The future has caught up with the present quicker than we might have thought. Just as we were writing about the rise of the ‘China Price’, the markets caught hold of a bout of Sino-scepticism. An overheating Chinese economy is bad for China. It is also not too healthy for us either. We seem to be in danger of finding ourselves in a situation where economic performance is quite volatile – we rapidly go from boom to bust, and back to boom again. I wonder if this is a pattern that we shall have to endure for a few years?
Interestingly enough, the government of China has decided to act upon the domestic inflationary pressures. It has taken steps to provide financial assistance to Chinese farmers in the form of subsidies to cover the cost of diesel, fertilisers, and pesticides. Whilst this may have some impact in the short run, it is not a long term solution. In the long term, food prices are being forced up through growing prosperity in China. A long term solution needs to address the demand for food, not its supply.
Although Chinese inflation may abate, it is only likely to be temporary. And there still remains the issue of the asset bubble that is developing.
© The European Futures Observatory 2011
BBC News - China offers financial help to drought-hit farmers
No comments:
Post a Comment