The Knowledge to Decide

India overtook Japan in 2017 as the third largest manufacturer of compact SUVs. Big players such as Renault, Mahindra & Mahindra, Ford Motor, Hyundai Motor, Maruti Suzuki and other SUV manufacturers sold 457,698 compact SUVs in 2017 – over four times the unit sales in 2015, at 107,634. While 2016 saw shrinking sales for this vehicle category in China and the USA, sales in India grew nearly 50% from 307,365 units in 2016. Will India overtake China as the world’s largest compact SUV market? For more information, click here.

Xianjiang Wang Yuan Camel Milk Co Ltd is one of the crucial players responsible for China’s camel milk boom. The company maintains over 20,000 milking camels in Fuhai. No longer just a ship of the desert, the milk of the camel has become sought-after for its perceived medicinal and “beauty” value. Wang Yuan has over 500 outlets across the country, located in every province in China except Tibet. Wang Yuan’s revenues have grown to USD34 million in 2016 – a 15% increase over 2015. The company recently added a USD13 million research and development extension to its factory in Fuhai, and a new factory in Inner Mongolia has kick-started trial operations. Will camel milk production become a viable industry across the globe? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/chinas-booming-camel-milk-industry/

One of China’s most recognized ancient oases – the Karez – is a construction marvel built by the Uyghur people. The water harvesting and underground transmission system called a Karez (which means well in the Uygur language) provides a sustainable water supply to some communities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Region (Xinjiang) as well as in some countries like Iraq, Iran and Kurdistan. The irrigation method carries glacial groundwater to the Turpan Basin from the eastern side of Tianshan Mountains. The water streams through a maze of underground tunnels to avoid evaporation. The water ultimately connects to more than one thousand wells. Although Turpan is the world’s largest producer of raisins due to the Karez, challenges remain. Silt accumulation and high demand for water from nearby factories threaten the water supply. Furthermore, with the site’s potential to become a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Chinese government has invested CNY45 million to protect it since 2009.

Global air pollution costs add up to more than USD160 billion in lost productivity every year, China is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases and the cost to China of carbon emissions is estimated at USD7.6 billion. As China implements countermeasures to ensure clean air, what does that mean for its economy? Will there be a clean-tech silver lining? China’s air pollution chokes its economy More than 80 per cent of Chinese people face regular exposure to dangerous levels of air pollution, which is the cause of death for more than 4,000 people per day on average. The country’s economy grew by approximately 10 per cent year-on-year from 1980 to 2010, but the phenomenal pace of growth came at a big cost to the environment. China’s environmental crisis first became a discussion point during the 1970s with widespread concern over the black smoke emanating from its industrial cities. The primary causes of pollution are the burning of coal in factories and power plants

As China aims to shift from quantity to quality economic growth in 2018, it aims to foster high-quality job creation in fields like robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), while forestalling global financial risks. Will 2018 still see China regain its old dominance of global growth? Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights in China Daily – Asia Weekly. The world economy is poised for an upturn. This is not only due to China’s economic success. Perera remarked that the decrease in the headline US corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% – one of the lowest in the developed world; and Japan’s economic reforms under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are some of the contributing factors to the improved global economic outlook in 2018. Moreover, disruptive technologies such as drones and AI will give rise to employment opportunities globally in new sectors, compensating for eliminated traditional jobs. However, this movement depends on ho

What do you do if you are an Indian who fancies a Gucci bag or eyes those red Jimmy Choo shoes? A trip abroad is not necessary when all these luxury brands are now accessible in India. Now that luxury spending in China and Japan is slowing down, big brands are eyeing the Indian luxury market, which continued to grow at 30 per cent in 2013 to reach USD8.5 billion. It is expected to hit USD14 billion by 2016. Is this just a fad or will India’s luxury sector continue to power ahead? India – The next hub for luxury? India accounts for close to one per cent of the global luxury market. India’s luxury market is far from insignificant. According to one report, it was worth USD7.6 billion in 2012 . This contrasts with a figure of USD 18.7 billion for China (from a different source), and a global market of USD 1.1 trillion for luxury goods and services. India accounts for close to one per cent of the global luxury market. Luxury sales are currently seeing a slow-down in China