East Asia Econ

East Asia Today

Lots of data today – fx settlement for China, machine orders and the Reuters Tankan in Japan, import and export prices and labour market data in Korea, and wages in Taiwan.

Paul Cavey

Apr 15, 2026 • 3 min read

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East Asia Today

A lot on China today, with the release of the main official economic indicators for April, Friday's BOP data for Q1, and today's fx settlement figures. Also, an update on the implications for Taiwan of Trump's interview to Fox news following his summit with Xi Jinping.

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Taiwan – Trump shifts position

My initial interpretation of the Xi-Trump meeting looks wrong. While in the official talks neither side gave much, in a subsequent interview with Fox news, President Trump softened US support for Taiwan. Over the medium-term, that could be significant for politics in Taiwan, and currency valuations.

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China – cycle weaker in April

Most of the headline activity data in April weakened, with goods retail sales being particularly bad. So, clearly no macro recovery. But services retail sales picked up, and the stability in home sales and household liquidity preference, and firmer pricing, continue to suggest broad stabilisation.