China Trading Desk’s Post

A major unknown in the #PRC–US equation, the election on 5 November 2024 can hardly but be a hot PRC topic. Op-eds on the state of the race and impacts on bilateral relations are in spate. Official Beijing follows protocol, avoiding talk of another state’s 'internal affairs’. State media are tight-lipped. Shrugging them off as a bad bunch, influencers show little preference for either candidate. The many portrayals of Washington as a declining hub, the US as a failing hegemon, are simply par for the course. The general tone of #bilateralrelations, runs a general consensus, will hardly change with a new US administration. Yet those who do express a clear preference tend (on a random sample) to lean toward Kamala Harris—or rather, away from Donald Trump. CHINA POLICY: on the pulse | decoding China's emerging patterns Xie Tao 谢韬 Beijing Foreign Studies University sums up Beijing’s take on a declining US hegemony https://buff.ly/3UC26IG

The extent of China’s influence on Pakistan’s sociocultural and political landscape still needs to be explored. How this influence shapes Pakistan’s middle- and lower-income classes, engaging with China through education and trade, remains to be seen. https://lnkd.in/dd9dzwBd

INNOVATION GOES ON INTERPRET FOR YOURSELF

🔍 I just completed a fascinating data and sentiment analysis of how Southeast Asian media covered the US elections, analyzing over 1,000 articles from the past 5 days. What stood out? Our region's deeply practical approach to geopolitics. While Western media focuses on ideology, Southeast Asian newsrooms zero in on concrete implications: • Philippines media (19% of the total SEA reporting) prioritized immigration impacts - crucial given their remittance economy • Thai outlets spotlighted tariff concerns  • Malaysian coverage centered on maintaining US FDI flows • Singapore maintained its characteristically diplomatic stance • Indonesia wove together threads of cryptocurrency, Gaza, and domestic politics Perhaps most telling: the significant coverage (7.2%) of Asian American voters shows the growing recognition of the diaspora's influence on policies that affect our region. And yes, even Hippo Moo Deng's election prediction made headlines - showcasing our region's unique ability to blend serious analysis with cultural touchstones. The key takeaway? Southeast Asian media isn't just reporting on US elections - they are interpreting them through our own complex web of regional interests, economic dependencies, and cultural perspectives. These findings remind us that in Southeast Asia, US elections aren't just about American democracy - they're about our own future in an increasingly interconnected and complex world. #USElections2024 #SoutheastAsia #MediaAnalysis #ASEAN #GlobalPolitics #FGSGlobal The reality is all businesses and institutions across SEA are impacted by this, and at FGS Global we can help connect the dots.

America is addicted to MONEY. Period. Both TRUMP and MUSK are epitome's of RECKLESS AMERICAN CAPITALISM fuelled by massive DEBT driven government spending money that is printed-out-of-thin-air. You can expect that the two combined with create extreme risk of destabilizing the American economic and financial systems to make some individuals (the 1% club) extremely wealthy at the peril of the large majority of American citizens (the 99%)

You might have read about “lying flat”, but have you ever heard about “involution” in China? It's a term that frequently popped up during my conversations with young people when I was in China a few weeks ago… …📖 I thought that was fascinating, so of course Yi Jing Fly and I decided to write about it, to explore the dynamics behind it and to look at what the broader socio-economic consequences are! - “Involution” (nei juan) describes a sense of running in place, extreme busy-ness without progress - and has been used to describe everything from the economy to motherhood. - Underlying this concept is the fact that due to economic and social shifts, the connection between hard work and success has been severed in the minds of many young Chinese. - As the set path to success has grown shaky, youth must find their own way to achieve balance and a quality life - leading to phenomena such as the large movement of youth to lower tier cities. Resolving the underlying contradiction between the dominant model of success and the reality for many Chinese youth will be key💡to achieving the long-term vision of turning the country into a self-reliant science and technology powerhouse. ➡️ Link to our full The Diplomat article in the comments! #China #Involution #Neijuan #WeekendReading

ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, is seeking international relations experts to enhance its grasp of geopolitics and global relations. With a presence in 150 countries and regions, ByteDance's platforms have over 1.9 billion monthly active users. The selected experts will delve into international politics and economics, focusing on geopolitics and international relations, offering insightful analysis and developing research reports. The monthly salary ranges from CNY60,000 to CNY100,000 ($8,365 to $13,940), with 15 payments annually. Chinese companies going overseas tend to be more sensitive to geopolitical issues when making business decisions. Diversifying expertise is crucial for them to expand globally. Hiring international talent can provide diverse perspectives, which is essential for success in foreign markets. #China #companies #ByteDance #goingaboard #InternationalRelations #Geopolitics

The CCP continues its global strategy of information warfare and re-writing the truth to favor a Chinese narrative. Beijing pushes an inaccurate narrative in Kyrgyz media, overstating the positive impact of its investment in and development aid to Kyrgyzstan and claiming that this makes it a trustworthy neighbor, according to analysis of thousands of local media sources. A survey of 1,000 Kyrgyz showed that over three-quarters of locals believe this narrative and admire the People’s Republic of China (PRC), mainly for its contributions to the local economy, as well as for its level of development. In depth interviews suggest that positive views of the PRC among Kyrgyz are likely not due to favorable media coverage, but due to the prevalence of PRC-made goods available in Kyrgyzstan. https://lnkd.in/geDx4mQN

After living in China for 13 years, I finally figured out why China and the US are so at odds. We interpret reality through a different lens. Facts are facts but how you react to them is a function of how you interpret them. Worldview, in fact, is the source of all conflict and disagreement – at work, in politics, and in all forms of racial and social identity. Thankfully, if you can get past the worldview, there is a lot of common ground overlapping all worldviews. That’s where progress can be achieved. Learn more.

How have Chinese attitudes evolved in the post-COVID era? I'm curious whether anyone has any feedback regarding the attitudes of local Chinese talent, and more specifically, how have attitudes evolved in the post-COVID era? For example, one common complaint of foreign managers in China pre-COVID was "How do I get my local staff to speak up?" or "When there is a problem, how do I get local Chinese be honest about finding the root cause?" In the post-COVID era, Chinese people in general are dealing with: 1. Economic downturn (perceptions that the West is to blame) 2. Doubts about securing a prosperous future (due to housing crisis, e.g. Evergrande default) 3. Exodus of foreigners in China coupled with dual circulation strategy (us versus them mentality) 4. More technology bifurcation than when Google pulled out of China (fewer perspectives to shape local perceptions) I am studying how these post-COVID factors are shaping Chinese attitudes and how Westerners should adjust to these changes. https://lnkd.in/gQBXae_Q #Chinabusiness #Chineseculture #SHRM #Chineseemployees