1 00:00:03,920 --> 00:00:07,360 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Stephanomics, the podcast that brings the 2 00:00:07,360 --> 00:00:14,520 Speaker 1: global economy to you. Now, if you're interested in the 3 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:18,160 Speaker 1: global economy, you'll have spent time thinking about China. In fact, 4 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:21,119 Speaker 1: I'm amazed it's taken as six episodes of Stephanomics to 5 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:23,159 Speaker 1: get around to it. But I was waiting for the 6 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:28,440 Speaker 1: perfect story to bring China's economic and social transformation to life. 7 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:33,040 Speaker 1: I think the case of China's spendthrift millennials might be it. 8 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:36,960 Speaker 1: This new generation of Chinese are not like their parents, 9 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:40,120 Speaker 1: and they will change the world economy. And a few 10 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:43,320 Speaker 1: minutes I'll talk about that with our resident China hands, 11 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 1: the former Wall Street Journal China editor Andrew Brown and 12 00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:50,640 Speaker 1: Bloomberg Economics chief economist Tom Orlick. I'll also be grabbing 13 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:53,080 Speaker 1: a few minutes for the latest on US China trade 14 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 1: wars with our senior trade reporter Sean Donnan. But first, 15 00:00:57,320 --> 00:01:01,480 Speaker 1: here's Bloomberg China Economy reporter Kevin Hamlin with his insight 16 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:12,319 Speaker 1: into the world of the parent EATA. Meet Jenny, a 17 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:15,120 Speaker 1: bubbly twenty five year old who works in a television 18 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:18,360 Speaker 1: station in Beijing. My mona called me, had me seecrets 19 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:25,039 Speaker 1: our generations were we are labeled as the lazy, ourself 20 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:29,880 Speaker 1: senter and and for me, how I don't save money. 21 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:34,280 Speaker 1: I want to spend my money on traveling where I 22 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:38,640 Speaker 1: want to enjoy the moment. She's one of more than 23 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:43,280 Speaker 1: four hundred million Chinese millennials roughly speaking people aged eighteen 24 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:46,679 Speaker 1: to thirty five. That's five times more millennials than in 25 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 1: the United States, and it's more than in North America, Europe, 26 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:54,120 Speaker 1: and the Middle East combined. Jenny and her millennial peers 27 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:57,000 Speaker 1: are very different from the generation who built modern China. 28 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:00,920 Speaker 1: The influence of Chinese millennials may even be so great 29 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:03,760 Speaker 1: that they also make the world very different from the 30 00:02:03,760 --> 00:02:08,440 Speaker 1: one we know today. While the previous generation was known 31 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:12,000 Speaker 1: for its prolific saving habits, Jenny doesn't put away money 32 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:15,079 Speaker 1: at all. She likes to spend spare cash on things 33 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:20,080 Speaker 1: including travel and branded cosmetics. She even pays thirty dollars 34 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:22,320 Speaker 1: a time for her cat to have a shower in 35 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:26,520 Speaker 1: a cat spa. Since Jenny graduated from University in Florida 36 00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:29,639 Speaker 1: about a year ago, she's traveled to Japan, as well 37 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:33,120 Speaker 1: as Shanghai and Chan in China. She's looking to visit 38 00:02:33,160 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 1: Greece and Spain in the next couple of years. Her 39 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:40,040 Speaker 1: dream is to be a blogger writing about her travel experiences, 40 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:43,480 Speaker 1: something she says her parents think is ridiculous. If there's 41 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:45,720 Speaker 1: one thing that sums up Jenny, it's that she likes 42 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:48,680 Speaker 1: to live in the moment. I think my parents have 43 00:02:48,919 --> 00:02:52,919 Speaker 1: saved enough money that I always encouraged them to spend 44 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:56,920 Speaker 1: some to spend money um on something they like that. 45 00:02:57,200 --> 00:03:00,480 Speaker 1: They always try to to to save money. That's the 46 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:04,120 Speaker 1: point I don't understand. They worry about the future. The 47 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:08,200 Speaker 1: most extreme members of Jenny's generation are sometimes colloquially referred 48 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:11,640 Speaker 1: to in a colorful way. They're called the parent eaters 49 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:16,400 Speaker 1: or a Mandarin condo, a term with profound implications for 50 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:21,200 Speaker 1: China and the global economy. Sky High home prices in 51 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:24,359 Speaker 1: big cities mean they struggle to get on the property ladder, 52 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:26,919 Speaker 1: and often parents have to use their savings to help 53 00:03:26,919 --> 00:03:30,360 Speaker 1: them meet large down payments and monthly mortgage payments to 54 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:34,680 Speaker 1: buy a home. Zack dyke Wald is an American who 55 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:38,160 Speaker 1: wrote a book called Young China, How the Restless Generation 56 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:41,880 Speaker 1: will Change China and the world. Here's what he has 57 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:45,920 Speaker 1: to say about the potential global impact of millennials. It's 58 00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:50,200 Speaker 1: the first East Asian power with enough political and economic 59 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:53,600 Speaker 1: clout that the way that they live, the way they 60 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:55,600 Speaker 1: see the world, what they want, what they want from 61 00:03:55,600 --> 00:03:58,480 Speaker 1: a product, what they want from a style of loan, 62 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 1: what they how they want to see the country perceived 63 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:04,240 Speaker 1: in the world, for the first time ever has enough 64 00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:07,120 Speaker 1: cultural gravity that it could start to change that they 65 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:09,400 Speaker 1: could start to change the way that our world spins. 66 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:13,320 Speaker 1: This young generation is going to be impacting you personally. 67 00:04:14,200 --> 00:04:18,479 Speaker 1: They redefine every market they touch. And the craziest part 68 00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:21,640 Speaker 1: about about a lot of this consumer culture that we're 69 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:25,919 Speaker 1: seeing really really blossoming with this young generation in China 70 00:04:26,400 --> 00:04:30,040 Speaker 1: is it's hardly started yet. The consumer cloud of this 71 00:04:30,120 --> 00:04:34,800 Speaker 1: young generation has only just begun to articulate itself on 72 00:04:34,839 --> 00:04:47,000 Speaker 1: the world stage. The spending and saving behavior of the 73 00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:51,080 Speaker 1: millennial generation already is helping bring down the nation's legendary 74 00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:58,240 Speaker 1: lofty savings rate from about last year. Here's what Ju 75 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:01,840 Speaker 1: Hi Bin, chief China colonomist that JP Morgan had to say. 76 00:05:02,160 --> 00:05:06,160 Speaker 1: Because the population aging because of these new millenniums, are 77 00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:09,479 Speaker 1: different spending pattern, China saving red were woken keen to 78 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:13,240 Speaker 1: move down. We were still pretty high, but we believe 79 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:16,000 Speaker 1: that we were having argued before that we're talking about 80 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:21,279 Speaker 1: lovely probably every year two percentage point of receiving rates. Yeah, 81 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:24,360 Speaker 1: that's hobby. While the major macro theme to watch out, 82 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:28,880 Speaker 1: millennials choosing to spend on tourism and foreign products rather 83 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:32,240 Speaker 1: than save their money is one driver behind why China 84 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:35,000 Speaker 1: is poised to import capital from the rest of the 85 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:37,640 Speaker 1: world this year for the first time in the modern era, 86 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:43,400 Speaker 1: after decades of exporting its excess savings to other countries. Deloitte, 87 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:46,800 Speaker 1: a big consulting and accounting firm, says the trend will 88 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:54,279 Speaker 1: change the world. For now, Jenny and her millennial peers 89 00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:57,159 Speaker 1: may be too busy making their travel plans to worry 90 00:05:57,200 --> 00:06:01,880 Speaker 1: about such abstractions. Die Quotes research shows that between two 91 00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:05,280 Speaker 1: thousand and eight and two thousand and sixteen, China's spending 92 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:10,240 Speaker 1: on international travel roads until the nine percent of mainland 93 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:14,960 Speaker 1: Chinese without passports, two thirds are millennials. Here's Dike Wald again, 94 00:06:15,200 --> 00:06:18,240 Speaker 1: there's a different sense of why you're working hard. Before 95 00:06:18,279 --> 00:06:20,359 Speaker 1: you were working hard because that's what everyone did, and 96 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:23,400 Speaker 1: you're saving up for the future, for the next generation 97 00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:25,960 Speaker 1: even or for you to have a good life. You're 98 00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:29,520 Speaker 1: trying to push back subsistence. Now. You're working hard so 99 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:31,680 Speaker 1: you can afford that great hot pot meal with your 100 00:06:31,720 --> 00:06:34,040 Speaker 1: friends on the weekend, so you can afford that Europe 101 00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:36,599 Speaker 1: trip which you've been imagining, or that Beijing trip, or 102 00:06:36,640 --> 00:06:38,320 Speaker 1: to buy that great bag that would give you a 103 00:06:38,320 --> 00:06:40,080 Speaker 1: little bit more social status and make you feel like 104 00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:45,960 Speaker 1: you're living a good life. I visited Jong Joe in 105 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:49,080 Speaker 1: central China recently, a city best known for a huge 106 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:52,960 Speaker 1: factory that makes Apple iPhones. I bumped into thirty euro 107 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:57,120 Speaker 1: banker Jangee at a Starbucks coffee shop. He didn't want 108 00:06:57,160 --> 00:06:59,760 Speaker 1: to be recorded for this podcast, but he told me 109 00:06:59,800 --> 00:07:03,080 Speaker 1: that in October he and his wife spent fifty yuan 110 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:06,960 Speaker 1: or seven thousand, four hundred dollars on a trip to Iceland. 111 00:07:07,839 --> 00:07:11,960 Speaker 1: That's about a quarter of their combined annual income. They've 112 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:15,600 Speaker 1: also recently visited Japan and the Maldives, as well as 113 00:07:15,680 --> 00:07:19,320 Speaker 1: Chinese destinations such as Inner Mongolia and the tropical island 114 00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:24,520 Speaker 1: of Hainan. Jenny is among the very lucky ones because 115 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:28,480 Speaker 1: her parents have accumulated three apartments, so she doesn't worry 116 00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:30,840 Speaker 1: about saving to buy one, and that frees her of 117 00:07:30,880 --> 00:07:35,200 Speaker 1: a huge burden. Her plan to buy health insurance rather 118 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:38,440 Speaker 1: than have idle funds set aside for potential illness is 119 00:07:38,480 --> 00:07:42,160 Speaker 1: another force that drives China's shift to consumption, which could 120 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:45,080 Speaker 1: in turn become a key driver for the country's growth. 121 00:07:46,080 --> 00:07:49,200 Speaker 1: As for Jenny's other spending, not much of it pleases 122 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:52,160 Speaker 1: her parents. The complains are about I spend a lot 123 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:55,360 Speaker 1: of money on my cats. I could buying a lot 124 00:07:55,440 --> 00:08:00,680 Speaker 1: of toys and some snags for my cats, just like 125 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:05,000 Speaker 1: a resource. I don't think I have a very clear 126 00:08:05,040 --> 00:08:10,480 Speaker 1: pictures of my futures, but I hope when I enter 127 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:13,440 Speaker 1: thirty years old, I can't have a lot of free 128 00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:19,520 Speaker 1: time to go to go aboard to enjoy my holidays. Yeah, 129 00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:22,560 Speaker 1: that's my goal. But for those who aren't so lucky. 130 00:08:23,040 --> 00:08:27,320 Speaker 1: Higher indebtedness beckons household borrowing has been climbing for ten 131 00:08:27,400 --> 00:08:30,520 Speaker 1: years straight at the pace that rivals any such run 132 00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:34,640 Speaker 1: up in major economies. Fred who runs his own private 133 00:08:34,679 --> 00:08:37,440 Speaker 1: equity firm in Beijing and used to be the chairman 134 00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:41,840 Speaker 1: of Goldman Sachs in Greater China. He's fifty five years old, 135 00:08:42,040 --> 00:08:44,560 Speaker 1: and his life has spanned the chaos of China's Cultural 136 00:08:44,600 --> 00:08:48,960 Speaker 1: Revolution to the emergence of a new consumer culture. When 137 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:51,960 Speaker 1: I was going up as a child, even for me 138 00:08:52,120 --> 00:08:57,840 Speaker 1: to travel with the partvincial capital city was like a dream, 139 00:08:57,920 --> 00:09:03,760 Speaker 1: And of course was very close by going to Hong Kong, 140 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:08,640 Speaker 1: Taiwan and the United States just to forget about it. 141 00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:14,880 Speaker 1: When China was poor and asserted there was just no hope. 142 00:09:15,559 --> 00:09:20,160 Speaker 1: People didn't have dreams. Didn't you endared to dream? Now 143 00:09:20,240 --> 00:09:24,800 Speaker 1: for the younger generation of Chinese, anything is possible. The 144 00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:30,880 Speaker 1: sky is the limit. I'm Kevin Hamlin in Beijing for 145 00:09:30,960 --> 00:09:44,880 Speaker 1: Bloomberg News. So I'm joined now by Andrew Brown, editorial 146 00:09:44,920 --> 00:09:47,800 Speaker 1: director for the Bloomberg New Economy Forum, which is going 147 00:09:47,840 --> 00:09:50,640 Speaker 1: to be held in Beijing later this year, who was 148 00:09:50,679 --> 00:09:53,480 Speaker 1: previously China editor for The Wall Street Journal, and our 149 00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:56,320 Speaker 1: own chief economist, Tom Aulick, who spent eleven years in 150 00:09:56,360 --> 00:10:00,360 Speaker 1: Beijing before moving last year to d C. So, Andy, 151 00:10:00,800 --> 00:10:04,640 Speaker 1: we had a lot there about parents, eaters, the millennials, 152 00:10:05,280 --> 00:10:09,040 Speaker 1: they're spending habits. Are they telling us that China is 153 00:10:09,080 --> 00:10:12,320 Speaker 1: now on course to really becoming a consumer driven society? 154 00:10:12,480 --> 00:10:16,640 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, China. China is well on its way to 155 00:10:16,679 --> 00:10:21,520 Speaker 1: becoming a consumer society driven by the millennials. The millennials 156 00:10:21,600 --> 00:10:28,439 Speaker 1: are the luckiest generation in Chinese history. Their grandparents experienced 157 00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:32,319 Speaker 1: extreme deprivation, even starvation if they were alive in the 158 00:10:32,400 --> 00:10:37,439 Speaker 1: late fifties during the Great Leap Forward. Their parents understood hardship, 159 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:42,679 Speaker 1: but they also cashed in on the greatest economic boom 160 00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:48,080 Speaker 1: in human history in the eighties, nineties, in the two thousand's. 161 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:52,440 Speaker 1: And the millennials are going to inherit it all. And 162 00:10:52,480 --> 00:10:54,400 Speaker 1: what are they going to do to the economy and 163 00:10:54,480 --> 00:10:57,040 Speaker 1: to society when you look to the next ten or 164 00:10:57,080 --> 00:11:00,640 Speaker 1: twenty years. How is this going to shape China? I 165 00:11:00,679 --> 00:11:05,640 Speaker 1: think it's going to transform the Chinese economy and with it, 166 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:09,960 Speaker 1: potentially the global economy. I mean, I think if it 167 00:11:10,000 --> 00:11:15,240 Speaker 1: in terms of three major trends. The first is that 168 00:11:15,559 --> 00:11:20,520 Speaker 1: Chinese millennials want authenticity. They want the real thing. Their 169 00:11:20,559 --> 00:11:24,920 Speaker 1: parents were okay with fakes. Uh. Yeah, it was all 170 00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:27,560 Speaker 1: about the price tag and if the knockoff Gucci was 171 00:11:28,240 --> 00:11:31,200 Speaker 1: as good as the real thing, that was fine. The 172 00:11:31,240 --> 00:11:38,040 Speaker 1: millennials don't want that. So obviously this implies greater protection 173 00:11:38,080 --> 00:11:42,160 Speaker 1: for intellectual property. Uh. It implies more rule of law, 174 00:11:43,280 --> 00:11:47,360 Speaker 1: and it implies less trade friction between China and its 175 00:11:47,480 --> 00:11:50,640 Speaker 1: major trading partners, the days of China as the knockoff 176 00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:54,040 Speaker 1: center of the globe and number. I think the second 177 00:11:54,760 --> 00:12:00,520 Speaker 1: factor is that millennials care very deeply about how their 178 00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:06,520 Speaker 1: goods are made. They care about environmental issues, environmental pollution, 179 00:12:06,960 --> 00:12:12,520 Speaker 1: they care about safety, product safety, industrial safety, and the 180 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:16,640 Speaker 1: government has to focus on these issues like a laser 181 00:12:17,200 --> 00:12:22,679 Speaker 1: in response. Again a big positive for China with global implications. 182 00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:28,360 Speaker 1: The third one I would mention is millennials want customization. 183 00:12:29,040 --> 00:12:34,440 Speaker 1: They're not content to be merely passive consumers of goods 184 00:12:34,480 --> 00:12:38,200 Speaker 1: as well as services. They want to be co creators. 185 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:44,360 Speaker 1: They want their Mini Cooper or their Nike sneakers to 186 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:49,080 Speaker 1: scream me. It's all about expressing their individuality and in 187 00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:52,680 Speaker 1: a in a way, this sort of flips all the 188 00:12:52,760 --> 00:12:57,160 Speaker 1: power relations in the Chinese economy. Its strengthens the market 189 00:12:57,240 --> 00:13:02,640 Speaker 1: over the state. It strengthens consumers of producers. It tends 190 00:13:02,760 --> 00:13:07,640 Speaker 1: to work in favor of private enterprise. I don't know 191 00:13:07,640 --> 00:13:10,120 Speaker 1: if it's going too far to say this, but I 192 00:13:10,160 --> 00:13:14,720 Speaker 1: think in some ways it's the millennial consumers that is 193 00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:19,080 Speaker 1: going to force the type of reforms onto the Chinese 194 00:13:19,080 --> 00:13:23,120 Speaker 1: economy that the current crop of leaders in Beijing us 195 00:13:23,240 --> 00:13:27,240 Speaker 1: so reluctant to implement and could in time lead to 196 00:13:27,280 --> 00:13:30,600 Speaker 1: political opening as well. Tom When people look at China, 197 00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:36,400 Speaker 1: the two big things that China has to achieve if 198 00:13:36,440 --> 00:13:39,960 Speaker 1: it's going to continue the kind of growth it's had. 199 00:13:40,040 --> 00:13:41,680 Speaker 1: You know, we know this. It has to become a 200 00:13:41,679 --> 00:13:44,880 Speaker 1: more consumer driven society. You know, economists have always said 201 00:13:45,280 --> 00:13:47,959 Speaker 1: you have to have consumption risings and savings fall as 202 00:13:47,960 --> 00:13:50,280 Speaker 1: a share of GDP. But they also need to get 203 00:13:50,280 --> 00:13:53,880 Speaker 1: productivity growth, and that's the big question mark. And people 204 00:13:53,880 --> 00:13:56,200 Speaker 1: who are pessimists about China, who say the whole thing 205 00:13:56,320 --> 00:13:58,880 Speaker 1: is going to blow up, tend to be pessimists on 206 00:13:58,960 --> 00:14:02,200 Speaker 1: the productivity side. You know, how does this story that 207 00:14:02,280 --> 00:14:05,920 Speaker 1: Andy's telling play into how you might think the economy 208 00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:09,440 Speaker 1: is going to evolve? I think on the first access 209 00:14:09,480 --> 00:14:13,200 Speaker 1: that you talked about, Stephanie, the UM shift away from 210 00:14:13,440 --> 00:14:18,079 Speaker 1: high saving and investment towards a more consumer driven economy. UM. 211 00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:21,760 Speaker 1: This millennial shift that Andy has identified is going to 212 00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:26,560 Speaker 1: be incredibly significant. The parents of the current generation, they 213 00:14:26,600 --> 00:14:29,600 Speaker 1: grew up in the reform era, but they also grew 214 00:14:29,680 --> 00:14:33,200 Speaker 1: up in a period where state and enterprises were closed. 215 00:14:33,560 --> 00:14:38,080 Speaker 1: The iron Rice bowl of welfare benefits was broken, and 216 00:14:38,120 --> 00:14:42,240 Speaker 1: they responded to that by saving, saving a really high 217 00:14:42,280 --> 00:14:47,520 Speaker 1: share of their income. The millennial generation haven't experienced that 218 00:14:47,680 --> 00:14:51,280 Speaker 1: stripping away of social benefits. They certainly haven't experienced the 219 00:14:51,320 --> 00:14:54,680 Speaker 1: privations of the Mao era, and so as Andy mentioned, 220 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:58,600 Speaker 1: they really have a different attitude to consumption. They're very 221 00:14:58,600 --> 00:15:02,760 Speaker 1: free spending. That can only drive a shift in China's 222 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:07,720 Speaker 1: economy away from saving, away from investment, towards consumption. The 223 00:15:07,760 --> 00:15:11,920 Speaker 1: second question which you raised is can this also drive 224 00:15:12,040 --> 00:15:17,000 Speaker 1: higher productivity in China's economy. Ultimately, that's what's most important 225 00:15:17,120 --> 00:15:19,880 Speaker 1: if China is going to sustain high growth. I think 226 00:15:19,920 --> 00:15:23,040 Speaker 1: they're the jury is still out that A couple of 227 00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:29,080 Speaker 1: points suggest reasons for optimism. Firstly, that desire for authenticity 228 00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:31,640 Speaker 1: is going to mean that China needs to put in 229 00:15:31,680 --> 00:15:35,960 Speaker 1: place firm of protections for intellectual property. If you don't 230 00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:39,000 Speaker 1: have intellectual property protections, the market will continue to be 231 00:15:39,040 --> 00:15:42,400 Speaker 1: flooded with fakes um. When you put the intellectual property 232 00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:47,000 Speaker 1: protections in place, that's part of creating the right atmosphere 233 00:15:47,320 --> 00:15:51,360 Speaker 1: for a more dynamic entrepreneurial economy. The second point I 234 00:15:51,360 --> 00:15:55,000 Speaker 1: would make is that the millennial generation are just much 235 00:15:55,040 --> 00:15:59,520 Speaker 1: better educated than their parents and certainly their grandparents. Their 236 00:15:59,560 --> 00:16:04,600 Speaker 1: parents probably graduated from high school. The millennials probably graduated 237 00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:08,119 Speaker 1: from university, and many of them will have studied overseas 238 00:16:08,120 --> 00:16:11,720 Speaker 1: as well. That higher level of education is also a 239 00:16:11,760 --> 00:16:15,280 Speaker 1: basis for optimism about a more productive economy. You know, 240 00:16:15,360 --> 00:16:17,400 Speaker 1: it's interesting that if you bring together the things that 241 00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:20,520 Speaker 1: both of you have talked about, UM, I'm struck by 242 00:16:20,520 --> 00:16:23,200 Speaker 1: two things. You know. One is it's sort of starts 243 00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:25,800 Speaker 1: to look like the story that was always told about China. 244 00:16:25,880 --> 00:16:29,160 Speaker 1: You know, we've talked in the past about why, you 245 00:16:29,160 --> 00:16:31,920 Speaker 1: know what what the West quote unquotes thought where they 246 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:34,320 Speaker 1: let China into the World Training Organization. That you know, 247 00:16:34,400 --> 00:16:37,840 Speaker 1: if you if you allow, if you see embrace China 248 00:16:37,920 --> 00:16:40,600 Speaker 1: in the global economy, inevitably being part of a more 249 00:16:40,600 --> 00:16:43,920 Speaker 1: global market economy makes you also more likely to be 250 00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:48,080 Speaker 1: a democracy um, and a more market led country. We 251 00:16:48,160 --> 00:16:51,240 Speaker 1: haven't seen that to the extent to the extent that 252 00:16:51,280 --> 00:16:53,280 Speaker 1: we thought we were going to see it, certainly not 253 00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:57,360 Speaker 1: on the democracy front. But I think but you're suggesting 254 00:16:57,360 --> 00:16:58,920 Speaker 1: that we just said it's just a matter of time 255 00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:03,680 Speaker 1: that inevitably the individualism of a consumer driven society means 256 00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:05,959 Speaker 1: you have to start giving political choices to people as 257 00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:09,640 Speaker 1: well as choices in the marketplace. Do you think that's yeah, well, 258 00:17:09,840 --> 00:17:14,480 Speaker 1: I think I think it's all it's all generational. You know. 259 00:17:14,520 --> 00:17:20,040 Speaker 1: So the grandparents of today's millennials, Um, we're penny pinchers. 260 00:17:20,040 --> 00:17:25,160 Speaker 1: They counted their pennies very carefully. The parents with thrifty 261 00:17:25,720 --> 00:17:30,520 Speaker 1: they saved. And the millennials who have never experienced an 262 00:17:30,560 --> 00:17:34,240 Speaker 1: economic downturn, and actually their parents haven't really experienced an 263 00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:37,719 Speaker 1: economic downturn for the last four decades or so, and 264 00:17:37,760 --> 00:17:40,920 Speaker 1: they want to spend ah, and you know, they can 265 00:17:40,960 --> 00:17:45,160 Speaker 1: dip into family savings. See, a lot of their parents 266 00:17:45,800 --> 00:17:49,520 Speaker 1: would have I think that's where the parent eating comes out. 267 00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:51,200 Speaker 1: This is where this is where the parents, there's where 268 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:52,800 Speaker 1: the parents. I mean that a lot of their parents 269 00:17:52,840 --> 00:17:56,240 Speaker 1: would have bought property for a song in the late 270 00:17:56,280 --> 00:18:00,800 Speaker 1: nine nineties early two thousand's when China privatized its housing stocks, 271 00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:04,240 Speaker 1: so they haven't had to, you know, buy their own homes. 272 00:18:04,800 --> 00:18:08,840 Speaker 1: Their education has been paid for. Um, you know, they've 273 00:18:08,880 --> 00:18:11,919 Speaker 1: traveled overseas as young adults on their own mom and 274 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:16,199 Speaker 1: dad's credit cards. But I will say I will say 275 00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:21,280 Speaker 1: that there are there are serious caveats to this scenario, 276 00:18:21,840 --> 00:18:27,200 Speaker 1: and the good times are not gonna last forever. At 277 00:18:27,240 --> 00:18:31,800 Speaker 1: some point, China is going to have a major turndown. 278 00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:35,359 Speaker 1: We don't know when that's going to be, but it 279 00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:38,639 Speaker 1: will have one, and when it comes, it could be 280 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:43,679 Speaker 1: pretty brutal. I mean, you could see sharply lower property 281 00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:50,280 Speaker 1: prices eating into the major asset value of Chinese households, 282 00:18:50,280 --> 00:18:54,479 Speaker 1: potentially this old speculative, potentially inflation, which could you know, 283 00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:58,040 Speaker 1: eat away at at savings, and it's going to sort 284 00:18:58,040 --> 00:19:02,520 Speaker 1: of scramble the way that millennials think about the future. 285 00:19:03,320 --> 00:19:06,760 Speaker 1: I've never had to worry about this before. I would say. 286 00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:12,320 Speaker 1: The second factor is China's aging demographic. That China faces 287 00:19:12,359 --> 00:19:17,480 Speaker 1: this demographic time bomb. The baby boomers of the fifties 288 00:19:17,560 --> 00:19:20,800 Speaker 1: and sixties are retiring, and they're going to be supported 289 00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:25,560 Speaker 1: by a workforce that is shrinking as a result of 290 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:29,600 Speaker 1: the one child family policy which kicked in in the 291 00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:34,080 Speaker 1: seventies and eighties. And what that's going to mean is 292 00:19:34,160 --> 00:19:37,000 Speaker 1: that all of these savings, a lot of these savings 293 00:19:37,040 --> 00:19:40,520 Speaker 1: are going to go into caring for the elderly and 294 00:19:40,560 --> 00:19:48,919 Speaker 1: all the conditions associated with aging, um stroke and heart attack, cancers, 295 00:19:49,040 --> 00:19:52,080 Speaker 1: and so on, and so these enormous pools of family 296 00:19:52,359 --> 00:19:56,560 Speaker 1: savings aren't going to look quite as big when faced 297 00:19:56,560 --> 00:20:01,320 Speaker 1: with with this demographic shock. I mean, that's right, isn't it. 298 00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:04,960 Speaker 1: Tom That on top of everything else, you know, every 299 00:20:04,960 --> 00:20:08,440 Speaker 1: country is trying to deal with the challenge of aging, 300 00:20:08,600 --> 00:20:12,400 Speaker 1: and China has that in a particularly acute way. How 301 00:20:12,400 --> 00:20:16,960 Speaker 1: do you generate productivity growth in that kind of environment? Andy, 302 00:20:16,960 --> 00:20:19,040 Speaker 1: I really feel like you've dragged the mood down in 303 00:20:19,080 --> 00:20:22,720 Speaker 1: this discussion. We came in talking about customized Mini Coopers 304 00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:26,280 Speaker 1: and Nike trainers. I thought maybe Hello Kitty or k 305 00:20:26,480 --> 00:20:29,200 Speaker 1: Pop might get mentioned at some point, and now here 306 00:20:29,240 --> 00:20:32,120 Speaker 1: we are talking about old people's home strengths and heart attacks. 307 00:20:32,200 --> 00:20:37,600 Speaker 1: Is it's deeply depressing? Um so um? I think it's 308 00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:41,480 Speaker 1: a it's a critically important question. Japan, in some respects 309 00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:44,320 Speaker 1: points the way forward. They're the first economy in the 310 00:20:44,359 --> 00:20:49,080 Speaker 1: world to sell more adult diapers than they sold child diapers, 311 00:20:49,320 --> 00:20:52,160 Speaker 1: and I think if we delve into Japan, we see 312 00:20:52,520 --> 00:20:55,320 Speaker 1: various ways in which they're thinking of innovative responses to 313 00:20:55,359 --> 00:20:59,320 Speaker 1: the problem of aging, including use of a robotics in caring, 314 00:20:59,359 --> 00:21:02,560 Speaker 1: for example. So perhaps there is a path there um. 315 00:21:02,680 --> 00:21:06,800 Speaker 1: The concluding thought which I which I had, was we 316 00:21:06,840 --> 00:21:11,520 Speaker 1: should be careful about our assumptions on what drives what 317 00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:15,200 Speaker 1: we've talked about. The assumption in the past that entering 318 00:21:15,240 --> 00:21:19,200 Speaker 1: the World Trade Organization would be a driver of economic 319 00:21:19,240 --> 00:21:24,840 Speaker 1: reform and democratization for China, the idea that Western markets 320 00:21:24,840 --> 00:21:28,760 Speaker 1: would be sort of seed carriers of Western values. Clearly 321 00:21:28,800 --> 00:21:31,439 Speaker 1: that didn't play out, um, And now we have the 322 00:21:31,560 --> 00:21:36,160 Speaker 1: idea that the millennials will be potentially the seed carriers 323 00:21:36,200 --> 00:21:40,400 Speaker 1: of a similar set of values because they're more individualistic. Um, 324 00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:45,280 Speaker 1: they're more highly educated, and that is an entirely plausible story. 325 00:21:45,320 --> 00:21:48,960 Speaker 1: But there's also another plausible story, which is the millennials 326 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:53,800 Speaker 1: are allowed to be individualistic and express their preferences when 327 00:21:53,800 --> 00:21:56,840 Speaker 1: it comes to consumption. They can have whatever color Mini 328 00:21:56,880 --> 00:22:01,440 Speaker 1: Cooper or whatever color Nike trainers, they want the color 329 00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:08,120 Speaker 1: adult diaper looking indeed, and maybe some hollow kitty adult lopers. Um. 330 00:22:08,160 --> 00:22:12,600 Speaker 1: But their freedom, their individualism is restricted to that relatively 331 00:22:12,760 --> 00:22:16,760 Speaker 1: narrow world of consumption, and we don't see the largest 332 00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:21,920 Speaker 1: systemic impacts that many people anticipate. Thank you very much, 333 00:22:21,960 --> 00:22:31,919 Speaker 1: Andy Brown and Tom Mollett, thank you. Thanks. What we 334 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:34,480 Speaker 1: were trying to think big about the future of China, 335 00:22:34,520 --> 00:22:36,040 Speaker 1: and I think I think we did that, But of 336 00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:39,560 Speaker 1: course we can't. We can't talk about China these days 337 00:22:39,600 --> 00:22:44,280 Speaker 1: without also having a few words about US China trade wars. 338 00:22:44,400 --> 00:22:48,360 Speaker 1: So I've brought in Sean Donnan, our senior trade reporter, 339 00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:50,359 Speaker 1: to give me the low down on that and also 340 00:22:50,440 --> 00:22:53,119 Speaker 1: a bit of insight into how trade wars and the 341 00:22:53,160 --> 00:22:57,520 Speaker 1: uncertainty they create might be affecting the US economy and 342 00:22:57,600 --> 00:23:01,080 Speaker 1: indeed US politics. Sean, thanks for grabbing a few minutes. 343 00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:02,719 Speaker 1: I know it's a it's a busy week for you. 344 00:23:03,440 --> 00:23:07,960 Speaker 1: Just tell us briefly what to think about the developments 345 00:23:07,960 --> 00:23:10,280 Speaker 1: of the last week or so. You know, I think 346 00:23:10,320 --> 00:23:12,600 Speaker 1: those people who were not following the day to day 347 00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:14,879 Speaker 1: on this might have thought we were cruising towards some 348 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:18,159 Speaker 1: kind of US China trade deal. Now everything seems to 349 00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:21,200 Speaker 1: have gone in reverse over the weekend. What's up? Yeah, Well, 350 00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:23,320 Speaker 1: I think the the short answer is the endgame and 351 00:23:23,400 --> 00:23:26,080 Speaker 1: trade negotiations is always messy. There's always ups and downs. 352 00:23:26,080 --> 00:23:28,920 Speaker 1: There isn't this kind of linear path, linear rational path 353 00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:32,359 Speaker 1: to to a deal in trade negotiations. There's always just 354 00:23:32,359 --> 00:23:35,440 Speaker 1: by the nature of the negotiations and the way they're constructed, 355 00:23:35,480 --> 00:23:37,480 Speaker 1: the difficult issues are always left to the end, and 356 00:23:37,520 --> 00:23:40,200 Speaker 1: that's always where you you kind of run into the 357 00:23:40,400 --> 00:23:42,680 Speaker 1: roadblocks and so but there's no doubt that what we're 358 00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:47,240 Speaker 1: seeing now is some real questions about whether the US 359 00:23:47,280 --> 00:23:50,240 Speaker 1: and China can even reach a deal because we're getting 360 00:23:50,320 --> 00:23:53,679 Speaker 1: to the hard part here, which is both sides have 361 00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:58,080 Speaker 1: to give something, and both sides of domestic constituencies. And 362 00:23:58,080 --> 00:24:00,040 Speaker 1: they also have economies that look a lot better and 363 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:02,639 Speaker 1: they did six or nine months ago, which means that 364 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:04,919 Speaker 1: they're less inclined to give. So you to get the 365 00:24:04,920 --> 00:24:08,160 Speaker 1: sense that the Chinese speak with one voice on this, 366 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:10,480 Speaker 1: whereas there's quite a lot of different voices and different 367 00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:15,000 Speaker 1: viewpoints inside Donald Trump's administration on trade. How are those 368 00:24:15,040 --> 00:24:17,320 Speaker 1: feeding into this? Yeah, I mean, it's always hard to 369 00:24:17,320 --> 00:24:20,320 Speaker 1: figure out what happened, what is happening exactly internally in 370 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:22,680 Speaker 1: terms of the debate and China, they're much more opaque 371 00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:25,800 Speaker 1: than UH folks are here in the United States. But 372 00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:31,320 Speaker 1: clearly we've seen cycles of hawks and doves gaining the 373 00:24:31,359 --> 00:24:36,160 Speaker 1: ascendancy over the past year or two in the Trump administration, 374 00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:38,239 Speaker 1: and we may be on a cycle now where the 375 00:24:38,280 --> 00:24:41,400 Speaker 1: hawks are are gaining a little bit more footing. Part 376 00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:43,440 Speaker 1: of that has to do with the kind of robust 377 00:24:43,480 --> 00:24:46,879 Speaker 1: economic data that the President is seeing about the U 378 00:24:46,960 --> 00:24:50,320 Speaker 1: s economy recently, but part of that is also other 379 00:24:50,359 --> 00:24:53,720 Speaker 1: things we're hearing. For example, that Larry Cudlow has taken 380 00:24:53,760 --> 00:24:55,879 Speaker 1: a few blows over the nomination of Stephen Moore to 381 00:24:55,920 --> 00:24:57,800 Speaker 1: the FED and that going wrong, and that has kind 382 00:24:57,800 --> 00:25:00,320 Speaker 1: of hurt his credibility inside the imagers did He's the 383 00:25:00,359 --> 00:25:03,160 Speaker 1: presidents of Economic Advisor, he's the head of the National 384 00:25:03,200 --> 00:25:06,080 Speaker 1: Economic Council in theory that the kind of the grand 385 00:25:06,520 --> 00:25:10,119 Speaker 1: economic strategist, if you will, And he's also someone who's 386 00:25:10,160 --> 00:25:13,040 Speaker 1: been in the past anti tariff and very propreate. True. 387 00:25:13,200 --> 00:25:15,399 Speaker 1: I guess what I'm particularly interested in is the impact 388 00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:18,919 Speaker 1: on the economy. You know, economists have tended to always 389 00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:23,600 Speaker 1: assume that trade wars, tariffs but also the uncertainty from 390 00:25:23,600 --> 00:25:26,679 Speaker 1: trade wars is going to be bad for the US economy. 391 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:29,959 Speaker 1: I saw you wrote an interesting piece on this at 392 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:33,240 Speaker 1: the end of last week, just sort of looking at 393 00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:35,520 Speaker 1: how the numbers were playing out in terms of job 394 00:25:35,560 --> 00:25:39,040 Speaker 1: losses and job gains and what did you find. Yeah, 395 00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:42,760 Speaker 1: so one of the interesting things in ter force or 396 00:25:42,760 --> 00:25:45,199 Speaker 1: trade wars, is that they're clearly our job gains and 397 00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:47,800 Speaker 1: protected industries, but there's always a question as to how 398 00:25:47,880 --> 00:25:50,760 Speaker 1: long does gains last for. And what we're starting to 399 00:25:50,800 --> 00:25:52,919 Speaker 1: see in the jobs numbers, and that showed up in 400 00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:57,480 Speaker 1: the April jobs report, is that the gains from in 401 00:25:57,640 --> 00:26:01,520 Speaker 1: protected industries like steel and electric appliances seem to be 402 00:26:01,560 --> 00:26:04,359 Speaker 1: peaking UH and in fact, in some cases even going 403 00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:06,880 Speaker 1: into reverse. If you look at the primary metals industry, 404 00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:11,560 Speaker 1: this is one of the big beneficiaries of Trump's tariffs UH. 405 00:26:11,960 --> 00:26:14,560 Speaker 1: Over the past years, since he introduced tariffs on steel 406 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:19,520 Speaker 1: and aluminum, the industry has added jobs. That compares to 407 00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:23,840 Speaker 1: two point six million jobs added in the overall economy. 408 00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:27,000 Speaker 1: So it's a tiny number compared to the overall editions. 409 00:26:27,040 --> 00:26:29,280 Speaker 1: But in April it actually went into reverse and he 410 00:26:29,359 --> 00:26:32,800 Speaker 1: actually lost two thousand jobs in primary moles. Now we 411 00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:34,879 Speaker 1: need to be careful of of looking too much or 412 00:26:34,920 --> 00:26:37,600 Speaker 1: giving too much credence to monthly data. This stuff is 413 00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:40,640 Speaker 1: volatile and so on, but it gets at that kind 414 00:26:40,680 --> 00:26:47,080 Speaker 1: of economic case for tariffs UH, is this adding US production, 415 00:26:47,280 --> 00:26:50,640 Speaker 1: is adding jobs and in the economy. Donald Trump believes 416 00:26:50,720 --> 00:26:54,359 Speaker 1: it is his advisors. His hawks certainly believe it is, 417 00:26:54,440 --> 00:26:56,400 Speaker 1: but the data is starting to show something a little 418 00:26:56,400 --> 00:26:59,679 Speaker 1: bit more complicated. Yeah, and as you point out, even 419 00:26:59,680 --> 00:27:03,240 Speaker 1: even his own even the president story focuses on one 420 00:27:03,320 --> 00:27:06,880 Speaker 1: relatively small industry, the steel industry, when we know that, 421 00:27:07,040 --> 00:27:11,080 Speaker 1: you know, there are far more consumers of steel in US, 422 00:27:11,119 --> 00:27:14,080 Speaker 1: in the US economy than there are producers of steel. 423 00:27:14,160 --> 00:27:17,000 Speaker 1: And I think there's even there's more manicurists than there 424 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:19,480 Speaker 1: are steel workers in the US, So we always have 425 00:27:19,520 --> 00:27:22,760 Speaker 1: to have some perspective. Sure, Night, We've already had you 426 00:27:22,840 --> 00:27:26,480 Speaker 1: on the program with our launch episode on the Economics 427 00:27:26,480 --> 00:27:29,520 Speaker 1: of Fortnight, and I'm sure we'll be talking to you 428 00:27:29,560 --> 00:27:32,760 Speaker 1: again about trade in the near future. Thanks along, thanks 429 00:27:32,760 --> 00:27:43,520 Speaker 1: for having me, Thanks for listening to Stephanomics. Come back 430 00:27:43,560 --> 00:27:45,879 Speaker 1: next week for more on the ground insights into the 431 00:27:45,880 --> 00:27:48,320 Speaker 1: global economy. In the meantime, you can find us on 432 00:27:48,359 --> 00:27:52,440 Speaker 1: the Bloomberg Terminal, website, app, or wherever you get your podcast. 433 00:27:53,080 --> 00:27:54,720 Speaker 1: We'd love it if you took the time to rate 434 00:27:54,760 --> 00:27:57,480 Speaker 1: and review our show so it can reach more listeners. 435 00:27:58,160 --> 00:28:01,080 Speaker 1: For more news and analysis from bloom of Economics, follow 436 00:28:01,200 --> 00:28:04,280 Speaker 1: at Economics on Twitter, and you can also find me 437 00:28:04,440 --> 00:28:08,080 Speaker 1: on at My Stephanomics. The story in this episode was 438 00:28:08,160 --> 00:28:12,080 Speaker 1: reported and written by Kevin Hamlin with assistance from hand Mew. 439 00:28:12,680 --> 00:28:15,840 Speaker 1: It was produced by Magnus Hendrickson and edited by Jeff 440 00:28:15,880 --> 00:28:19,120 Speaker 1: Black and Scott Lamman, who is also the executive producer 441 00:28:19,119 --> 00:28:23,560 Speaker 1: of Stephanomics Special Thanks to Andrew Brown, Tom Olig, and 442 00:28:23,640 --> 00:28:28,040 Speaker 1: Sean Donnan. Francesco Leviy is a head of Bloomberg Podcasts.