China's Modern Economy 中国现代经济 meets TuTh 11:45-1:15 Huntley 230
A large conference on lung cancer was held in Beijing over the weekend, focusing not on the popular topic of China’s heavy air pollution, but rather smoking. Over the past 30 years, deaths in China due to lung cancer has increased by 465 percent. The theme of this year’s conference, according to CCTV, was “Controlling… Continue reading Smoking Killing in China
An article from the October 26th Economist writes about the notion that China still feels uncomfortable not producing its own food as discussed in class. It cites that “old thinking dies hard”, and the connection of the not yet distant memories tens of thousands starving due to great famine in the early 1960s. While China’s… Continue reading Self Sufficiency Still Important to China When it Comes to Food
The unprecedented urbanization that China has been experiencing has caused a “spectacular property boom” over the past decade. Migrants moving to cities from the countryside are increasing demand for city housing as do the increasing middle class looking for an upgrade. Residential sales have shot up 35% in the last three quarters of this year… Continue reading Chinese Housing Bubble
China already possesses the largest and longest high-speed rail network in the world. Its total length is 6,200 miles, making it longer than that of all of Europe’s put together. Demand seems to be no issue, these high-speed trains transporting almost 2 million people a day (a third of total number of rail passengers). This… Continue reading China High-Speed Railways to Expand
General Motors is preparing to make Cadillac the next big status symbol in China. According to GM CFO, Dan Ammann, the market for Cadillac in China is growing larger than GM can support by imports only. GM started manufacturing the Cadillac XTS luxury sedan in China with their joint venture partner Shanghai General Motors,last fall. … Continue reading General Motors Push Cadillac for China
The Kazak government plans to spend $58 billion in investment in infrastructure by 2020, half of which will likely go to the country’s railroads in the hopes of increasing transportation and involvement in China-Europe cargo shipments to boost GDP. Kazakhstan is located between China and Russia, bordering Chinese regions expecting growth in manufacturing. By uniting… Continue reading Chinese manufacturing benefits Kazakhstan
A 20 minute segment on the China Central Television (CCTV) news channel investigated Starbucks coffee. The show reported that Starbucks coffee prices in China was found to be higher than prices in Chicago, London, and Mumbai despite lower production and operational costs. The show suggested the explanation for the price difference was rooted in the company’s… Continue reading China Starbucks
Xiaomi, a Chinese firm founded in 2010, unveiled its new Mi-3 handset on September 5th, five days before Apple’s iPhone 5S launch, it’s first in China. Compared to Apple’s global revenues from smartphones in the last year of $80 billion, Xiaomi earned $2.1 billion in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, where Xiaomi phones are sold. … Continue reading “Xiaomi the Money”
The Moon Festival, or the Mid-Autumn festival, the second grandest festival in China falls on the 19th of September this year. Mooncakes, a traditional gift at this time of year, are reportedly falling in sales this year. According to the article, sales are expected to fall by at least 20% this year. The fall in… Continue reading “Mooncake Sales to Wane”