China

A recurring theme in two meetings today was the need for New Zealand businesses in China to not try and compete on a capacity basis,  with the advantages gained by economies of scale – it’s just not possible. Instead, the need for highly differentiated products and services which target a niche within the market was seen as the only tangible …

Just a short entry for the blog today. We left the hotel in Beijing at 5:30 this morning enroute to the airport. After a few far-too-close calls, Fran and I successfully boarded and were on our way to Shanghai. Pudong airport is quite a distance from central Shanghai – connecting the two however is the engineering marvel that is the …

In stark contrast to when I opened the curtains yesterday to reveal great disappointment, today Beijing truly turned it on, presenting a winter-wonderland outside as snow blanketed the city. Beijing looked truly stunning today, the snow cleared much of the pollution and the extended sight-lines showed a beautiful winter city – giving a whole new appreciation for what is truly a tremendously …

This morning was a pretty big disappointment when I opened my curtains to reveal one of the worst days for pollution since I arrived in Beijing. I made the decision to hold off on the Forbidden City for one more day and make the journey to the Silk Market, a place described to me as a hub for the weird, …

Today was Friday in Beijing, the final day of the working week and the last full-day of our work program until we reach Shanghai on Monday. First up was a meeting with Nicola Morris, General Manager of Fonterra’s farm operations here in China. She walked us through exactly how New Zealand’s largest company was getting on over in China. The …

Early start today with breakfast at 6:15am, something I’m going to have to get used to! Today is the Economist’s China Summit for 2013. Taking place for the third time in as many years, the conference this year is themed around the recent leadership change that took place in China and the greater implications it could have both domestically and internationally. Boasting …

Fran and I have just returned from an amazing day with some of the leading figures in developing Beijing-Hollywood. I’ll keep my remarks brief as  I wouldn’t want to spoil the video that will go up on the site in the coming days. We began the day at the magnificent Star Lake Resort – a newly built, luxury facility that will host …

Today was an early start! Our driver arranged to collect Fran and I from the hotel at 7:30am to begin our program. symptoms of diabetes First up on the agenda was a meeting with Derek Low, head of Beca’s operations in China. Beca, a New Zealand engineering firm, operates a number of offices throughout Asia. Derek spoke to us predominantly about Beca’s …

A lack of wind is being blamed for the acrid grey smog currently blanketing Beijing with the city enduring some of the worst pollution on record. Official readings taken over the weekend showed PM2.5 readings in Beijing of 886 micrograms per cubic metre. To give that some perspective – 25 micrograms is the WHO’s cut-off level for safe emissions. The …

“You have to remember, Beijing has the population of Australia crammed into a space the size of Sydney.” Monday morning in Beijing today brought with it the beginning of the business program here in China. First stop for the day: Mahon Investments to visit David Mahon and Charlie Gao for a briefing. Both have vast experience with China and offered …