China’s Two Sessions: GDP Growth and ImplicationsKey Implications of GDP Growth Target in 2022 Despite China’s strong rebound in 2021 at 8.1% from 2020 at 2.35%, the target GDP growth for 2022 is set at a cautiously ambitious 5.5% as announced in China’s annual “Two Sessions” legislative meetings. In translation, this growth will encompass more than 11 million new urban jobs, a CPI increase of 3%, more than 650 million metric tons of grain output, 2.8% budget deficit-to-GDP ratio, and RMB 3.65 trillion domestic investment target. These plans are critical to China’s economic and social developments in 2022, as the …
China’s Aged Population: Favorable Policies and Economic Opportunities
China’s Aged Population: Favorable Policies and Economic OpportunitiesAccelerating Demographic Shift and Start of an “Aged Society” In January 2022, Chinese elderlies aged 65 and above reached 200 million – accounting for 14.2% of the total population. According to UN standards, a country with more than 7% of the population over the age of 65 is an „ageing society“, more than 14% an „aged society“ and more than 20% an „ultra-aging society“. Thus, this marks China’s official demographic entry into an „aged society“. Meanwhile, China’s elderly service resources are not balanced geographically: especially in rural areas and in the case of …
China Trade 2022 – Mutual Dependency instead of Decoupling
China Trade 2022 – Mutual Dependency instead of DecouplingDespite fundamental changes in the relationship of China with the rest of the world, there is a very different sentiment when it comes to consumption patterns and purchase decisions. In 2021, China traded more with the rest of the world than ever before. We shed light on some key attention points.Six trillion USD in export and import value shows that China remains deeply connected with the global economy. Pushed by demand from the EU and US, the country recorded its biggest trade surplus to date. Consumers in both Europe and North America …
Volkswagen in China’s NEV Market: Challenges & Changes
Volkwagen in China’s NEV Market: Challenges & ChangesHow does VW perform in China’s New Energy Vehicle (NEV) market? In 2021, Volkswagen’s new energy vehicle “ID series” did not meet the Board’s expectations. It reached an annual sales volume of roughly 70,000 cars, lower than the target 80,000. The pioneer in this industry, Tesla, performed far better – reaching a significant volume of 936,000 shipped units. Besides that, the competition did not just come from Tesla. Local new energy automakers such as BYD, NIO, and Xpeng all delivered outstanding sales outcomes of 594,000, 91,000 and 98,000 units respectively. Together these players …
The Ice & Snow Economy behind the Winter Olympics
The Ice & Snow Economy behind the Winter Olympics“300 million people hit the ice & snow” When the Chinese government bid for the Olympics in 2015, it pledged to attract 300 million new winter sports participants as part of the Olympic legacy. In 2022, before the opening of Beijing Winter Olympics, China claims that the number of people who had taken part in outdoor and indoor winter sports-related leisure activities since 2015 has reached 346 million, surpassing the initial target. The “300 million” is not only a number that shows the popularization of winter sports in China, but also a …
China FDI Boom in 2021
FDI into China reaches new highs in 2021: What does it mean?How is China performing in FDI inflows? Global Foreign Direct Investment fell sharply by 32% to 1031 billion USD in 2020, according to the OECD. However, China’s FDI inflows bucked the trend and rose to 212 billion USD by increasing 14%, surpassing the US to become the world’s largest recipient of foreign capital. According to data released by the Ministry of Commerce in China, the actual use of foreign capital in the country hit a record of 173.5 billion USD in 2021 – increasing by 20% YoY. We are …
The Chinese Consumer in 2022
The Chinese Consumer in 2022“Generation Z” Chinese consumers display fundamentally different behavior as new sales channels, rising domestic brands and an increasing desire for self-expression have changed purchasing habits. But the growing elderly population is becoming an important consumer group as well! In this article we summarize the main characteristics about consumption in China you need to know.Rising Purchasing Power in China The annual disposable income of residents in China’s urban areas has been constantly growing over the past decade: From on average around 2,500 EUR in 2010 to more than 5,500 EUR in 2020. Urban dwellers in tier-1 cities …
Fuel-Cell Vehicles in China – Quo Vadis?
Quo Vadis Fuel-Cell in China?What is the state of automotive fuel-cell development worldwide? After years of development, fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEV) still pose a considerable controversy among OEMs, particularly when it comes to passenger car applications. Although notable progress has been made to develop hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, the overall market in the passenger segment remains small compared to battery cars (BEV). The global FCEV stock reached 45,000 units by 2021, with Japanese and Korean car models leading the market. Long-term projections forecast an annual sales volume of 150,000 units by 2030, and mobility heavyweights have put hydrogen on their development …
A Primer on E-Commerce Livestreaming in China
A Primer on E-Commerce Livestreaming in ChinaOverview of China’s E-commerce Livestreaming Industry In 2020, China’s e-commerce livestreaming market was estimated at 1.2 trillion RMB – an increase of almost 3x over 2019. The industry is projected to grow with a CAGR of 58% in the next years. The penetration rate of e-commerce livestreaming in online retail was 10.6% in 2020 and is expected to further rise, primarily driven by new users as well as an increase in order frequency and average basket size. Main drivers behind the rapid growth of the e-commerce livestreaming are: Vivid information and real-time interactive answers …
China’s Pet Boom
The Boom of China’s Pet IndustryOverview of China’s Pet Industry With the expansion of urban incomes and increase of Chinese choosing to raise pets especially in tier-1 cities, pet-related products and services in China are continuously evolving, resulting in a rapid expansion of the industry. In 2020, China’s pet industry reached a total value of 300 billion CNY. With the penetration rate of pets expected to further rise and related offerings continuing to mature, the Chinese pet industry is expected to grow with a CAGR of 14% and will reach 450 billion CNY in 2023. The pet industry consists of …
China Case Study: KONE
China Case Study: KONEAs one of the most successful foreign companies in the Chinese market, the Finnish company KONE is a striking example of how the right strategy can turn your business into remarkable profits.KONE in China Since its market entry in 1996, the Finnish company KONE has seen rapid growth in the past 20 years. It has become the market leader in elevator and escalator solutions in China, which accounts for 60% of the global demand and contributes 30% to KONE’s global business (~3bn EUR in 2020). As of today, the company has around 20,000 employees deployed in 600 …
The State of China’s Automotive Industry in 2021
China Automotive Industry in 2021What is the state of the Chinese automotive market? China as the world’s largest automotive market represents ~30% of global sales – despite being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the beginning of 2020. 25.3 million cars were sold (-1.9% YoY) in 2020 and passenger and commercial vehicle contributed 80% and 20% share respectively. Booming NEV sales also drove the market with 1.3 million sold units (+11% YoY). Up to the end of September in 2021, the entire car market has reached sales volume of 18.6 million (+8.7% YoY) with 2.2 million NEV sold (+190% YoY), …