
South Korea pledges $150 billion to help US restore its shipbuilding industry
South Korea has pledged US$150 billion to help its shipbuilders enter the US market as part of Seoul's new trade deal with Washington. The move will aim to help America revive its shipbuilding industry and counter China's dominance in the sector. US President Donald Trump announced on July 30, 2025, that the United States and South Korea had agreed on a 'full and complete' trade deal, which would see the US impose a 15 per cent tariff on South Korean goods and receive US$350 billion of investments from its Asian ally.
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South China Morning Post
5 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Competition should be about innovation and quality, not the price
As Beijing works aggressively to make sure the economy meets the 5 per cent growth target at year end, one new tool in its arsenal is to amend a key law to discourage vicious price wars that have plagued multiple sectors in recent years. From food delivery and e-commerce to solar power and electric cars, steep price cuts – with the aim to drive out competitors but which also undercut one's own profits – are fuelling deflationary pressure. That has led regulators to propose urgent amendments to an old pricing law. A public consultation is open until August 23. With transparency and an open mind, the authorities can use positive public feedback to fine-tune the changes. In the existing law, firms are banned from selling goods below cost to eliminate competitors or monopolise the market. The new amendment adds the condition that businesses cannot fight each other by dumping products at below-cost prices. With more transparent price regulation and oversight, they will also be prohibited from 'leveraging data, algorithms and technological tools' to chase clients and beat rivals. So far, market reactions have been positive. Listed companies in consumer services, non-ferrous metals and financial companies – sectors that have experienced cutthroat competition or what officials have termed 'involution' – have seen share prices move up since the news broke. There is, of course, a counterargument that market forces alone should decide prices. But in such cases of market failure, supervision and regulatory intervention are called for. Companies ought to compete on quality and innovation rather than price. A proper legal framework will work better to guide businesses and promote healthy competition, rather than for authorities to deliver ad hoc admonitions to offending firms when the situation has already become dire. In early July, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology warned 14 major solar firms against a vicious price war and overcapacity. The share prices of some of them rose on the news, as markets expected price cutting eating into profits would stop. But such intervention is unsystematic. A transparent legal framework should be business-friendly with clear rules and regulations. Moderating or even eliminating involution will allow more time for companies to phase out outdated practices to better compete.


South China Morning Post
7 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
China's central bank vows to boost money supply, cut borrowing costs in growth push
China's central bank has pledged more liquidity and lower borrowing costs in the second half of the year, as part of a broader strategy to boost growth and implement long-term financial reforms. At a key mid-year meeting on Friday, the People's Bank of China said it would maintain a moderately loose monetary policy by cutting reserve requirement ratios and key interest rates, while making full use of targeted tools to lower overall financing costs. Amid external uncertainties, sluggish domestic demand , as well as persistent deflationary pressure, the central bank also vowed to refine its monetary policy framework, guide market expectations more effectively, and strengthen coordination with fiscal policies to support innovation, consumption, small and micro businesses, and exports. In particular, the bank said it would target 'idle capital circulation and ' involution style ' competition in the financial industry', a reference to self-defeating competition that drains resources without improving outcomes. This kind of competition has been a key concern for policymakers in various parts of the economy. However, Xu Tianchen, senior China economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit, said that a new round of rate cuts or reserve requirement ratio reductions was unlikely in the third quarter.


South China Morning Post
8 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
EU condemns Macau authorities for arrest of former lawmaker and activist
The European Union has condemned Macau authorities for arresting a democracy activist from the former Portuguese enclave over alleged national security violations. In a statement on Saturday, the EU said the arrest of Au Kam-san, a former pro-democracy lawmaker of Macau, 'adds to the existing concerns about the ongoing erosion of political pluralism and freedom of speech' in the city. The casino hub was returned to China by Portugal in 1999. Like Hong Kong, Macau is also run under Beijing's 'one country, two systems' policy. 'The EU recalls that the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is a central element of the Macau Basic Law and 'one country, two systems'. 'It is essential that the protected rights and freedoms of Macau residents remain fully upheld in line with the Macau Basic Law, the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration of 1987 and Macau's commitments under the International Covenant for Civil and Political Right,' the EU statement read. Au, 68, was taken away from his home on Wednesday. A leading Macau democrat, Au was accused of colluding with foreign forces in breach of the city's national security law, marking the first publicly known arrest under the legislation since its enactment in 2009.