By John Richardson WE ALL know, or at least we all should know, just how important is the Chinese economy to the global economy. Assume significantly weaker-than-consensus Chinese demand growth in everything from base chemicals to autos, smartphones and TVs, and there is no statistical basis for believing that strong growth in other regions can […]
Asian Chemical Connections
How China Can Fix Its Housing Crisis
By John Richardson THE above chart shows the affordability of real estate in China’s Tier 1 cities (its biggest cities) as of June 2013 compared with many of the world’s other “rich cities”. Why the speech marks around “rich cities”? Because believe it or not, some people are still clinging onto the idea that China’s […]
China Exceeds US 20th Century Cement Output In Just Two Years
By John Richardson CHINA produced more cement in 2011 and 2012 than the US produced in the whole of the 20th century. Yes, that’s right, China produced more cement in just two years than the States produced in 100 years. Statistics such as this leave the blog scratching its head as to how anybody could […]
China Housing Is The Key Measure
By John Richardson CHINA is no longer an export-driven economy. “Eh,” you might well react as you wake up this Monday morning, “has the blog finally taken leave of its senses?” It is not us saying this, though, but rather China’s government via a statement in the state-run newspaper, the China Daily, in February. “Exports […]