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Asia Channel: Latest Posts
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Asia
South China Sea Disputes Strain Vietnam–China Relations
Since 1991, comprehensive Vietnam–China relations have developed but remain constrained by the South China Sea (SCS) disputes. What makes the disputes highly relevant for future bilateral relations is that they have proven intractable, leaving the possibility of an eventual solution a matter of almost infinite uncertainty. The intractability of the disputes is rooted in their [...]
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Efraim Chalamish's Economic Development and Security Blog
Reflections on Chinese investments in the U.S.
What do you get when the largest developing country in the world is investing more and more in the world’s largest developed economy? Lots of question marks and a few deals. Chinese investment in the U.S. market is a hot topic. U.S. companies and entrepreneurs are trying to understand the best way to access Chinese [...]
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Asia
How Myanmar Could Win the Future
Like China in the 1980s, Myanmar is moving toward “special economic zones.” After almost half a century of isolation, it could emerge as Asia’s next tiger – with right policies. After meetings with government representatives, senior executives and think-tank leaders in Myanmar, I spent some time exploring the beautiful nation. In Yangon, Myanmar’s window to [...]
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Asia
Abenomics Confusion
Lars Christensen nails it on the confusion surrounding Abenomics: There has been a lot of focus on the fact that USD/JPY has now broken above 100 and that the slide in the yen is going to have a positive impact on Japanese exports. In fact it seems like most commentators and economists think that the easing of [...]
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Asia
China Wrestles With Hot Money–from Locals
Chinese officials are stepping up their efforts to regain control of the money markets and currency. The main target does not appear to be foreign investors, but rather the behavior of domestic businesses. Over the past weekend, China’s foreign exchange regulator announced new rules designed to limit the banking system’s ability to short foreign currencies [...]
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Asia
Really? One Basis Point?
Bloomberg has a story with an ominous opening paragraph: Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda’s stimulus policies are backfiring in the housing market, where mortgage rates are rising even as the central bank floods the financial system with cash. Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my! The next paragraph: Fixed 35-year home-loan costs rose to 1.81 percent this month, the first increase since [...]
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Asia
14,000
Seems like just yesterday Japanese policymakers were looking to push the Nikkie to 13,000. It even seemed like a overreaching at the time. Here is Matthew Boesler at Business Insider: The 13,000 index target implies around 17 percent upside in February and March. The pace may sound ambitious, but then again, Japan is one of the hottest momentum [...]
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Asia
The Lethal Lemons on the Road to Bangladesh
I wrote yesterday about the “control frauds” (in which the person controlling a seemingly legitimate entity uses it as a “weapon” to defraud) that target purchasers of bad quality goods (“lemons”) and employees. The example I used to explain these concepts was the collapse of the building housing garment factories in Bangladesh. As I write, there are terrible [...]
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Asia
Timing Matters: Japan’s Massive Monetary Gamble
After two “lost decades,” Japan has begun a risky monetary gamble. Abenomics has the potential to make or break Japanese savings, Asian century, and global recovery. When the Bank of Japan (BOJ) concluded its highly-anticipated two-day policy meeting on April 4, 2013, a new era began in Japan. As the conservative caution of the previous [...]
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Asia
Vice Chairman of Chinese Accounting Association Warns Chinese Local Debt Could Create Bigger Crisis than US Housing Implosion
On the one hand, Bloomberg today tells us retail demand for stocks is as hot as ever: “Over the last few weeks, every down move has been met with buyers that have come in,” Brad Sorensen, director of market and sector analysis at San Francisco-based Charles Schwab Corp., said by telephone. His firm has $2.08 trillion in [...]
