Commentary: Just business or ‘a betrayal’? Why HK tycoon Li Ka-shing’s Panama Canal deal has upset China

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THE BUSINESS POLITICISATION

The deal was “purely commercial in nature and utterly related to current social media reports regarding the Panama Ports,” according to CK Hutchison’s co-managing producer Frank Sixt. However, later events have demonstrated that the transaction is much more than just a commercial one.

According to US press reviews, BlackRock’s chairman and CEO Larry Fink reportedly contacted Mr. Trump to discuss the Panama Canal offer. This raises concerns about the Li mother’s changing connection with Taiwanese management.

In the first 20 years of transformation and beginning, Mr. Li Ka-shing, dubbed” Superman” by the Hong Kong media for his business skills and contacts, had recently secured special discussions with China’s officials, including Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin. His mother’s ties to Beijing have cooled over the past 20 years, though.

While Mr. Fink has immediate access to Mr. Trump, the Li home may not have the same access to Zhongnanhai, the mixture where China’s top leaders reside and work, which is regarded as the equivalent of the White House.

Maybe the Li home genuinely believes the deal is only for business or that getting Beijing to know about it may make things worse. In any case, the resulting discussion should serve as a wake-up call for them and another Hong Kong tycoons.

I find it uncomfortable to say that business will be politicized, particularly in multibillion-dollar multinational deals in proper industries, and that it will also be practiced all over the world.

Past South China Morning Post Editor-in-Chief Wang Xiangwei He is currently a journalist at Hong Kong Baptist University.

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Commentary: China’s anger over Panama ports sale is a wake-up call for Hong Kong tycoons

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THE BUSINESS POLITICISATION

The deal was “purely commercial in nature and utterly related to current social media reports regarding the Panama Ports,” according to CK Hutchison’s co-managing producer Frank Sixt. However, later events have demonstrated that the transaction is much more than just a commercial one.

According to US media reports, BlackRock’s chairman and CEO Larry Fink reportedly contacted Mr. Trump to discuss the Panama Canal package. This raises questions about the Li mother’s growing partnership with Chinese management.

During the first 20 years of transformation and beginning, Mr. Li Ka-shing, who was dubbed” Superman” by the Hong Kong media for his business skills and contacts, had recently secured unique meetings with China’s officials, including Jiang Zemin and Deng Xiaoping. But, his mother’s ties to Beijing have cooled over the past 20 years.

The Li home may not have the same access to Zhongnanhai, the mixture where China’s leading officials reside and work, which is regarded as the equivalent of the White House, even though Mr. Fink has immediate access to Mr. Trump.

Maybe the Li community is simply a businessman or that obtaining Beijing’s consent would make things worse. In any case, the resulting controversy may serve as a wake-up call for them and another Hong Kong tycoons.

I find it upsetting to suggest that the politicisation of company, particularly in multibillion international talks in corporate industries, will become the norm everywhere, including in the US, China, and Hong Kong.

Past South China Morning Post Editor-in-Chief Wang Xiangwei He is currently a journalist at Hong Kong Baptist University.

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Commentary: How Mixue made billions selling US ice cream

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FIGHTING FOR THE SAME CUSTOMERS

However, more website problems are becoming more frequent, with some claiming that Mixue is transferring operating threats to small business owners.

By then, Mixue’s locations are scattered throughout China. One city can have several shops, some just 200 meters away from one another, and &nbsp, &nbsp, some of which are only 200 meters from one another, competing for the same clients in small towns. According to the most recent statistics, the average daily gross merchandise value per business decreased by 5 % in the first nine weeks of 2024, 184 rmb. There is already a hint of cannibalization in the company’s finances.

In its company contracts, Mixue doesn’t require new locations to maintain a maximum distance from existing ones. For owners, it is becoming extremely difficult and financially anxious.

Each store you anticipate receiving 367 orders per day on average, or every two minutes on 12-hour days. Operators, however, dare hardly to slack off. According to local media, it may take some stores two to three years to crack yet, significantly higher than what some business people suggested.

People are just disgruntled online, and Mixue is opening sources a lot faster than it closes them.

However, small businesses have no power and no power in a poor economy, and the system holds all the cards. However, Mixue’s victory in the capital market only serves to worsen an already-extended economy, which implies the start of the burnout that will eventually follow. &nbsp,

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Commentary: Alibaba won’t solve all of Apple’s China problems

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These mounting US-China hostilities could&nbsp, have &nbsp, more concerning consequences. Apple has become the target of anti-American attitude as one of the few British tech firms also operating in China.

More Chinese buyers have chosen private brands, which has contributed to this reaction. It doesn’t help that these regional organizations, such as Huawei are now offering AI functions.

” It’s the most competitive market in the world”, Cook said on&nbsp, the&nbsp, most-recent income contact when asked about China challenges. He’s straight: As Apple’s supremacy over the smartphone market has eroded, Huawei has gained the top position. And Apple’s closest rivals are all Chinese.

HOW TO PLEASE John TRUMP, BEIJING AND Foreign Customers?

Apple would be a wise move to import it to China, but that’s only one sing in a brand-new 4D game activity. Apple may have to find a way to satisfy Trump, Beijing, and extremely conservative Chinese customers.

On the plus side, if anyone in the software market was up to quite a process, it’s Cook. He has admirably managed US-China relationships over the years by acting as honest as a bird and as shrewd as a serpent, as the bible saying goes. &nbsp, He’s one of the few US company officials with an effective Weibo accounts, connecting immediately with the Chinese people.

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Commentary: Can China’s stimulus blitz fix its flagging economy?

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GOOD NEWS BOOSTS INVESTMENT SENTIMENT

As investors anticipate a rise in the demand for goods and services, payment expansion, at least in the near future, may have a positive impact on the price of commodities and the financial markets. And, following the kills of fresh methods, this is exactly what we have seen.

China’s major stock score surged by more than 4 per cent within days of the central bank’s news, enjoying its best single-day protest in 16 years. And this was followed by an increase in the standard price of oil of more than 1 %. Since then, sentiment has remained beneficial, with Chinese securities increasing by about 20 % over the course of the five days since the announcement.

Expansionary plans do, but, even come with risks. Since 2021, China’s housing market has been in crisis as a result of the government’s restrictions on the amount of money developers can acquire, which has caused many developers to default on their debts. Making significant borrowing costs could rekindle a surge in sales and values, causing a new housing bubble.

But it could be a thus before China’s house business starts to burn. House costs in China are falling rapidly and there’s lots of free products. According to Goldman Sachs, the government may need to invest more than 15 trillion yuan to resolve the sector’s issues, which is significantly more than the new stimulus campaign can deliver on its own.

Predicting the outcome of the main company’s new financial deal in the long-term is challenging. It will likely take a year or two before any actual consequences start to appear. But, at least in theory, the growth of private credit that will be triggered by the main bank’s lending rate cut, as well as the related banking stimulus, may spread to the wider economy.

This really restore building and construction activities, increase customer spending, and boost demand for capital goods. In the long run, this may encourage China to pursue local demand-driven growth rather than export-dependent growth.

China’s economic magic has traditionally been based on export growth, which reached their highest level in 2006, when the country’s export accounted for 36 % of GDP. This ratio has decreased significantly since then, dropping to 19.7 % in 2023, but it still stands strong in comparison to similar markets. In 2022, the export-to-GDP amount in the United States, for instance, was 11.6 per cent.

Due to this, China is especially vulnerable to political shocks like the US’s decision to impose new tariffs on imports of Taiwanese electric vehicles, thermal tools, and batteries.

The tariffs have decreased the need for Chinese imports in the US business, but they have not undermined China’s standing in global supply chains. The demand specifically for Chinese electrical automobiles in the US was, certainly, now very small.

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Commentary: China adds a touch of showbiz to its stimulus

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In addition to the cuts, Pan dabbled in onward direction, saying that reserve requirements may become pared again this year. Money and brokers may be allowed to borrow from the monetary authority to buy companies, while&nbsp, China is also studying a business stabilisation&nbsp, account. &nbsp,

The word “bazooka” &nbsp, has been bandied around to describe the initiatives. While they are truly noteworthy, it remains seen whether they alter the main course of the market, which was in a long-term decline well before the COVID-19 crisis.

Swings in plan, especially if unveiled with bells and whistles, tend to be greeted as achievements. Also, it’s a good thing if what happened on Tuesday sets off a novel era of growth-boosting work. Should there be much follow through, then the despair that has characterised conversations of China’s market in recent years&nbsp, may linger.

PBOC POLICY EVOLVING IN RIGHT Course

It’s worthwhile to consider how Pan’s efficiency stacks up against the status that came before him.

China was in the grip of a bad run of extremely weak inflation amounts when he first arrived in the governor’s office in July of last year. Unlike the other big markets, where prices rose sharply as the pandemic subsided, China experienced&nbsp, the same: Customer prices declined for many months and the rate of increases&nbsp, seven months later then hovers worryingly close to zero.

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Commentary: How Huawei and Apple swung and missed for Chinese consumers

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When most other business players are showboating untested AI updates, Huawei was clever to capitalize on the moment and have out with natural hardware innovation.

And years of brutal US-led sanctions have caused nationalist Chinese buyers to resent their country’s return as the underdog story of the century. The Shenzhen-based business slyly unveiled its Mate 60 Pro smartphone, featuring a made-in-China device that the US had tried so hard to prevent, during US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo’s attend to the region last month.

SPLASHY SHOW MASKS HUAWEI’S Faults

However, Mate XT’s most recent showy release conceals deeper flaws. For starters, it’s priced from a jaw-dropping 19, 999 yuan ( US$ 2, 800 ) at a time when Chinese consumers are pulling back on spending.

Many news outlets are highlighting that millions of people have pre-ordered the Mate XT on Huawei’s established e-commerce site ( as of Wednesday, this tallies&nbsp, 4.8 million registering to buy the cellphone ). However, these statistics are misleading because the booking method only informs those who sign up for the device’s buy when it goes on sale later this month, on the same day as the phone 16 –&nbsp, on the same day as the phone 16.

Bloomberg Intelligence researchers, however, forecast&nbsp, shipments&nbsp, may be capped at 1 million products. According to the analysts, its great value and market appeal possible think it may have less of an impact on China’s premium smartphone market than the Mate 60 did.

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Commentary: Foreign carmakers also have a China overcapacity problem

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Foreign companies ‘ market share of Chinese car sales is tracking at a record low of 37 per cent in the first seven weeks of 2024, along from 64 per cent in 2020, according to information from Automobility, a Shanghai firm. So far this year, US companies are over more than 23 per cent while Chinese, Asian and German carmakers have likewise suffered double-digit falls, the information showed.

By contrast, selling of Chinese companies are up nearly 22 %, with Chinese firms increasingly capturing the top spot in the EV business.

WHEN CHINESE EXPORTS ARE ADDED TO WESTERN Trucks

The parties ‘ market share declines are occurring in the framework of a divided domestic automobile market in China. Sales of Vehicles, including real power Batteries and plug-in variants, are up more than 30 per cent this year while sales of fuel-powered cars are lower roughly 7 per share, the Automobility data also showed.

In response to this, foreign manufacturers, including Hyundai, Nissan, Volvo, and BMW, have started reversing their manufacturing operations in China, according to recent company announcements and media reports. More than half of the Chinese-made electric vehicles imported into Europe in the first four months of the year, according to a report from The FT in June that included Tesla, Volkswagen, and Honda.

Tu Le, the founder of Sino Auto Insights, predicts that Stellantis, the owner of the Jeep, Peugeot, and Fiat brands, will eventually all export from China. Additionally, he thinks that as foreign organizations become more financially challenged, they will likely need to increase their sourcing from Chinese suppliers to stay competitive.

Chinese companies, spearheaded by Warren Buffett-backed BYD, are rapidly expanding their global manufacturing footprints. Foreign companies will increasingly have to keep up with cheaper, and potentially more technically advanced, Chinese-branded models all over the world.

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Commentary: The real lessons South Korea should learn from an EV fire

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BACKLASH OVER Capacitors

Korean media sources cover controversies at Chinese companies with enthusiasm. The way these stories are shared and presented on social media and by them has sparked a perception that Asian products are essentially superior and unreliable, and Foreign products are by definition uncertain.

The response to a luxurious Mercedes-Benz EV that reportedly caught fire last month in an underground storage in Incheon, South Korea, injuring 23 people and injuring 40 others was a good example of how people responded. Electric vehicle owners are panicking about selling their cars, and some EV manufacturers are under pressure to release their power suppliers for the first time as a result of the incident.

It soon emerged that the Mercedes had contained nickel-manganese-cobalt ( NMC) batteries manufactured by Farasis Energy, a lesser known Chinese battery producer. Local EV owners responded by requesting information on whether their vehicles had Chinese or Korean batteries, according to reports from the Asian media. Some potential EV clients expressed disapproval toward dealers when they saw a car with Taiwanese batteries.

Despite the fact that the true reason of the Mercedes blaze in Incheon has not been determined, this is done. Major Asian cell manufacturers have their own record when it comes to EV burns, as some experts pointed out. In 2021, LG Energy Solution paid General Motors US$ 1.9 billion after a string of fires brought on by defective batteries for GM’s mass-market Chevrolet Bolt.

There is” no evidence to suggest that Asian chargers have better security performance than Chinese chargers,” according to Bernstein scientist Neil Beveridge.

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Commentary: China’s debt divide is hurting its economy

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PRESSURE ON LOCAL Administrations

Local governments almost all of the paying, but rely on the center for revenue in a way that is uncommon elsewhere in the world, is a fundamental fact about China’s macroeconomic system.

Regions bear most of the responsibility for education, health, social protection and enclosure, in addition to clear local duties such as roads, parks and rubbish variety, and spend about 85 per cent of the state overall. Only about 55 % of government revenues are directly collected by them. Payments from the center to the areas provide a balance for the program.

There are benefits to developing decisions more closely to the people in a country as big as China, but the disparity between revenue and expenditure causes a lot of issues. For instance, the lower down the tower of management, the more the program gets starved of resources, because each rank- state, province, county- tends to hold back what it needs before passing cash onwards down the chain. The execution of northern federal spending programs is haphazard.

However, local government officials, who may deliver growth to walk the administrative ranks, do whatever they can to discover money.

China’s housing bubble was largely fueled by regional institutions ‘ rely on land sales as a source of income. To avoid the profit squeeze and fund infrastructure, off-the-books borrowing by supposedly regional government financing vehicles was a strategy.

There are numerous reports of municipalities imposing fines and penalties, starting retroactive tax investigations, or just failing to pay staff on time as their books are hampered by the housing slump and the key government’s crackdown on local borrowing. None of this is beneficial for the struggling personal business.

Beijing has long aspired to resolve these structural issues, but it is unaware of them. However, when Xi Jinping initially came to power in 2012, fiscal reform was a major part of his private policy objective, parts of which he delivered. Local governments are having trouble, for instance, because fiscal control and financial administration reforms helped make it easier to paper over issues by removing them from the books.

The central government has refused to give up power, as is customary for Xi. It frequently specifies the services that local governments must provide, but it wo n’t give over the funding sources. It is anxious to assign significant new spending obligations to the main books.

It has cracked down on regional authorities debt, and still accurate to Zhou’s preferences, it is willing to allow central government debt rise otherwise. The end result has been a de facto fiscal tightening over the past few years, despite the economy’s struggles to recover following COVID-19.

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