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☆ A 27-year-old Berkeley city council member wanted to build more affordable housing. Relentless harassment from 'left NIMBYs' pushed him to resign.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewWhen Rigel Robinson was elected to the Berkeley City Council in 2018 — just months after graduating from UC Berkeley — he was determined to tackle the city's housing crisis as its youngest-ever council member. As an undergrad serving on Berkeley's student government, Robinson grew passionate about building more affordable student housing in the notoriously expensive city. Meanwhile, the university is facing a severe student housing shortage amid a broader affordability crisis. But Robinson's advocacy for housing in People's Park was met with a wave of harassment from residents who wanted to keep the park as is. Earlier this month, the conflict escalated as hundreds of police officers arrested dozens of protesters and cleared tents at People's Park.

Persons: —, Rigel Robinson, Robinson, Gavin Newsom, it's, hasn't, Terry Taplin, he'll, what's Organizations: Service, Berkeley City Council, UC Berkeley —, Business, Economic, Gov, Berkeley, City of Locations: Berkeley, People's, Berkeley's, West Coast, YIMBYs, City, City of Berkeley

☆ Peace and Prosperity in the Taiwan Strait Still Have a Chance
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Nathaniel Taplin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Taiwanese Vice President Lai Ching-te declared victory in the island’s presidential vote on Saturday. Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party secured an unprecedented third straight term in the presidency. Photo: An Rong Xu/Bloomberg NewsTaiwan has voted: bringing the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party an unprecedented consecutive third term in the presidency. Now the world is waiting on Beijing, which claims Taiwan but doesn’t rule it. Saturday’s DPP victory, with around 40% of the vote, could mean more scary headlines in the near-term.

Persons: Lai Ching, Rong Xu, Nancy Pelosi’s Organizations: Democratic Progressive Party, Bloomberg News Taiwan, DPP Locations: Beijing, Taiwan

☆ Pressure Is Building in China’s Financial Plumbing
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Nathaniel Taplin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

China’s money markets are twitchy following problems in the property sector and the insolvency of asset manager Zhongzhi Enterprise Group. Photo: Bloomberg NewsPlumbing is something most of us take for granted—until there’s a problem, at which point things can get messy fast. Likewise for the “plumbing” of modern financial systems: the money markets, where banks and other financial institutions make short-term loans to each other. So given the strains China’s economy is already laboring under—including a slow-motion property sector implosion and the “serious” insolvency of Zhongzhi Enterprise Group, a large asset manager, in its own words—it isn’t a great sign that China’s money markets have recently been throwing off little blips of distress too.

Organizations: Zhongzhi Enterprise, Bloomberg, Plumbing, Zhongzhi Enterprise Group

☆ China’s Economy Is Stuck in a Vicious Cycle
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Nathaniel Taplin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The pandemic-era collapse in consumer confidence, borrowing, and job prospects is still a huge obstacle to China’s recovery. Photo: Cfoto/Zuma PressChina probably can’t fix its broken housing market without fixing the labor market and consumer confidence. But more exuberant consumers and a stronger labor market depend on a healthier housing sector, too. Until Beijing finds a way to square that circle, expect China’s subpar recovery to dribble on.

Organizations: Zuma Press China Locations: Beijing

☆ China Tried Using Economic Ties to Bring Taiwan Closer. It Isn’t Working.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Joyu Wang | Nathaniel Taplin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

TAIPEI—For years, Beijing hoped to win control of Taiwan by convincing its people their economic futures were inextricably tied to China. Instead, more Taiwanese businesses are pivoting to the U.S. and other markets, reducing the island democracy’s dependence on China and angering Beijing as it sees its economic leverage over Taiwan ebb.

Locations: TAIPEI, Beijing, Taiwan, China

☆ 'Dupes' clothing, perfume craze lures holiday shoppers as major brands fret
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Katherine Masters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Hashtag searches for dupes of major brands - including Skims underwear and Deckers' (DECK.N) Ugg boots - have been viewed millions of times on TikTok. Graphic shows pictures of four original products and their original prices under named brands compared with the prices of their 'dupe' counterparts. Newer technologies like the Google Lens app allow people to take photos of items they like and find similar products for sale. In other cases, dupe sellers opt to replicate the look of higher-priced originals with cheaper materials to maximize profit. However, experts say dupe sellers have grown increasingly skilled at avoiding brand logos and other design features that could infringe existing patents or copyrights.

Persons: Lauren Maginness, Shannon Stapleton, Maginness, Estee, Tom Ford, Dupes, “, ”, Penny Pincher, Leslie Ghize, Doneger Tobe, Calvin McDonald, Ian Taplin, Juozas Kaziukenas, Kaziukenas, Maria Boschetti, Mike Scheschuk, Birkenstock, Katherine Masters, Dorothy Kam, Vanessa O'Connell, Rod Nickel, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Abercrombie, Fitch, Scout, Walmart, Department, Nordstrom, Circana Inc, COMMERCE, Wake Forest University, eBay, Google, HK, Amazon, New, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Hong Kong, TikTok, Los Angeles, Zara, Italy, New York

☆ China’s Middle East Clout Has Limits
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Nathaniel Taplin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Employees work on a drilling platform in Iraq for a Chinese gas and oil company. Photo: Khalil Dawood/Xinhua/Getty ImagesFor most of the past decade, China’s story in the Middle East has been straightforward: endlessly rising investment, trade and influence. Having brokered a return to diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran earlier this year and given its strong economic relationship with Israel, China has also found itself in the spotlight as the conflict in Gaza has boiled over. But is the Middle East destined to keep becoming—economically, at least—less middle and more east?

Persons: Khalil Dawood Organizations: Xinhua, Getty Locations: Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Israel, China, Gaza

NEW YORK (AP) — Hollywood’s months of labor unrest are coming to an end, but the post-strike landscape that awaits actors and writers may be far from happy-ever-after. That helter-skelter transition threw much of the economics of entertainment out of whack. “Going through that with a streaming service that’s losing billions of dollars is really, really difficult to go on offense.”Cancellations have grown more commonplace as streamers get more selective. Due in part to the strikes, series production will dip for the first time in years in 2023 after reaching an all-time high last year, when 599 original series were made. “And so I think really we will see over the coming days, weeks and months what the industry’s real intentions are.

Persons: —, HBO Max, Max ”, ”, Jonathan Taplin, Crypto, Taplin, Puck’s Matt Belloni, Walt, Bob Iger, ” Iger, I’ve, it’s, Peacock, David Zaslav, Max, ” Zaslav, “, Martin Scorsese’s, Ridley Scott’s “ Napoleon, ” Duncan Crabtree, Krysta Fauria Organizations: Hollywood, SAG, HBO, Netflix, USC, Innovation Lab, International Alliance, Walt Disney Co, Disney, Comcast, Warner Bros . Discovery, Apple Studios, Associated Press Locations: Hollywood, Los Angeles

☆ Beware a Chinese Fall Stall
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Nathaniel Taplin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A construction site by Country Garden in Tianjin, China. The developer is now fighting for survival. Photo: TINGSHU WANG/REUTERSIn July, when worries about China’s economic recovery were first beginning to percolate more widely, analysts fixated on a curious bit of language from the Politburo: the recovery was developing in a winding, “wave-like” manner. Nearly half a year later, that characterization is looking more and more apt.

Persons: TINGSHU WANG Organizations: Garden, REUTERS Locations: Tianjin, China

☆ Nathaniel Taplin — Asia Editor, Heard on the Street at The Wall Street Journal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Nathaniel Taplin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Nathaniel TaplinNathaniel Taplin is the main columnist on China's economy and political economy for Heard on the Street, The Wall Street Journal's economic and financial commentary section. Before moving to the Journal, he spent five years in Beijing and Shanghai with Thomson Reuters and the independent macro consultancy Gavekal Dragonomics. While in China he traveled widely and reported on issues ranging from local government debt to protests against financial products gone bust and the market crises of 2015 and 2016. At Gavekal, he headed up global commodities coverage and wrote extensively on China’s energy sector, industry and trade. Nathaniel is a two time finalist for the Society of Publishers in Asia award for excellence.

Persons: Nathaniel Taplin Nathaniel Taplin, Heard, Nathaniel Organizations: Thomson Reuters, Society of Publishers Locations: Asia, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Gavekal

☆ For China, Bullying Apple Suppliers Could Backfire Badly
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Jacky Wong | Nathaniel Taplin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

China’s slowing economy could soon become a major talking point for U.S. companies as they begin to report third-quarter earnings. Illustration: Elizabeth SmelovChina’s surprise investigation into Apple supplier Foxconn, a key link in the iPhone supply chain, may be intended to send a message. The one Apple and its suppliers actually receive might do China more harm than good. Chinese authorities have launched tax and land-use probes into subsidiaries of Foxconn , formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry , the company confirmed last week. That is surprising since Foxconn, which is the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer, has long had an amicable relationship with China—and is one of the biggest employers in the country.

Persons: WSJ’s Dion Rabouin, Elizabeth Smelov China’s Organizations: Apple, Foxconn, Hai Precision Industry Locations: China

☆ China Stabilizes, in the Shadow of Country Garden and Evergrande
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Nathaniel Taplin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A record number of Chinese college students graduated this summer, but landing their dream job may be a long shot. WSJ takes a look at why China’s youth unemployment is at all-time highs. Photo illustration: Adam AdadaChina’s economy no longer resembles a newly paved parking lot: Things are moving again and green shoots are creeping up through the cracks. Official data released Wednesday showed the Chinese economy grew 4.9% year-over-year in the third quarter and 1.3% quarter-over-quarter. The latter figure was nearly twice as fast as the second quarter’s 0.8% increase.

Persons: Adam Adada

☆ China’s Teetering Local Debt Mountain, in Six Charts
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Nathaniel Taplin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Does China’s Property Bust Make a Financial Crisis Inevitable?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( Nathaniel Taplin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones

☆ How China Could Veto $100 Oil
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Nathaniel Taplin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones

☆ China May Dodge Deflation, After All
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Nathaniel Taplin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Apple’s Key Supplier, Foxconn, Will Shake Off the Pandemic Blues
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Nathaniel Taplin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones

☆ U.S. Steel Can Ride the Coattails of a U.S. Manufacturing Boom
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Nathaniel Taplin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones

☆ China’s Crisis of Confidence in Six Charts
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Nathaniel Taplin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Get Ready for a Weaker Yuan
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Jacky Wong | Nathaniel Taplin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ China’s Economic—and Social—Contract Is Fraying
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Nathaniel Taplin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The U.S. produces more corn than any other crop and American farms sold $5.3 billion of it to China last year. But China has spent years courting other producers and it is exploring ways to become self-sufficient long-term. Illustration: Annie ZhaoThe economic news out of China this summer has been, in a word, grim. But the headline figures, as bad as they are, may be hinting at a more fundamental issue: Beijing has failed to convince households that their financial future is secure in the post-Covid era.

Persons: Annie Zhao Locations: China, Beijing

☆ Biden’s Order Won’t Destroy Chinese Venture Capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Nathaniel Taplin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Elon Musk Says We Need Way More Electricity. Is He Right?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Nathaniel Taplin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones Locations: elon

☆ Beijing Is Still Too Confident About China’s Economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Nathaniel Taplin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones Locations: beijing

☆ Foreigners Will Benefit From U.S. Climate Subsidies, and That Is Good News
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Nathaniel Taplin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones

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