use of all or part of the podcast.    

In this episode, Peter Lampert, lead portfolio manager of the International Equity Strategy, discusses the recent Chinese stimulus and its effects on emerging markets. He highlights key long-term risks in China, including weak sentiment, regulatory challenges, and geopolitical tensions, while emphasizing the potential of companies like Tencent and Tencent Music. The conversation also covers Turkey's Bim, a discount retailer thriving amid economic uncertainty. Peter explains how the portfolio's success stems from stock selection, especially with stealth performers like Vietnam's FPT and Taiwan's IGS, and the importance of balancing macro risks with company-specific growth potential.   Key Takeaways:   •China's recent stimulus signals a shift from restrictive policies to boosting economic growth, leveraging the U.S. Fed's easing cycle to inject liquidity and stabilize the economy. •The stimulus could mitigate three key challenges: weak consumer sentiment, regulatory uncertainty, and geopolitical risks. While long-term issues persist, the focus on growth reduces the likelihood of worst-case scenarios in the near term. •Macro factors and bottom-up analysis are deeply intertwined in portfolio decisions. As risks shift, so do portfolio positions. •Higher macro risks in China lead to applying higher discount rates and requiring better ROI. Growth projections for economically sensitive companies are adjusted lower due to structural challenges, leading to exits when valuations no longer meet the stricter risk criteria. •Companies with independent growth drivers can perform well despite China's economic challenges, as they are less reliant on the broader economy and can thrive even in a weaker market environment. •One example is Tencent, whose strong management, dominant WeChat position, and conservative monetization approach offer growth opportunities. Despite China's economic challenges, Tencent can pull monetization levers, making its valuation attractive amid broader pessimism. •This year's strong performance of the emerging markets portfolio has been driven by careful stock selection, focusing on lesser-known "stealth performers" like FPT, IGS, and Aegis Logistics, which consistently generate shareholder value. •Peter highlighted one such performer: Bim, a Turkish discount retailer. Bim has thrived despite economic challenges. With Turkey's economic outlook improving, Bim is positioned for long-term success as it continues to offer value to consumers.   Host: Rob Campbell, CFA, Mawer Institutional Portfolio Manager Guest: Peter Lampert, CFA, Mawer Portfolio Manager   This episode is available for download anywhere you get your podcasts.   Founded in 1974, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. (pronounced "more") is a privately owned independent investment firm managing assets for institutional and individual investors. Mawer employs over 250 people in Canada, U.S., and Singapore.    Visit Mawer at https://www.mawer.com    Follow us on social:    LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/mawer-investment-management/  Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mawerinvestmentmanagement/

China will implement a batch of policies, including those addressing financing and credit, to support small and micro-sized enterprises, platform firms and unicorns, so as to help them expand business and unleash vitality, it was announced on Monday at a conference by the State Council, the nation's Cabinet.10月14日，国新办举行新闻发布会，宣布中国将实施一系列融资信贷等政策，支持小微企业、平台企业和独角兽企业发展，帮助它们拓展市场、释放活力。Buoyed by such signals of support for the private sector, share prices rose in China on Monday. The CSI 300, an index of large companies traded in Shanghai and Shenzhen, closed 1.9 percent higher. The ChiNext Index, which tracks China's Nasdaq-style board of growing and emerging enterprises, gained 2.6 percent.受这些支持民营经济信号的提振，14日，中国股市上涨。沪深300指数收盘涨1.9%，追踪中国版纳斯达克成长型和新兴企业的创业板指涨2.6%。Luo Wen, head of the State Administration for Market Regulation, the country's top market regulator, said that the country will work to introduce innovative quality financing and credit enhancement policies to ease financing challenges for SMSEs.国家最高市场监管部门——国家市场监督管理总局局长罗文表示，中国将创新实施质量融资增信政策，帮助缓解小微企业融资困难问题。Under such policies, financial institutions will factor in a company's quality management and brand reputation when issuing loans. Together with equity, funds and bond-based financing tools, the country aims to generate a credit enhancement and financing quota of 300 billion yuan ($42 billion) each year, Luo said.罗文介绍，根据这些政策，金融机构在发放贷款时将考虑企业的质量管理和品牌信誉。股权、基金、债券等融资工具组合发力，国家每年可以实现质量融资增信授信额度3000亿元。Luo emphasized that the SAMR will roll out a guideline to guide platform operators to help merchants on the platform enhance brand awareness, increase market transactions and harness traffic.罗文强调，市场监管总局将出台指导意见，引导平台企业帮助其平台上的商户提升品牌知名度、增加市场交易量和利用流量。It will help businesses, especially new entrants, agricultural firms and some unique companies on the platform, to enhance their ability to utilize online traffic more efficiently and tap into larger audiences, he added.罗文补充，这将帮助企业商户提高流量利用效率、挖掘更多受众，尤其是对新入驻经营主体、农产品经营主体和特色经营主体。Beyond SMSE support, Wang Jiangping, vice-minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said the ministry will collaborate with the China Securities Regulatory Commission to launch the third batch of specialized boards for "little giant" companies in regional equity markets.工业和信息化部副部长王江平表示，除了扶持小微企业，工信部将联合证监会推出第三批区域性股权市场“专精特新”专板以支持“小巨人”企业。Little giant companies refer to small and medium-sized enterprises that typically specialize in niche sectors, command high market shares and boast strong innovative capacity. By the end of June this year, China had cultivated 12,000 such enterprises. 所谓“小巨人”企业，是指专注于细分领域、市场占有率高、创新能力强的中小型企业。截至今年6月底，中国已培育了1.2万家这样的企业。The ministry also plans to sign a strategic cooperation agreement with the Beijing Stock Exchange to further streamline financing channels for these firms, Wang said.王江平补充，工信部还计划与北交所签订战略合作协议，进一步畅通专精特新中小企业资本市场融资渠道。At the conference on Monday, Wang said that China is also placing a greater emphasis on developing unicorn companies — startups valued at over $1 billion — in emerging high-tech fields such as 6G and brain-computer interfaces.在14日的新闻发布会上，王江平表示，中国也将更加重视独角兽企业（即估值超过10亿美元的初创企业）在6G、脑机接口等新兴高科技领域的发展。He said a nationwide unified system will be established to coordinate the development of unicorn companies between the central government and provincial government levels.王江平补充，为推动支持我国独角兽企业发展，将建立全国统一、部省联动的独角兽企业培育体系。Unicorn companies will be supported in technological innovation, and will be encouraged and guided to address national strategic needs and master unique, proprietary technologies, Wang said, adding that more efforts will be made to increase financial backing for these unicorns, including support for public listings, mergers and acquisitions, to accelerate their growth.支持独角兽企业技术创新，鼓励和引导独角兽企业围绕国家战略需求开展技术攻关，掌握更多的“独门绝技”。加大对独角兽企业的金融支持，包括支持独角兽企业上市、并购、重组等。Despite China's growing unicorns, the country still lags behind the United States in terms of the overall number, according to the Hurun Research Institute. Last year, China had 340 unicorns while the US had 700.胡润研究院称，尽管中国的独角兽企业不断增加，但就总体数量而言，中国仍落后于美国。去年，中国有340家独角兽企业，而美国有700家。Wang Peng, a senior researcher at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, said that encouraging SMSEs, platform firms and unicorn companies are part of broader efforts to spur the private sector, which is of great significance to counter the current global economic slowdown. 北京市社会科学院高级研究员王鹏表示，鼓励支持小微企业、平台企业和独角兽企业是刺激民营经济发展的进一步努力，这对于应对当前全球经济下行具有重要意义。A report on private sector development by the State Council showed that private companies accounted for 92.3 percent of the country's total number of business entities in 2023, a significant increase from 79.4 percent in 2012.国务院关于民营经济发展情况的报告显示，2023年，民营企业占全国企业总数的92.3%，较2012年的79.4%有大幅提高。"The Chinese economy will continue gathering momentum if the private sector, including smaller businesses, remains sound. More importantly, private enterprises stood undoubtedly at the forefront of technological innovations and the digital economy in recent years, especially in fields like new energy, information, communication, biopharmaceuticals and AI," the senior researcher said.“如果包括小型企业在内的民营经济发展稳健，中国经济将继续保持良好发展势头。更重要的是，近年来，民营企业无疑站在了技术创新和数字经济的前沿，尤其是在新能源、信息、通信、生物制药和人工智能等领域。”资深研究员王鹏说。harnessv. 利用proprietaryadj. 独有的；专利的mergern. (企业)合并；并购acquisitionn. 收购

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Despite China's New Energy Vehicle deliveries hitting a record in the first half of this year, major Chinese EV makers delivered mixed results in August, even with continued government incentives. Ray Kwok, Director of Research Department, CGS International Securities Hong Kong Limited, helps us understand the EV landscape in China along with the challenges he is anticipating.Image Credit: shutterstock.com

Tensions in the South China Sea have flared up in the past few days, mainly due to the Philippines' provocative activities that infringe on China's sovereignty in waters around Xianbin Reef.过去几天，南海紧张局势加剧，主要是由于菲律宾在执意侵闯中国南沙群岛仙宾礁附近海域，侵犯了中国的领土主权。Despite China's firm opposition and repeated warnings, the Philippines' Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the Philippine Coast Guard sent ships to intrude into the waters around Xianbin Reef on Sunday and Monday, prompting the China Coast Guard to carry out appropriate "control measures" in accordance with domestic and international law.尽管中方坚决反对并一再警告，菲律宾渔业和水产资源局和菲律宾海岸警卫队仍于8月25至26日派船前往我国仙宾礁附近海域，中国海警依法实施必要管控。Though dubbed as humanitarian missions, the real purpose of Manila's reckless decision to send supplies to one of its coast guard vessels, which has been anchored in the lagoon of Xianbin Reef since April, is to cement the vessel's long-term presence there.中方出于人道主义考虑，对菲方向“坐滩”军舰运送必要生活物资的船只多次作出临时特殊安排。但菲方却一再出尔反尔，企图运送用于大规模维修加固军舰的建筑物资，以期实现对仁爱礁的永久侵占。 That inevitably has triggered countermeasures from China, as the Philippines' activities infringe on China's sovereignty. They also violate the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, which specifies that all parties should refrain from inhabiting previously uninhabited islands or reefs. This cannot but raise the vigilance of China over whatever step Manila is going to take next.菲律宾违背了中国和东盟国家共同签署的《南海各方行为宣言》。仁爱礁是无人岛礁，各方应维持仁爱礁无人无设施的状态。但前不久，菲律宾军方发言人公然声称要在仁爱礁上建造永久建筑。菲律宾还频繁派员登临铁线礁等中国南海无人岛礁，严重违反宣言精神。History urges caution given that the Philippines grounded an old naval vessel on China's Ren'ai Reef in 1999 to reinforce its illegal territorial claim there. It has since refused to move the vessel despite China's repeated calls for its removal from the Chinese waters.1999年，菲律宾的坦克登陆舰“马德雷山”号冲上仁爱礁，并以“搁浅”“船身损坏需要修理”为名，开始长达25年的“坐滩”。此后，尽管中国一再呼吁将这艘船从中国海域驱逐出去，但菲方一直拒绝移动军舰。Now Manila is employing the same model of encroachment at Xianbin Reef.现在，菲律宾正试图采用同样的模式侵占仙宾礁。Speaking at a military forum in Manila on Tuesday, attended by military officials and senior diplomats from the United States and allied countries, the Philippine defense chief laid bare the pot-valiant stimulant that has brewed Manila's pugnacious claim-jumping. Alleging that China is the "biggest disruptor of peace" in the region, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr called for the Philippines' mutual defense treaty with the US "to be interpreted dynamically" and for "stronger collective multilateral action against China".8月27日，菲律宾国防部长吉尔伯特·特奥多罗在美国印太司令部年度军事会议上妄称，中国是东南亚地区“国际和平的最大破坏者”。他怂恿国际社会干预中国在南海地区维护自身领土主权和海洋权益的行动，并喊话东盟采取更多行动。The head of the US "Indo-Pacific" Command later expounded on this by saying that discussions were underway and US escorts for Philippine vessels on resupply missions in the South China Sea were "an entirely reasonable option".美国印度洋－太平洋司令部（以下简称“印太”司令部）27日宣称，美国护送菲律宾船只向在中国领海滞留的菲船只实施补给是“完全合理的选项”，但美国印太司令部司令塞缪尔·帕帕罗（Samuel Paparo）表示，是否这么做还需美菲进行磋商。That the forum was organized by the US "Indo-Pacific" Command only serves to show who is pulling Manila's strings.该军事会议由美国印太司令部组织，由此可见美方在背后帮助菲方。But whatever tricks and coercion the Philippines and the US resort to, any attempts to challenge China's sovereignty in the South China Sea are doomed to failure.无论菲方和美方采取何种伎俩和胁迫，任何挑战中国在南海主权的企图都注定要失败。The latest incidents and Manila's staging of the farce of "a thief crying 'stop thief'" happened after China and the Philippines agreed to "restore trust" and "rebuild confidence" at a high-level meeting last month. The announcement that the two sides had reached an agreement on the need to manage their maritime disputes seemed to be backed up by a provisional arrangement on Manila's resupply missions to the grounded naval ship at Ren'ai Reef.近日菲律宾上演的“贼喊捉贼”的闹剧发生在中国和菲律宾在上个月的一次高级别会议上同意“恢复信任”和“重建信心”之后，双方就南海问题达成协议，菲方就运补人道主义生活物资达成临时性安排。That China's response to the Philippines' reneging on that agreement has so far been extremely restrained indicates it treasures its traditional friendship with the Philippines, and is doing everything possible to prevent peace and stability in the South China Sea being jeopardized.迄今为止，中方对菲方违背该协议的反应极其克制，这是出于我国珍视与菲律宾的传统友谊，并尽可能防止南海的和平与稳定受到威胁。Yet it seems that some in the Philippines, encouraged by the US, have taken China's show of goodwill as a sign of weakness, and are intent on trying to test the firmness of its bottom line on sovereignty. That the Philippines took the representatives of several media outlets on board its coast guard vessels for Monday's provocative intrusion into Chinese waters reflects its intent to turn up the heat in the South China Sea at the instigation of Washington.然而，在美国的鼓励下，菲方似乎将中国的善意表现视为软弱的表现，并试图触碰我国主权底线。8月26日，菲方挑衅性地入侵中国海域，将多家媒体的代表带上其海岸警卫队船只，菲方试图在美方的支持下加剧南海紧张局势。The two unruly allies that are the true disruptors of peace and stability in the South China Sea should bear in mind that China has both sufficient means and resolve to safeguard the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Manila should reconsider the wisdom of putting its trust in Washington lest it is emboldened to go too far on a dangerous path.菲美勾结在南海挑衅危害南海地区的和平和稳定，中方有足够的手段和决心来维护国家的主权和领土完整。菲方应重新考虑信任美方是否明智，其大胆行为或将适得其反。US "Indo-Pacific" Commandn.美国印度洋－太平洋司令部

Plus AI Candidate Shut Down (subscribe below) Like this? Get AIDAILY, delivered to your inbox, every weekday. Subscribe to our newsletter at https://aidaily.us AI Love Coaches Gain Popularity Among Struggling Daters in China AI love coaches like RIZZ.AI are becoming popular among Chinese youth facing dating challenges. These apps help users practice communication skills and build confidence in simulated dating scenarios. RIZZ.AI, with 3.5 million downloads, offers real-time coaching for messages and dates, while Hong Hong Simulator focuses on relationship scenarios. Despite concerns about authenticity, these apps have seen significant growth.  AI Eases Stress for Call Center Workers but Raises Future Job Concerns AI is being leveraged to alleviate the stress of call center jobs, known for high burnout rates. SoftBank's AI calms angry customer voices, First Horizon's AI sends personalized calming videos to employees, Microsoft uses AI for faster, accurate responses, and AT&T's AI handles note-taking and initial queries. Despite these benefits, there's concern that AI might eventually replace these jobs, creating new anxieties for workers.  OpenAI shuts Down Run for Mayor in Cheyenne, Wyoming Victor Miller filed to run for mayor of Cheyenne, Wyoming, using a customized AI chatbot named VIC to make political decisions. OpenAI shut down Miller's access, citing policy violations. The legality and ethics of AI in politics remain contentious, as AI's role should complement, not replace, human judgment.  Chinese Scientists Develop First AI Military Commander Chinese scientists have created an AI military commander for lab-driven war games, mirroring human leaders' traits and decision-making. Based at the Joint Operations College of the National Defence University, this AI commands forces in evolving virtual wars, learning rapidly. Despite China's ban on AI-led armed forces, this development raises concerns about AI's growing autonomy in military contexts.  AI Skills Boost Job Prospects Amid Rapid Adoption, Study Finds New research from Microsoft and LinkedIn reveals that 70% of leaders prefer hiring candidates with AI skills, even over more experienced applicants. As AI integrates across industries, learning AI basics like machine learning and data literacy can fast-track careers. Gen Z employees, being digital natives, stand to benefit most from this shift. Photographer's Flamingo Photo Sparks Debate on AI and Authenticity Reality proved stranger than fiction when photographer Miles Astray won an AI photography competition with a real photo of a headless-looking flamingo. His aim was to highlight the challenges AI poses in distinguishing between real and generated content. Despite disqualification, the event sparked important discussions on the authenticity and future of AI in art. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aidaily/message

China has "abundant" countermeasures against the European Commission's latest tariffs on imported (misread“imported” as“importing”) Chinese electric vehicles, and will safeguard the legitimate rights of its companies, said industry experts and officials on Wednesday.6月12日行业专家和官员表示，中国将采取“大量”反制措施以应对欧盟委员会对中国进口电动汽车征收的最新关税，将维护中国公司的合法权益。Their comments came as the EC, which represents the interests of the EU as a whole, notified automakers on Wednesday that it would apply additional duties of up to 38.1 percent on imported Chinese EVs from next month.欧盟委员会发布关于对华电动汽车反补贴调查的初裁披露，自2024年7月起，欧盟委员会将向中国电动汽车征收高达38.1%的额外关税。Sun Xiaohong, secretary-general of the automotive branch of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products, said in an exclusive interview with China Daily that China has abundant countermeasures against the EC's latest tariffs.中国机电产品进出口商会（中国机电商会）分会秘书长孙晓红在接受《中国日报》专访时表示，中国对欧盟委员会发布的最新关税持大量反制措施。"But the country is more willing to negotiate with the EU to avoid a trade war as much as possible," Sun said, adding that the EU's move is rare, unreasonable and does not conform to WTO principles.Sun said that the EC's motive is not for trade development at all. For example, Tesla has been temporarily excluded from the temporary tariffs and is pending in this respect regarding supplementary materials, which reflects how "targeted" the tariffs are at China's EV industry, he said.孙晓红认为：“中国更愿意与欧盟委员会谈判，尽可能避免贸易争端，”并补充说其征收关税的举动罕见且不合理，不符合世贸组织的原则。欧盟委员会的目的并不是促进贸易发展。例如：特斯拉已暂被排除在此次征收临时关税之外，等待补充材料。此举反映此次征收关税对中国电动汽车行业的“针对性”。Despite China's dominance in the global EV market, the China Chamber of Commerce to the EU pointed out that China's exports of EVs to the EU accounted for only about 5 percent of its total production in 2023 and notably, these exports are primarily comprised of European and US branded EVs.尽管中国在全球电动汽车市场占据主导地位，但中国驻欧盟商会指出，2023年中国对欧盟的电动汽车出口仅占其总产量的5%左右，而值得注意的是，这些出口主要由欧美品牌电动汽车组成。The chamber said in a recent statement that the move was "politically motivated and protectionism-driven", as several Chinese enterprises and stakeholders have reported misuse of investigative power and misconduct by the EC during the investigation.由于部分中国企业和利益相关者报告了欧盟委员会在调查期间滥用调查权等不当行为，中国驻欧盟商会在最近的声明中表示，此举（中国出口欧盟电动汽车占总产量5%）是“出于政治动机和保护主义”。This includes exercising investigative powers exceeding the scope of an anti-subsidy investigation, unreasonable documentation and information requests beyond the enterprises' capacity and burden of proof, and insufficient time given to concerned enterprises to collect requested data and information, it said.同时，声明中提到欧盟委员会行使超出反补贴调查范围的权力，（要求）超出企业能力和举证和信息，以及未给予相关企业充分时间收集其数据和信息。Sun said that as the EU's investigation has never occurred before globally, it is difficult for both the initiators and affected companies to complete quantitative analysis."Many Chinese companies don't know how to respond and are worried about privacy leaks."孙晓红认为，由于欧盟的调查史无前例，发起方和受影响企业很难完成定量分析，导致许多中国企业不知道如何应对，担心隐私泄露。At a news conference on Wednesday, Ding Weishun, an official from the Ministry of Commerce, said that China firmly opposes any form of protectionism, and will safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese firms.Ding said that the EU has been leveraging various discriminatory trade means to launch probes into Chinese companies, which will seriously affect the confidence of enterprises in related cooperation overseas."Such moves are typical means of protectionism ... but they won't stop Chinese new energy companies from going global," Ding said.在6月12日的国务院新闻办发布会上，商务部政研室副主任丁维顺最新回应：中方坚决反对任何形式的保护主义，将坚定维护中国企业的合法权益。他表示，欧盟一直在利用各种歧视性贸易手段对中国企业进行调查，这将严重影响中国企业与海外相关企业合作的信心。丁维顺表明：“这些举动是典型的保护主义手段，但无法阻止中国新能源企业走向全球。”。 Sun also pointed out that cooperation between EU and Chinese companies will only bring huge benefits to the European automotive industry."Cooperation will only help Europe to accelerate their industrial transformation and upgrading. Many European companies, in fact, also hope to cooperate with China's EV sector to achieve win-win results," he added.孙晓红指出，欧盟与我国企业间的合只会给欧洲汽车行业带来大量利益回报：“合作只会帮助欧洲加快产业转型升级。许多欧洲企业也希望与中国电动汽车行业实现合作共赢。”European Commissionn.欧盟委员会EVabbr. electronic vehicles电动汽车China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Productsn.中国机电产品进出口商会WTOabbr.World Trade Organization世界贸易组织Ministry of Commercen.商务部anti-subsidyadj.反补贴的

13th June: Crypto & Coffee at 8

In this Audiobrief, Guillaume Derrien discusses recent evolution of the European Union's trade balance. The latter moved back to a surplus in 2023. Despite China's ramping up to higher value-added sectors, the EU trade surplus in traditionally buoyant industries (pharmaceuticals, automotive) remains at historically-high levels.Economic Research Website

Joe's Premium Subscription: https://standardgrain.com/Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grain-markets-and-other-stuff/id1494161095Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4NJ9AZcSQBrLXFLCcPrGGGGoogle https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS83OTMwMjIucnNzFutures and options trading involves risk of loss and is not suitable for everyone.CME soybean futures have almost entirely reversed the gains associated with last Tuesday's upside reversal. The nearby Mar24 contract experienced a loss of nearly 15 cents on Friday, following a 19-cent decline on Thursday. This trend underscores the ongoing competitiveness challenges faced by US soybeans in global markets. Reports have indicated that some US buyers have resorted to importing soybeans from Brazil due to the price disparity. The data suggests that US soybeans are currently overpriced compared to their Brazilian counterparts, leading to such market dynamics.

Despite China's official stance that reunification with Taiwan is non-negotiable, the perspectives of mainland Chinese writers, filmmakers, and television producers who have lived on the island are often far more nuanced. How have these artists reconciled their ties to the mainland with their experiences in Taiwan? What distinguishes the works of those who fled the mainland at the end of the Chinese Civil War from those who arrived in Taiwan decades later? Historian and translator Dr. Craig Smith, and literary and film critic Dr. Phyllis Huang analyse cultural products that were forged in the crucible of political and ideological division. With host Peter Clarke.An Asia Institute podcast.Produced and edited by profactual.com.Music by audionautix.com.

It's Monday, November 27th, A.D. 2023. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Adam McManus Communist Xi gets royal treatment despite China's persecution record China's President Xi Jinping recently visited the United States to meet with President Joe Biden, the first visit on American soil in six years. Their conversation included topics like the fentanyl crisis, artificial intelligence, and even the return of pandas to the United States.   Yet one issue was painfully neglected in their conversation – China's blatant violation of human rights and persecution of religious minorities, reports International Christian Concern. Since the Chinese Communist Party seized power in the 1940s, religious freedom conditions have deteriorated. China has kept its efforts to silence and, in some cases, eradicate ethnic and religious communities, such as the Uyghurs, Tibetan Buddhists, and Christians. Disappearances, forced organ harvesting, controlled press, and surveillance of its citizens are just the beginning in terms of China's human rights abuses. And these issues were largely ignored during Jinping's visit.  Shortly after the heads of state met, dozens of American CEOs socialized over dinner with Chinese government officials. High-profile CEOs such as Elon Musk of Tesla and X, Stanley Deal of Boeing, Stephen Schwarzman of Blackstone, and Marc Benioff of Salesforce were seen in attendance, paying up to $40,000 to dine with Communist dictator Xi Jinping. Many have criticized this large gathering, including Republican Congressman Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, who said, “It is unconscionable that American companies might pay thousands of dollars to join a ‘welcome dinner' hosted by the very same Chinese Communist Party officials who have facilitated a genocide against millions of innocent men, women, and children in Xinjiang.” The attendance of Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, should also be of notable concern. Two years ago, Apple removed a Bible app from the Chinese version of the app store at the request of government officials.   For a country that brought in $74 billion in revenue in 2022 for Apple, it is possible that Tim Cook and many of the CEOs in attendance have traded their “commitments” to universal human rights in exchange for cash, filling their pockets while letting China's religious minorities continue to suffer.  200 trucks of goods enter Gaza Strip Two hundred trucks of goods were offloaded by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency reception point in the Gaza Strip on Friday, the biggest humanitarian convoy received since October 7, reports the Jerusalem Post. This was done within the framework of the truce and the schedule for the release of the hostages that was agreed upon with the US through the mediation of Qatar and Egypt. The temporary truce between Israel and Hamas came into effect early on Friday, ahead of the exchange of dozens of hostages held by terrorists in Gaza for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, reports Jewish News. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted: “This humanitarian pause is critical to end the terrible ordeal of hostages held by Hamas and get life-saving aid into Gaza.” Instagram has become a “vast pedophile network” According to recent testimony during a U.S. Senate committee hearing, while social media giant, Meta, which runs Facebook and Instagram, was focused on cracking down on conservative speech in coordination with the Biden administration, pedophiles were not only operating “vast” networks on the company's platforms, but were often connected with each other via the company's own algorithms, reports LifeSiteNews. Listen to this soundbite from the November 7 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on “social media and the teen mental health crisis.” Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri asked Arturo Bejar, Facebook's former Director of Engineering for Protect and Care, a question. HAWLEY: “This is from the Wall Street Journal's report earlier this year. This is June of this year. They found the following. I'm going to quote.  ‘Instagram helps connect and promote a vast network of accounts openly devoted to the commission and purchase of under-age sex content. Pedophiles have long used the internet. But, unlike the forums and file transfer services that cater to people who have an interest in illicit content, Instagram doesn't merely host these activities, Instagram's algorithms promote them. Instagram connects pedophiles and guides them to content sellers via recommendation systems that excel at linking those who share these interests, the [Wall Street] Journal and academic researchers found.' “This is a stunning, stunning report, Mr. Bejar that more than bears out what you were telling, trying to tell, the executives who ignored you. In your own view, why do you think this is happening? Why has Instagram become, in the words of the Wall Street Journal, ‘a vast pedophile network'? Why are people, like your daughter, every time they get on Instagram, they're being bombarded with unwanted sexual advances, sexual content? Why is this happening?” BEJAR:  “Most of the resources, close to all, that they invest in this go towards this very narrow definition of harm.” Read Arturo Bejar's 15-page testimony. In Matthew 18:6, Jesus warned, “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in Me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” Celebrities revealing they aborted their children in memoirs And finally, it's the year of abortion memoirs, reports LifeSiteNews.com.   In Paris Hilton's memoir, entitled Paris, she revealed that when she was 22 years old she had an abortion.   She wrote, “In November 2003, after we had filmed the first season of The Simple Life and before it premiered, I was living my best life. … It all came crashing down when I realized I was pregnant at 22. Choosing to have an abortion can be an intensely private agony that's impossible to explain. The only reason I'm talking about it now is that so many women are facing it, and they feel so alone and judged and abandoned. … And you do it, even though it breaks your heart.” She's had thoughts like, “What if I killed my Paris?” Actress Kerry Washington  also released an autobiography this year, entitled Thicker Than Water: A Memoir, and writes about her own abortion.  She never imagined that she would be in an abortion clinic, “surrendering my insides to a surgical vacuum.”  Ironically, Washington is famous for a scene when her character on the TV show Scandal had an abortion, literally, to the tune of “Silent Night,” a Christmas hymn celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. And singer Britney Spears revealed in her memoir, entitled The Woman in Me, that she experienced a brutal abortion at the behest of her then-boyfriend Justin Timberlake, a man who desperately did not want to be a father. Spears wanted to keep the child, but she caved under pressure, and lay sobbing on the bathroom floor after taking the Abortion Kill Pill for fear of being recognized outside an abortion mill. Despite being worth tens of millions of dollars, they, too, were “not ready” to have children. The woman in Spears wanted to keep the baby; the baby in her died because Timberlake refused to welcome the baby that he had fathered. Isaiah 59:7 says, “Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent blood. They pursue evil schemes; acts of violence mark their ways.” Close And that's The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Monday, November 27th in the year of our Lord 2023. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

WORLD: Online scam networks in SEAsia still intact despite China crackdown | October 24, 2023Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net Follow us:Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebookInstagram - https://tmt.ph/instagramTwitter - https://tmt.ph/twitterDailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital Check out our Podcasts:Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotifyApple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcastsAmazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusicDeezer: https://tmt.ph/deezerStitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcherTune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein #TheManilaTimes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nickel dropped down to the bottom end of $20-$22,000 range that we've largely been in since the beginning of May – dragged lower along with the rest of the base metal complex as China deflation concerns weighed on the market.  LME inventories are still low.According to statistics from the Stainless Steel Branch of China Iron and Steel Association, China's crude stainless steel production amounted to around 17.59 million tons in the first half of this year, up by 8.2% compared to the same period a year ago.  Among them, the output of Cr-Ni stainless steel (300 series) accounted for the largest proportion at 50.33%, totalling around 8.85 million tons, a year-on-year hike of 11.1%.  (we thought China was slowing down) - seeing cuts in the first half in ROW production after a big surge in 2021/22, but now seeing a turn in the West as well.  Analysts always underestimate stainless growth. Still not seeing any further momentum in nickel sulphate in China, but seeing more nickel directly utilized (in the form of MHP/matte) and more high nickel cathode material produced in Korea.FPX Nickel saw a big drop this week – down by 33% on news that one of the First Nations (FN) groups has made public communications from Tl'azt'en Nation with respect to the 2012 Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU”) between Tl'azt'en Nation, family Keyoh Holders, and FPX, and concerns expressed related to resource development.The team at FPX have done a very good job responsibly advancing the project, but sometimes best efforts can't change the view of the local community.  The original 2012 group split into several groups – which may have different views on resource development. Elections in FN communities typically every 2-3 years so can have multiple leadership groups to deal with during the lifespan of the project (think with my old Dumont project, we had 5 different chiefs over 10 years).  The new chief came in a year ago and may be a catalyst for change, maybe another change in the future.Permitting/First Nations risk is real – even the best management team/approach can do everything 100% right, but the community may not want resource development. Encourage every investor to look at First Nations/permitting risk – not just to country, province, but the specific region – look at whether any mines operating in the area, have any operated before, and search for public comments on mining activity in the area. Can always be the first new mine in an area, but comes with lots of risks and need to manage accordingly.This is always been a key concern – 4 major assets that I've been involved with have been in established mining areas - Abitibi Quebec (Dumont), Abitibi area of Ontario (Crawford), Kalgoorlie (Beta Hunt), Manitoba/Snow Lake (Reed).  The Metals Company (TMC) stock has moved significantly higher over the last 2 months and just completed $27 million financing (think highlighted back in June that smaller scale start-up using existing Japanese processing capacity provides a lower capex path to production).  The Metals Company aims to apply next year for a licence to start mining in the Pacific Ocean, with production expected to start as early as the fourth quarter of 2025, it said in a statement.Magna Mining put out some nice drill holes this AM and has been busy retracing about 50% of what it gave up after the PEA announcement.101 FW ZoneMCR-23-041: 3.0% Ni, 0.7% Cu, 1.2 g/t Pt + Pd + Au over 31.6 metresMCR-23-042: 4.2% Ni, 1.4% Cu, 1.0 g/t Pt + Pd + Au over 27.6 metresGood results but would asterisk them a little bit – when historic drilling – look for step out versus infill, unless filling in some pretty wide gaps.  These holes look like in between 22-003 and 22-005 drilled earlier this year which in turn were between 1003080 and 1003090 and 1163050At the other end of step out level, our neighbour in Timmins, Aston Minerals, has started off their 2023 drilling season with some 500 metre step-outs in their B2 zone which in turn is more than 2 kilometres away from their initial Boomerang resource of 2.5 million tonnes of nickel.On the lithium-nickel front, Widgie Nickel got approval to mine its Faraday lithium deposit – will ship ore to one of the local lithium mines to be processed.Azure Minerals (nickel developer turned lithium developer) turned down $600 million offer from SQM.

From the abstract of the article in the Naval War College Review Winter 2023 Edition, Strategy, Uncertainty, and the China Challenge; "Despite China's increasing aggressiveness, its intentions are indeterminate, even aligning with U.S. interests in some arenas. Furthermore, China simply may fail in achieving even its foremost national and foreign-policy goals. Given this uncertainty, the United States should not base its policy and strategy on any specific prediction about Chinese intentions or abilities."Our guest for the full hour will be Jeffrey W. Meiser from the University of Portland (Oregon). We'll dive in to the issues raised in the article and discuss related topics as they come in to the conversation.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/3270000/advertisement

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Despite China warning “serious confrontation in the U.S.-China relationship,” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy confirmed plans to meet with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen when she visits California on Wednesday. This week on Intercepted, Elbridge Colby, former defense strategist during the Trump administration, joins Jeremy Scahill and Murtaza Hussain to discuss and debate the emerging bipartisan consensus that China threatens U.S. economic and military dominance. They discuss the impact of the U.S. war machine globally, China's military build-up, as well as China's rapidly expanding international prominence and economic might. As Beijing celebrates its diplomatic efforts to broker a peace deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and makes moves aimed at ending Russia's war in Ukraine, they debate whether Beijing poses a real threat to the U.S. and if a non-hegemonic world is possible.If you'd like to support our work, go to theintercept.com/join — your donation, no matter what the amount, makes a real difference.And if you haven't already, please subscribe to the show so you can hear it every week. And please go and leave us a rating or a review — it helps people find the show. If you want to give us feedback, email us at Podcasts@theintercept.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paul Ehrlich, Stanford Professor Emeritus, discusses overpopulation, citing Sir Partha Dasgupta's study suggesting a sustainable population of 3.2 billion. Despite China's declining population, he argues overpopulation strains resources and harms the environment.  Ehrlich emphasizes equitable food distribution, empowering women for smaller families, and systemic changes like carbon taxes. He highlights the need for social science solutions and global cooperation, urging young people to educate themselves and act on sustainability issues.

Kia ora,Welcome to Monday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand.I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from Interest.co.nz.Today we lead with news investor inflation expectations are the key uncertainty this week.Despite China being on holiday, it will be a busy data week ahead. For us it will be highlighted with the Wednesday release of our Q4-2022 inflation data. That will be quickly followed by the same data from Australia. Both have the potential to be market-moving. Markets expect the NZ CPI rate to come in at 7.1% and little changed from the September 7.2%, and for Australia at 7.5% and up from the prior 7.3%. The week will end with the US releasing its first estimate of 2022-Q4 GDP growth on Friday, and a +2.6% rate is expected. At the same time a +2.5% rise durable goods orders is expected. Before all that flash PMI data for January for the US, Japan, Europe and Australia will be released. We will also be following the Canadian policy rate decision on Thursday (+25 bps expected to 4.50%).Of course, it is a full week official holiday in China, and Taiwan and Singapore are other countries taking a New Year holiday today at least. Hong Kong's financial market will be closed until Thursday this week, unlike Shanghai which doesn't reopen until Monday, January 30.The Chinese central bank reviewed its loan benchmarks late Friday and left them unchanged. This wasn't a surprise and is the fifth straight month they have been untouched. The gigantic Chinese New Year (Year of the Rabbit) travel event has started, which will see more than 900 mln people move around internally and externally, probably extending Covid to every corner of their country. Some 2.1 bln trips are expected to take place during the 40-day Spring Festival period, double the number of treks from last year.China's financial markets and government departments will be closed for all of next week, returning on Monday, January 30, 2023.But when they return, there is some optimism that the restart to their economy will be stronger than we have seen it for a while, and that should drive a counterbalance to an expected slowdown in the US economic engine. (Optimism about China's prospects is not universal however, even in China.)It's been a long-talked-about American slowdown, but there are few real signs of it yet. However, it will be no surprise if one comes. Most analysts expect it to be a mild retreat, and if inflation also retreats and stays down, then a more sustained rise may follow.American resales of existing homes fell in December, continuing housing's current funk. The key to watch is the American labour market. Their tech industry retrenchment is gathering steam, with Google the latest to announce very large job cuts. But so far, the wipe out by the tech titans has had little impact on overall employment.And of course, markets will be jostling ahead of the next US Fed meeting on February 2, 2023 (NZT).Canada retail sales rose in December after falling in November, but the shifts are pretty modest. Year on year sales rose in nominal prices (+5.1%) less than their inflation rate (6.3%), they are seeing volume declines.Japanese inflation hit a 41-year high in December, up +4% and above their central bank 2% target for a ninth straight month. It is up from +3.7% in November, the sharpest rise since 1981. The rise from November to December was at an annualised +3.5% rate, so perhaps there is some moderation coming.In Australia, investors are increasingly wary of commercial real estate. They suspect there will be a reset in asset values as credit markets tighten will hit office landlords. It a re-pricing that will be wider than that sector of course, but it has been on the cards for some time as interest rates rise. Much will depend on market reactions to the upcoming CPI data.The IMF is about to release its latest global forecasts and indications are it will be raising estimates of expansion, including in China - and the EU.The UST 10yr yield starts today at 3.48%, and unchanged. The price of gold will open today at US$1926/oz and very little different from where we left it on Saturday.And oil prices start today little-changed, at just over US$81.50/bbl in the US while the international Brent price is just over US$87.50/bbl.The Kiwi dollar has firmed slightly overnight, now at 64.7 USc. Against the Australian dollar we start the week at just under 93 AUc. Against the euro we are unchanged at 59.6 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at 71.8, and the highest of the year so far.The bitcoin price is up further, now at US$22,836 and a heady rise of +6.9% from this time Saturday. Volatility over the past 24 hours however has been modest at +/- 1.6%.You can find links to the articles mentioned today in our show notes.And get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz.Kia ora. I'm David Chaston and we will do this again tomorrow.

Despite China reopening its borders this month, visitor numbers from there are likely to remain low due to the limited availability and high cost of flights.

SCO Summit from a Reporter's Lens: Geeta Mohan, with host Anna Priyadarshini, discusses if there are dead-ends at the SCO for India, when it comes to resolving some of our most crucial geopolitical hurdles? Tune in!

In the wake of Nancy Pelosi's recent visit to Taiwan, fiction writer Phong Nguyen joins Fiction/Non/Fiction hosts V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell to discuss China's interests abroad. Nguyen speaks about his new historical novel Bronze Drum, in which he retells the story of Viêt sisters who led an army of women in battle against their Hán Chinese occupiers. He explains how their actions laid the groundwork for an independent Vietnam, and considers modern relationships between China and other countries around the world. To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/. This podcast is produced by Anne Kniggendorf. Selected Readings: Phong Nguyen Bronze Drum Pages From The Textbook Of Alternate History Roundabout: An Improvisational Fiction Others: Pelosi's ‘reckless' Taiwan visit deepens US-China rupture – why did she go? U.S. Insists It Will Operate Around Taiwan, Despite China's Pressure - The New York Times The Princess Bride Thelma and Louise Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Taiwan has for long been a flashpoint in US-China relations. The visit to Taiwan by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi once again ratcheted up tensions between the two big powers. Despite China making its displeasure clear in the strongest terms – or perhaps because of it – Pelosi went ahead with her visit. China condemned her visit as “extremely dangerous”. It has also launched aggressive military drills that encroach on Taiwan's territorial waters. The Chinese Communist Party has made no secret of its intention to integrate Taiwan with the People's Republic of China. The U.S., while formally claiming to respect the ‘One China' policy, has indicated it may respond with force if China undertook any military action against Taiwan. But with China aspiring to achieve – if not surpass – military parity with the US, how long can the current equilibrium hold? Has Pelosi's visit raised the stakes in Taiwan for both China and the U.S.? What are the likely long-term consequences of China's unprecedented military drills that effectively encircled Taiwan? Guest: Ananth Krishnan, The Hindu's China correspondent. Host: G. Sampath, Social Affairs Editor, The Hindu Edited by Reenu Cyriac

BIDEN PROTECTS TRAVEL ABORTION RIGHTS, PELOSI TAIWAN VISIT DESPITE CHINA'S WARNINGS. WITH JERRY MALCOLM, GRANT CARDONE AND JONATHAN BING Our live show gives our listeners the chance to actually hear us perform and even influence the show and gives us the unique opportunity to create a bond with our already captive listeners. The instant feedback – the laughs, the gasps, that sense of connection. They're coming to our show to feel part of a conversation and voice their opinion every time we record a podcast episode. The people that attend our live podcast show have a great time, tell their friends and family and attract some very powerful champions of each spirited DEBATE The NEWS episode. Here at DTN, We DEBATE The News! We Allow You To Present Your Interpretation On Today's Local, National, & World News Topics. Spirited & Informed Discussions Are Encouraged. Engage and Sharpen Your Mind with Intellectual Combat! Live On the Clubhouse APP: https://www.debatethenews.com/jointheclub (Clubhouse Link) M-F 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM EST / 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM PST Meet the Host(s): https://www.debatethenews.com/gat (Get Access Tour | MasterClass)

US Democrat Nancy Pelosi has visited Taiwan as part of a tour of Asia, in spite of sharp warnings from China. The trip is the first of its kind by a senior US official in 25 years since China claimed the island as its own. Mrs Pelosi said her visit "honours America's unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan's vibrant democracy" and did not contradict US policy. Plus the first grain ship to depart Ukraine since Russia's invasion - The Razoni, has arrived at Turkey's Bosphorus strait. The vessel which is carrying 26,000 tonnes of corn, will be inspected on Wednesday morning before continuing its journey to Lebanon. And we find out why It's so hard to find affordable apartments in New York and why many are at risk of homelessness.

NTD News Today—8/2/2022 1. U.S. Kills Al Qaeda Leader in Drone Strike 2. Bart Marcois, Ex-Diplomat Under Bush Admin. 3. Zawahiri's Death Crushes Al-Qaeda: Analysis 4. Analyzing Taking Out High-profile Terrorists 5. Comparing Bin Laden, Al-Zawahiri Strikes 6. R9X Drone Missile Uses Blades, Not Explosion 7. Tensions Ahead of Pelosi's Expected Trip 8. Gas Prices Fall for 7th Straight Week 9. MI, KS, MO, AZ, WA Hold Primary Elections 10. Capitol Rioter Gets Over 7-year Sentence 11. 2 Dead in Biggest Calif. Wildfire of the Year 12. Rescue Continues for Kentucky Flood Victims 13. WH Names Monkeypox Response Coordinator 14. Roger Gannam, Asst. VP, Liberty Counsel 15. Houston Tunnels Offer Escape From Heat 16. Semiconductor Bill Facing Controversy 17. U.S., Japan to Cooperate on Semiconductor Research 18. Air Force Grounds All F-35 Fighter Jets 19. Should U.S. Release the ‘Merchant of Death'? 20. Russia Designates Azov Regiment as Terrorist 21. NATO Oversees Removal of Roadblocks in Kosovo 22. Exhibition Celebrates Female Wwii Veterans 23. Rome's Cinecitta Film Studios in Flames 24. Mayans Blended Dead Bodies Into Sports Balls 25. Mysterious Giant Sinkhole Spotted in Chile 26. France's Only Postman Who Delivers Mail by Boat 27. Wearable Fans Help Japan's Hot Dogs Stay Cool 28. Some Veggies Are Healthier When Cooked 29. Daredevils Take Annual Jump From Mostar Old Bridge

David Cay Johnston, co-founder of DCReport, Pulitzer Prize Winner and 4-time bestselling author joins Mark Thompson to discuss Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Joe Biden brags about killing a leader of al-Qaeda. Nancy Pelosi got pressured to not go to Taiwan but she arrived to darkness and no fanfare. Primary Election Day is here and will shape how the next few months leading up to the general election.

David Cay Johnston, co-founder of DCReport, Pulitzer Prize Winner and 4-time bestselling author joins Mark Thompson to discuss Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3:05pm: Town Hall: Joe Manchin is in Deep Denial 3:20pm: Joe Manchin Defends Tax Increases in Democrats' Climate Plan 3:35pm: Guest: Bret Baier, Chief Political Anchor for Fox News & Anchor of Special Report with Bret Baier 3:50pm: Baby formula crisis WORSENS  4:05pm: Guest: Gordon Chang, author of The Coming Collapse of China  4:20pm: San Diego Union-Tribune: Opinion: I'm an epidemiologist. Here's why San Diego Unified's mask mandate won't slow COVID-19 4:35pm: Guest: Dr. Nicole Saphier, Board Certified Medical Doctor, Senior Fox News Medical Contributor  4:50pm: Guy Benson Show 5:05pm: National Review: Stagflation by any other name  5:20pm: Guy Benson Show 5:35pm: Guest: Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA)  5:50pm: Homestretch: Career challenge: Should you stay in touch with your job while you're on vacation?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Russia repositioning troops in Ukraine's south in preparation for counteroffensive. Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson suspended for six games by neutral arbitrator. J.R. Whalen reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is heading to Taiwan despite a warning from China. Listen here and learn more at Knewz.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Hour 2 of The Dawn Stensland Show: Michael Busler—Economics and Finance Professor at Stockton University—joins the show to talk about the Commerce Department's announcement that during the second quarter, U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) shrank by 0.9%. This is now the second consecutive quarter GDP has fallen, meeting the traditional definition of a recession. On Wednesday, Jerome Powell announced the Federal Reserve would increase interest rates by 0.75 percentage points. Dr. Busler explains that negative economic growth is largely being driven by out-of-control inflation and, alarmingly, we are now entering a period of “stagflation”—a stagnant economy with a rise in inflation. Will Nancy Pelosi follow through with her pledge to visit Taiwan? China's Minister of Defense has vowed to “resolutely defend national sovereignty” if the Speaker of the House visits Taiwan, according to National Review. During a press conference Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said, “if she doesn't go now, she's handed China sort of a victory.” According to reports, the Biden Administration has offered a prisoner swap with Russia. In the proposed swap, Russia would release WNBA star Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan in exchange for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer. A 6th grade teacher posted a video to TikTok in which she endorsed the idea of hiding a student's gender transition from parents if the child requests confidentiality—and reveals it's a practice she has implemented in the past.

Even though China's borders remain largely closed, the recovery in Southeast Asia is in full swing—that's the view from airline and airport executives from the region who this week gathered at the Routes Asia event in Vietnam. Listen in as Routes Editor-in-Chief David Casey, ASM consultant Tony Griffin and Chen Chuanren, ATW's Southeast Asia and China Editor, share what they've been hearing.

The Australian sharemarket rose for a second day, with the ASX 200 lifting by 0.25%. Early this morning however, the market was up as much as 1% before the release of data highlighting a significant slowdown in China's economy. A pullback in commodity prices, losses on China's sharemarket and futures pointing to a softer start in the US also weighed. This report is approved and distributed in Australia by Commonwealth Securities Limited ABN 60 067 254 399, AFSL 238814 (CommSec) is a wholly owned but non-guaranteed subsidiary of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia ABN 48 123 123 124, AFSL 234945 and a market participant of ASX Limited and Cboe Australia Pty Limited (formerly Chi-X Australia Pty Limited), a clearing participant of ASX Clear Pty Limited and a settlement participant of ASX Settlement Pty Limited.  Any advice contained in this report is general advice only and is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any securities, property, real estate or financial products, and has been prepared without taking account of the objectives, financial situation or needs of any particular individual. Before making any investment decision, you should consider your own investment needs and objectives and consider seeking financial advice. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. This report is produced by Commonwealth Securities Limited based on information available at the time of publishing. We believe that the information in this report is correct and any opinions, conclusions or recommendations are reasonably held or made as at the time of its compilation, but no warranty is made as to accuracy, reliability or completeness. To the extent permitted by law, neither the Bank nor any of its subsidiaries accept liability to any person for loss or damage arising from the use of this report.    

Despite China's GDP 4.8% expansion, to what extent would their lockdowns weigh on the country's economic outlook? Michelle Martin finds out how China's economic slowdown is impacting Singapore, the latest development of Elon Musk's Twitter takeover offer and her picks for today's edition of Up or Down. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Like what we do? Support our podcast here --> https://anchor.fm/politicana/support/ Hello and welcome to the Politicana Podcast, where Tyler, Prateek, and Nick discuss all things American Politics! We hope you enjoy the episode and perhaps learn something new. We release new episodes every week, typically on Sunday or Monday. Please email Backofthemob@gmail.com with any comments or questions. -- TIMESTAMPS -- 1:00 - Colin Powell Passed Away 5:40 - Joe Biden Getting Drawn Into FBI/IRS Probe With Son Hunter Biden 19:05 - U.S. 'Very Concerned' Over China's Hypersonic Missile Test, Despite China's Denials 33:20 - Supply Chain Chaos 39:30 - Should Countries Be More Autonomous/Self-Reliant? 44:50 - Justice Department Asks Supreme Court To Temporarily Block Texas Abortion Law --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/politicana/support

The Evergrande debt crisis, the Chinese energy crackdown on missed targets and the ban on cryptocurrencies have been shaking the markets, along with Federal Reserve's (Fed) more hawkish policy stance last week, and not only on its QE taper front but also regarding the interest rates. Natural gas futures rebound fast from last week's dip and should continue rising as the winter approaches. US crude traded it above the $75 per barrel in Asia for the first time since July. Despite discouraging news on the wire, US and European futures traded mostly in the positive hinting at some more consolidation in US equities at the start of the week. In Germany, SPD party is ahead of outgoing Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats. An SPD-led coalition in Germany is quite bearish for the DAX, but there is no particular sign off stress on DAX which recovers last week's losses this Monday. Finally, the impact of the latest Chinese news on Bitcoin's price was significant but not dramatic as the $40K support held well during the kneejerk drop and during the weekend.

Rising prices in the G20 group of major economies will grow faster than pre-pandemic for at least two years, the OECD forecasts. Consumers have suffered price hikes as higher commodity prices and shipping costs increase inflation for the first time in years, Paris-based policy forum reports. Inflation have reached 3.2% in the UK, highest rate of the advanced economies, and is expected to continue at this level until the end of the year, the OECD said. Inflation is expected to fall in the US, France, and Germany. Inflation has returned all over the world due to the cost of raw materials, constraints on the supply of goods, stronger consumer demand as economies reopen, and prices recovering from drops during the pandemic in some sectors, it said. Consumer demand, supply disruptions and depleted stores of goods have forced up prices and shipping costs. Further supply shortages could lead to a longer period of higher inflation, the OECD said. The OECD expects the rate of inflation in the G20 to moderate from 4.5% at the end of 2021 to 3.5% by the end of 2022. Source: BBC. The real estate bubble in China continues to grow with Evergrande expected to default on interest payments this week or receive government aid. Meanwhile, over a million property buyers are waiting to see if they will lose their deposits on ‘off plan' unfinished properties all over China. These are worrying times. Markets and property prices in majors Cities around the world remain at an all-time high while governments print trillions to prop up weakened economies. There has never been a better time to stay informed and educate yourself on financial matters. The KEY to building and KEEPING wealth is financial education. Millionaires and millionaire habits have been studied and documented at academic levels for the last hundred years. Bestselling books, like The Science of Getting Rich and Thinks and Grow Rich, were written almost a century ago. I have also published my own book on how people get wealthy and how some lose it all - Yes Money Can Buy You Happiness. We know exactly what the millionaire and billionaire habits and traits are, as success leaves tracks. All you need to do is follow their tracks to become wealthy and financially free! If you would like to learn more about investing and managing your money, become a professional property investor, or would like to be financially free without working any harder, watch this free on demand training. I will give a special free gift which can help you to immediately transform your finances when you attend the online training. Click on this link to watch the free training now https://bit.ly/3wLWqx2 Book now as spaces fill up fast... #evergrande #chinacrisis #realestatebubble #property #stockmarketcrash #inflation #financialeducation #freetraining

Penfolds-maker Treasury Wine Estates has increased its profits despite massive tariffs from the Chinese government.   Tesla's so-called ‘autopilot' technology is under investigation for potentially being misleading after multiple crashes.   Origin Energy has slumped to a $2.3 billion loss thanks to heavy ‘write-downs' in the value of its assets.   ---   Save money and win cash prizes up to $250k weekly: https://bit.ly/Wintheweek Get your credit score for free: https://bit.ly/fluxcreditscore Download the free app (App Store): http://bit.ly/FluxAppStore Download the free app (Google Play Store): http://bit.ly/FluxappGooglePlay Weekly newsletter: https://bit.ly/fluxnewsletter Instagram: http://bit.ly/fluxinsta TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@flux.finance   ---   The content in this podcast reflects the views and opinions of the hosts, and is intended for personal and not commercial use. We do not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any opinion, statement or other information provided or distributed in these episodes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Investors shake off concerns about an economic slowdown in China. Oil prices fall sharply. Pfizer and BioNTech seek FDA approval for Covid-19 booster shot for the general public. Charlie Turner reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode of compounding lifestyle, we talk about Crypto, The Future of Bitcoin, And What's Next For Crypto. Bitcoin mining difficulty just fell by a record-breaking 28% — it's good news for some. This metric gauges how hard it is to create a new block on the blockchain. With a higher difficulty, greater computing power is needed. The mass exodus of mining power from China, linked to a recent crypto clampdown, has even caused the formation of new blocks on BTC's blockchain to slow down substantially. This is designed to happen once every 10 minutes, but at times in recent days, new blocks have only been created every 19 minutes with less competition in the race to add a new block. Difficulty levels are reviewed every 2,016 blocks — every two weeks, give or take — meaning that everything will be assessed once again in a fortnight. Going forward, it's worth keeping an eye on the hash rate, otherwise known as the combined processing power of the Bitcoin network. The latest figures show that 54% of Bitcoin's hash rate has fallen off the network since prices hit an all-time high back in May. Some analysts predict that miners could end up receiving a boost to their revenues for the rest of this year as displaced Chinese miners look for a new place to set up shop. 56% of Energy Used By Miners Came from Sustainable Sources in Q2. After Tesla suspended accepting Bitcoin as a payment method over environmental concerns, Elon Musk said the electric vehicle company would only embrace cryptocurrency when there's confirmation that miners use 50% clean energy. Some 56% of the energy used by Bitcoin miners came from sustainable energy sources in the second quarter of 2021. The Bitcoin Mining Council says it collected information from 32% of the global BTC network for its survey — and heralded crypto as one of the most sustainable industries globally. Despite China shutting down over 60 percent of the global Bitcoin network, the Bitcoin network experienced zero downtime, no bailouts has registered no bankruptcies, and simply adapted by redeploying its infrastructure into regions that have greater freedoms. The network remains as strong as ever, it simply shrugs off adversity and moves forward. Countries Most Prepared for Mass Adoption of Crypto are U.S. Cyprus, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the U.K. Crypto Head, which performed the research, said the U.S. leads the way when it comes to the rollout of crypto ATMs — with 17,000 dotted across the country. There has also been a 140% increase in searches for cryptocurrency in the States over the past year. Cyprus saw similar increases in the number of search queries. Overall, 33.9% of the population Googled for information about crypto — the highest worldwide. While Singapore is home to 10 crypto ATMs, Hong Kong is home to 124. On average, this means that there are one every 3 square miles, and one for every 60,000 people. Rounding off the 10 most crypto-ready countries were Ireland, Slovenia, Australia, Germany, and Canada. $ARKX $XOM $TSLA $AAL $BNGO $MARA $O $CRWD $FB $AAPL $FCEL $MGM $GOOGL $EZGO $SHOP $MTCH $DIS $PDD $ $TWTR $AMZN $EBET $PLTR $BFLY $ENZC $GM $ABNB $BUZZ $PTON $TDOC $DDD $U BTC Eth, XLM Control the Cash balance today and position yourself accordingly. Let's GO!!!!! Research Links: www.Finviz.com www.Nasdaq.com Learn more about options: https://tinyurl.com/Compounding-Lifestyle Music-Billions-Playglenthomas Voice Mail link, show us some love, call in to ask questions: https://anchor.fm/compounding-lifestyle/message (copy/paste the URL) https://www.coinbase.com/join/worthy_a7 Robinhood link: https://join.robinhood.com/arristw DISCLAIMER: These Podcasts are for educational purposes only. Nothing in this podcast should be construed as financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any sort of security or investment. Consult with a professional financial advisor before making any financial decisions. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/compounding-lifestyle/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/compounding-lifestyle/support

Apple production continues as normal despite China reporting decline in smartphone shipments; Applecare+ warranty price changes for new models; Right-To-Repair bill enters house.

Despite China's direct trade relationship with Australia being pretty grim, the nations hunger to import commodities from other countries has contributed to a global price jump across most markets.

Despite China's direct trade relationship with Australia being pretty grim, the nations hunger to import commodities from other countries has contributed to a global price jump across most markets.

Despite China's direct trade relationship with Australia being pretty grim, the nations hunger to import commodities from other countries has contributed to a global price jump across most markets.

Despite China's direct trade relationship with Australia being pretty grim, the nations hunger to import commodities from other countries has contributed to a global price jump across most markets.

Despite China’s nationalism and push for sovereignty, a new book argues the modern nation-state of China is not as unified, and does not have the historical depth, that we might have thought.

Four years ago, then-president-elect Donald Trump broke with decades of US diplomatic tradition simply by picking up the phone. That’s because the person calling was Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan’s first female president.By speaking with her, Trump seemed to challenge the long-standing US diplomatic policy of officially regarding Taiwan as part of China. No other US president or president-elect is believed to have spoken directly with a Taiwanese leader since 1979.Related: Amid increasing US-China tensions, humor is serious businessTrump’s move was the beginning of a major shift that has increased ties between the US and Taiwan, leading to threatening countermoves by China and amplified tensions in the South China Sea.With human rights activists jailed in Hong Kong, fears are growing that China will next set its sights on Taiwan, a fledgling democracy seeking independence. US policy, as set by the next president, may play a defining role.The Trump administration has maintained that it hasn’t formally changed US policy toward Taiwan, but it has stepped up arms sales to the country, and increased the pace of high-level visits by US officials. In early August, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar led a delegation to Taipei, the Taiwanese capital.“We could not be prouder that Taiwan is one of the US’s 10 largest trading partners.” Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar“We could not be prouder that Taiwan is one of the US’s 10 largest trading partners,” Azar said, announcing a new economic dialogue with Taiwan focused on technology and health care.It was a dramatic step toward closer US-Taiwan relations, and not long after, Taiwanese President Tsai — who had just been reelected — gave a speech demanding Beijing recognize Taiwan as a self-governed democracy.Related: Trump campaign courts voters in swing states with tough stance on Venezuela“The right of people to choose how they are governed is [a] universal aspiration and inalienable right,” she said. “As president, it is incumbent on me to protect these rights and to make certain they will be passed down to future generations.”China responded by conducting large-scale military drills off of Taiwan’s southwestern coast. The US made another move, sending Under Secretary of State Keith Krach to visit Taiwan. China responded again by flying jets into Taiwanese airspace.“That caused the Taiwan Defense Department to actually give a press conference and say we reserve the right to respond with our own military,” said Kelsey Broderick, an analyst and Taiwan expert with the Eurasia Group. “That's new.”Despite China’s hostile moves, Broderick said they could have been much worse. Many are surprised that China hasn’t hit back harder.“In my conversations with former Obama officials, one of the things that they have mentioned is that they thought that China would react much more strongly to some of the things the Trump administration has done, and China didn't,” she said.Related: COVID-19 in the West Wing means instability amid fraught election, analyst saysTo Broderick, that means China might be willing to take even more pressure on Taiwan. And she said that’s what might happen if Trump is reelected. Broderick says that if former Vice President Joe Biden is elected, though, Democrats may play it safe. Historically, they’ve promoted dialogue with China on Taiwan.“They're probably going to in some ways kind of walk back their relationship a little bit. I think that we will see much less high-profile efforts to be close to Taiwan.”Kelsey Broderick, Eurasia Group“They're probably going to in some ways kind of walk back their relationship a little bit,” Broderick said. “I think that we will see much less high-profile efforts to be close to Taiwan.”Others though, point to the long-standing bipartisan support for Taiwan, and say Biden would stay the course that the Trump administration has charted.Related: Explainer: Both candidates' platforms underline US struggle to confront China“There’s definitely a lot of uncertainty over the elections, but whatever happens, we don't believe things will actually change a lot,” said Wellington Tzou, president of the Taiwanese American Citizens League. Tzou added that the Democratic platform under Biden omits any mention of a “One China” policy — which recognizes Taiwan as part of China — for the first time in years.But if China increases aggression toward Taiwan, the US will face more pressure to respond, regardless of who is president, said Russell Hsiao of the Global Taiwan Institute.“Beijing has to recognize that the more that it pressures Taipei, the more that it will elicit greater calls and support for Taiwan here in the US,” he said.Hsiao said there’s now a growing discussion about whether Trump was right four years ago, and it’s time for the US to be clear about its position on Taiwan. 

More demand has entered the corn market in the past week, particularly from China.

The RundownDigital Industrial RevolutionIt is starting to look like China is going full blockchain with plans to issue a central bank stablecoin, presumably to regain power from which controls the vast majority of payments in the country.They're going so far as to remove articles that say blockchain tech is a scam. Freedom of speech so being a luxury in China.Like Russia before them, they too now claim they want to be at the forefront of blockchain implementations, with it unclear whether they can and/or what effect this might have.Russia, The Big Error of HistoryRussia's president Vladimir Putin has gone so far as to even ordered the central bank to step down when the latter hinted at a dislike towards this space.That they want to orchestrate a drive towards blockchain integration is clear, but whether they can is a different matter.China, The Open Markets DilemmaA a simple trajectory of the blockchain starts in London, then USA, Russia, France , Venezuela and Iran on one hand, Saudis on the other, and now to China.China has many very smart men and women who enjoyed and still enjoy fairly close relations or at least have interactions with western talent.The problem is China's firewall, which in this case is an almost physical firewall in that they have banned crypto exchanges, and thus any western interest in the country where the crypto or blockchain aspects are concerned.It's unlikely they'd be able to lead. It is perhaps even impossible realistically thinking because China might have surface knowledge but not the deep knowhow that comes from being at the forefront of the computer revolution during a period ranging from the 70s to the 90s when the latter went mainstream, and then at the forefront of the internet age thereafter.Bitcoin Jumps 12% as China's Xi Embraces Blockchain, Boosting Crypto SentimentBitcoin prices are rebounding from a five-month low touched earlier this week.Chinese President Xi Jinping said his country should seize opportunities afforded by blockchain, the technology that underpins bitcoin.Despite China's ban on cryptocurrency exchanges in 2017, the comments from the leader of the world's second-largest economy could boost sentiment toward digital assets in general, providing a positive market backdrop for bitcoin, says eToro's Mati Greenspan.Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, said the country needs to “seize the opportunity” afforded by blockchain technology.Speaking as part of the 18th collective study of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee on Thursday in Beijing, Xi said blockchain technology has a wide array of applications within China, listing topics ranging from financing businesses to mass transit and poverty alleviation.“We must take the blockchain as an important breakthrough for independent innovation of core technologies,” Xi told committee members.“[We must] clarify the main direction, increase investment, focus on a number of key core technologies, and accelerate the development of blockchain technology and industrial innovation.”United States, The ComplacentThe United States has one very big problem. It is ruled by bankers. That's a generalization and perhaps not a fully correct statement, but that banks have immense influence is far too clear.Banks of course are not a monolithic entity. In addition, there's a generational divide. The older generation which thinks this blockchain stuff is complete nonsense, and the younger one that sees the need to adapt.This generational transition of power has just begun, but the older generation is in many respects doing much to slow down innovation and in the case of Libra they're thinking of stopping it entirely.The other big transition in the United States is a very slow but noticeable change in power balances between the techies riding the wave of the digital revolution, and the old finance.Plenty of the latter will adapt, but their instinct naturally has been to slow down digitally native finance.We pass no judgment on whether these are right decisions or not, at least not in this editorial, as going a bit slowly may well be to the benefit of all in the United States for now.Yet just how slowly, can be very crucial because that would give China a window of opportunity in what American historians would probably call the great mistake if it came to pass.5 Good MinutesBakkt to Launch Crypto ‘Consumer App'In a blog post, Bakkt chief product officer Mike Blandina wrote that the company was working on developing an app to let consumers use digital assets when purchasing goods from merchants.“We'll be launching a consumer app to make it easy for consumers to discover and unlock the value of digital assets, as well as ways in which they can transact or track them. Merchants gain access to a broader set of customers with expanded spending power,” Blandina wrote.He hinted that the app might support more than just bitcoin, which is currently the only digital asset Bakkt and its parent company Intercontinental Exchange provide futures contracts for.“A key feature of the model we've designed is to support a superset of digital assets, including cryptocurrencies as seamlessly as investors transact in stocks in a retail brokerage account,” he wrote. “Our vision is to provide a consumer platform for managing a digital asset portfolio, whether they wish to store, transact, trade or transfer their assets.”The Hard TruthBinance charged Blockstack $250,000 prior to listing Stacks. Yes another Binance Story.Binance charged Blockstack $250,000 to list StacksBlockstack says it was a “long term payment” not a “listing fee”Several 20-year plus exchange veterans tell The Block that's likely a bunch of malarkey 

Despite China's official Manufacturing PMI showing another month of contraction, the Caixin PMI gauge indicated signs of growth in China's factory output. ING's Economist for Greater China, Iris Pang, thinks that the volatility in the Caixin PMI's readings makes its state counterparts a little more reliable. She also touches on why they don't see a resolution to the trade war anytime soon.

Senior Vice President Chris Keith has the market analysis for Friday, August 3. Despite China’s retaliatory threat of an additional $60 billion in potential tariffs on U.S. goods, both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 gained 0.5% today while the NASDAQ advanced 0.1%. We also saw July’s employment report, which showed 157,000 new jobs added to the economy—nearly 20% short of the anticipated 193,000.

This is Special English. I'm Ryan Price in Beijing. Here is the news. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says China has demonstrated great leadership and made a remarkable commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Ban made the remark in a recorded video statement for a symposium in Nyingchi in Tibet. He says he is pleased that China has pledged to eradicate poverty in the country by 2020, increase south-south cooperation, and focus on action to tackle climate change. The secretary-general says China's 13th Five-Year Plan has integrated the 2030 Agenda in the country's overall social, economic and environmental planning; and he welcomes China's continued leadership to achieve the 2030 Agenda both at home and globally. The 2030 Agenda is a people-centered, universal, transformative and integrated plan. It recognizes that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with economic growth and addressing a range of social needs, while tackling climate change. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a video message that China will follow the path of innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development, and work with the rest of the world to advance the 2030 Agenda. He calls on countries to identify major tasks in economy, society and environment. The event brought together over 100 high-level participants to brainstorm on how equitable, open, all-around and innovative approaches can be promoted in support of the Sustainable Development Goals. This is Special English. Major internet portal Baidu says it will gradually close its online literature forum over concerns of piracy. Baidu says it has set up two channels to accept tipoffs from the public, adding that it will remove pirated content within 12 hours from Baidu Tieba, the largest Chinese communication platform. The move came in response to news reports in late March. Xinhua News Agency accused Baidu Tieba of being the biggest source of pirated literature online. An official from the National Copyright Administration of China said it endorsed Baidu's move, adding that the administration was taking the matter very seriously. China has launched inter-departmental special campaigns against online piracy for 11 consecutive years. A new campaign will be launched this year, focusing on piracy of online literature. You're listening to Special English. I'm Ryan Price in Beijing. China's industry watchdog, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, has released its strictest real-name registration rules for mobile phone users. The measures aim to have 95 percent of all mobile phone users in China registered with a real name by the end of this year, and 100 percent before July 30, 2017. It also requires telecommunication companies to notify users to finish the process. Those who fail to register with a real name, or whose registration information is incomplete, will have their phone numbers suspended or deactivated. Officials said the measures will help fight terrorism and safeguard national security and social stability. Major telecom carriers in China said they are carrying out real-name registration and will firmly implement the system. Real-name registration was put into effect in 2013 by China Mobile Communications, China United Network Communications Group and China Telecommunications Corporation. Forty million people have redone their registration since last year, and 92 percent of phone users across the country are covered. There are still 100 million users who haven't completed the process. The ministry said that by the end of April, more than 140,000 phone numbers that relate to telecom fraud have been shut down. This is Special English. As the summer season begins, tourist destinations across China are increasing police presence to ensure any crimes or disputes are dealt with in a timely manner. The increased presence follows a similar campaign last year, which was launched to handle disputes over forced shopping, exorbitant food prices and illegal vendors. Police officers have been dispatched across resorts, parks and major scenic spots in Southwest China's Yunan Province to prepare for summer travel rush. Tourist visits to the province exceeded 300 million last year, generating 320 billion yuan in revenue. Despite China's booming tourist market, complains about dishonest or poor service abound. Disputes between consumers and merchants sometimes escalate into violence without timely intervention by authorities. The tourism police will respond to any complaints and coordinate with other regulatory bodies to address illegal activities. Zhang Peng-fei is a tourist who traveled from northeast China to southwest Yunnan's Xishuangbanna prefecture. He says it is psychologically reassuring to know there are cops to watch out for travellers. Zhang added that during his travels he had filed complaints but the authorities had not responded immediately, and this had disrupted his travel plans. Police based in Xishuangbanna since March this year have already uncovered a fake-liquor scheme in the tropical resort. You're listening to Special English. I'm Ryan Price in Beijing. Here is a piece of good news for those who are tired of traffic jams and exhaust fumes. A recently unveiled design concept for "straddling buses" can allow cars to drive underneath. In addition to save road space, the new invention can also help control air pollution. Also known as a land airbus, the concept was the brainchild of the Beijing-based Transit Explore Bus, who took the design to the just-concluded high-tech expo in the city. The passenger compartment of the straddling bus spans two traffic lanes and sits high above the road surface on a pair of stilts, leaving the road clear for ordinary cars to pass underneath. Regardless of whether the bus is moving or not, vehicles within 2 meters high can easily pass through. Running along special tracks, the bus can carry up to 1,400 passengers, and travel at a top speed of 60 kilometers per hour. The chief engineer of the straddling bus says that furthermore, the bus is environmentally friendly because it is powered by electricity. A number of Chinese cities have shown interest in the product. The developers hope that the invention will help ease traffic congestion and reduce air pollution in China. This is Special English. （全文见周六微信。）

Nick Beecroft, a portfolio specialist for Asia ex-Japan equities, sees several positive trends on the horizon, and the recent sell-off has created many attractive investment opportunities.

Nick Beecroft, a portfolio specialist for Asia ex-Japan equities, sees several positive trends on the horizon, and the recent sell-off has created many attractive investment opportunities.

Nick Beecroft, a portfolio specialist for Asia ex-Japan equities, sees several positive trends on the horizon, and the recent sell-off has created many attractive investment opportunities.

Nick Beecroft, a portfolio specialist for Asia ex-Japan equities, sees several positive trends on the horizon, and the recent sell-off has created many attractive investment opportunities.

Speakers: David Bonderman, Founding Partner, TPG Capital Howard Chao, Senior Partner for Asia, O'Melveny & Myers Benjamin Fanger, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Shoreline Capital John Pattar, Managing Director, CLSA Capital Partners Moderator: James McGregor, Senior Counselor, APCO Worldwide. Despite China's importance on the global business stage, its financial markets are rarely called investor-friendly. Companies tend to have short histories, so investors seeking track records will be frustrated. On top of that, company data is not always available or reliable in an environment that lacks transparency. Creditworthiness is sometimes influenced by political ties, especially among state-owned enterprises. Our panel will tackle the logical question: How well can you know a Chinese company? We'll discuss how financial instruments are packaged, bought and sold in China, and how they work politically as well as financially. We'll offer guidance on finding higher-quality information and consider how recent cases reflect on the prospects for greater openness and reliability as these markets mature.

Despite China’s long musical history, Chinese orchestras are relatively new. The push for developing a distinctly Chinese performing arts repertoire came with the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. In the years after, Chinese orchestras mirroring the operational style of Western orchestras, such as having a baton-waving conductor and divisions of instrument families, began to form. Chinese orchestras initially focused on indigenous folk music, but in the last twenty years, they have developed and performed new works, and their four sections-- bowed-strings, plucked-strings, wind and percussion—have been augmented with new instruments with lower pitch ranges to balance the high pitches of the more traditional instruments. Join scholar Joanna Lee as she guides classroom audiences through the sounds and structures of the traditional Chinese orchestra.

Despite China’s long musical history, Chinese orchestras are relatively new. The push for developing a distinctly Chinese performing arts repertoire came with the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. In the years after, Chinese orchestras mirroring the operational style of Western orchestras, such as having a baton-waving conductor and divisions of instrument families, began to form. Chinese orchestras initially focused on indigenous folk music, but in the last twenty years, they have developed and performed new works, and their four sections-- bowed-strings, plucked-strings, wind and percussion—have been augmented with new instruments with lower pitch ranges to balance the high pitches of the more traditional instruments. Join scholar Joanna Lee as she guides classroom audiences through the sounds and structures of the traditional Chinese orchestra.