New transparency for China

Mexico has been critical of China for quarantining 71 Mexicans for the swine flu despite the individuals being asymptomatic. The Mexicans were flown back to Mexico re a chartered plane on Tuesday.

China also quarantined 2 U.S. (it's not clear if they had flu-like symptoms) and 29 Canadians (connected to the University of Montreal) despite their lack of symptoms.

274 guests remain quarantined in a Hong Kong hotel after a Mexican traveler tested for the virus.

It may sound like a bit much but China's response, and openness, is a dramatic improvement over their treatment of the SARS outbreak. When SARS spread to Hong Kong and world, it was discovered that Chinese officials had hidden the outbreak of SARS for four months.

Comparisons are being made to China's quick response to the Sichuan earthquake, especially as the country reflects on that disaster's one year anniversary.


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/01/world/asia/01china.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/05/05/health/main4991388.shtml

China's market and counterfeits

China is the world's largest cell phone market. And growing. So that's why counterfeit, or shanzhai, phones are causing a stir. Hi-Phone's can be made or $20 and shipped all across the world. You can expect that Nokia, Motorola and Apple would be complaining to the Chinese government, but the biggest impact may come from China's own cellphone makers.

Not much will change with the counterfeiters until China's own businesses feel the pinch and demand patent laws and the government to protect their intellectual property.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/technology/28cell.html

Japan sending home Latin American workers

In an interesting twist, Japan is paying foreign workers to leave the country.

This is the same country that revised the law in 1990 to allow Japanese descendants to receive long-term resident status -something that is very hard for foreigners to get in Japan.

The Japanese aren't fond of foreign workers, so when the export industry boomed in the 1990s, they cooked up a plan to bring Japanese descendants back from Brazil and Peru to fill the jobs.

Unfortunately, the experiment didn't quite work as well as officials had hoped. The Japanese descendants were a little too, um, Latin American for Japanese tastes. Now that factories need to lay off workers it seems like a good time to shift the policy. If the workers accept the pay to leave, they must also agree not to seek work in Japan again.





http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/business/global/23immigrant.html?scp=1&sq=japan%20brazil%20workers&st=cse

Car emissions and solar mobile phones

All eyes (and many hopes) are on the Shanghai Auto Show. Just about the only ones in the world buying cars right now are the Chinese, thanks to government incentives that include a tax cut and cash-refunds.

Since the automakers are excited about the number of buyers they have begun designing cars that the Chinese want ie. better gas mileage. Meanwhile, Chinese emission standards are non existent, so manufacturers aren't bothering with the annoyance. So much for global warming.

On the plus side, Sharp has designed a sun-powered, waterproof mobile phone that goes on sale in Japan on Monday that is being touted as helping to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

I don't think the cell phone usage will quite make up for the new cars in China.


http://english.aljazeera.net//news/asia-pacific/2009/04/20094209482632287.html

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_JAPAN_KDDI_SOLAR_PHONE_ASOL-?SITE=YOMIURI&SECTION=HOSTED_ASIA&TEMPLATE=ap_national.html

China's growth

The numbers are out and China's GDP grew 6.1% last quarter. Down from the 13% 2007 numbers, China is not in bad shape. Here are some important attributes:

* China's financial system is healthy and the banks are lending
* China has a fiscal surplus and is financing it's stimulus through that

China's biggest challenge is to increase domestic demand so the country is not as export reliant. This is a tall order. Yes, there were record car sales in March, but the Chinese do not have health plans or social services and continue to sock money away for a rainy day.




http://english.aljazeera.net//business/2009/04/20094163218569726.html

Which China is it?

Is China the country of economic strength telling rich nations how to manage their economy or is it a developing country with (tens of) millions of poor?

It's both. China holds $1 trillion in U.S. debt and an additional $1 trillion in other foreign reserves. It is also considered a lower-middle income country, with $936-3,705 in annual per capita income, according to 2007 World Bank figures.

What's interesting is China likes to plays the "we're rich" card when they want to talk about global international policies and the "we're poor" card when asked to ante up to help others or to fight climate change.







http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE53501820090406?pageNumber=3&virtualBrandChannel=10452

Japan's stimulus math

Everyone sites Japan's previous crisis for lessons on this one. It follows that Japan knows a thing or two about how tackle these things.

They've clearly decided that stimulus is the way to go. They've added another US$150 billion (15.4 trillion yen). This is in addition to the previous 12 trillion yen number.

The measures represent about 3% of GDP.

There's a continued trend to help small businesses, including contract workers. There are also measures to expand "green" technologies and support elder/health care. Other targeted areas are boosting fuel-efficient vehicles and consumer electronics.

Unemployment in Japan hit a three-year high of 4.4 per cent in February.

http://english.aljazeera.net//business/2009/04/20094685024327368.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7985239.stm

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_JAPAN_STIMULUS_ASOL-?SITE=YOMIURI&SECTION=HOSTED_ASIA&TEMPLATE=ap_national.html

China dialog

The U.S. and China have agreed to "establish a Strategic and Economic Dialogue group" the stated intent is "to tackle the global financial crisis and strengthen the worlds's financial systems".

They may end up talking more about North Korea and Iran.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7977145.stm