It’s important to observe that, whilst our media generally focuses on the trading relationship between China and the West, there has been a dramatic surge in Chinese exports to the ‘Global South’, which includes:

According to one observer, Chen Feng, “China divides the external export cycle into two sub-cycles: Europe and the United States on one hand, and the Belt and Road/Asia, Africa and Latin America on the other”. Decoupling from the West and expanding influence and trade in emerging markets will have a significant impact for China in so many ways – economic, social and geo-political – and it will also open up new opportunities for globally minded investors.

The impact of this trend is well documented in a recent issue of the Asia Times which makes the point that “half a billion people in neighbouring countries now depend on Chinese technology for communications, data processing and logistics, providing China with a nearly limitless source of young workers for its industries and an ever-expanding export market”.

Some of the more eye-catching statistics highlighted in this article include: