• English
  • 简体中文
  • 繁體中文
  • Tiếng Việt
  • ไทย
  • Indonesia
Subscribe
Real-time News
On August 14th, Li Lecheng, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, recently visited Qinghai, Gansu, and Ningxia to investigate the development of the salt lake industry and the green and low-carbon development of industry. In Golmud City, Qinghai Province, Li Lecheng visited Qinghai Salt Lake Magnesium Industry, Potash Fertilizer, and Lithium Battery Company to investigate the production of integrated salt lake magnesium, potash fertilizer, and lithium salt projects. He emphasized the need for a scientifically planned development strategy for the salt lake industry, strengthened policy support and resource guarantees, optimization and strengthening of enterprises, promotion of resource integration and industrial synergy, tackling key core technologies in salt lake resource development, improving the efficiency of potassium, lithium, and magnesium resource development and utilization, and the level of deep processing, and creating a distinctive and advantageous industrial chain.On August 14th, Oxford Economics stated that Japans plan to cut the food consumption tax will widen the fiscal deficit and push up Japanese government bond yields. Economist Norihiro Yamaguchi wrote in a report that model calculations show the tax cuts will reduce Japans annual tax revenue by approximately 5 trillion yen, a loss that will be difficult to offset through other means. The institution expects some of the tax revenue loss to be offset by non-tax revenue and spending cuts, but assumes half of that will be financed through debt. The institution predicts Japans primary fiscal deficit will worsen to 3% of GDP, subsequently improving gradually from 2029 onwards as the debt-to-GDP ratio rises and fiscal consolidation intensifies. Oxford Economics projects that by the end of 2026, the yield on long-term Japanese government bonds will rise to approximately 3%, rather than remaining around 2.8%. Although the current reaction in the bond market is relatively limited, Oxford Economics believes that as more policy details emerge, the market will begin to gradually factor in the impact of the tax cuts on the fiscal situation.August 14th - According to foreign media reports, economists are now worried that the persistent high temperatures and lack of rainfall will increasingly drag down British economic activity. Currently, about two-thirds of England has officially entered a drought state, and newly appointed Prime Minister Andy Burnham convened an emergency meeting this week to discuss government measures to deal with the drought and wildfires. Increasing signs indicate that extreme heat is driving consumers away from high streets, impacting agricultural production, hindering construction, and dragging down labor productivity. An analysis by an agency on Friday showed that, so far, the heatwave has caused approximately £6 billion in losses to the British economy, equivalent to 0.2% of economic output. An economist stated, "The hot summer has brought yet another negative supply shock to the British economy. While the impact of the heatwave on GDP levels may only be temporary, the risk is that this heatwave could again push up prices in some sectors, thus creating new challenges for the Bank of England, which is already dealing with high inflation."A NATO military spokesperson stated that, following confirmation, an Italian Typhoon fighter jet eliminated the potential threat over an uninhabited area (regarding the earlier drone incident in Latvia).A NATO military spokesperson confirmed that NATO allied warplanes were scrambled due to a drone entering Latvian airspace.

U.S. Congress Leans Toward Massive China Competition Bill And Votes on Iran

Charlie Brooks

May 05, 2022 10:14

C1.png


The United States Congress moved closer to finalizing a long-stalled bill allowing hundreds of billions of dollars to bolster the country's ability to compete with Chinese technology on Wednesday, with Senate votes on a variety of subjects, including Iran policy.


Although the motions are not binding, they provide insight into what senators want to see in the final bill and what would prevent it from receiving enough votes to become law.


Republicans used debate on the bill to offer motions weighing in on President Joe Biden's efforts to renegotiate the international nuclear deal with Iran, which passed with support from several Democrats.


Republicans were unified in their opposition to the 2015 nuclear deal.


Senators voted 62-33 on a "Motion to Instruct" that, if passed, would prevent the Biden administration from eliminating Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps' terrorist status, a roadblock to restarting the nuclear accord.


Additionally, the Senate voted 86-12 in favor of a resolution declaring that sanctions against Iran related to terrorism are vital to rein in China's assistance with Iran.


Such measures might complicate delicate nuclear deal negotiations, but western officials have largely abandoned optimism that the deal can be restored following then-Republican President Donald Trump's 2018 withdrawal.


They also have the potential to complicate the passage of the China competition measure, which has been wending its way through Congress for a year.


Senate passed the first version in June 2021, with overwhelming bipartisan backing. The $250 billion package was heralded as the most significant government intervention in manufacturing in decades, but it was delayed in the House.


In February 2022, the House enacted its version, the "America COMPETES Act of 2022." Except for one Republican in the chamber, every Republican voted nay.


Nearly $300 billion is authorized for research and development under the COMPETES Act, including $52 billion to subsidize semiconductor manufacture and research.


After the Senate votes on all 28 Motions to Instruct, House and Senate lawmakers will begin their conference on a final COMPETES Act. Aides to Congress anticipated months of negotiations.