En Chine, les vendeurs sereins face aux taxes sur les produits américains
Dans un marché du centre de Pékin, clients et vendeurs font peu de cas de l’entrée en vigueur lundi de droits de douane sur une gamme de fruits, légumes et autres produits importés des Etats-Unis.L’Etat-parti chinois a répliqué aux droits de douane du président américain Donald Trump en décidant de taxes de 10% à 15% sur plusieurs produits agricoles américains entrant en Chine, dont le poulet, le boeuf, certaines céréales et le coton.Mais malgré une répercussion possible sur les prix, vendeurs et clients de ce marché pékinois restent confiants.”Si les prix montent, alors les gens consommeront moins de produits importés”, expose à l’AFP M. Shi, un marchand de fruits.”La vente des produits locaux va augmenter, et je pense que c’est quelque chose que les gens peuvent accepter”, poursuit-il. Sur l’étal de M. Shi, des produits du monde entier sont soigneusement présentés: bananes, fraises, durians ou encore mangoustans. Mais il affirme que les fruits provenant de Chine sont ceux qui se vendent le mieux.”Nos produits locaux sont plus frais que les choses importées”, soutient ce trentenaire, qui travaille depuis trois ans sur le marché.M. Shi estime qu’il pourrait vendre moins de variétés américaines pour les remplacer par des produits venant d’autre pays, comme la Thaïlande et la Malaisie.Entre les étals, un flot ininterrompu de clients, pour la plupart des retraités, déambule les mains chargées de sacs remplis de viande et de produits frais.Parmi eux, He Yulian, venue rendre visite à sa fille à Pékin, affirme qu’elle se fait peu de cas de la guerre commerciale naissante.Pour la sexagénaire, la qualité du produit importe plus que son origine. Mais “si on sait qu’un produit vient des Etats-Unis, alors on pourra essayer d’en acheter moins, voire pas du tout”, ajoute-t-elle. – Scandales alimentaires -Malgré tout, cette retraitée du Shanxi reconnaît préférer certains produits importés, comme le lait ou sa version en poudre pour enfants, à leurs équivalents chinois.Plusieurs scandales alimentaires ont laissé des traces dans la société chinoise.En 2008, un produit laitier auquel avait été ajouté de la mélamine, un produit toxique, avait tué six enfants et empoisonné des centaines de milliers d’autres. Ces dernières années, l’Etat-parti chinois a promis de renforcer la règlementation en matière de sécurité alimentaire.Mais la méfiance persiste: en 2022, le géant chinois de produits transformés à base de viande de porc, Henan Shuanghui, avait dû s’excuser après la révélation de pratiques non hygiéniques, comme l’emballage de morceaux de viande tombés au sol.”Ce n’est pas que nous ne sommes pas patriotes”, insiste Mme He, mais c’est parce que “nous avons une responsabilité envers nous-mêmes”.Les droits de douane chinois sont entrés en vigueur lundi – les produits expédiés avant cette date en seront toutefois exemptés jusqu’au 12 avril.Pour M. Shi, la guerre commerciale initiée par Donald Trump bénéficiera in fine aux produits chinois, en les rendant plus compétitifs.Mais il reconnaît que les consommateurs en paieront d’abord le prix.Après tout, “ce sont les gens ordinaires qui en souffrent le plus”, conclut-il.
La Bourse de Paris hésite, entre croissance européenne et droits de douane
La Bourse de Paris peinait à trouver une direction claire lundi, après une ouverture en baisse, les investisseurs restant prudents face à la politique commerciale des Etats-Unis malgré des données rassurantes sur l’économie de la zone euro.Vers 09H30, l’indice vedette de la place parisienne, le CAC 40, prenait 0,15%, oscillant toutefois entre gains et pertes.Vendredi, il avait terminé en baisse de 0,94%, à l’issue d’une semaine mouvementée, entre incertitudes liées aux revirements de politique douanière aux Etats-Unis et promesses d’investissements massifs pour la défense en Europe.Les investisseurs hésitent en ce début de semaine entre les incertitudes qui entourent la politique commerciale américaine, et “la croissance aux États-Unis (qui) devrait probablement ralentir de manière spectaculaire”, note Ipek Ozkardeskaya, analyste chez Swissquote Bank.Le président américain Donald Trump a porté à 20% les surtaxes douanières des Etats-Unis visant les produits chinois, et des droits chinois adoptés en représailles par Pékin ciblent depuis ce lundi un éventail de produits agricoles américains.Des droits de douane de 25% sur toutes les importations américaines d’acier et d’aluminium, dont celles venant du Canada et du Mexique, deux fournisseurs importants, doivent aussi entrer en vigueur dès mercredi.Donald Trump compte également imposer des droits de douane “réciproques” aux partenaires commerciaux des États-Unis à partir du 2 avril.En parallèle, aux Etats-Unis, “les paris sur une récession augmentent, et les dernières prévisions pointent une forte baisse de la croissance économique au premier trimestre”, souligne Mme Ozkardeskaya.En zone euro en revanche, la croissance a été revue à la hausse, de quoi apporter un soutien aux places du Vieux continent. “Il est rassurant de voir que les dernières données montrent que la reprise en zone euro était enclenchée depuis l’année dernière”, commentent les analystes de LBP AM.Thales caracole en tête”Les investisseurs se tournent avec un œil nouveau vers l’Europe qui devrait bénéficier d’une nouvelle course au réarmement”, commentent les analystes de Natixis.En tête du CAC 40 lundi peu après l’ouverture, le groupe Thales prenait 2,32% à 242,20 euros l’action vers 09H30.Dassault Aviation profitait également de la dynamique, gagnant 1,19% à 39,87 euros le titre.
Bangladesh: visite de sécurité de l’AIEA à la future centrale nucléaire de Rooppur
L’Agence internationale de l’énergie atomique (AIEA) a inspecté lundi la première centrale nucléaire bangladaise, de fabrication russe, qui doit produire ses premiers kilowatts/heure d’électricité d’ici à la fin de l’année.Arrivée samedi au Bangladesh, la délégation de l’AIEA doit notamment évaluer la sécurité de l’usine de Rooppur (ouest) et sa capacité à entrer en service, a déclaré le responsable bangladais du projet, Zahedul Hassan.”Au cours de cette visite de cinq jours, l’équipe va se pencher sur toutes les questions de sécurité (…) et identifier les éventuels défauts à corriger”, a-t-il poursuivi.Une autre visite de l’AIEA est prévue “dans les deux ou trois mois”, avant le chargement du combustible nucléaire prévu d’ici à la mi-2025, a poursuivi le responsable bangladais.La centrale de Rooppur, un petit village des bords du Gange à 175 km à l’ouest de la capitale Dacca, est composée de deux réacteurs d’une puissance de 1.200 mégawatts chacun.Sa construction, d’un coût évalué à 12,65 milliards de dollars financé à 90% par la Russie, a débuté en 2017.Le Bangladesh et ses 170 millions d’habitants dépendent largement des importations transfrontalières d’électricité en provenance de l’Inde, surtout lorsque la demande augmente pendant les chaleurs étouffantes de l’été.La construction des lignes à haute tension censées la raccorder au réseau est en cours d’achèvement, selon Zahedul Hassan.”La compagnie nationale d’électricité du Bangladesh en charge nous a confirmé que les deux lignes (…) seraient terminées d’ici à la mi-mars”, a-t-il assuré.La justice bangladaise a ouvert une enquête sur un possible détournement de 5 milliards de dollars par l’ex-Première ministre Sheikh Hasina, qui a fui le pays l’été dernier après des émeutes, et sa famille en lien avec la construction de la centrale.Mise en cause, la nièce de Mme Hasina et ex-secrétaire d’Etat du gouvernement britannique Tulip Siddiq a nié ces accusations.
Hong Kong, Shanghai lead losers on mixed day for markets
Shares in Hong Kong and Shanghai sank Monday on a mixed day for equity markets after data showing Chinese consumer prices slipped back into deflation stoked fresh concerns over the world’s number two economy.The reading compounded uncertainty on trading floors as investors struggle to keep up with Donald Trump’s trade policy tinkering, while his refusal to rule out a US recession this year further rattled confidence.The president’s on-again, off-again tariff threats against Canada, Mexico, China and others have left financial markets in turmoil and consumers unsure what the year might bring.Traders are also keeping tabs on Beijing as Chinese leaders wrap up their annual rubber stamp parliament gathering where they set a 2025 annual growth target of around five percent, vowed to make domestic demand its main economic driver, and unveiled a rare hike in fiscal funding.The need for more measures to boost the faltering economy was highlighted at the weekend by figures showing consumer prices fell 0.7 percent in February, the first drop in 13 months.”The data only reinforces what’s been clear for months — deflationary pressures remain firmly entrenched in the world’s second-largest economy,” said Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management.”The property sector remains stuck in the mud, domestic demand is weak, and despite a bounce in tech stocks, the broader wealth effect just isn’t filtering through to consumers.”Chinese retail investors might be riding the market rally, but the fact that household spending remains subdued suggests most are either tapped out or too cautious to dive into equities. A stock market pop doesn’t fix a sluggish economy overnight.”Hong Kong stocks, which have surged 20 percent this year to a three-year high, lost almost two percent and Shanghai ended off 0.2 percent.There were also losses in Singapore, Taipei, Bangkok and Jakarta, though Tokyo, Sydney, Seoul, Wellington, Mumbai and Manila rose.London, Paris and Frankfurt rose in early trade.The mixed start to the week followed a positive day on Wall Street where investors welcomed soothing comments on the economy from Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell, which offset a slightly below par jobs data.However, there is a growing worry about the growth outlook owing to Trump’s tariffs, federal job cuts and still-high inflation.Analysts described the jobs report as unspectacular, but good enough to suggest the labour market is not weakening precipitously.The reading “shows private-sector demand for labour stayed strong just prior to the spike in economic policy uncertainty which has produced a sharp fall in business and consumer confidence”, said Ray Attrill at National Australia Bank.”As Pantheon Economics notes, it is the government sector, which added just 11,000 to payrolls last month compared to a prior six-month average of 35,000 that accounts for the modestly below-trend overall February result.””The hit to payrolls from layoffs of federal employees instigated by DOGE lies in the near future,” he added, referring to the Department of Government Efficiency run by Trump’s billionaire ally Elon Musk.Trump raised worries about a recession Sunday when asked by Fox News if a downturn was possible this year by replying “I hate to predict things like that”.He added: “There is a period of transition, because what we’re doing is very big — we’re bringing wealth back to America,” he said, adding: “It takes a little time.”- Key figures around 0800 GMT -Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.4 percent at 37,028.27 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.9 percent at 23,783.49 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.2 percent at 3,366.16 (close)London – FTSE 100: UP 0.1 percent at 8,686.98Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0823 from $1.0844 on FridayPound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2895 from $1.2925Dollar/yen: DOWN 147.57 yen from 147.97 yenEuro/pound: UP at 83.92 pence from 83.87 penceWest Texas Intermediate: FLAT at $67.05 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: FLAT at $70.39 per barrelNew York – Dow: UP 0.5 percent at 42,801.72 (close)
Chinese shoppers shrug off tariffs on US pantry staples
Chinese tariffs on a range of US fruit, vegetables and other pantry staples took effect on Monday but locals at a lively Beijing market largely shrugged off the escalating trade war.The levies of 10 and 15 percent on American agricultural products, which also include meat, grains and cotton, were imposed after US President Donald Trump raised a blanket tariff on all Chinese goods to 20 percent last week.Vendors in a downtown market said they weren’t worried about sales despite the potential for higher prices at the check-out.”If prices go up, folks won’t eat imported stuff,” a fruit seller, surnamed Shi, told AFP.”There will be more domestic goods sold, and I think this is something folks can accept.”Shi’s offerings — from bananas and strawberries to durian and mangosteen — come from all around the world, but he said fruit grown within China typically sells better.”The freshness of our domestic products is greater than imported stuff,” the 31-year-old said.Shi said he might sell fewer US varieties while offering more options from other countries, such as Thailand and Malaysia.A steady stream of shoppers, mostly retirees, carried bags of meat and produce as they meandered through the market’s stalls. He Yulian, who was visiting her daughter in Beijing, said she was indifferent about the trade war.She said she cared only about quality, not where a product was from.”For regular folks, if we can tell something is imported from the United States, we can try to buy less of it — or not at all,” the 65-year-old from Shanxi said.- ‘Responsibility to ourselves’ -However, He said that for certain products such as milk and infant formula, she preferred imports to their Chinese versions.The Chinese public is no stranger to domestic food safety scandals.One of the most notorious involved milk adulterated with the chemical melamine, which killed six infants and poisoned hundreds of thousands of others in 2008.Beijing has pledged to do more to tighten food safety regulations in recent years but distrust lingers.In 2022, pork-processing giant Henan Shuanghui apologised after unhygienic work practices such as packaging meat that had dropped on the floor were exposed.”It’s not that we’re not patriotic,” He said. “It’s because we have a responsibility to ourselves.”Beijing’s tariffs took effect on Monday, although they will not apply to goods that left before March 10 as long as they arrive in China by April 12.Fruit seller Shi said that, while levies were being put in place by both sides, the fight would be “better for China” because domestic goods would “become more powerful”.In the short term, though, he acknowledged that everyday budgets might be hit.”You still need to buy what you need at home,” he said.”Indeed, it’s regular people who suffer the most.”
‘Got cash?’ Tunisians grapple with new restrictions on cheques
Olfa Meriah stands, frustrated, before a smartphone shop near the capital Tunis. How can she buy a phone in instalments, she wonders, when a new banking reform has made split payments nearly impossible?In Tunisia, where the average monthly salary hovers just around 1,000 dinars ($320), people have long relied on post-dated cheques to make purchases by paying in increments over months.Unlike many other countries where cheques are now rarely seen in the era of instant online payments, the culture of paying by cheque persists in Tunisia.But as part of banking reforms introduced in February the government seeks to reinforce the original role of cheques as a means of immediate payment. Cheques had effectively become a form of credit often tolerated by merchants.Unlike debit cards, credit cards are not widely available in the north African country.The new law officially aims at “curbing consumer debt” and “improving the business climate” in an economy whose real GDP growth, according to the International Monetary Fund, is projected at just 1.6 percent for 2025. But many feel it has also begun disrupting household budgets and small businesses.Ridha Chkoundali, a university professor and economist, said the new law “could be the last straw” for consumption and economic growth.He said the measure upsets Tunisians’ customary consumer behaviour, with mainly the middle class bearing its brunt.”Since it came out, I’ve been searching for ways to pay for a smartphone over several months without it eating away my salary,” said Meriah, 43. “But the new cheques don’t allow that.”Once a crucial pillar of Tunisia’s economic and social stability, the middle class made up around 60 percent of the population before the country’s 2011 revolution.Experts now estimate it has fallen by more than half to 25 percent.- ‘Got cash? Welcome’ -Leila, the owner of the smartphone shop in the Tunis-area district of Ariana, told AFP her sales have fallen by more than half, after she started taking cash only.”No one buys anything anymore,” said Leila, who didn’t give her last name. “We didn’t understand the law because it’s complicated and we don’t trust it. We decided not to accept cheques anymore.””Got cash? Welcome. If not, I’m sorry,” she summed up.Consumers are under even more pressure during the current Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan.Tunisians tend to buy more during Ramadan, stocking up on food and sweets as families gather for collective meals before and after their daytime fasting.And as Eid al-Fitr — the holiday marking the end of Ramadan — approaches at the end of March, shopping for clothes and gifts rises.Many merchants had already grown reluctant to deal with cheques when the previous finance law ordered harsh prison sentences for cheque kiting — the fraudulent practice of issuing cheques with non-existent funds.Last April, judicial authorities said they were investigating more than 11,000 bad-cheque cases.This year’s reform is meant to reduce those cases. Based on the buyer’s income and assets, it has introduced a cap on the amount that cheques can be written for.It also allows the merchant to check if the payer has enough funds upon each transaction by scanning a QR code on their cheque.- ‘Another recession’ -Many feel the measure is intrusive, and the technological shift already adds a level of complexity.Badreddine Daboussi, who owns one of Tunis’s oldest bookstores told AFP the change has crippled his sales, adding to an already waning demand for books.”Before, customers paid with post-dated cheques, but now they can’t, and the new online tool is complicated and unreliable.””They just can’t buy books anymore,” he added, noting he had even considered closing up shop.Tunisia, a country of more than 12 million people, has long suffered sporadic shortages of basic items such as milk, sugar and flour.Its national debt has risen to around 80 percent of GDP and inflation is at six percent, according to official figures.Hamza Meddeb, a research fellow at the Malcolm H Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, wrote in October that President Kais Saied — who rejected IMF reforms — has engaged in “economic improvisation” with “heavy reliance on domestic debt”.Chkoundali, the other analyst, warned of “another recession”.”As consumption shrinks, the already little economic growth we have will also decline,” he said. Unemployment is already at 16 percent nationwide, according to official figures.Feeble consumption would help push that figure even higher, Chkoundali explained, with workers risking significant layoffs as profits dwindle.