China Economy Forum

[Hypersonicmissiles]

Congratulations to China!!!!!!!

Now I want democracy in china so that chinese people may enjoy wealth with freedom. Everything is useless until you have freedom of speech and expression.

Just as soon as Dalits have freedom of expression and the rest of India builds enough toilets for the entire population.

 

[Al Bhatti]

个人认为中国的某某排名靠前或者靠后，都是别的国家或组织按照自己的标准来定下的，事实上，中国的事情只有中国人自己最清楚，哪些需要急切解决，哪些需要重视，哪些需要慢慢来。中国人和中国的朋友看到这些也不用过度高兴，因为中国的很多问题还需要自身的发展来解决，这需要时间。印度网民帖子也看出很爱自己的国家，对自己的国家有信心，从爱国的角度看，这是值得肯定得。只是印度的网民得更多的关注现实，先督促你们的政府修建足够印度国民使用的公共厕所，还有解决好印度糟糕的交通问题，还有严重的社会治安问题再理直气壮的同别的国家比较。
看到不少印度网民经常跟中国比谁更民主、自由，如果是讲这个，你们不过是捧着西方反华媒体的洗脚水在喝，在中国起码没有邪恶的种姓制度，没有哪个姓氏高贵，哪个姓氏低贱，民主自由不是靠嘴说的，更不要拿多少年后的发展蓝图来画饼充饥寻找自我安慰，非常不理智！

你概括说得非常好。 A nice brief reply.

 

[xunzi]

Nothing special. We have a high goal for ourselves.

 

[Hypersonicmissiles]

What the CCP needs to do now is to stay steady and further improve people's life quality while keeping not allowing foreign elements to interfere its own business.

What India needs to do is stop calling themselves a democracy because such a corrupt, inefficient and inherently unequal savage regime defiles the title of democracy, which means good, efficient governance.

India is institutionally corrupt which means no one can solve India's problems.

 

[somsak]

China is ranked 37 in gender inequality index, very impressive for a developing country (Mao once said women carries half the sky).

India is ranked 127, an embarrassment for a country of India's stature.

If India wants to see a higher HDI, India needs to treat women better. More educated women in India will create a better workforce in the future which will in turn improve the economy and India's HDI.

I think the objective of HDI is subjective. Though the method of measurement is objective and scientific, the objective of HDI is subjective. What I mean is...

How can one rank Japanese culture where wife must stay at home, while husband work 15 hours a day as gender inequality? Suppose another country has both wife and husband work at 8 hours a day, together the family work 16 hours a day. Is the later more gender equality? Later you find the later case, wife has to wash dishes, and cook and child cares while husband do almost nothing but playing internet, or watch TV (oops thats me ) . That is what I feel that gender equality is quite subjective and difficult to say one is better than the other.

Having HDI measurement is better than have none. But I think one must keep in mind that this is subjected to US cultural preference. (Correct me if I'm wrong)

 

[Hypersonicmissiles]

I dont trust any Yankee and I certainly don't trust the Yankee regime. For me the Yankee regime represents the most evil force on this planet. The Yankee regime is a truly sick and repulsive regime that is far worse than the Nazis ever were.

I utterly despise the Yankee and the collapse of the Yankee empire will be the greatest liberation to the human race.

Until the Yankee fascists are defeated like the Nazis, the human race will continue to suffer.

Yankees to me are the worst type of filth on this planet.

 

[IsaacNewton]

I think the objective of HDI is subjective. Though the method of measurement is objective and scientific, the objective of HDI is subjective. What I mean is...

How can one rank Japanese culture where wife must stay at home, while husband work 15 hours a day as gender inequality? Suppose another country has both wife and husband work at 8 hours a day, together the family work 16 hours a day. Is the later more gender equality? Later you find the later case, wife has to wash dishes, and cook and child cares while husband do almost nothing but playing internet, or watch TV (oops thats me ) . That is what I feel that gender equality is quite subjective and difficult to say one is better than the other.

Having HDI measurement is better than have none. But I think one must keep in mind that this is subjected to US cultural preference. (Correct me if I'm wrong)

True, it is hard to get a scale that everyone can agree on, but there are some universal norms that people generally follows. For example, if you walk on the street of some country and see people defalcating everywhere, I'm pretty sure you'll say that the country is less developed than USA. HDI measures income, life expectancy, education, stuff that there is a general norm for.

 

[LeveragedBuyout]

Books? Not really, I mean most of it is Chinese, by that I mean all. But I think starting from Wiki is a good read, then moving on to more specifics. It might surprise you what Chinese were doing at that time, almost 300 years pre-industrial revolution.

The Portuguese were there, and I know there are many English books by Americans, but usually I read online things. The last book I read was well, my text book, lol.


Now, I thought of a couple responses, and I don't really have an response. I could tell you that Chinese are competitive, hate the rich and powerful, or I could say talent trumps all, but without an election I guess all those are not sure fire ways of ensuring anything.

But that is actually what it is, your methods are set in stone and written in stone, while ours are more unwritten.

My belief is 1 + 1 = 2, no matter what font one uses or what country they are from this remains true.

America failed miserably in Iraq, I mean reconstruction, why? Iraq didn't have the necessary ingredients to fulfill what America wanted.

Today's Iraq is so like yesterday's China, ROC is exactly like that before they got defeated.

Why did democracy fail so miserably there but succeeded so spectacularly in US? While China in a different system has also achieved success as did pre war Japan and UK, as well as German Empire and Nazi Germany.

Why did China fail so miserably in the 1960s and 70s, when essentially it's the same people, but succeeded in the 80s and 90s? Policy certainly played a role, but all nation needed that first spark, UK supremacy and later US didn't happen simply because people choose their leaders, especially since it's not even true in the UK.

What's consistent? Educated people, infrastructure in all sectors, and many more that are tangible rather than idealistic signs of a developed nation.

Democracy rarely if ever works in poor nations, reason is not democracy don't work it's those nations don't work.


The government should be as good as its people most of the time, because the government is the people. There are no special places that produce leaders.

While you worry about what the government might do, I'm saying government is the instrument of the people, doesn't matter if its elected or not. HOWEVER, the requirement is the people can exert influence DUE TO THEIR OWN POWER, rather than any given power.

Obviously nothing is 100%, Obama is on top of the US for better or worse, and India did kick out a lame party despite its low development level.

I'm not a fan in dealing in ideology to be honest, I find them tedious and too far from reality, there are too many variables to simply say this is going to happen due to this.

Even if I set everything the right way 100% for a presentation, I can still be hit by a truck, US can launch a nuke by accident, or something of that nature, point is, the only thing certain is that nothing is certain. But as long as you got the right stuff, you should more chance than not be able to achieve your goal.




One of the key reasons I moved back to China more or less is because of delay of pipeline in the US and Canada. So a project good? Bad? Depends on who you are, as someone always benefits, China is simply letting part of the benefit also reaching those affected, is that good? All I will say, it could be worse.

But men make tough choices, I always like Kennedy's not because it is easy but because it is hard speech. That's really been my philosophy. CCP is a leader, they can never satisfy everyone, do what you think it's best, if not, handle the consequences. As with perks their are also downsides, and being responsible is one of them.

We can't let fear and self doubt dictate our lives. We must set the pace.

Much wisdom in your post. Pragmatism over all else, I couldn't agree more.

 

[terranMarine]

@LeveragedBuyout
The problem is not CCP, it's not a matter of trusting or distrusting CCP. Democracy is not the holy grail because it does not work everywhere. If CCP is being replaced by Democracy how would you know if that make lives better for everyone? You cannot compare US population with a 1.4 billion developing country even when you are discussing about government system. The Chinese government does stand for the people, it listened after the student protest back in 89, it reformed and keeps reforming to this day. The so called student massacre is just a made up propaganda by the West, it should not let that incident shape your view of CCP because we see you have an open minded character.

 

[Kolaps]

I don't hate the CCP, but I certainly don't trust it. What is the CCP to me? It's a political party that is unaccountable to the people of China. Yes, I agree that social media has made the country more transparent, and no, I don't believe that the Chinese people are brainwashed. But I also don't believe that just because the Chinese people want something, the CCP will let them have it. The friction in HK, and as an even more stark example before that, Tiananmen Square, was to me all the proof I needed that the CCP stands for itself, not for the people of China. I won't lie, Tiananmen Square powerfully affected me, and permanently informed my views on the CCP, even to this day. Not even the method by which the protest was suppressed, but what caused the protest, and what message the CCP was sending by crushing the protest.

I've asked this question before: to take the most fraught example, even if the CCP represents 50.1% of the population's wishes, is that enough justification for you for the CCP to crush the other 49.9%?

So when you say you "know exactly where to look at what to change," I am not certain you are talking about the Chinese people, or the CCP--and they are not the same, and do not represent the same interests.

Tienanmen square affected you of what?

The massacre never happened.


But I still keep dislike to CCP because of their damage to Chinese civilization.

 

[BoQ77]

Microsoft to shift phone production from China to Vietnam

Tuoi tre news

Updated : 07/18/2014 17:49 GMT + 7

Microsoft plans to reduce its manufacturing operations in China and focus its phone production in Vietnam in what is considered a large restructuring of its Nokia unit.

The U.S. software titan on Thursday announced it will lay off 18,000 employees by 2015, many of whom are factory workers in China.

The company’s device manufacturing and marketing operations will also be moved to markets where Windows Phone has some traction, according to Stephen Elop, Executive Vice President of Microsoft's Devices & Services business unit.

“We plan to right-size our manufacturing operations to align to the new strategy and take advantage of integration opportunities,” Elop said in an email to employees on Thursday.

The new strategy, the exec elaborated, is focused on productivity and Microsoft’s desire to help people do more.

“To align with Microsoft’s strategy, we plan to focus our efforts.

“Given the wide range of device experiences, we must concentrate on the areas where we can add the most value,” he wrote.

Phone production is thus expected to be focused mainly in Vietnam,

 

[BoQ77]

China Manufacturers Survive by Moving to Asian Neighbors

By
Kathy Chu
Updated May 1, 2013 12:00 a.m. ET

Idle equipment at Lever Style's factory in Shenzhen, China. The firm, whose clients include Uniqlo, has cut its employees in China by a third. Thomas Lee for The Wall Street Journal

SHENZHEN, China—In a corner of a sprawling factory in this coastal southern city, sewing machines that stitched blouses and shirts for Lever Style Inc.'s clients now gather dust. As the din on the factory floor has dropped, so, too, has the payroll. Over the past two years, Lever Style's employee count in China has declined by one-third to 5,000 workers.

The company in April began moving apparel production for Japanese retail chain Uniqlo to Vietnam, where wages can be half those in China. Lever Style also is testing a shift to India for U.S. department-store chain Nordstrom Inc. JWN -0.13% and moving production for other customers.

It's a matter of survival. After a decade of nearly 20% annual wage increases in China, Lever Style says it can no longer make money here.

A board shows workers' statuses at each production line at Lever Style's factory in Shenzhen, China. Thomas Lee for The Wall Street Journal

"Operating in Southern China is a break-even proposition at best," says Stanley Szeto, a former investment banker who took over the family business from his father in 2000.

Companies from leather-goods chain Coach Inc. COH -0.87% to clogs maker Crocs Inc. CROX +0.12% also are shifting some manufacturing to other countries as the onetime factory to the world becomes less competitive because of sharply rising wages and a persistent labor shortage. The moves allow the companies to keep consumer prices in check, although competition for labor in places such as Vietnam and Cambodia is pushing up wages in those countries as well.

At Crocs, 65% of its colorful shoes are expected to be made in China this year through third-party manufacturers, down from 80% last year. Coach will reduce its overall production in China to about 50% by 2015 from more than 80% in 2011 so the handbag maker isn't too reliant on one country, a spokeswoman says.


Manufacturing companies are bypassing China and moving factories to cheaper locales in Southeast Asia. Lever Style's Stanley Szeto explains why his company is gradually moving production to Vietnam and Indonesia.

Some migration of apparel manufacturing from China is expected, and even encouraged by the government, as the country's economy matures. As other Asian nations become efficient at mass manufacturing, China must embrace research and high-technology production to transform its economy as South Korea and Japan once did. But healthy economic growth requires that China expand its service sector and create higher-skilled manufacturing jobs at a rapid clip to compensate.

"If costs continue to rise, but China is unable to become more innovative or develop home-grown technologies, then the jobs that move offshore won't be replaced by anything," says Andrew Polk, a Beijing-based economist for the Conference Board, a research group for big American and European companies.

Changes Under Way in China
View Slideshow

Cheng Pei Quan is a winner of the 'Sweing Olympics' at a factory. Manufacturers are looking beyond bonuses to retain workers and boost production in China. Thomas Lee for The Wall Street Journal

China continues to be the developing world's largest recipient of foreign direct investment, attracting $112 billion last year. But that was down 3.7% from a year earlier. And exports still are rising in the double-digit percentages. Growth is slowing.

Here in the manufacturing hub of Guangdong province, Lever Style's factories provide a glimpse into the future of China's apparel industry.

The company, which is based in Hong Kong, used to manufacture its clients' clothing at three factories in China. But rising labor costs have forced the apparel maker for Armani Collezioni, John Varvatos and Hugo Boss to focus on what it does best: helping clients develop clothing while the company outsources a growing part of production.

In five years, Lever Style expects about 80% of its production to be outsourced to factories it manages throughout Asia, and half its clothing to be made outside China.

As it shifts production to Vietnam, Lever Style says it is able to offer clients a discount of up to 10% per garment. That is attractive to U.S. retailers, whose profit margins average 1% to 2%, according to the U.S.-based National Retail Federation.

This shift is already well under way. Lever Style expects that a few years from now, 40% of the clothes it makes for Uniqlo, one of Lever Style's biggest customers, will come from Vietnam and 60% from China.

As China production slows for Uniqlo and other clients, Lever Style plans to return one factory here to the landlord and consolidate its shrinking workforce at the other two.

Enlarge Image

Uniqlo, the biggest apparel chain in Asia, says it makes 70% of its clothing in China but would like to cut its production in the country to two-thirds, mainly to reduce costs. A spokesman for parent company Fast Retailing Co. 9983.TO +0.01% says the retailer has an "ongoing dialogue" with contract manufacturers of its 70 factories world-wide about where to produce its clothing.

Nordstrom, which works with 450 factories in nearly 40 countries, says cost is important but so are product quality and factory working conditions. The company hasn't seen a "material change" in how much of its apparel is being made in China in recent years, a spokesman says.

Many retailers are less concerned about where a product is made than about price, delivery and quality, says Lever Style's Mr. Szeto.

Still, he says, while China's transformation of its economy is "the right move for the country, I see this as a huge challenge for us as a company."

—Next: Factories face a labor shortage, and new ways to keep workers happy

Write to Kathy Chu at kathy.chu@wsj.com

 

[Viet]

bro, the thread already exists.

 

[Al Bhatti]

July 30, 2014

China’s investors go on global property buying spree
London, US most popular, according to a JLL report

China’s institutional investment in property overseas rose 17 per cent in the first six months of this year, with residential investment surging 84 per cent, real estate services firm Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) said on Wednesday.

The gains come as Chinese investors pursue opportunities outside their home turf, where the outlook for the real estate sector is overshadowed by issues such as tight financing and high inventories, which are weighing on prices.

London was the most popular destination for Chinese institutional investors, with a total of $2.3 billion (Dh8.4 billion), as efforts by the city to draw Chinese capital into major infrastructure projects spilt into residential and commercial markets, JLL said.

San Francisco and Chicago followed with $548 million and $365 million, respectively.

Sydney was fourth, followed by Madrid, after China’s largest commercial developer Dalian Wanda bought a historic skyscraper in Spain’s capital city from the nation’s largest bank, Santander, $361 million.

“For first-time overseas investors it makes sense to target the most liquid cities, but for the more experienced, looking at smaller less liquid markets like Spain where yields are higher but so are the risks, it is a natural progression,” David Green-Morgan, JLL’s global capital markets research director said in a statement.

Chinese real estate outbound investment totalled $5.4 billion during the period, with commercial investment contributing $4 billion.

JLL noted that developers and insurance companies remained the most active investors, and while the interests mainly focused in core office and mixed use development projects in global gateway cities, there was an increasing interest for hotel and hospitality products in popular Chinese tourist destinations.

The introduction of the Golden Visa in many southern European counties has also raised the profile of these locations among Chinese mainland investors, it added.

Separately, on retail investments, the United States was the country most favoured by Chinese home buyers, according to Juwai.com, the largest real estate portal that targets Chinese buyers looking abroad, based on inquiry data from the first half of 2014.

Australia ranked second and Canada third, even though it cancelled the Immigrant Investor Programme in February. The UK was fourth.

“We have not seen any measurable impact on Chinese demand for property in Canada as a result of the ending of the investment visa programme,” Juwai.com’s co-chief executive officer Andrew Taylor said.

China’s investors go on global property buying spree | GulfNews.com

 

[kbd-raaf]

Hehe, Chinese buyers are creating upward pressure on housing prices in Australia.