China's Modern Economy 中国现代经济 meets TuTh 11:45-1:15 Huntley 230
Chery is China’s ninth largest automaker by sales according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, a semiofficial auto-industry group. Within a crowded market where margins are relatively thin, China’s car sales rose 4.3% in 2012, below 8% industrial officials were expecting. In Hessler’s Country Driving, we all read about Chery cars, but what is… Continue reading Chinese-Israeli Venture Launches Premium Car
In an article this morning in the Wall Street Journal, Tom Orlik and Esther Fund wrote an article concerning China’s new growth target of 7.5%, as it started to meet and finalize its transition to a new leadership regime. The new growth target seems to mark a change from the “breakneck” growth driven by exports… Continue reading China Tempers Growth
China’s auto industry looks like its truly booming. The three decade growth that positioned China as the second largest economy and the world largest automobile market seems to be paying off. Forbes has completed its 2013 list of the World´s richest individuals. In the list we can see how Chinese top auto executives are rapidly… Continue reading Chinese Auto Entrepreneurs
Zhang Gaoli, the current CPC Tianjin Committee Secretary and member of Politburo of the Communist Party of China, recently made comments that called for more support to be given to the private sector. Zhang acknowledged the country’s tight grip over industry, and commented that “breakthroughs must be made to let private capital into industries”. Economists… Continue reading China’s Acceptance of Privatization
After reading “American Wheels, Chinese Roads”, I decided to look a little bit more into the sale by GM of the controlling percentage in the joint venture. Dunne makes this sale a key point in the conclusion of his book. He believes that “GM’s sale of 1 percent of equity to SAIC in 2009 was… Continue reading GM’s Joint Venture
Early last month, China’s central government revealed a plan to increase the country’s minimum wage. As noted in Hessler’s Country Driving, the minimum wage differs across the country according to variances in the cost of living (see minimum wage map). Not only does the minimum wage differ from province to province, but it can also… Continue reading China Raises Minimum Wage
Investor confidence in the Chinese property market is extremely low ahead of news of further regulations to “curb the exuberance in the housing markets.” Housing prices will apparently take a major hit once these regulations take place that will help shape the housing market that has gotten out of control in Chinese cities. One of… Continue reading Uncertainty Pushes China’s Property Stocks Down
A consulting firm called the Rhodium Group recently released a report that looked at China’s CO2 emissions, energy trends, and energy policies. China is in the process of implementing its 12th Five Year Plan, which set a variety of energy emission reduction targets, including curbing CO2 output. The plan began in 2011 and concludes in… Continue reading China’s Energy Report
As we are going through Dunne’s book, this would be very appropriate. This January, GM saw record sales in China, being the “best month ever in the country”. 310,765 GM cars were sold in a single month, a 16% increase from its previous “record month”. Among these, 154,200 were sold in Shanghai alone (Bomey). Now,… Continue reading Current GM in China
Michael Dunne has an article on electric cars in China in the Feb 21 WSJ China blog.
The most recent post on Danwei, a website with translations from the Chinese web, focuses on villages populated almost entirely by the elderly. One is Visions of Dying Village Life. Another talks of visiting where the old village men hang out to find it empty, with his father by himself now that most of his… Continue reading Danwei project on (ageing) migrant villages
In the article “China Asks Companies to Mind Environment When Investing Overseas” from bloomberg news, it is clear that China is beginning to realize the impact that their growing economy is having on the global environment. This has come after recent criticism of China for neglecting the Environment and allowing pollution to spiral out of… Continue reading China’s Government Cracks Down on Environmental Protection
In Shanghai, city officials are now beginning to look at preservation of buildings and locations to keep Chinese history alive. This is an interesting movement in a city known for modernity in China and where history has previously been razed to put up skyscrapers. Real estate is of high value in Shanghai and preservation of… Continue reading Shanghai starts search for its heritage
In light of unprecedented pollution levels in Beijing, the Chinese government announced plans last week to introduce a carbon tax with the goal of curbing emissions. The Xinhua news agency also reported the government will implement an environmental protection tax. While the country is one of the largest contributors to global pollution, the introduction of… Continue reading China to introduce carbon tax
China’s State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) is responsible for investing $3.31 trillion worth of foreign-exchange reserves. According to an article by the WSJ, SAFE is showing a new willingness to take significant direct ownership stakes. In the past, the foreign-exchange reserves have relied on ultralow-yield assets such as U.S. government bonds. So why is… Continue reading China Invests in U.K. Property & Infrastructure