Foreign companies fear an increasing risk in China, now the government is tightening legal supervision, fighting corruption and banning business practices that were considered to be common up to a year ago. GSK might be one of the high-profile cases in the anti-corruption drive, but no foreign company or industry is not worried about those changes. The China Speakers Bureau can offer a range of experts on risk management in China.Read More →

China has been trying to ignore its unruly neighbor North Korea for as long as it was possible. And North Korea was more interested in talking to the US, and less to China. But Beijing might at last be changing its tune, says Paul French, author of North Korea: State of Paranoia (Asian Arguments) to the Washington Post.Read More →

Fashion retailer M&S got it all wrong in China as they focused on non-exciting customers, says retail analyst Paul French to Bloomberg. M&S decided to close down some of its China operation to cut their losses, after a very ambitious start in 2008 in Shanghai.Read More →

Author Paul French has added yet another subject to his long list of current and historical affairs with his latest book Gypsies of Shanghai: The Roma Community of Late 1930s and 1940s Shanghai and Their Role in the City’s Entertainment Industry. The book is small and cheap, Paul adds on his weblog, but it illustrates the amazing diversity of pre-war Shanghai.Read More →

China´s economy might be slowing down a bit, outbound tourism keeps on booming like before. Chinese tourists spend more per capital than any other natonality. In 2015 120 million Chinese spent in total over 100 billion US dollar, a double digit growth compared to 2014.

While there are some sure winning among the top destinations, Chinese tourists are fast looking for new trends, and the government is able to steer tourist stream to other countries, when political strubbles occur. Both Japan, France and Taiwan had now and then those political problemsRead More →

The world´s most populous country is facing an unprecedented crisis, as its population ages fast, tells former New York Times Shanghai-bureau chief Howard French to PBS. The fast rising demand for social security, health care and a diminishing work force, will narrow down China´s economic expansion in the near future. The aging crisis not only shows the immense failure of the one-child policy, it will also force the country to become more welcoming to much-needed immigrants.Read More →

China´s state-owned shipping industry has already seen massive mergers over the past 18 months, and this week the State Council – the country´s highest administrative body – announced more mergers. But China veteran Paul French warns in Splash 247 to read too much into the announcement. Just an announcement does not mean it is a done deal.Read More →

Experts use different measurements to gauge China´s economic growth, as the official GDP figure is often seen with suspicion. But other measurements like electricity usage and railway transportation also have their limitations, warns China veteran Paul French in Splash 24/7Read More →

China is not only struggling to manage its unruly financial markets, North-Korea´s latest nuclear test shows that international diplomacy is not yet one of its strong point, says political analyst Paul French in America Magazine. Managing North-Korea from Beijing is no longer possible.Read More →

North-Korea´s lastest nuclear test came not really as a surprise, writes Pyongyang-watcher Paul French. And they might most likely get what they wanted: a resumption of the 6-party talks, led by China, he writes for Reuters.Read More →

Author Paul French of North Korea: State of Paranoia reviews for the Washington Post. Blaine Harden´s latest book on North Korea The Great Leader and the Fighter Pilot: The True Story of the Tyrant Who Created North Korea and The Young Lieutenant Who Stole His Way to Freedom.Read More →