Christmas is my all-time favorite holiday. I’m not alone, it’s popular with many people, whether or not they actually adhere to the Christian faith. In my family, with its blended background of faiths, we see Christmas as a symbol of what is holy in every child. But, putting aside, the religious significance, the Christmas season […]
The Holiday Spirit Read More »
As a journalist, I routinely hear complaints that the news industry is dominated by a few giant multinationals that determine the boundaries of public discourse. I also hear that the news industry is dying, as bloggers now do for free what the media used to do for money. My personal position is that we’ve always
All Roads Lead to China Blogs Read More »
This week, Xinhua reported that the new four-year education plan will extend compulsory nine-year education to 98 percent of children in China’s 410 poorest counties. In 2004, children in those counties received an average of 6.7 years of education each — hardly enough to prepare them to work in today’s industrialized China. Today, the agency
The Educated Workforce Read More »
This year, Chinese officials began putting some sharp teeth to the country’s environmental regulations. This can have significant implications for the economy — last week, the World Bank calculated that air pollution alone is costing China 3.8 percent of its GDP. Adding in water pollution and non-health impacts of pollution raises that estimate to about
China Putting Teeth in Environmental Regulations Read More »
During my trip to Sichuan last week, I met several successful Chinese farmers. The main reason for their success, however, was that they weren’t actually farmers any more. Instead, they were construction contractors, or operated tourism resorts. It’s hard to run a small family farm anywhere in the world, and China is no exception. My
The New Chinese Farmer Read More »
Earlier this week, I asked Ge Honglin, the mayor of Chengdu, what incentives his city had to offer foreign companies wishing to relocate here. Can companies get subsidies? Low-interest loans? Tax breaks? His answer surprised me. I expected a few vague promises, maybe some obfuscations, some exaggerations. I got none of that. “Frankly, Chengdu can’t
There’s Something About Chengdu Read More »
At a dinner over hairy crabs a few days ago, I was discussing Chinese taxes with a group of visiting Italian logistics managers. A Chinese manager at the meeting complained about high taxes and fees but after the Italians heard what the tax rates actually were, the conversation took a different tack entirely. Sure, an
Fair Taxes For All Read More »
This article first appeared in Waters. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index broke 6,000 points on Oct. 17, just as the World Federation of Exchanges held its annual conference in Shanghai. London Stock Exchange CEO Clara Furse, who attended the event, says this shows that the nation’s leading market, which joined the federation five years ago,
Another Leap Forward Read More »
I love fast food, and I love celebrity marriages. Better still, I love celebrity divorces. This week’s announcement about the tie-up between KFC and Mengniu Dairy has everything I need. In June, Mengniu also pushed out Nestle in a deal with Starbucks. Mengniu is the largest milk producer in China, a country not traditionally known
KFC Ditches Nestle, Teams up with Mongolian Sour Cow Read More »
Last week the China Daily explained a new labor law — due to come into effect on January 1 — that ostensibly protects women from job discrimination. Ironically, the way that it does this is to list jobs that are “unsuitable for women.” These jobs including working in mines, cutting lumber, installing and removing scaffolding
Working Men Need Protection as Much as Women Read More »
Nasdaq Stock Market has been granted approval to open an office in Beijing, just weeks after the Chinese Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) gave the New York Stock Exchange the green light. The CSRC, in a statement, said that Nasdaq will be allowed to engage in “non-operational activities such as liaison, promotion and research.” “We are
Nasdaq and NYSE Get Go-Ahead to Open Offices in China Read More »
Despite connectivity issues, regulatory hurdles and liquidity barriers, traders are eager to try out algorithms. Electronic trading and the use of algorithms in Asian markets continue to grow despite regulatory hurdles and technological bottlenecks. According to Goldman Sachs, the value of client-directed trade orders executed through algorithms during 2007 more than tripled in Japanese equities
Waters Exclusive: Asia Report Read More »
Historically, there have been two ways for a software outsourcing industry to develop in a country: through domestic demand, and through foreign demand. The US, Japan, and other developed countries are prime examples of the first option. Large domestic customers – financial services firms, manufacturers, retailers, government organizations, the military – slowly turn to outside
Outsourcing with Chinese Characteristics Read More »
It’s not easy to sell computers outside of the big cities, with logistics one of the main challenges. I was at a logistics conference a year ago, where Carrefour president Jean-Luc Chereau showed slides from a typical loading dock (Carrefour has been in China since 1995, and has over 100 hypermarkets in dozens of cities
Selling Computers In China’s Frontier Read More »
Outsourcing – services, not manufacturing – is one of the most appealing industries to get into. It doesn’t pollute, and provides white-collar jobs to college graduates. It’s no surprise that China has been enviously looking at India’s progress in services outsourcing and looking for ways to emulate its success. Now the government is putting some
Promoting Outsourcing Read More »
