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Alfredo Montufar-Helu

Alfredo Montufar-Helu
The latest news and top stories on Alfredo Montufar-Helu, an expert on China’s economy and business landscape. Known for his insights into economic conditions and consumer confidence challenges in China, he currently serves as Senior Adviser to The Conference Board’s China Center. Previously, he was Beijing Director for The Economist Intelligence Corporate Network and an Associate Director at KPMG’s Global China Practice, where he led thought leadership projects.
China’s trade surplus reached a record high in 2025, raising the risk of renewed trade frictions with partners and paving the way for a potential recalibration in Beijing. Photo: Shutterstock
China exports

How China is rethinking export-led growth as global trade walls rise

Protectionism is forcing a shift towards balancing exports with outbound investment, analysts say.

US-China trade war

Why China may buy Nvidia’s AI chips as US eases curbs – and replace them later

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Aerospace: Geopolitics

Why are rich Chinese moving private jets offshore, slumming it in budget seats?

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US-China trade war

‘Maximum pressure’: why China is taking Mexico’s tariff move ‘very seriously’

Beijing sees Mexico’s move as driven by a wider US pressure campaign – and could take retaliatory measures, analysts say.

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Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum proposed tariffs on goods from China and other Asian markets in the name of protecting local industries. Some analysts see the move as a response to US pressure. Photo: TNS
China consumption

China delivers record 180 billion parcels in 11 months as shoppers chase deals

Express deliveries have reached as high as 777 million per day in 2025 as China’s consumers turn to cut-price online platforms.

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US-China trade war

China’s rare earth export controls have gone global. Can it enforce them?

As economies look to diversify rare earth supplies in wake of China’s broad export controls, analysts say measures will be hard to implement.

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US-China trade war

With US-China tensions back on the upswing, is the TikTok deal at risk?

Analyst opinion mixed on viability of deal for Chinese short video app’s US ownership, with ‘everything on the table’ after recent flare-ups.

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While details of the proposed ownership deal for short video platform TikTok are scarce, recent US-China trade flare-ups are unlikely to help the agreement over the finish line. Photo: Reuters
US-China relations

US government frozen after shutdown, but China talks still in motion: analysts

This week’s shutdown would be unlikely to stall China trade talks, observers said, but could speed up Federal Reserve’s interest rate cuts.

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US-China trade war

‘Dare to fight’: how China’s art of the deal reflects years of Trump dealings

Beijing fired back at Washington ahead of Trump’s executive order on TikTok last week, and analysts say it stems from hard-learned lessons.

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Rare earths

Is a rumoured US rare earth fund coming too late to catch up with China?

A reported US$5 billion fund to secure Washington’s rare earth supply is probably not enough to shake China’s dominance, analysts said.

The supply and refining capacity of rare earth elements and other critical minerals has become a major sticking point in US-China trade relations. Photo: Xinhua
China consumption

How Apple’s grip on China slipped – and what it means for other multinationals

The trade war and Chinese-made smartphones hurt Apple’s business model, but analysts say it can’t walk away.

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A man walks past an Apple store in Beijing on July 28. Photo: EPA
China’s economic stimulus

China backs Three Gorges megaproject, hot on heels of giant Tibet dam

Investment in infrastructure is likely to continue but structural reforms needed to unleash consumer spending, analyst says.

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US-China trade war

What the new US trade deal with Japan means for other Asian allies

Not even America’s long-time trade partners have been spared from tariffs, and deals with others could be coming soon, according to analysts who see China standing apart.

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US-China trade war

Double-edged sword: US probe into China’s drone dominance a risk, analysts say

Washington’s investigation could strengthen its hand in future talks with Beijing – but may have unintended consequences.

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Employees work on the production line of drones at the workshop of an aviation technology enterprise on May 16, 2024, in Anqing, Anhui province of China. Photo: Wu Junqi/VCG via Getty Images
China's economic recovery

Can China’s fastest-growing firms save themselves from themselves?

A race for market share in China’s new-found growth sectors has led to vicious price spirals, eliciting warnings from high-level officials.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
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