Latest Posts
Samsung is done in China – Shaun Rein
China´s users of the Samsung Note 7 were already upset the Korean company did not pull back their faulty model from the Chinese market, like they did elsewhere. Now Samsung had to withdraw all Note 7 phones globally, they are in China done in their largest market, says business analyst Shaun Rein to Bloomberg.Read More →
State tightens rules for religious groups – Ian Johnson
Religions have become more popular in China, but the government tries now to tighten rules for religious group, writes journalist Ian Johnson, author of the upcoming book The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao in the New York Times. Rules on religion are changed for the first time in a decade.Read More →
“One of the most insightful commentators on modern China” – Ian Johnson
Much praise for the essay by journalist Ian Johnson in The Oxford Illustrated History of Modern China, by Jeffrey Wasserstrom, a “handle on modern history”, according to the Asian Review of Books. Ian Johnson is the author of the upcoming book The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao.Read More →
KFC slumps under anti-US sentiments – Shaun Rein
Yum´s KFC has lost substantial turnover, as anti-US protest turn against the fast food chain caused by the tension in the South China Sea, says business analyst Shaun Rein to Reuters. The stores have become a lightning rod for nationalistic feelings and lost sometimes up to 25%Read More →
Robots replace China´s workers – Shaun Rein
For long China was the world´s working place with thousands of workers toiling away in dirty workshops. But China´s youngsters do not want to work in factories anymore, says business analyst Shaun Rein, author of The End of Copycat China: The Rise of Creativity, Innovation, and Individualism in Asia, to MIT Technology Review. In stead, robots take over.Read More →
McDonald´s franchise model makes now sense – Ben Cavender
McDonald´s China is trying to sell its 2,200 stores for up to US$2 billion to third parties. A move that makes sense, says retail analyst Ben Cavender in CFO, because the number of people able to run chain stores has gone up exponentially.Read More →
Shanghai Disney is not yet there – Shaun Rein
Shanghai Disney opened with a lot of hype, but the number of visitors fell short of the expectations. The entertainment park is not yet where it wants to be, says business analyst Shaun Rein, although it might still bounce back from its current under-performance, he tells the South China Morning Post.Read More →
Linking to firewalled content – or not? Poll
Should we link to firewalled content or not, we asked earlier in the week. At the China Speakers Bureau we have a policy of not linking to content behind any kind of firewall, financial or otherwise, because that would create a barrier for our readers and potential client. But from the reactions we learned tot not all support that policy. It does mean we miss out good content, for example from the Financial Times, and a part of the Wall Street Journal. But many more media try to survive by – what we see as outdated – subscription models to support journalism.Read More →
The term ´middle class` is only confusing – Arthur Kroeber
The term ´middle class´ shows up in almost every analysis on China. But economist Arthur Kroeber, author of China’s Economy: What Everyone Needs to Know®, thinks the term creates more confusion than clarity, he explains to Knowledge CKGSB.Read More →
Trust sells better than ads – William Bao Bean
Ads suck, says China veteran William Bao Bean. In Asia companies first build up trust, and then might sell now and then. “We are in the post-advertising market,” he tells at the Next16 in Hamburg.Read More →
Zhejiang province: best in producing billionaires – Rupert Hoogewerf
“Highly collaborative and versatile.” That is how Hurun rich list founder Rupert Hoogewerf describes the billionaires coming from Zhejiang province, China´s region that produces most billionaires than any other in China and the world. And it is not over yet, says Hoogewerf to CNN MoneyRead More →
How China charity got another hit – Rupert Hoogewerf
One of China´s most prominent philantrophists, Chen Guangbiao, contributed much to the development of charity in China, but, says Rupert Hoogewerf or Hurun and publisher of a respected charity index, after investigations by Caixin he caused equally much embarrassment in the industry, he told the LA Times.Read More →