华商 Chinese Entrepreneur Issue 2 2019

Page 32

中华脉搏 | C h i n a B e a t

THOMAS DENG Regional Chief Investment Officer & Chief China Strategist UBS Global Wealth Management

ratcheted up the pressure by tightening foreign investment in 27 critical tech sectors

(including

semiconductors,

aircraft and biotech) and has introduced “poison pill” clauses in the new USMCA trade deal, implicitly targeting China. China has responded with retaliatory tariffs of 5–25% on USD 110bn worth of US goods, nearly 70% of total US imports. Despite the recent truce, a gradual decoupling of the two economies and supply chains splintering along regional lines seems the most likely outcome in the long run. A full-on cold war in trade or security still remains only a tail risk, in our view, given the economic ties and cultural inter-dependencies of the two countries.

C

hina-US relations are in uncharted waters and are likely to get more

complex and challenging in the years

30

HUNKERING DOWN TO ENSURE DOMESTIC STABILITY By

most

accounts,

Beijing

has

ahead. The base scenario we foresaw was

miscalculated the severity of the US trade

a long cycle of fight and talk over a broad

conflict as well as the effect deleveraging

range of economic and security issues.

would have on the private sector and local

The recent G20 meeting between Chinese

government

President Xi and U.S. President Trump

China has since reversed course and

and the pause in tariff escalation is a point

shifted to policy easing in late July, and

in case. Still, a comprehensive rollback

further measures – relating to state owned

of tariffs looks elusive at this stage. The

enterprise reforms, market access and tax

US currently maintains tariffs on a total

cuts – are likely to be announced over the

USD 250bn worth of Chinese imports, has

next few months.

华商 | C H I N E S E E N T R E P R E N E U R

infrastructure

spending.


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