China Turns Inward with Domestic Economy Plan
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Chinese President Xi Jinping has been outlining an economic plan that will focus more on domestic consumption and markets, easing back from China’s reliance on trade and foreign investment, the Wall Street Journal (subscription) reports.
Xi has been speaking publicly about this “domestic circulation” (as it’s translated) since May, according to Chinese officials. The details haven’t emerged yet, but more news should come out of the October “plenum,” the meeting of the Communist Party’s top leaders.
The chips are down: U.S. sanctions are already having an effect, with telecom company Huawei reporting a shortage of processor chips that will stall production. The Chinese government recently announced it would provide tax cuts and other forms of financial help to its domestic chip industry.
What’s the prognosis? Some experts think these measures won’t make much of a difference, however. As Paul Triolo, head of the geo-technology practice at Eurasia Group, told CNBC, “The preferential treatment outlined in the new policies will help in some areas, but in the short-term will have only marginal impact [on] the ability of Chinese semiconductor firms to move up the value chain and become more competitive globally.”
Interpreting China: The Financial Times (subscription) gives another read on U.S.–China relations: that China has taken a much more cautious attitude toward confrontation in the past month or two. For example, top Chinese officials have seemed to suggest that China is willing to talk and unwilling to let the relationship degrade further.
Meanwhile, in Taiwan . . . U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar discussed a trade deal with Taiwan on a high-profile visit to the country (though he didn’t spell out the details). While he was there, Chinese fighter jets flew across the median line in the Taiwan Strait.
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Manufacturers Unveil Competitiveness Agenda Ahead of Midterm Elections
“Competing to Win” offers a path for bringing the country together around policies, shared values and a unified purpose
Washington, D.C. – Ahead of the midterm elections, the National Association of Manufacturers released its policy roadmap, “Competing to Win,” a comprehensive blueprint featuring immediate solutions for bolstering manufacturers’ competitiveness. It is also a roadmap for policymakers on the laws and regulations needed to strengthen the manufacturing industry in the months and years ahead.
With the country facing rising prices, snarled supply chains and geopolitical turmoil, manufacturers are outlining an actionable competitiveness agenda that Americans across the political spectrum can support. “Competing to Win” includes the policies manufacturers in America will need in place to continue driving the country forward.
“‘Competing to Win’ offers a path for bringing our country together around policies, shared values and a unified purpose,” said NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons. “The NAM is putting forward a plan filled with ideas that policymakers could pursue immediately, including solutions to urgent problems, such as energy security, immigration reform, supply chain disruptions, the ongoing workforce shortage and more. Manufacturers have shown incredible resilience through difficult times, employing more workers now than before the pandemic, but continued resilience is not guaranteed without the policies that are critical to the state of manufacturing in America.”
The NAM and its members will leverage “Competing to Win” to shape policy debates ahead of the midterm elections, in the remainder of the 117th Congress and at the start of the 118th Congress—including in direct engagement with lawmakers, for grassroots activity, across traditional and digital media and through events in key states and districts as we did following the initial rollout of the roadmap in 2016.
The document focuses on 12 areas of action, and all policies are rooted in the values that have made America exceptional and keep manufacturing strong: free enterprise, competitiveness, individual liberty and equal opportunity.
Learn more about how manufacturers are leading and about the industry’s competitiveness agenda at nam.org/competing-to-win.
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The National Association of Manufacturers is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12.8 million men and women, contributes $2.77 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 58% of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the NAM or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org
