berserk1010's comments

> they have a more nimble economy that can turn around quicker

That's not evident in the persistent high youth unemployment rate. There is also something called middle income trap https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_income_trap

> they become the dominant world super power.

There's no sign that that is guaranteed. No sign in culture power. No sign in economic power. No sign in demographics power. No sign in innovation power. No sign in technology power. No sign in military power.

Most Chinese factories in 2023, due to way less orders and needing to clear out their over inventory, had to cut their margins dramatically. thus, more shipped out, but making way less. They won't be able to do that in 2024, with factory shutdowns due to no margins and no more inventory. and that's why:

- Chinese stock market has dropped 11% this year, with 3 year cumulative loss of 6 trillion in 3 years https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/23/investing/china-stock-market-...

- Chinese economy is suffering from deflation

- China’s youth unemployment rate hit consecutive record highs in recent months. From April to June, the jobless rate for 16- to 24-year-olds reached 20.4%, 20.8% and 21.3% respectively

Also, the Chinese army in general is probably non-functional. Too much corruption, case in point: Corrupt Chinese Officials Filled Missiles With Water, Report Says https://www.newsweek.com/china-missiles-rocket-fuel-corrupt-...

A decrease of prior investment level is divestment, just not happening all at once. If you want to see that kind of activity:

Foreign investors have snatched back nearly 90% (!!!) of the money they put into Chinese stocks this year (2023) https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/china-econom...

OP never followed up his many claims with responses nor numbers, and had many wrong things that were disproven. I wouldn't bother.

China is in no shape to invade, being in a great depression https://www.forbes.com/sites/miltonezrati/2024/01/22/chinas-..., up to its eyeballs in debt, and having horrible demographics. And having horrible tax base.

For reference, when Germany and Japan was expanding, they had great, young demographics, and thus very good tax base. Japan had very low debt in 1920 when they started the wars https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/columns/s15_0004.html. Germany had suspended the gold standard and financed the war by borrowing, something China cannot do today.

Another way to think about this is, instead of all the possible money China made that it could have spent on war, instead it decided to build half-finished tofu dreg buildings, then the CCP elites took those dirty money out of China and into western economies :). Even the elites knew China was no match for the combined wealth/forces of western countries.

Not really seeing a "stagnation" using a graph, in the last 6 years

https://www.ceicdata.com/en/indicator/taiwan/annual-househol...

13k in 2017, 17k in 2022, 30% increase. and 22k in 2023, 30% increase.

the stagnation from 2011 to 2017 is due to the pro-China president from 2008 to 2016, which fueled market and investment losses going to China. That reversed in 2016 with the Pro-Taiwan president.

Here's an interesting and often used Chinese government propaganda word they use: vassal. It's meant to insult any U.S allies that work together with U.S against Chinese aggression, and to try to drive a wedge between the countries. Nevermind that it's so obvious it never works. And they never call Russia or North Korea a Chinese vassal officially - although some Chinese netizens do

here are some more

companies have announced over $166 billion in manufacturing in semiconductors and electronics, and at least 50 community colleges in 19 states have announced new or expanded programming to help American workers access good-paying jobs in the semiconductor industry. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases...

Apple commits $430 billion in US investments over five years https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/04/apple-commits-430-bil...

Microsoft will buy enough U.S.-made solar panels to power 1.8 million homes https://www.greenbiz.com/article/microsoft-will-buy-enough-u...

Tesla plans to spend $3.6 billion more on battery and truck manufacturing in Nevada https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/24/tesla-plans-to-spend-3point6...

> US is a frail aging empire that just cannot handle the peaceful rise of China

Not seeing that by the numbers

1.) The heavy market losses in 2024 come hot on the heels of a bruising run last year, when the CSI 300 index, comprising 300 major stocks listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen, fell more than 11%. By contrast, the United States’ benchmark S&P 500 index climbed 24% in 2023, while Europe’s grew almost 13%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 soared 28% last year and is still going strong, notching gains of nearly 10% so far this month. https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/22/business/china-stock-market-f...

2.) China suffers from deflation, while the rest of the world combats inflation. Not only does deflation signal a stagnating economy, it can lead to high unemployment, unaffordable debt repayment, and dismal outcomes for businesses. In the worst cases, deflation can lead an economy into a recession, or even a depression. https://www.wsj.com/world/china/deflation-worries-deepen-in-...

3.) Crushing debt. Going back further, China accounts for over half of the entire world’s total debt-to-GDP increases since 2008. https://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/backgrounder-china-econo... https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-01-06/bloomb...

4.) China’s youth unemployment rate hit consecutive record highs in recent months. From April to June, the jobless rate for 16- to 24-year-olds reached 20.4%, 20.8% and 21.3% respectively. https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/14/economy/china-economy-july-sl.... For reference, G7 countries is at 10%, US is at 8% https://data.oecd.org/unemp/youth-unemployment-rate.htm

> Being too close and too dependent on China mainland

This is changing quickly.

New investments in China by Taiwanese companies declined 10.4 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of the year (2023) to US$758 million...That follows an almost 14 percent decrease in such investment last year.https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2023/04/21/2...

Exodus of Taiwanese businesses from China: push and pull factors amidst trade and tech tensions https://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=3573

here are some numbers

U.S. manufacturing construction spending reached a 20-year high, hitting a $194 billion annual rate in April 2023, nearly double the $107 billion annual rate from a year ago. https://thinkkc.com/news/blog/kc-smartport-blog/2023/08/01/i...

In 2021, Intel announced more than $43.5 billion in new manufacturing investments across Arizona, New Mexico and Ohio to bolster U.S. chipmaking and R&D leadership. https://www.intc.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/1638/...

Walmart previously announced a $350 billion investment to make U.S. manufacturing more “affordable and feasible,”

https://www.sme.org/technologies/articles/2023/october/resho...

Correct, Europe would be wise to detach from China faster

Exports to the EU fell 11% from a year earlier to $38.3 billion in November compared https://apnews.com/article/china-exports-imports-decline-eco...

China's newly appointed defense chief and Shoigu discussed boosting military cooperation and coordination as the Russia-Ukraine war drags onhttps://www.newsweek.com/china-russia-ukraine-war-dong-jun-c...

> It’s crazy to me that you haven’t see more divestments in China from Taiwanese companies.

There is a ton of divestment, what do you mean?

New investments in China by Taiwanese companies declined 10.4 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of the year (2023) to US$758 million...That follows an almost 14 percent decrease in such investment last year.https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2023/04/21/2...

According to a survey conducted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics, over a quarter of surveyed Taiwanese firms with operations in China had already moved some of their production or sourcing out of China, while another third were considering doing so in the near-term. https://english.cw.com.tw/article/article.action?id=3573

Apple Aims to Make a Quarter of the World’s iPhones in India. Supplier Foxconn plans to build more factories and give India a production role once limited mostly to China https://www.wsj.com/tech/apple-aims-to-make-a-quarter-of-the...

Many wrong things with comments. Your pro-china KMT bias is showing

> Taiwan will never compete on the global market for most of its products.

the aggregate brand value of Taiwan's 25 largest brands totaled US$13.84 billion in 2023, a 5 percent rise from 2022 and marking the fourth consecutive year of the value surpassing the US$10 billion mark. https://focustaiwan.tw/business/202312020012

> The current result is that Taiwanese wages have stagnated for decades

The average annual salary for full-time employees in Taiwan reached an eight-year high of NT$694,000 (US$22,242) this year (2023). https://focustaiwan.tw/business/202311290017

Taiwan to surpass Japan in GDP per capita this year (2023): JCER https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Taiwan-to-surpass-Japan-in-G...

Lots of wrong things with the comments

> Contrast that to the US and Europe who keep talking about these things, but don't actually execute(although the US at least tries to throw money at the problem).

"Our analysis of multiple surveys indicates that as much as 91 percent of U.S. manufacturers have reshored some production in 2022, up from just 7 percent 2012. " https://www.assemblymag.com/articles/98200-a-look-back-at-20...

China's annual exports drop for first time in seven years. Among key trading partners, exports to the U.S. led the decline, down 13% from the previous year https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Trade/China-s-annual-exports...

> TSMC lost the Chinese market...South Korean officials on the other hand lobbied heavily to get long term exemptions, which allowed them to turn around their profit situation.

Samsung profit tumbles 35% as chip weakness persists. https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3248969/china-rem...

Over 50% of Korean firms missing earnings target in China this year: survey https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20230830000611

It's not a distraction; most of the developed countries have similar level of range of debt. Maybe that's how modern developed economies are suppose to function.

Most developed countries' economies have in the range of debt that Zeihan described, so not sure what you're getting at, unless you think the developed countries as a whole is crashing. Not seeing that really anywhere with low unemployment and rising stock market.

dupe: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39211473

Take a look at Zeihan's video where he shows in a graph how US debt level compares to other major economies. https://youtu.be/mcZPOuI-vcU?t=939. US is in the middle of the pack. US is going to be ok.

Also, watch until 20:38. You will see how screwed up some countries are when it comes to debt.

That's a valid question. He does have videos where he just speaks off top of his head, and I prefer the ones where he has charts and numbers that he speaks to. If you don't believe his charts and numbers, find ones online that you believe.

I do think someone who can hold that much minute, dry details in his brain and can cross reference them is going to be smarter than most of us. He does after all consult for major corporations and the U.S government.