How to Invest in China’s New High-Tech Economy

There have been recent fears among economists and investors alike that China’s debt-fueled economy would contract as it transitions from old-school manufacturing to services, but the Asian giant has been far more resilient than most anticipated. Its gross domestic product (GDP) for the second quarter rose 6.9 percent over the same period last year, beating expectations and putting the country on track to meet the International Monetary Fund’s 2017 growth forecast of 6.5 percent.

China's second quarter GDP growth in Line with Three-Year Average
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June economic data was particularly robust. Services were among the main contributors to growth, rising 7.7 percent year-over-year. Industrial production accelerated 7.6 percent during the month. Exports rose 11.3 percent compared to June 2016, totaling nearly $200 billion.

China’s manufacturing industry also continued to expand, with the country’s official purchasing manager’s index (PMI) posting a 51.4 in July. While this is down slightly from June’s 51.7, it’s still above 50, indicating growth, and marks the 12th straight month of expansion.

Chinese manufacturing holds above 50 in July
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This has all been a tailwind for USCOX, but we managed to beat the HSCI mainly by pivoting toward what I call China 2.0 and overweighting companies involved in high-tech industries. The second-largest economy has long fulfilled the role as the world’s top workhorse, producing biblical amounts of nearly every key resource, from cement to coal to steel. But lately, China has begun focusing its massive workforce and intellectual capital on advanced manufactured goods and services, which its own citizens demand more and more of as incomes rise.

This is where we see the most attractive opportunities for growth in China—not necessarily in the cement factories of Anhui Province but in the tech hubs of Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing.