118 « Week In China

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WiC 118 (Aug 19, 2011)

The ‘poor’ state of the union

China and the World, Talking Point Angry reactions in Beijing to downgrade of its US debt holdings…

"Every wrong has its source, and every debt its incurrer” goes the Chinese proverb, a timely view, following Standard & Poor’s downgrade of US ...

Rotten boroughs

Property Affordable housing push may face delays because of shoddy construction

Two months ago, China’s rapidly expanding high-speed rail network was a badge of national honour – or “a major achievement of China’s ...

Hitting the buffers

Banking & Finance Agency questioned over railway rating

"A stunning lack of knowledge… they drew exactly the wrong conclusion… really terrible judgement… they’ve handled themselves very ...

Chemical reaction

Environment Landmark protests on Sunday see plant closed

Television cameras were busy last week showing scenes of people taking to the streets. In most cases the images were of rioters and looters causing ...

Infant industry

M&A Why latest Nestlé acquisition is all about Chinese babies

With more than $9 billion of cash in reserve, Nestlé has the resources for a little shopping – and has been doing so in China this year. The ...

Acquiring trouble?

Auto Industry Volvo purchase sees Geely’s debt pile increase

Geely Group’s acquisition of Volvo was one of the iconic deals of the global downturn. When a young, brash car company from China picked up a ...

Transforming the box office

Entertainment How Chinese cinemas could be siphoning off US film’s takings

"Shaky camera, bad acting and an incoherent plot” was the verdict but it does not seem to have dampened Chinese moviegoers’ enthusiasm for the ...

A career-ending challenge?

Sport Spaniard accepts most difficult job in football – coaching China

What is the toughest job in the world? Head of the Greek inland revenue? Image consultant to Dick Fuld? John Boehner’s Republican Party whip? WiC ...

End of a chapter?

China Consumer E-book reader sales slump thanks to competition from tablet PCs

"Before I retire, I’m going to make my company a member of the Fortune 500,” Liu Yingjian, the founder and chairman of Hanvon Technology (also ...

Relationship management

Internet & Tech Agreement reached on the ownership of Alipay

A few months ago, Jack Ma was perhaps China’s most respected business leader, having established two online giants, Alibaba and Taobao. He did so ...

Defied sceptics

Who’s Hu Li Shuirong

Li Shuirong was born in 1956 in Xiaoshan, Zhejiang province. By the late eighties he was running a timber shop. But Li was on the look out for a more ...

Living on a diet of dim sums

Economy Li Keqiang arrives with goodies to boost Hong Kong as renminbi…

Holiday season is in full swing, even for the Chinese leadership. And according to Hong Kong’s Apple Daily, all of the Politburo Standing Committee ...

Inspect the insect

Planet China “Waiter, there’s a fly in my soup,” goes the opening line…

“Waiter, there’s a fly in my soup,” goes the opening line of an old British joke. It’s not a particularly funny gag, and for a resident of ...

Cartoons In the soup

The Chinese are in a froth over Japanese broth. The ramen-noodle chain Ajisen has faced a wave of criticism in local media over the quality of its ...

Palace scandals

And Finally Welcome to the world’s most controversial museum

The School for Scandal is a famed English ‘comedy of intrigue’ that was written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan over two hundred years ...