china

Hong Kong began selling the iPhone 4 Friday, but Apple fans began their wait the night before.

After a seemingly peaceful protest over the use of Cantonese on TV, state-run media said a man was detained on suspicions that he organized the rally via the Internet.

Jul. 30 – Business reading for the beach….here at Asia Briefing (proud owner of the various Briefing brands), we’ve given in to the heat of summer, put on our swim shorts and are providing our readers with a complimentary summer annual to download especially for August. Our first Asia Briefing summer special has arrived. What’s in [...]

In remarks that echo the theme of a recent WSJ page-one story, deputy Chinese central bank governor Yi Gang says China’s rapid economic expansion will inevitably slow in coming years.

Op/Ed Commentary: Chris Devonshire-Ellis Jul. 30 – As the central government encourages a re-balancing of the economy towards more domestic consumption, companies are finding subtleties in selling in China that will shape the way forward for foreign manufacturers doing business here. Gone are the days when a manufacturer would only sell within a region, now the [...]

"Aftershock", the latest blockbuster movie on a devastating earthquake in 1976, is attracting an unexpectedly harsh look from some of China's commentators centered on what exactly happened 34 years ago.

Jul. 30 – The Hong Kong-based Chinese General Chamber of Commerce celebrated its 110th birthday this week, hosting a lunch at which Dai Xianglong, China’s National Social Security Fund Chairman, was the honored guest. Stating in his address to the Chamber that he expected “decades” of growth in China, he said he believed that China’s GDP [...]

Transparency International just came out with its most recent report on country enforcement levels against foreign bribery (h/t China Bystander). In other words, this is a report on how actively various countries enforce their laws against engaging in bribery overseas. Examples of these laws would be the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in the United States and the United Kingdom Bribery Act. 

The report groups the 36 largest countries in terms of foreign trade into three categories: Active Enforcement, Moderate Enforcement, and Little or No Enforcement. Denmark, Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States engage in active enforcement.  Argentina, Belgium, Finland, France, Japan, Korea (South), Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden engage in moderate enforcement. Australia, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, and Turkey engage in "little to no enforcement."

I had no idea there was such a disparity between countries like the United States (active enforcement) and Canada (little to no enforcement).  I am also surprised to see Italy in the active enforcement category and new Zealand and Austria and Australia in the little to no enforcement category. 

How advantaged in China business are those who come from little to no enforcement countries as compared to those who come from active enforcement countries?

Jul. 30 – The China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) recently issued a notice regarding insurance agencies engaging in interest rate exchanging. According to the notice, the number of agencies that can develop the interest rate exchanging business as derivatives has been extended to the entire industry. Baojianfa [2010] No. 56, issued on July 20, stipulates that [...]

China is taking a zero-tolerance stance and adopting new measures to ensure its athletes meet age requirements for international competition, said Cai Zhenhua, vice president of the State General Administration of Sport, according to this report in China Daily. Cai says that the new approach starts with the upcoming Youth Olympics August 14 to 26 in Singapore. Athletes have been asked to furnish six different forms of ID, listed by China Daily as: "birth certificates, ID cards, passports, domestic athlete registration cards and domestic and international authentication for competitions." The article adds that "athletes under 16 have also undergone bone-age checks through nuclear magnetic resonance." China Daily not explain why athletes who claim to be over 16 aren't required to take the tests. But how much can these new regulations really do to solve China's age-faking problem? The country's national teams aren't generally thought to be the source of the practice. It begins much earlier in athletes' careers, when they are competing for their provinces. Leaders of those teams receive bonuses tied to performance in national and international competition. These bonuses can represent a major portion of their pay, so there is a strong incentive to shave a couple of years off (in sports like basketball and soccer, so players can enter youth competition for longer) or tack a couple on (in sports like diving and gymnastics, where young girls' flexible bodies are an advantage). No doubt China wants to avoid future embarrassment like it experienced when the International Olympic Committee stripped its 2000 Olympic women's gymnastics team of a bronze medal after determining Dong Fangxiao had competed under a falsified age. But I have a hard time believing that sports administration officials really care whether athletes are telling the truth about their age—they just want them to do a more thorough job with the faking. Dong was busted because of her own careless mistake. When she applied to be an official at the 2008 Olympics, she provided her real birth year, 1986, instead of the 1983 date that she had used to register for the Sydney Olympics. Others have been caught with a secondary form of ID that carries their real age. In 1999, Wang Zhizhi was picked up by the Dallas Mavericks despite his reported birth date making him too young to be drafted by an NBA team. The Mavericks had access to the center's military ID, with correct age (two years older), thanks to a Beijing-–based Nike employee. Yi Jianlian, who plays for the NBA's Washington Wizards, is widely thought to be two years older than his official birth year of 1987 indicates; two years ago, Chinese reporters dug up an old high school ID that listed his birth date as 1984. In all of these cases, a more careful scrubbing of history would have kept the athletes' secrets buried deeper. Whether the administration really wants to make sure that its teams are compliant, I can't say for sure. But I am willing to bet that what lower-ranking and provincial sports officials will hear is this: "If you want to fake ages, you'd better start covering your tracks." Yi Jianlian high school ID image: Sohu.com

US government agencies charged with reviewing sensitive acquisitions are engaged in a debate over how to handle Huawei, the Chinese software and telecoms equipment-maker viewed with deep scepticism by government security experts

China and Taiwan are trying for unification—of a painting.

Following the embarrassment of losing a bronze medal after an investigation found one of its athletes was underage, China doesn't want to take any chances in the lead-up to the Youth Olympic Games.

Following the embarrassment of losing a bronze medal after an investigation found one of its athletes was underage, China doesn't want to take any chances in the lead-up to the Youth Olympic Games.

Inflation in China may not be a short-term worry, but it is still a long-term risk. That seems to be the message from two separate statements this week from China’s central bank.

Hey all; this is an article from Metan by Gordon Chu; it covers Gordon’s experience and insights with China reality TV. Give it a read if you’ve got the time.

On one of my frequent extended stints in China, I had a quiet evening to kick up my feet and to peruse the hundreds of channels Chinese television has to offer (for pure market research purposes of course). Admittedly, I have a short attention span already as-is, so you can imagine the flurry of remote clicking that occurred if the myriads of soap operas and variety shows did not catch my eye.

Then, “it” hit me… “It” is like a bad automobile accident you see by the roadside – you know you shouldn’t turn your head to see, but out of pure curiosity for the wicked, you simply cannot help yourself. “It” is, at the rawest and most basic form, a great sociological study on everything that is wrong with fame, relationships, and greed… in other words, “it” is great TV.

I’m talking about the hit phenomenon program, “If You Are the One” that is taking water cooler chatter by storm in China. To give context to anyone who has not heard about this program, it’s a match-making reality show where singles meet singles in front of millions of people each show (talk about pressure). And the hook for the whole show? The often questionable money-driven (aka “Gold-Digging” antics) requirements that this now very relevant generation of singles are looking for in their soul mates.

The show has taken notice even of the Chinese government prompting them to immediately shut down production and exhibition of the show due to the often sexual innuendos and references to a very anti-traditional moral basis where money is the main driver for many of the singles. Watching this show, it’s not that difficult to understand why the government would be concerned with the way the program portrays this new up and coming generation of singles.

Girls’ Perspective

On the show, girls are depicted as ‘gold-digging’ animals – only attracted by the number of RMBs that are attached to the suitor’s name. A stable job is no longer the litmus for ‘enough’ for girls, but is the entry point for girls to consider. Don’t have a car? Get in the back of the line. Have a house? Hello Mr. Right…

Best put, a contestant on “If You are the One” said to a potential suitor offering her a ride on his bike, “I’d rather be crying in a BMW than to be laughing on a bike”.

Largely, the attitude of girls can be largely accredited to the cultural upbringing of this generation of single children. Often labeled as a generation of “little emperors and little empresses”, the first generation is now at the age for marriage and is a depiction of just how strong the level of entitlement is. Surrounded by new-earned money and incredible growth, money is what drives the lives of this new generation and is very apparent in the marriage process.

Guys’ Perspective

On the flip side, the attitude of girls can also be largely accredited to how guys operate and think about marriage in the Chinese culture.

Equally on the show, guys are depicted as spineless creatures – more of the prey than the predator between the sexes. No longer are the traditional equal roles of man and woman taken into consideration, but the guys cower behind what appears to be very over-dominating female figures on the program. They accept the new status quo and adapt their lifestyles to the new norm.

So, the question begs to where did this shift happen in the fragile balance between men and women.

Ask any guy in China about marriage and I would venture to say that much of the pressure is done by themselves and their families. Especially with single boys in the family expected to carry on the family name, it’s not uncommon for the guys to feel the pinch and pressure by their parents to settle down, get married, and start popping out babies sooner than later.

Thus this interesting supply-and-demand relationship between guys and girls in China. Guys feel the familial pressures to find a mate and the demand for girls go up. Girls understand their shrinking supply and drive standards to an all-time high. While this may be an over-simplication of the actual matter at-hand, it’s hard to argue against the fact that culturally, the dynamic between guys and girls are changing.

Generations Divided

To further complicate the matter, the show not only caused stir between genders, it also created a chasm between generations. Comparing even to the previous generation, the ideals, philosophy, and moral basis has been almost completely eradicated with no trace of evidence.

Economically, the previous generation spent much of their lives paving the foundation for their children and successors. They painfully went through the turmoil of growing the country to the powerhouse that it is today. This was a result of savings, family unity, and an unselfish attitude that the country was towards a single goal – all vastly different that is evident to today’s generation in China.

What Does this all Mean?

Success is often a double-edged sword and is particularly the case when the growth of success is as fast as China had experienced over the last 30 years.

Entitlement will be a definite issue to consider. No longer will the powerhouse labor force that paved the foundation for success is able to keep the pace as it has and the baton will soon have to be passed to the responsibilities of this new generation. How will this new generation react to the call for the continual growth of the economy? How will this generation of “little emperors and empresses” contend with the rude awakening that the doting lifestyle they’ve experienced for their entire lives will someday be their own responsibilities to endure?

Opportunity will also play a crucial role in China’s future growth. The previous generation has already built the foundation for growth – it is now this generation’s work to build upon growth. Previously, the aspiration to get schooling abroad and to build roots in the United States was every Chinese dream. It was thought of as the epitome of success and to build upon a better life. Today, it’s not uncommon for college graduates to want to stay after graduation and build a base in China – a far different cry than it was even just 10 years ago.

Control will ultimately be the biggest force in defining China’s future growth for this new generation. Largely controlled by how much the government intervention will let the free market reign, it will ultimately impact opportunities, innovation, and growth for China. Opportunities will become more abundant as more cross-border business will continue to foster China’s economy. Innovation will flourish and be encouraged as resources (both human and monetary) will continue to flood China’s doors. And growth for China will continue as it defines itself to be a leader in the world market.

Conclusion

Who would have thought I would have this new-found epiphany of China’s growth based on a reality dating show that emphasizes money over matter. It wasn’t the actual act that was appalling to watch, it was what the acts meant that surprised me to see how fast and how far China has evolved in its thinking.

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Jul. 29 – Foreign firms in China are assisting with the pace of legal reform and development with the Chinese government, says Jim Zimmerman, author of the new China Law Deskbook. In an interview in the July/August issue of the American Chamber of Commerce’s magazine, Zimmerman stated that “legal exchanges between foreign law firms and legal [...]

After Yahoo Japan's search deal with Google, the fate of Yahoo China is more unclear than ever.

EDF Networks has low-voltage electricity distribution networks in the east and south of England, long-term contracts with businesses such as London Underground, Heathrow and Gatwick, and the Channel Tunnel

How sophisticated is China's Great Firewall? Well, it sure seems to have Google at sixes and sevens.