What content works in China in 2019? All retail in China has to be entertainment, says marketing expert Ashley Dudarenok. Everything has to be playful.

In its fight against an economic slowdown, China has opened the bank vaults again and pumped more credit into its financial systems, again, says political analyst Victor Shih, author of Factions and Finance in China: Elite Conflict and Inflation to the New York Times. It is an old solution in a country where debts are already at dangerous levels, he says.

Controlling shareholders have been caught for criminal activities everywhere, but there are a few reasons to give their backgrounds extra caution in China, says business analyst Shaun Rein, author of The War for China’s Wallet: Profiting from the New World Order to the South China Morning Post.

Yujiapu, Tianjin’s financial district, is building China’s Manhattan, with loans since most inhabitants still have to arrive. That goes well, says financial analyst Victor Shih, as long as the project has the political goodwill in Beijing to subscribe giants loans, he tells in the New York Times.

After a lengthy crackdown on shadow banking, this risky financial tool seems to be back in grace as China’s economy is slowing down. It is the pragmatic way China’s financial authorities deal with the economy, financial analyst Sara Hsu says. Shadow banking will be allowed, as long as it works, she writes in China Focus.

US President Donald Trump describes the upcoming deal between China and the US to end the trade war as “comprehensive”. China veteran Mark Schaub sees only marginal changes and certainly disagrees with a report in Bloomberg saying that most foreign companies can now work without joint ventures. Most companies can and do so since the 1980s, he tells at the BBC. And he assumes that in industries where foreign investments are tough, like publishing, telecom, and education, changes will not be sensational, he tells at the BBC.

A short video clip of Tencent watcher Matthew Brennan went viral, as he noted facial recognition tools at China’s airports. Most reactions from outside China were rather negative, he notes at CGTN, but in China itself, facial recognition is becoming the new normal. More debate is certainly needed, he adds.

China veteran Ashley Dudarenok notices an upswing in the mood about China’s economy, she tells in her daily vlog. Prospects for the trade agreement between China and the US look good. Financial reforms, including a reduction of the VAT is in the pipeline, and president Xi Jinping supports more than ever private companies. 

Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg has implicitly admitted he wants to learn from China’s WeChat. Marketing expert Ashley Dudarenok sees here a pivotal moment where a leading US platform starts to…

China is trying to pacify Islam by force, but is achieving the opposite of the stability it wants to secure, says Ian Johnson, author of The Souls of China, to Foreign Policy. “By using more force to increase stability, the government is achieving the opposite effect.”