Business analyst Shaun Rein comments on the disappointing figures from Alibaba for CNA. “The economy is improving, but certainly not on track,” he says. While the consumers might be traveling more compared to 2019, they are certainly spending less, as their confidence is low, Rein adds.Read More →

The crowds might be back in China’s restaurants but they are not spending as much as they used to. The economy is not back on track, the labor market is bad and salaries are being cut. Business analyst Shaun Rein has sent his researchers out, and they did come back with bad news, he tells CNBC.Read More →

China’s zero-Covid-19 policies might be over since December, visas might be available and the new government tries to restore business confidence, but the number of expats in Shanghai is still dropping, according to the latest update by Bloomberg. While earlier estimates by chambers of commerce in big cities of 50% of the expats leaving are not confirmed and might have been too high, Shanghai still sees an ongoing exodus, while replacements for expat positions are not yet coming in.Read More →

US investments into China are dropping, shows the latest AmCham survey into the country’s business climate for US companies, reports the South China Morning Post March 2023. And while the number of US companies planning to move out of China is limited, one of the problems hindering investments is a growing reluctance among qualified experts to move to China, the paper reports. New investments have stalled and plans exist to decrease current investments.Read More →

Now China suddenly started to retract its zero-Covid strategy, strategic analyst Ian Johnson looks back at how the country got itself into this unprecedented mess at the Prospect. The economic slowdown and high unemployment “are all underlying issues that actually make the government’s challenge greater than first appears,” says Ian Johnson.Read More →

When even an acknowledged China bull like strategic analyst Shaun Rein turns negative on its short-term economic development, things do not look well for the middle kingdom. “Consumer confidence has brutally collapsed and I think investors need to think twice or maybe even three or four times before investing in China right now,” says Rein in the Economic Times.Read More →