Research & Analysis

On February 24, hours after his new Secretary of Treasury, Steven Mnuchin, pledged a more methodical approach to analyzing China’s foreign exchange policy, US President Donald Trump publicly criticized China, labeling the Chinese as the “grand champions” of currency manipulation.

‘Appification’, or the process whereby web pages are translated into mobile operating systems for ease of access and use on smartphones, has gained momentum in China. As a result , mobile apps have become the main user interface, and have changed the ways in which people consume and businesses sell.

Chinese companies looking for deals abroad face five main challenges when globalizing through M&A —including the often overlooked human capital.

The Chinese healthcare sector, which accounted for 6 percent of the country’s GDP in 2016, is expected to capture a 10 percent share in the coming years. Racing to establish a modern system of coverage, services, and products to accommodate the world’s largest population and fastest growing economy, China faces a number of development challenges. As China increasingly makes use of foreign products, services, and expertise to accomplish its reform goals, foreign companies are in a position to advance China’s reform goals in the healthcare sector, if allowed market access.

It is old news that the Chinese market is highly competitive and unlike any other in the world. Products that sell in London are not guaranteed to sell in China. The rainbow-lensed promises of e-commerce seem to be an easy way to access China’s 770.4 million working population, 0.2 percent or over 1.5 million of which have an average income of $500,000. However, the online store closures of a number of retail and luxury brand giants indicate that the competition is no less fierce online.

Costs of complying with China’s environmental protection laws are rising as companies operating there face higher compliance costs, more frequent inspections, and a swath of new laws and regulations on emissions. Already held to high expectations of energy efficiency and low emissions, companies operating in China should prepare for inevitably stricter standards to come.