7/02/2024

Who will be the next sick man of Asia, and who will be the sick man of the world?

 China was dubbed the sick man of Asia in the 19th and 20th century by Japan and the West. A century later, who is the sick man of Asia? More than that, who is descending to become the sick man of the world? Make a guess and the clue is it has to do with de-dollarization, LOL. But let us wait and see about that.

Japan is going down really fast, and the USA is not helping, but instead pushing Japan further under the water. Japan has lost its second biggest economy status in 2010 to China and third position to Germany in 2024. How much further will Japan go? Japan cannot keep propping up its Yen and that has been warned by Janet Yellen. Just how preposterous is that for a country having to ask permission to support its failing currency.

Japan is desperate. A desperate Japan is a dangerous signal if you look back at its history. It will resort to war, hoping to revive its falling fortunes. Not this time though. China is no longer the sick man of Asia and no pushover either. But China must watch Japan carefully. It is the sneakiest country in the world. It holds a knife behind its back while bowing to you, LOL.

How the tide has turned today. Was it Karma at work? I like to believe in that!

Anonymous

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Japan is in bad shape and there is nothing to suggest it is able to turn around its stagnant economy festering over the last three decades. Unless a miracle happens. And that could only be war, which some may like.

In fact, if Japan loses the car manufacturing industry to China, it will get even worse. The Yen is still sliding despite all the 'whateverdomics' the Japanese may be inventing to rescue the economy and the Yen.

Japan depends on most of its needs on imports eg energy and raw materials for its industry, and with the sliding Yen, it has to pay more and more for such imports. The sliding Yen would have helped its export market in theory, but it is competing not too well with Chinese manufacturing. The only saving grace is that Japanese citizens are pretty docile in behavior, preferring to suffer the years of stagnant wages in silence to cope with living costs. Elsewhere there would be riots erupting long ago. Elsewhere does not include Red Dot, which is endowed with 'exceptionalism' as well.

Sad that an Asian country that once was holding the Asian beacon of greatness by competing so well against the West, is now a shadow of its former glory. There were the years of the whole world chanting its greatness in everything it does and wanting to emulate. Strange world!