As tensions rise between China and the USA, is a new 'Cold War' brewing? If so, what effect is this or could this be having on manufacturing? Adrian from Sofeast and myself go political in this episode, discussing how the political rhetoric and actions towards China by the USA and other Western nations are on a downward trend and how the media seem to encourage this, too. Renaud posted this recent Forbes article which suggested that Americans polled would be prepared to pay 20% more for … [Read more...]
Manufacturing Electronics in Taiwan: A China Alternative?
As the US-China trade war intensifies, many American importers are looking for alternatives. They often look at Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Mexico, etc. But what about Taiwan? There is sometimes an opportunity to start sourcing products from there, especially in electronics. … [Read more...]
Will US Tariffs Drive Manufacturing From China To Vietnam?
A few days ago, Trump claimed that many tariffed companies would leave China for Vietnam and other such countries in Asia in this series of tweets (read from bottom to top): In parallel, I see an Asia Briefing article entitled Why Vietnam is Overtaking China as a Destination for US Export Manufacturing, showing that this trend is already underway: Vietnam’s exports to the US rose by 28.8 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2019, making the US the largest importer of Vietnamese … [Read more...]
9 Consequences of the Upcoming US-China Trade War
Based on all the articles I have read about the current geopolitical situation, I am not optimistic about the affect of the US-China trade war on American importers. Dan Harris, who wrote "the US-China Cold War start now," announced that a "mega-storm" might be coming, and he may be right. Now, if things turn out as bad as predicted, and if tariffs apply on more goods imported from China to the US -- and at higher rates -- what does it mean for US importers? … [Read more...]
How the US/China Trade War Accelerates the ‘Made in China 2025’ Plan
Many journalists wrote about the new tariffs, how the situation will likely evolve over the next few months, and who the winners and losers might end up being. What I realized is, this situation is helping Beijing accelerate the transition of their manufacturing sector toward higher technologies. Let's look at 3 events that all point to this. 1. The US is stopping trade talks with China (published yesterday) For years, the US has complained American companies can’t fairly compete in … [Read more...]