Why satellite mega-constellations are a threat to the future of space
As with Huawei, China thinks it can split the US and EU. It’s wrong
For both Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, the trade war is a test of political will and ideology
Pentagon said to be eyeing 5G solutions with Huawei rivals Ericsson and Nokia
Why low profile Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei has grabbed the microphone to defend telecoms giant
US braces for future 5G world largely built with mobile network gear from China’s Huawei
Jacinda Ardern makes progress in China, but does Huawei have cause for optimism?
If friends of Huawei want to hit the US where it hurts, they should tackle the legitimacy of US sanctions Beijing’s supporters won’t have a strong case against Washington if they focus on legal rights of individuals. They need to ask different questions, like: what gives the US the right to ban foreign companies from doing business with Iran? ...... the judicial systems of the US and Canada are far from perfect. I’d need a separate column to begin to show how these systems have let down minorities in both countries....... The economic transformation China has achieved gives Beijing the right to raise its voice on the international stage and question the American order. Why does it hesitate?
China’s middle class growing desperate and anxious about US trade war impact Rising food prices and unemployment levels adding to concerns despite state and social media urging nation to stand strong in face of adversity ...... China’s middle class, particularly better-educated white collar workers, are growing increasingly confused and anxious over how the trade war with the United States will affect the lives of ordinary citizens, in contrast to official press and social media which have been dominated by messages urging the country to stand strong in face of the adversity....... pushing citizens to scramble for any information about the trade war away from the official propaganda rhetoric...... the adverse effects of the trade war have started to be felt and are rapidly becoming known throughout Chinese society. ....... “In just two weeks, the mentality of my friends around me has changed. We used to think [a trade war] to be absolutely impossible. Now I start to fear there will be a devaluation of the [yuan] in the near future, and even a more horrible situation ahead if the two sides engage in a full-scale war, not only in trade and technology, but also in finance and the currency market...... Food prices jumped 6.1 per cent in April due to higher pork and fruit prices, with pork price increases accelerating to 14.4 per cent from 5.1 per cent in March ...... “The yuan is sliding towards 7 to the US dollar, a 500-gram package of grapes has soared to 30 yuan (US$4.3) ....... As a technologist, I have a full understanding that if Sino-US relations continue to deteriorate, or if China loses more orders from Western countries, many of the industrial supply chains developed in the past will soon be scrapped,” said Li Yue........“The business is not profitable yet. I just pray that the trade war will end as soon as possible,” Mai said. “But on the other hand, I think it will be far from a happy ending.”
Donald Trump warns China tariffs could rise ‘very substantially’ as US isn’t ready for deal to end trade war Analysts say a consensus will be difficult to reach on key issues such as Chinese state subsidies, intellectual property theft and an enforcement mechanism before a possible meeting between Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka next month....... the White House said it would delay for six months plans for tariffs on Japanese and European Union car makers to allow more time for negotiation. ........ Huawei’s chief executive Ren Zhengfei told Bloomberg on Monday that he would protest against possible Chinese government retaliation against the US for targeting his firm and rejected Trump’s suggestion a trade deal between China and the US could involve Huawei......... “I see his tweets and I think it’s laughable because they’re self-contradictory,” he said.
China’s industrial profits post biggest drop in nearly three and a half years
The US-China technology war aside, SMIC has a practical reason for delisting from New York: its ADRs are hardly traded
Huawei chief Ren Zhengfei dismisses Donald Trump’s suggestion tech giant could play role in China trade deal Company’s founder tells interviewer that ‘even if the US wants to buy our products I may not sell to them’ ...... Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei has dismissed Donald Trump’s suggestion that the company be included in a trade deal between the United States and China....... In an interview with Bloomberg Television, Ren said the idea was a “big joke”, adding that the Chinese telecoms giant had nothing to do with the US-China trade war. ...... “I will ignore Trump. Then with whom can he negotiate? ....... I see his tweets and think it’s laughable because they’re self-contradictory,” he told the network. “How did he become a master of the art of the deal?” ....... both sides have dramatically escalated the dispute, by imposing punitive extra tariffs on each other’s exports, accusing each other of frequently changing positions and with no sign of renewing the talks. ....... what will be certainly the largest trade deal ever made ...... the US president had the “ultimate discretion” to decide on whether to pursue or drop a federal case
The US and China take their rivalry into more dangerous waters after collapse of trade talks Since the breakdown of the latest round of trade negotiations, the Trump administration has signalled that all-out containment, rather than competition, now guides its dealings with China ...... hardliners on both sides have now gained the upper hand over those seeking to find an agreed way forward. ....... Historians will debate whether China reneged on understandings reached between the negotiators, or US President Donald Trump decided it was politically more in his interest to campaign for his re-election by railing against China rather than defending a compromise agreement his opponents would pick apart. ...... Advocates of delinking who believe China must be actively prevented from catching up with US advanced technology won the day, rather than trusting that US competitiveness would eventually outpace China’s. Containment beat out competition........ Some US officials who are not in the hardliner camp continue to hold out hope that Trump and President Xi Jinping might reach agreement before the upcoming G20 meeting in Osaka, Japan, at the end of June. ........ But barring another radical turnabout by Trump himself – not impossible – there does not appear to be enough time to work through the remaining disagreements........ US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has a full agenda dealing with other festering trade agreements and disputes........ But Beijing has also taken subsidies, state-owned enterprises, tech transfer and enforcement off the table, making talks probably pointless. ....... The unrelated but concurrent examples of Iran and Venezuela do not give me confidence in the Trump team’s capacity........ The end of the trade talks seems likely to be the beginning of something much worse.
How To Achieve An Avoidance-Impervious, $14TR+/yr. Global Wealth Tax
A devastating analysis of the tax cut shows it’s done virtually no economic good The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service ...... finds that the cuts have had virtually no effect on wages, haven’t contributed to a surge in investment, and haven’t come close to paying for themselves. Nor have they delivered a cut to the average taxpayer. ........ The tax cuts did almost nothing for ordinary Americans and may even have cost them money. The apparent gains in their income were negligible and short-lived. Wealthy Americans reaped the benefits of lower taxes and higher dividends. The cuts had a negligible effect on U.S. economic growth while depriving the government of revenue. .......Put it all together and this massive restructuring of the U.S. tax system should prompt average Americans to ask Republicans in Congress and the White House that age-old question: Who are you really working for?
India plants 66 million trees in 12 hours as part of record-breaking environmental campaign
Modi Has United India Like No Prime Minister in Decades The last time an Indian Prime Minister was re-elected with a parliamentary majority was in 1971. His coalition won just under 50% of the national vote. ....... Modi has managed to transcend India’s greatest fault line: the class divide...... Narendra Modi was born into one of India’s most disadvantaged social groups. In reaching the very top, he personifies the aspirational working classes and can self-identify with his country’s poorest citizens ........ His second consecutive term is a victory for meritocracy, and for opportunity, thanks to a slate of welfare policies for the country’s extreme poor. Through socially progressive policies, he has brought many Indians, both Hindus and religious minorities, out of poverty at a faster rate than in any previous generation........ Modi pledged to improve the country’s sanitation and he has more than delivered; from fewer than 40% of households having access to a toilet, almost 95% do now. Close to all Indian villages now have access to electricity, when less than 40% did when he took office...... Intuitively he has understood, like no other predecessor, how the much-admired tech skills of Indians can be used to transform society. ....... The tax base in India has almost doubled, and with it, the amount of tax collected — but with a lower tax burden on individual citizens. ....... an unprecedented 200 million plus new bank accounts opened........ Digitization has empowered the poor, eliminating corrupt middle-men and allowing direct deposits of state benefits, social security and pension payments into the hands of the poor. Modi has also succeeded in bringing the whole of India into one tax union, through the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax, and thereby making India at last a truly single market........ His reforms have helped bring inflation under control, from a record high of more than 12% at the tail end of Manmohan Singh’s government, to below 3% in April 2019; and has reduced the deficit down to 3.42%, when a decade ago it was staggering 6.46%....... he must deliver on his promise to create the world’s largest start-up eco-system ......
