There’s a war brewing… Battlelines are being drawn in Chengdu, Suzhou, Tucheng, Hsinchu City, Kikuyo, Folsom, Thousand Oaks, Casa Grande, Madison, and on to Portland, Maine. The soldiers are names we know… Nvidia (NVDA), Intel (INTC), AMD (AMD), Broadcom (AVGO), Wolfspeed (WOLF), Texas Instruments (TXN), Hon Hai Precision (HNHPF), Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM), and more. But […]Taiwan
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The $1.8-Trillion Prize at the Heart of this Cloak and Dagger
There’s a war brewing… Battlelines are being drawn in Chengdu, Suzhou, Tucheng, Hsinchu City, Kikuyo, Folsom, Thousand Oaks, Casa Grande, Madison, and on to Portland, Maine. The soldiers are names we know… Nvidia (NVDA), Intel (INTC), AMD (AMD), Broadcom (AVGO), Wolfspeed (WOLF), Texas Instruments (TXN), Hon Hai Precision (HNHPF), Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM), and more. But […]Taiwan Outlines Export Deal With China To Boost Its Economy and Open Door for Global Trade
Taiwan on Sunday announced a monumental trade deal with China that will boost the island's exports and shift its economy toward China-centric policies.
The Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) will reduce tariffs on 500 products exported from Taiwan to China and 200 products shipped from China to Taiwan including car parts and machinery. It will also open the door for Taiwan to be included in future free trade agreements that China previously prevented because it viewed Taiwan as a rebellious province.
"Signing the ECFA is a route that Taiwan must take and it is a milestone, " Liu Bih-rong, a political science professor at Soochow University in Taipei, told Bloomberg. "It signifies how the relationship between the two sides has recovered and, more importantly, it will pave the way for more free-trade agreements and benefits. "
The agreement's details still need to be ironed out and should be finalized by early July at the latest.
The Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) will reduce tariffs on 500 products exported from Taiwan to China and 200 products shipped from China to Taiwan including car parts and machinery. It will also open the door for Taiwan to be included in future free trade agreements that China previously prevented because it viewed Taiwan as a rebellious province.
"Signing the ECFA is a route that Taiwan must take and it is a milestone, " Liu Bih-rong, a political science professor at Soochow University in Taipei, told Bloomberg. "It signifies how the relationship between the two sides has recovered and, more importantly, it will pave the way for more free-trade agreements and benefits. "
The agreement's details still need to be ironed out and should be finalized by early July at the latest.
China Manufacturing Data Could Presage a Rising Yuan
Manufacturing activity in China and much of Asia continued to expand in March, underscoring the region's role as a driving force in the global economic recovery.
China's official Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose to a seasonally adjusted 55.1 from 52 in February, according to Li & Fung Group, a Hong Kong-based company that releases data for the Federation of Logistics and Purchasing. It marked the 13th straight month the index showed expansion and was in line with the median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey of 13 economists. A reading above 50 indicates growth.
Another PMI for China released by HSBC Holdings PLC (NYSE ADR: HBC) was even more positive, showing a rise to 57.0 in March from 55.8 in February.
China's official Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose to a seasonally adjusted 55.1 from 52 in February, according to Li & Fung Group, a Hong Kong-based company that releases data for the Federation of Logistics and Purchasing. It marked the 13th straight month the index showed expansion and was in line with the median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey of 13 economists. A reading above 50 indicates growth.
Another PMI for China released by HSBC Holdings PLC (NYSE ADR: HBC) was even more positive, showing a rise to 57.0 in March from 55.8 in February.
Will Taiwan Arms Sale Ground Boeing?
Roughly $400 billion in revenue would be a heavy price to pay for selling 12 missiles to Taiwan, but that potentially is what The Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) is facing as China continues to fume over U.S. arms sales to the renegade island.
The Obama administration last week approved a $6.4 billion weapons deal with Taiwan. The deal, which was brokered by the administration of George W. Bush in 2001, included UH-60 Black Hawk military helicopters and additional Patriot PAC-3 missile defenses, but not additional F-16 jets, which the government deemed "too provocative."
The sale infuriated China, which considers Taiwan its territory. Beijing has vowed to unify the region peacefully if possible and forcefully if necessary, but the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act obligates the United States to "provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character." That makes Taiwan the most sensitive issue in bilateral relations between the two nations.
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