David Mahon on the dramatic end to China's Covid-zero policy and how this is playing out across a country, and in an economy, of 1.4 billion people
After their Government's "clumsily conceived and executed lurch" away from its zero-Covid policy, the Chinese people are "back to work with real energy," says David Mahon.
Mahon, the Beijing-based Managing Director of Mahon China Investment Management, spoke to interest.co.nz in the latest episode of our Of Interest podcast.
"China has to come some distance still to get away from the fear of this virus, the fear it may return. I'm sure that when we get into the autumn there'll be considerable concern amongst a lot of people. Nonetheless China has come through this reasonably well. People are back to work with real energy. They might be a little nervous, they will wear masks on public transport...but people are working, people are very keen to be back at work. Production has kicked in. The Chinese economy is beginning to really move again. So from that measure people have gone back to what they now perceive as a normality," Mahon says.
In the podcast Mahon talks about his recent traveling experience in China including differences in rural and urban areas, the impact from the spread of the omicron Covid variant, and a perception in parts of China that they've been failed by their leaders with public confidence needing to be re-earned. He also talks about what banks are being told, his expectation for the property sector this year, why he sees a year of relative economic strength, and gives his take on changes at the top of the political pyramid following the 20th national congress of the Chinese Communist Party in October.
Mahon also talks about China's relationships with the United States and Russia, suggesting the relationship with the US is "bad and getting worse," and that there's "fury" in the Chinese administration over Russia both initiating a war in Ukraine, and that it has gone on for so long.
Overall he says the "trauma" of Covid has been considerable, but a positive is it's leading to more challenging of authority from the general population, in terms of an attitude of "show me the facts here, tell me why this is something I should comply with."