1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,440 Speaker 1: Ten minutes here before the top of the hour, we 2 00:00:02,520 --> 00:00:05,000 Speaker 1: had the wrap up of the Communist Party Congress over 3 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:08,400 Speaker 1: the weekend, and so much to talk about as regards that. 4 00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:12,119 Speaker 1: Joining us in our studios is Rebecca shown Wilkins Bloombery's 5 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:15,880 Speaker 1: Government and Politics corresponded. So, Rebecca, a lot of cross 6 00:00:15,880 --> 00:00:19,880 Speaker 1: currents here. So you have some some really top economic officials, 7 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:23,240 Speaker 1: the PBOC governor y Gong as well as other economic 8 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:27,120 Speaker 1: leaders completely exiting the party leadership. Uh, and instead they're 9 00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:31,920 Speaker 1: replaced by really people more in the security area. I 10 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:35,080 Speaker 1: suppose you can say science and technology also a big 11 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:38,440 Speaker 1: part of that, and so that would suggest almost a 12 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:42,680 Speaker 1: d emphasis on the economy. However, if President she wants 13 00:00:42,720 --> 00:00:45,400 Speaker 1: to achieve certain goals, he's going to have to stimulate 14 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:47,839 Speaker 1: a lot in the next year, and that suggests that 15 00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:50,599 Speaker 1: maybe the economy will get used up. So I know 16 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:53,000 Speaker 1: you've been looking at this very closely, UM, and you 17 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:58,200 Speaker 1: probably note a million other interesting aspects to this. Um. Absolutely, 18 00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:00,520 Speaker 1: we did see quite a big sort of lifting of 19 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:04,240 Speaker 1: the guard to some extent that was expected, But we 20 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:07,640 Speaker 1: did see that season Pink's goals that he outlined. This 21 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:12,399 Speaker 1: emphasis on security science education did show through in the 22 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:17,200 Speaker 1: selection of the broader leadership um, so to speak, and 23 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:21,160 Speaker 1: we have seen exits from these sort of key finance positions, 24 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:25,199 Speaker 1: and it's accompanied, i think more broadly by this move 25 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:30,000 Speaker 1: away from placing technocrats, particularly in that top leadership body, 26 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 1: the Politburo and the Politburo Standing Committee, with more of 27 00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:41,560 Speaker 1: his close allies. UM. What does it mean really for 28 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:43,520 Speaker 1: trying to going forward in this relations with the risk 29 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 1: of the world though, because it's emergence on the world stage, 30 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:51,360 Speaker 1: it's increasing prosperity. Can you really decouple that from China 31 00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:54,520 Speaker 1: opening to the worlds and is it going back into 32 00:01:54,520 --> 00:01:57,600 Speaker 1: its shell? Are we seeing some evidence of that? Well? 33 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:01,160 Speaker 1: I think certainly China and see Jimping and his speeches 34 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 1: have tried to project an image of the country that 35 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:06,400 Speaker 1: is in a way willing to take its rightful place 36 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:09,720 Speaker 1: on the global stage and challenge the US hegemony. So 37 00:02:09,760 --> 00:02:13,280 Speaker 1: it's I think less signs that we see a China retreating, 38 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:15,480 Speaker 1: but more that it's ready to take a strident and 39 00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 1: quite a different and possibly antagonistic role in the world. 40 00:02:19,600 --> 00:02:22,720 Speaker 1: I think that, coupled with the fact that, for example, 41 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:25,120 Speaker 1: you now have a standing committee, these are the top 42 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:29,600 Speaker 1: leadership positions in China really full of seeds. In Ping's 43 00:02:29,639 --> 00:02:33,320 Speaker 1: close allies, there is increasing likelihood that there is likely 44 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:37,880 Speaker 1: to be less diversity of views, less discussion, less pushed back. 45 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:40,760 Speaker 1: These are really sort of the men who are there 46 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 1: to enforce seeds in Pings and implement seeds in Ping's 47 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:47,880 Speaker 1: own agenda. The flip side of the argument, I suppose 48 00:02:47,919 --> 00:02:50,640 Speaker 1: would be it makes it easier now for Shi Jimping 49 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:55,280 Speaker 1: too to introduce and to implement some new policies. And 50 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 1: that could be a positive as long as it's sort 51 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:01,760 Speaker 1: of benign leadership that we see. Yes to some extent, 52 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:04,959 Speaker 1: I think that's true. And and season Ping is taking 53 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:08,480 Speaker 1: a firmer hand on the country, just as of course 54 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:11,560 Speaker 1: he's about to steer it through the first economic downturn 55 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:14,799 Speaker 1: since he took that top position um. And in some 56 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:18,440 Speaker 1: ways we did see him preparing for this tighter this 57 00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:22,120 Speaker 1: sort of tighter period um, you know, encouraging the spirit 58 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:25,760 Speaker 1: of frugality and so on, and we didn't see, which 59 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:29,160 Speaker 1: we saw in T seventeen, the emphasis on this the 60 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:32,840 Speaker 1: party's core mission of making people's lives better and making 61 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:36,000 Speaker 1: people sort of seek happiness, which is what we saw 62 00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:38,000 Speaker 1: five years ago. So there does seem to be a 63 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:39,600 Speaker 1: sort of nod to the fact that there is going 64 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:42,960 Speaker 1: to be a tougher period ahead, saying that, you know, 65 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:45,760 Speaker 1: we also have seen, as you say, figures like lu 66 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:49,400 Speaker 1: Her exiting, these figures that typically have been the ones 67 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:52,640 Speaker 1: that have sort of given market some confidence that there 68 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 1: is a steady hand looking after the economy at the 69 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:58,680 Speaker 1: very very highest echelons. And that may be you know, 70 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:01,640 Speaker 1: little bit of an an uncertain or worrying factor for 71 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:06,120 Speaker 1: some investors. Of course, so the property crisis has impact 72 00:04:06,200 --> 00:04:09,960 Speaker 1: a lot of China's middle class. What can be done 73 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:14,680 Speaker 1: to address that? Are we expecting any major policy shifts? Absolutely? 74 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:17,279 Speaker 1: I think that is a really central point here, and 75 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:20,200 Speaker 1: it speaks to this idea of the China Dream. I mean, 76 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:22,839 Speaker 1: seeds in paying in twelve laid out this vision to 77 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 1: restore and provide prosperity and wealth for people, and and 78 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:30,120 Speaker 1: that no longer looks to be the promise um when 79 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:32,760 Speaker 1: especially when it comes to property. I mean, I think 80 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:35,760 Speaker 1: the reality is, and we've had lots of excellent experts 81 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:38,320 Speaker 1: on here saying that there just isn't very much that 82 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:41,120 Speaker 1: the government can do. This is really now in the 83 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:44,560 Speaker 1: hands of local government who will be expected to manage 84 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:46,640 Speaker 1: the fallout of this, and you can see this reflected 85 00:04:46,640 --> 00:04:49,520 Speaker 1: and stimulus measures. You know, we've seen some loosening and 86 00:04:49,600 --> 00:04:52,120 Speaker 1: some amount of funds available at the central level, but 87 00:04:52,200 --> 00:04:55,600 Speaker 1: predominantly this has been about at local government levels, sort 88 00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:59,560 Speaker 1: of loosening up policies around home buying, and also clearly 89 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:02,479 Speaker 1: they have been given the responsibility of making sure those 90 00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:06,200 Speaker 1: defaulted developers who stopped construction that they got local governments 91 00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:07,800 Speaker 1: with the one that have to kind of get that 92 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:11,120 Speaker 1: ball moving again to try and prevent more of those 93 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:14,640 Speaker 1: protests that we've seen over mortgage payments for undelivered homes. 94 00:05:15,279 --> 00:05:18,440 Speaker 1: We we often try to simplify things, particularly on the radio, 95 00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:22,120 Speaker 1: to make it easier for for people to understand. Um, 96 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:24,680 Speaker 1: I want to make a statement and give you a 97 00:05:24,680 --> 00:05:26,720 Speaker 1: true or false on it, and then you can provide 98 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:32,120 Speaker 1: the nuance to it. More common prosperity likely means more 99 00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:38,320 Speaker 1: socialist policy, communist policy, and less capitalism. True or false. 100 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:42,479 Speaker 1: I'm gonna up for false, but not because I think 101 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:46,880 Speaker 1: there's going to be less of the socialist motivation and ideology. 102 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:50,760 Speaker 1: We have clearly increasingly seeing that governing policy. But I 103 00:05:50,760 --> 00:05:53,800 Speaker 1: think when it comes to common prosperity. In particular, there 104 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:57,279 Speaker 1: has been somewhat of a misunderstanding of what pragmatically this 105 00:05:57,400 --> 00:06:00,000 Speaker 1: really looks like. It's important that we remember common process 106 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:02,960 Speaker 1: verity was about the crackdown on the tech sector, the 107 00:06:02,960 --> 00:06:05,800 Speaker 1: crackdown on the real estate sector. It has not actually 108 00:06:05,839 --> 00:06:08,680 Speaker 1: done that much other than tink around the edges at 109 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:11,599 Speaker 1: redistributing wealth for them, for the for the bulk of 110 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:13,680 Speaker 1: sort of middle class people. And in fact, when you 111 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:15,640 Speaker 1: look at the property that it doesn't it stunt the 112 00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:19,480 Speaker 1: animal spirits of particularly people trying to develop startup companies. 113 00:06:19,839 --> 00:06:23,120 Speaker 1: I think that's certainly true. It has certainly targeted the 114 00:06:23,120 --> 00:06:25,600 Speaker 1: private sector, and to certain to that extent, I think 115 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:27,960 Speaker 1: that you know, socialist ideology, if you want to put 116 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:31,680 Speaker 1: it that way, will increasingly mean that the private sector, 117 00:06:31,720 --> 00:06:34,760 Speaker 1: including those that you mentioned, will will suffer. And we 118 00:06:34,880 --> 00:06:37,280 Speaker 1: have seen sort of the rise of state companies, and 119 00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:40,880 Speaker 1: many investors also expecting there to be more state companies dominating. 120 00:06:41,320 --> 00:06:43,520 Speaker 1: One analyst sort of refer to this as the the 121 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:46,520 Speaker 1: age of rust, which I thought was a great expression 122 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:49,440 Speaker 1: for that it really points to just how difficult it 123 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:52,680 Speaker 1: is to create that kind of innovation that cd ping 124 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:55,360 Speaker 1: is trying to go for um when you don't have 125 00:06:55,440 --> 00:06:59,359 Speaker 1: a very thriving, you know, animal spirits driven private market, 126 00:06:59,360 --> 00:07:03,159 Speaker 1: as you say, just very quickly, we also saw Josian 127 00:07:03,240 --> 00:07:08,400 Speaker 1: Tawer being unceremoniously escorted out of the arena, very highly 128 00:07:08,480 --> 00:07:11,320 Speaker 1: stage managed event. This, um, do we are we making 129 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:15,360 Speaker 1: too much of his exit? Who I mean, honestly, this 130 00:07:15,440 --> 00:07:18,000 Speaker 1: is one of those things that who is to say. 131 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:20,960 Speaker 1: I mean, I think it is a reflection of just 132 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:24,280 Speaker 1: you know, China and see jimpink standing in the world, 133 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:29,080 Speaker 1: that this single event has has invoked so much criticism 134 00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:33,240 Speaker 1: and so much speculation. Yeah, it may just be that, um, 135 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:36,640 Speaker 1: he's you know, he's quite elderly now and and did 136 00:07:36,680 --> 00:07:38,960 Speaker 1: appear to be perhaps a little ill, and they even 137 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:41,560 Speaker 1: said he was coming back anyway, No more time on 138 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:44,080 Speaker 1: on the subject at the moment, but thanks so much 139 00:07:44,240 --> 00:07:47,680 Speaker 1: Rebecca for joining us. Rebecca Chong Wilkins, Bloomberg News