What China Has and Hasn’t Done to Address U.S. Trade Gripes

What China Has and Hasn’t Done to Address U.S. Trade Gripes

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Deep differences separate Chinese and U.S. negotiators on everything from market access to industrial subsidies as the two sides prepare to meet next month in Washington. As their trade talks unraveled in acrimony in May, the U.S. blamed China for walking back alleged commitments on issues including forced technology transfers. China responded in a White Paper, accusing the U.S. of unreasonable demands and argued that it had made “remarkable progress” in improving its business…

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U.S. Readies New Tariffs as Trump Says He’ll Meet China’s Xi

U.S. Readies New Tariffs as Trump Says He’ll Meet China’s Xi

NEW YORK (Capital Markets in Africa) – The U.S. prepared to hit China with new tariffs even as President Donald Trump said he’ll meet his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, at next month’s G-20 summit, an encounter that could prove pivotal in a deepening clash over trade. The U.S. Trade Representative’s office Monday released a list of about $300 billion worth of Chinese goods including children’s clothing, toys, mobile phones and laptops that Trump has threatened to hit with a 25%…

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China’s Digital Silk Road Is Looking More Like an Iron Curtain

China’s Digital Silk Road Is Looking More Like an Iron Curtain

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – The first billboard that greets passengers arriving at the airport in Lusaka, before Pepsi’s “Welcome to Zambia,” is an advertisement for Bank of China. Nearby, a Chinese company is building a sleek terminal. On the road into the capital city, near the office of Chinese telecom company ZTE Corp., another billboard features surveillance cameras made by Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co. At the national data center built by Huawei Technologies Co., a Chinese man…

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Rio Tinto Picks Thompson for Chairman as Investors Seek Discipline

Rio Tinto Picks Thompson for Chairman as Investors Seek Discipline

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Rio Tinto Group named industry veteran Simon Thompsonas chairman after shareholders rejected a plan to install a renowned dealmaker — reinforcing an industry-wide investor drive for higher returns and caution over project spending. Thompson, 58, a Rio director since 2014 and previously an executive director at Anglo American Plc, will succeed Jan du Plessis from March 5, London-based Rio said Monday in a statement. Du Plessis, who’s held the post since 2009, is stepping down after taking up…

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China Seen Gaining Even More in Zimbabwe If Mugabe Leaves Office

China Seen Gaining Even More in Zimbabwe If Mugabe Leaves Office

HARARE (Capital Markets in Africa) – China has seen its influence rise in Zimbabwe during Robert Mugabe’s nearly four decades in power, becoming the African nation’s third-largest trading partner and biggest foreign investor. Beijing might gain even more if he goes. Former vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa, whose removal sparked last week’s military intervention, is seen as more open to investment from China and other nations than Mugabe, according to researchers who advise President Xi Jinping’s government on Africa…

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Iron Ore Imports Collapse as China’s Great Cleanup Kicks In

Iron Ore Imports Collapse as China’s Great Cleanup Kicks In

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa) – Iron ore imports by China slumped last month to the lowest in more than a year, sinking from a record of above 100 million tons, as mills prepared for unprecedented state-ordered curbs on steel output over winter. Purchases dropped to 79.49 million tons in October, according to customs data on Wednesday. That’s down from September’s 102.8 million tons, and is the lowest amount since February 2016. Over the first 10 months,…

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Iron Ore Seen Back in $40s as China Challenges Loom in 2018

Iron Ore Seen Back in $40s as China Challenges Loom in 2018

LAGOS (Capital Markets in Africa)  Iron ore may get a reprieve for the remainder of this year before tougher times return in 2018, according to Schroders Plc, which says the raw material may sink back below $50 a metric ton as the effect of credit-led stimulus in China wears off and demand concerns resurface in the top user. “The underlying supply and demand is pretty negative, so over a decent time period we wouldn’t be surprised to…

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