Night lights reveal how Trump's trade war could reshape Chinese economy
Scientists used satellite images to track Chinaʼs factory activity through night-time lights. New research shows how increased US tariffs might affect millions of workers in Chinaʼs industrial regions
Two smart scientists found a cool way to check Chinaʼs factory work - they looked at night lights from space. Professors Davin Chor and Bingjing Li used satellite pics to see how Trumpʼs old trade rules hit Chinese business
Manufacturing areas got darker after the first tariffs kicked in: this showed less night-time work and fewer workers in factory housing. About 3‚5m Chinese people saw their money drop by 2‚5% in just two years (which means losing hundreds of dollars per year)
The next round might be way harder: Trump wants to put 60% tax on Chinese stuff when he gets back to office in Jan. Some law-makers (like John Moolenaar) even push for 100% taxes. Chinaʼs already dealing with house market problems and low shopping numbers; these new rules could make things real tough
- Jobs at risk: 5m workers might lose work in 3 years
- Trade impact: US buys $427bn of Chinese stuff yearly
- Money loss: Each person could lose about $250 per year
- Factory moves: Companies moving to places like Vietnam
Chinese companies dont sit still - theyʼre moving fast. Roborock (they make robot mops) just opened a Vietnam factory‚ and Zhejiang Cuori (they make kitchen stuff) did the same thing last year
The government might need to step in big-time to keep things running smooth. They already put out a $1‚4 trillion help package - but some think theyʼre saving their best moves for when Trump comes back. Its gonna be interesting to see how this all plays out
