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US-China decouplingi

Talk of economic decoupling between China and the United States, the world's two largest economies, surfaced amid their prolonged trade war, rising tech rivalry and general geopolitical tensions which have edged up in recent years. Decoupling transcends trade and investment and it could mean a peeling back of goods and services trade, divestment from China and the relocation of the American manufacturing presence out of China, but also a fragmentation of the global supply chain. It is believed a major decoupling move would mark the end of a long period of globalisation.

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  • The especially active holiday-shopping season in the United States has been a boon for China exports despite years of political and trade frictions between the countries
  • November shipments from China to the US marked the first year-on-year rise in 16 months, but some major Chinese retailers still find it hard to ‘sell’ China to the US public

Economists generally expect that the US’ most aggressive rate-rising cycle in 40 years will end soon, and that any subsequent rate-cut cycle would lead to lower financing costs for businesses – a positive for trade flows.

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Strong ties between China and world’s major mineral exporters, especially those with vast copper and nickel resources, leave West playing catch-up in securing supplies.

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Ministry of State Security seeks to quell accusations that China’s revised anti-espionage law has worsened economic decoupling and the operating environment for foreign firms, as they have increasingly claimed.

Taiwan’s economic and financial decoupling from China has deepened with the near-collapse of what was once the world’s largest Chinese bond exchange-traded fund market.

Overseas investments by Chinese businesses are poised to surge after peaking in 2016 and then plunging amid internal and external pressures. Now, companies in the tech, energy and EV sectors are ‘in the driver’s seat’.

Speakers at supply chain forums repeatedly brought up tech and innovation as ways for China to avoid uncertainties and maintain its place as the world’s manufacturing hub.

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Turkish ambassador says his country can help China’s trade with the world, including the European Union, with which Turkey has a free-trade agreement while China does not.

The Taiwanese company, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry, has been diversifying its business outside mainland China, as tensions rise between Washington and Beijing.

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Hours before Beijing is to launch international expo featuring tech giants like Tesla and Apple, Joe Biden unveils White House ‘resilience council’.

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Analysts expressed optimism in China’s ability to woo foreign investors after a downturn in confidence, welcome news for policymakers who have been keen to court overseas capital back.

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The International Supply Chain Expo kicks off next week and is expected to show progress in China’s self-sufficiency drive as ‘de-risking’ becomes more prevalent in a time of geopolitical uncertainties.

US sanctions on China, coupled with the rapid rise of China’s automobile industry, have South Korean authorities seeking new areas to cooperate with their neighbour and occasional rival.

The environment for tech and internet businesses has changed considerably from the boisterous, easy-money world of 2017. Why are today’s would-be entrepreneurs so pessimistic?

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At the Caixin Summit in Beijing, a fresh assessment of bilateral ties between the world’s largest economies comes as high-level talks between them are growing more frequent.