Editor's Picks

Civil servant 'street show' can be useful

Opinion | Press Notes
2012-5-25

IT'S easy for the public to regard civil servants offering free shoe polishing services as nothing but a publicity stunt. Most opinions expressed ...

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Global banks pulling back from overseas business

Opinion | Foreign perspectives
2012-5-25

GLOBAL policymakers regularly congratulate themselves on having avoided the errors of the 1930s during the financial crisis that began in 2008. Led by US Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke, an economic...

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Please leave shoeshining to shoeshiners

Opinion | Press Notes
2012-5-25

WHEN civil servants "volunteer" to be shoeshiners in the streets for one day, they may be doing less good than they imagine. On May 15, civil servants from 25 government departments in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province,...

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China moves faster in approving infrastructure projects

Opinion | Biz Commentary
2012-5-25

AS reported in JRJ.com, the central government has requested local governments to report their all infrastructure project investment for this year before end-June for faster appraisal and approval, and related central...

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Steel sector heads for slower growth

Opinion | Biz Commentary
2012-5-25

EDITOR'S note: This week Matt Jamieson spoke with Su Aik Lim, Fitch's Asia Pacific steel sector analyst based in Hong Kong, about China's steel industry and specifically the recent anomaly of record production levels...

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Human stories of Jews help demystify China

Opinion | Chinese perspectives
2012-5-24

EDITOR'S note: A lot has been written about the help China offered Jews fleeing from Nazi Germany and taking refuge in Shanghai. But so far there has been far less literature on Jews' personal memories of their...

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Mao's call for culture still resonates

Opinion | Chinese perspectives
2012-5-24

CHINA has mobilized artists, actors and playwrights to commemorate the 70th anniversary of a celebrated speech by late Chairman Mao Zedong on art and literature delivered in former revolutionary base Yan'an. The...

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In a tighter labor market, perseverance could pay off

Opinion | Biz Commentary
2012-5-24

A worsening economic outlook invariably impacts the jobs market. Tim Nelson, president of global recruitment firm Futurestep Asia Pacific, talks about how companies and employees are learning to cope with change. ...

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Greek exit could make EU stronger

Opinion | Biz Commentary
2012-5-24

A Greek exit from the euro area would inflict heavy damage in Greece and throughout Europe. It could also be one of the best things that ever happened to the currency union. Greece's repeat parliamentary election...

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On the China-Africa partnership

Opinion | Chinese perspectives
2012-5-23

EDITOR'S note: China-Africa ties have expanded in recent years. Trade has grown rapidly and Chinese investment in Africa has gained momentum. However, some Westerners have viewed China's involvement in Africa...

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China signals further policy easing to stimulate growth

Opinion | Biz Commentary
2012-5-23

CHINESE Premier Wen Jiabao said over the weekend the central government would "attach greater importance to stabilizing economic growth." We see this as a signal that the State Council may adopt additional measures...

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China IPO market at the crossroads

Opinion | Biz Commentary
2012-5-23

THE recent moves by the China Securities Regulatory Commission to reform the A share initial public offering mechanism to enhance the integrity of the market and regain investor confidence could not have come at a...

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Old relationship still based on goodwill

Opinion | Chinese perspectives
2012-5-23

ONE of the most significant changes in international politics in recent years is the tremendous growth of China-Africa ties. In the 1960s, China built the famous Tanzania-Zambia Railway, a lasting symbol of the...

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A nightmare on Beijing streets

Opinion | Press Notes
2012-5-22

TRAFFIC jams plague both New York and Beijing, and yet you have totally different driving experiences in the two cities. In New York, drivers often yield to each other, but in Beijing, drivers block one another....

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Speechless in Suzhou dialect

Opinion | Press Notes
2012-5-22

DON'T speak in the local dialect or you will be reprimanded or fired. That's a corporate rule of a company in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. The company has been heavily criticized since its rule was disclosed on...

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Flawed gizmos staging a comeback

Opinion | Biz Commentary
2012-5-22

IT'S every tech company's nightmare: Amid much hoopla, it rolls out a new product, but the thing doesn't work as promised. The critics are damning and dwindling customers are in revolt. What to do? I've been...

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Innovation holds the key to retailers' success in China

Opinion | Foreign perspectives
2012-5-22

THE retail industry is one of the most exciting areas in China, as we start to see a major transformation in the Chinese consumer. It has been well recognized that the China market will provide significant chances...

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Can a green revolution jump-start the economy?

Opinion | Foreign perspectives
2012-5-22

WHILE austerity in Europe faces increasing social resistance, in principle it has the merit of simplicity. As the debate on fiscal consolidation versus growth intensifies, it is clear there is little agreement on how...

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Raising inflation target will not solve anything

Opinion | Foreign perspectives
2012-5-21

POOR Ben Bernanke! As Chairman of the United States Federal Reserve Board, he has gone further than any other central banker in recent times in attempting to stimulate the economy through monetary policy. He...

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After baby-sitting, it's all downhill for women at work

Opinion | Foreign perspectives
2012-5-21

THE labor market is skewed toward women. Or at least toward girls, according to my 14-year-old son. He's too young for most "real" part-time jobs, which leaves baby-sitting. And more people seem willing to hire teenage...