Chinese automaker in talks with Volvo to make trucks
Photo:volvo.com
Chinese automaker Dongfeng Motor Group is considering selling a stake in a commercial vehicle unit to Volvo. The unit is part of Dongfeng's joint venture with Japan's Nissan Motor Co. The three parties were discussing whether Volvo would replace the Japanese company as Dongfeng's partner in the medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicles arm, the Chinese automaker said in a statement, The Associated Press reported today.
Nissan would then focus on just the passenger car and light commercial vehicle unit, said Dongfeng, which is listed in Hong Kong. Dongfeng said the companies have not entered any binding agreements that will require the approval by the relevant authorities of Beijing.
Dongfeng Motor is owned equally by Nissan and Dongfeng. Under the joint venture, passenger cars are produced under the Nissan brand, while trucks under the Dongfeng name.
Volvo, the world's second-biggest truck maker by sales, has said it was interested in taking over Nissan's stake in Dongfeng's truck unit. Volvo draws most of its truck sales from Europe and North America, and has a market share of just 0.7 percent in Asia, according to the company.
Source:www.shanghaidaily.com
Chinese radio and TV stations to pay music royalties next year
Chinese radio and TV stations are expected to pay royalties on the music they broadcast from next year, when a set of fee collection methods and standards will be officially promulgated.
"The methods and standards are being drawn up by the Office of Legislative Affairs of the State Council. They are expected to be officially promulgated next year" said an official with the National Copyright Administration. Tens of billions of yuan is the estimated sum that could be collected in royalties each year. Source:www.newsgd.com, China View website
Chinese radio and TV stations to pay music royalties next year
Chinese radio and TV stations are expected to pay royalties on the music they broadcast from next year, when a set of fee collection methods and standards will be officially promulgated.
"The methods and standards are being drawn up by the Office of Legislative Affairs of the State Council. They are expected to be officially promulgated next year" said an official with the National Copyright Administration. Tens of billions of yuan is the estimated sum that could be collected in royalties each year. Source:www.newsgd.com, China View website
Foreign banks in China are doing well
The total assets of foreign banks in Shanghai, have risen to 60 billion U.S. dollars "The total assets of foreign banks in Shanghai have grown by 31 percent annually over the past five years" said Fang Haixing, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Office of Finance Service. They now total more than 60 billion U.S. dollars, making up 14.2 percent of the Shanghai banking sector, up from 13.1 percent in 2005.
Foreign banks had set up 94 business branches in Shanghai by the end of last October, almost double the number five years ago, the official said. Fang expected the total assets of foreign banks to account for 20-30 percent of Shanghai's banking sector in the future.
Foreign insurance companies also did well last year, garnering 7.03 billion yuan in insurance premiums in the January to November period between them, up 34.8 percent year-on-year.
Source:crienglish.comGoogle/Foreign Banks in China
Environmentally friendly explosions
Four phases of the building's demolition process
With the Olympic Games in sight the problem has to be solved. A 15-story hotel in the coastal city of Qingdao was demolished on Sunday morning in an environmentally-friendly way.
Guangdong Provincial Hongda Blasting Engineering Company, who carried out the explosion, made use of advanced technologies for the first time to reduce flying debris and lower the shockwave and dust and noise pollution from the process.
The demolition only took five seconds, with the building collapsing within the planned area. It is reported that a higher grade hotel will be built to replace the old one on the same site. Qingdao will host the 2008 Olympics' sailing events.
Photo and source: Xinhua.com
The Asian Winter Games started today
The largest-ever Asian Winter Games kicked off in the northeastern city of Changchun on Sunday evening. Chinese President Hu Jintao attended the ceremony and announced the opening of the competitions. This year's event features all 45 members of the Olympic Council of Asia for the first time in its history. 15 countries and regions, including Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, will make their debut this year.
China has dispatched a delegation composed of over 260 athletes to compete in all events. Japan dispatched the second largest delegation, with over 110 athletes, while South Korea has the third largest team. The weeklong Games, to be co-hosted by Changchun and nearby cities in northeast China's Jilin Province, will give out 369 medals covering five main events, including figure skating, ice hockey and speed skating.
Source:english.cri.cn
Photo:AsianWinterGamesChangchunn
China is in top four of most popular tourism destinations
As one of the most important parts of the world tourism and the most active markets for inbound tourism, China is continuously developing at a tremendous speed. It is estimated that during the Beijing 2008 Olympics and the Shanghai World Expo in 2010, China will welcome more oversea tourists from every corner of the world.
Source:www.travelchinaguide.com
Amnesty's report on Human rights in China
China has still a lot of problems to deal with in the field of Human rights. Amnesty International was critical to the country's policies in the last publication about Human right in China.>> Read the complete report at Amnesty.org
IKEA's adaptations to the Chinese market
Have written a short report from my visit at the IKEA store in Shanghai. This picture is taken outside the IKEA store in Shanghai.
The Chinese translation of IKEA pronounces "Yijia", which literally means "suits home." IKEA has a 4 prong strategy for China: setting up commercial offices, opening stores, establishing procurement centres and investing in setting up factories. It is reported that IKEA has invested US$60 million to build Asia's biggest furniture market in Shanghai (area 36,000 square meters). The company president is on record as saying the company also plans to set up 2 new stores every year in China. The coastal cities and developed inland cities will be its main focus. Currently the company's commercial office in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province plans to procure furniture valued at 4 million every year.
Cheap hot dogs and ice cream are tempting the customers even in China after a long shopping day.
The Swedish food market cures homesick Swedes. Special Swedish products like herring, salt liquorice, and ginger breads are sold.
The products IKEA are selling are the same worldwide. In China some service adaptions have been done. One difference is that in the Chinese stores you can find a detailed map of the store showing where you are for the moment and the best way to walk around in the store. Another additional service is that you can borrow a bike to transport the products and if you pay extra money you will get help from one IKEA staff member putting the furniture together at your place.
The original brand
An IKEA copy. When IKEA entered the Chinese market they experienced problems with the pricing. The prices were to high and IKEA was in the beginning considered to be an exclusive brand. Some local companies started to produce cheaper copies of the IKEA furniture. The models were copied directly from the IKEA catalog.
An IKEA furnished room, could be in New York, Amsterdam, Tokyo or anywhere in the world, the concept is the same. The Chinese IKEA customers are known for really trying the products. In the Shanghai store you can find people sleeping in the beds and bringing their laptops to work in the prototype office.
IKEA's most famous product worldwide; The bookshelf Billy
Kitchen accessories in a special " Year of the dog collection" (in 2006)
Photos:chinamarket.se
Sources: IKEA.com, www.echeat.com
The Embassy's Sweden in China calender January 2007
BEIJING
18 January
Seminar of Mergers and Acquisitions in China with Christina Wu
Time: 09.00 – 11.00
Venue: Radisson SAS Hotel Beijing, Ballroom 1Information: All members free of charge, non members – 150 RMB /person.
25 January
Breakfast meeting with Mr Long YongtuSecretary-General of Boao Forum for Asia, former Vice Minister of MOFCOM and Chief Negotiator to bring China to WTO.
Swedish Chamber of Commerce
Time: 09.00 – 11. 00
Venue: Radisson SAS Hotel Beijing, Ballroom 1
Information: One member free of charge, member price 150 RMB /person, nonmember 200 RMB /person.
SHANGHAI
Conducting Effective Sales MeetingsSeminar with Per Dahl from Communication Consulting Swedish Chamber of Commerce
Time: 09.00 – 11.00
Venue: Radisson Hotel Shanghai
Information: All members free of charge, non members 150 RMB/person.
25 January
Chamber Light with Ola Wong
Topic – Working as a journalist in ChinaTime: 19.00 –21.00
Venue: To be confirmed
Information: For registration and information please contact Anette Smedberg.
31 January
Fraud and Corruption Seminar with Peter Humphrey from China Why´s Swedish Chamber of Commerce
Time: 09.00 – 11.00Venue: IKEA Shanghai Office, KLIPPAN, 128 Cao Xi Road
Information: All members free of charge, non members 150 RMB/person. Forregistration and information please contact Anette Smedberg.
HONG KONG
Equal Opportunities Seminar in Hong Kong
The Consulate of Sweden will work together with Equal Opportunity Commission of
Hong Kong SAR Government and Chinese University of Hong Kong for the Seminar.Information: Boel Evander.
Source:Embassy of Sweden, Beijing
New railroad between Lhasa and Xigaze planned in Tibet
Photo:www.asiaburning.com
Tibet ended its history without railway in July 2006 with the operation of the 1,956km Qinghai-Tibet Railway. The railway has prompted a huge surge in the number of tourists to Tibet, bringing the region billions of yuan in tourism revenue. In a long term if not being careful the tourism may cause environmental problems and exploitation. The railway has up to now transported 1.18 million passengers and 1.16 million tons of cargo since the opening last year.
A new branch line for the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is planned this year, which will link the region's capital Lhasa with Xigaze, a major Tibetan city 280 kilometers southwest of Lhasa.According to the regional director of development and reform commission the new line will be the first feeder line for the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.
If everything goes well, the authorities hope that the feasibility study could be completed by the end of January 2007, and the preliminary design by the end of May, the actual construction will hopefully be started within the year. If the plan is followed the railway is expected to be ready by 2010.
Sources:www.chinaview.cn
The salaries for workers increased in 2006
Shanghai residents' salaries rose by 7.7% on average in 2006, the salary growth is the best of all Chinese cities. Guangzhou followed with an average salary increase of 7.6%, while Beijing came in third with an average raise of 7.2%.
In Shanghai, auto industry workers' salaries rose by an average of 8.3%, while high-tech industry workers' salaries increased by 7.3%. Across the nation, the highest salary rises were recorded in the petrochemicals and IT industries, where earnings rose by an average of 8.3%.
Sources: Xinhua.com, CRIENGLISH. com
One world one dream 2008: Security, Stabilty, Harmony
Photo:www.bjayab.cn
The Security Command Center for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games officially opened its "International Liaison Department" Monday morning, wrote the Beijing-based Legal Evening Post today.
The website of the organization, the Beijing Olympic Security Web www.bjayab.cn has now been made accessible to the public.
The major tasks of the International Liaison Department include securing the large events against terrorist attacks, and fighting against multinational criminal organizations through international cooperation. The Beijing Olympic Security Web will ensure the timely up-dating of information and effective communication between the organization and other international security organizations. The information and interactive options on the Beijing Olympic Security Web are available in three languages: Chinese, English and French.
Sources: www.bjayab.cn, english.cri.cn
An Aquascutum copy in Shanghai
British Aquascutum with it's nine stores in Shanghai is a wellknown and prestigous brand in the city.
Photos:Aquascutum.co.uk, alexikina.blogspot.com
SAS launches a nonstop route between Stockholm and Beijing
SAS will launch a four-times-weekly nonstop route between Stockholm and Beijing in April with the direct route to China from Stockholm, SAS intends to counter the growing success of Finnair's Helsinki-Far East services as well as secure its position in the Swedish market.
"Sweden accounts for about 60% of the Scandinavian long-haul market," Swedish airports operator LVF Group Director-Aviation Marketing Mats Sigurdson said. "We are eager to be flexible and operate flights on routes demanded by customers," said Lars Lindgren, President of Scandinavian Airlines International.
"Since our direct routes to Shanghai and Beijing from Copenhagen are highly appreciated, we see great potential in the Stockholm-Beijing route. SAS will continue to fly from Copenhagen to Beijing and Shanghai.
Source:SAS.se
Shanghai -The city of contrasts
Photo: chinamarket.se
One step forward, please!
Photo:http://madaboutshanghai.blogs.com
- One step forward, please!
An other interesting sign from China. "Borrowed" this photo from the great blog Mad about Shanghai
Promotion video for the Olympic Games 2008
CLICK HERE TO PLAY
Chinese wisdom on a plasticbag
Photo: chinamarket.se
Sino-Swedish related links at Chinastudies.se
At the ambitious site Chinastudies.se created by a Swede living and working in Shanghai you can find a lot of information about China and also tons of links to sites and blogs written by Swedes in China. Some of the texts are in Swedish.
Warmly recommend everybody interested in China and Swedish speaking to visit the site!
Xiushui Silk Market is considering opening an outlet in Taiwan
Photo:english.people.com.cn
According to Zhang Yongping a few cities outside the Chinese mainland, including Istanbul and some African cities, had already expressed interest in opening a Xiushui Market outlet, but the company was concentrating on Taipei.
Surrounded by foreign embassies and luxury hotels in the Chaoyang District, the Xiushui market is the third best-known tourist destination in the capital after the Palace Museum and the Great Wall.The Xiushui company tore down the old outdoor market in January 2005, moving the stalls indoors in a new multi-story building. Local authorities have vowed to crack down on counterfeit brand goods in the market as done in Shanghai. Taipei's Xiushui Market is planned to mainly sell local products and will be subject to local laws and regulations.
Sources: english.cri.cn, english.people.com.cn, www.xiushui.com.cn
Vasaloppet in China
Photo:www.pwt-travel.com
Vasaloppet China, "one of the most Swedish events that exists" has become Asia's biggest ski event attracting more participants, audience and media than ever before, the competition take place in Jingyuetan Park of Changchun, Northeast China's Jilin Province. Vasaloppet China is a ski event with races and activities for all levels and ages. During the five days of competitions the highlight of the week is the ultimate endurance test, the 50 km race. It’s the Scandinavian sports marketing company Nordic Ways in cooperation with the Chinese Ski Association, Changchun Municipal Government and the International Ski Federation (FIS) organizing Vasaloppet China.
Photo:www.pwt-travel.com
Vasaloppet China is much more than elite skiers battling it out. Ridderrennet China, X-country skiing for disabled people, is an impressive display in how to overcome personal obstacles. "It is a race with long traditions in Norway," said Eivind S Homme, minister chancellor at the Norwegian Embassy. "Ridderrennet China can show disabled people in China that they can triumph over great obstacles, and it is therefore of great importance for all disabled persons in China." Throughout the week, students and children will also test the tracks, many of them on skis for the first time.
Photo:www.pwt-travel.com
The growth of Vasaloppet China has been developing rapidly. The Three international competitions plus Ridderrennet, Stora Enso Children’s Vasa and a series of other races and activities between December 29 2006 and January 4 2007 saw some 7,400 participants from 23 countries aged 5-86 years old on the ski tracks in Changchun and Beijing.
Sources: China Daily, english.cri.cn, www.nordicways.com, http://www.pwt-travel.com/vasaloppet/china2007/
Articles on the partnership between China and Sweden
Take care of the gap
A spelling mistake in the Shanghai metro. "Take care of the poor gaps in the Metro that are jumped over day after day, week after week..."
The Great Firewall of China is breached
Photo:www.rolotec.ch
The blog-population in China is gigantic, 34 million blogs according to the news agency Xinhua. The blogsphere in China has shown a 30-fold increase in four years. But still, Beijing's never-ending crackdown on blogs has led to routine censorship that has drawn wide criticism from human rights organizations.
Computer experts from the University of Cambridge claim they not only to have breached the Great Firewall of China, but have found a way to use the firewall to launch denial-of-service attacks against specific Internet Protocol addresses in the country. The firewall works in part by inspecting Web traffic for certain keywords that the Chinese government wishes to censor, including political ideologies and groups it finds unacceptable.
The Cambridge research group tested the firewall by firing data packets containing the word "Falun" at it, a reference to the Falun Gong The researchers found that it was possible to circumvent the Chinese intrusion detection systems . "The machines in China allow data packets in and out, but send a burst of resets to shut connections if they spot particular keywords," explained Richard Clayton of the University of Cambridge computer laboratory. "If you drop all the reset packets at both ends of the connection, which is relatively trivial to do, the Web page is transferred just fine."
Clayton added that this means the Chinese firewall can be used to launch denial-of-service attacks against specific IP addresses within China, including those of the Chinese government itself. By forging the source address of a packet containing a "sensitive" keyword, people could trigger the firewall to block access between source and destination addresses for up to an hour at a time. -So is the Great Firewall problem solved? It may be if you are a hacker!
I think it's insane that China, the "Middle Kingdom" and centre for International trade doesn't allow their citizens to find the information they like on the Internet. I really hope that the media situation will improve in pace with the modernization and International influence on China.In May I had the opportunity to meet one of the leaders of the communist party in Nanjing and asked him about the media situation in China. What happened? The interpreter refused to translate my question into Chinese and the Communist leader started to tell my about all the preparations for the Olympic Games 2008 instead. The Great Fire of China also exists in oral communication!
If you want to learn more about the media situation in China have a look at the report from the Swedish Embassy in Beijing
Source:http://news.com.com
McDonald's Viking ad in China: Eat beef become a viking
Photo:http://blogs.msdn.com
The reputation of the tough Nordic vikings is known in China. In the Chinese ad from McDonald's that says "Beef makes you strong" the famous basketball player Yao Ming eats hamburger and turns into a Viking...or is it a devil?
575 days left to create one world and one dream
575 days left to the Olympic games 2008. The Olympic Games in Beijing is expected to be the greatest event ever. The host country is eager to show the world the “new modern China”. One world one Dream is the slogan for the Olympic games 2008. In Chinese, the word "tongyi", which means "the same", is used for the English word "One". The slogan is supposed to highlight the theme of "the whole Mankind lives in the same world and seeks for the same dream and ideal".The official interpretation of the slogan is:
“One World One Dream reflects the essence and the universal values of the Olympic spirit -Unity, Friendship, Progress, Harmony, Participation and Dream. It expresses the common wishes of people all over the world, inspired by the Olympic ideals, to strive for a bright future of Mankind. In spite of the differences in colours, languages and races, we share the charm and joy of the Olympic Games, and together we seek for the ideal of Mankind for peace. We belong to the same world and we share the same aspirations and dreams…
One World, One Dream" is simple in expressions, but profound in meaning. It is of China, and also of the world. It conveys the lofty ideal of the people in Beijing as well as in China to share the global community and civilization and to create a bright future hand in hand with the people from the rest of the world. It expresses the firm belief of a great nation, with a long history of 5,000 years and on its way towards modernization, that is committed to peaceful development, harmonious society and people's happiness.It voices the aspirations of 1.3 billion Chinese people to contribute to the establishment of a peaceful and bright world.”
In my opinion some questions have to be raised talking about the Olympic Games in China , Is the Olympic dream for everybody, even for the poor in China? How will China’s control of domestic and international media and the Internet play out when thousands of international journalists descend on Beijing? And as international businesses reach out to the world’s largest consumer market, how do China’s restrictions on labor rights affect workers on the ground?
Source: en.beijing2008.cn
China technology imports break records in 2006
Source: www.newsgd.com/business
Chinese coffee firm sued for copying Starbucks' trademark
Photo:Starbucks.com
The Shanghai coffee company Shanghai Xingbake Cafe has been fined 500,000 yuan for infringing the trademark of Starbucks.The Shanghai Higher People's Court also ordered Shanghai Xingbake Cafe to change its name and make a public apology to Starbucks in the local newspaper Xinmin Evening News. In 2003, the Starbucks Corporation and President Starbucks Coffee Company, a franchised Starbucks operator in Shanghai, filed a lawsuit against Shanghai Xingbake Cafe and its subsidiary on the Nanjing Road.
The plaintiff claimed Shanghai Xingbake had violated the rule of fair competition and infringed upon the trademark of U.S. Starbucks by using Xingbake and "starbuck" in its company name and business activities. Shanghai Xingbake, established in 2000, and its Nanjing Road branch also used a green logo similar to that of Starbucks on its menus, cafe windows, receipts and business cards. However it has a picture of coffee cup in the circle, instead of a mermaid.
The Chinese character "Xing" means "star," and the characters "ba" and "ke" together sound like "bucks." The court ruled that Shanghai Xingbake had intentionally used Xingbake in its name and thus infringed the trademark of Starbucks.Starbucks registered its trademark, Xingbake, the Chinese translation for Starbucks, and its logo, a green mermaid in a circle, in 1996 and 1999. Starbucks had more than 200 outlets in 21 cities in China.
Source : www.starbucks.com , www.newsgd.com
Upcoming business fairs in China 10th March - 21st March 2007
Guangzhou International Brand Forklift & Accessories Exhibition (Forklift Expo 2006)
Date: 13-MAR-07 to 15-MAR-07
Guangzhou International Brand Forklift & Accessories Exhibition (Forklift Expo 2006) will continue to be the most important platform for forklift enterprises to build brands, communication and explore international markets.
Venue: China Export Commodities Fairground, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
Date: 13-MAR-07 to 14-MAR-07
CIEET Nanjing has been designed to connect proactive domestic, regional and international educational institutions and training and awarding bodies with undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Venue: Nanjing Exhibition Centre, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Date: 13-MAR-07 to 15-MAR-07
FPD China is the most powerful international exhibition featuring all kinds of Flat Panel Displays including LCD, PDP, Organic EL, SED, FED and Electronic Papers.
Venue: Shanghai International Exhibition Centre, Shanghai, China.
Date: 13-MAR-07 to 14-MAR-07
IC China is a must-attend event for design engineers, technical managers and purchasing executives in China. It is the Mainland's largest showcase of IC application technologies and high-end components.
Venue: Shanghai Mart, Shanghai, China.
Date: 13-MAR-07 to 14-MAR-07
Embedded Systems-Shanghai is a must-attend event for design engineers, technical managers and purchasing executives in China. It is the Mainland's largest showcase of IC application technologies, embedded solutions and high-end components.
Venue: Shanghai Mart, Shanghai, China.
International IC China Conference & Exhibition-Shanghai
Date: 13-MAR-07 to 14-MAR-07
International IC China Conference & Exhibition is a must-attend event for design engineers, technical managers and purchasing executives in China. It is the Mainland's largest showcase of IC application technologies & high-end components.
Venue: Shanghai Mart, Shanghai, China.
Personal Care Ingredients Asia (PCIA 2007)
Date: 13-MAR-07 to 15-MAR-07
Personal Care Ingredients Asia (PCIA 2007) has become the biggest ever gathering in the Asia Pacific Region of formulators, manufacturers of personal care products and suppliers of raw materials and ingredients.
Venue: Jinhan Exhibition Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Date: 13-MAR-07 to 15-MAR-07
Bus World Asia is slowly but inevitably becoming the leading exhibition for and by professionals covering China and all of Eastern Asia! The Shanghai Busworld will have grown bigger that the Kortrijk one ever was!
Venue: Shanghai New International Expo Centre, Shanghai, China.
China Foundry Industry Exhibition
Date: 14-MAR-07 to 16-MAR-07
China Foundry Industry Exhibition is an unprecedented opportunity for international castings professionals to meet and discuss business and the latest happenings in the marketplace.
Venue: Qingdao International Exhibition Center, Qingdao, Shandong, China.
Date: 14-MAR-07 to 17-MAR-07
ISPO China, International Trade Show for Brands in Sports, Fashion and Lifestyle in Asia is the leading sporting goods event of its kind in China where leading brands from all over the world presents their products and innovations.The selective nature and the 100% emphasis on quality sports and fashion brands underlines the focus on the quality.
Venue: National Agricultural Exhibition Center, Beijing, China.
Qingdao Metalworking Industry Exhibition
Date: 14-MAR-07 to 16-MAR-07
Qingdao Metalworking Industry Exhibition is the only quality exhibition that is tailored specifically to meet the needs of manufacturers of various Precision Engineering and supporting industries.
Venue: Qingdao International Exhibition Center, Qingdao, Shandong, China.
Date: 15-MAR-07 to 17-MAR-07
Shanghai Fashion Week aims at realizing the international cooperation and interaction in fashion classics, design ideology and brand culture through information release, exhibition, exchange, and service, thus enabling Shanghai to become one of the international fashion centers soon.
Venue: Shanghai International Exhibition Centre, Shanghai, China.
Shanghai Clothing & Textile Expo
Date: 15-MAR-07 to 17-MAR-07
Shanghai Clothing & Textile Expo is a professional Chinese textiles and clothing exposition with the largest scale and the highest standard. It composes trade expo, forum ,trend gallery and other professional activities as one fantastic trade platform.
Venue: Shanghai New International Expo Centre, Shanghai, China.
Date: 15-MAR-07 to 17-MAR-07
Food Ingredients China is a highly prestigious & respected event - gaining its reputation for delivering a quality audience of high profile food ingredient professionals from all over the world in this dynamic region. Ingredient manufacturers and food producers alike are finding China a profitable operational base.
Venue: Shanghai New International Expo Centre, Shanghai, China.
Date: 15-MAR-07 to 17-MAR-07
Intertraffic China is the international trade fair for infrastructure, traffic management, safety and parking, is the global leader in bringing together supply and demand in your industry.
Venue: China International Exhibition Centre, Beijing, China.
Date: 15-MAR-07 to 17-MAR-07
Fashion Shanghai brings quality and variety to the runway. It's one big affair where business does mix with pleasure and diversity with refinement.
Venue: Shanghai New International Expo Centre, Shanghai, China.
Date: 17-MAR-07 to 18-MAR-07
CIEET Guangzhou has been designed to connect proactive domestic, regional and international educational institutions and training and awarding bodies with undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Venue: Guangzhou International Convention & Exhibition Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Date: 19-MAR-07 to 21-MAR-07
Sign China is an event for buyers involved in signs, banners and industrial fabrics, digital printing and wide-format graphics, exhibit, display and P.O.P. graphics and fabrication, dimensional signmaking, and vehicle and marine graphics.
Venue: Chinese Export Commodities Fair & Guangzhou Jinhan Exhibition Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Date: 19-MAR-07 to 21-MAR-07
China's LED industry is highly developing and increases at a 30% rate every year, among which the development rate of Ultra High Luminance LED is over 50%. It is expected that LED, the fourth lighting source, will replace general illumination in the future.
Venue: Chinese Export Commodities Fair, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Source:http://www.biztradeshows.com/china/
Photo: http://www.ucc.ie
Upcoming business fairs in China January - 10th March 2007
Business Fairs China January-10th March 2007
Date: 15-JAN-07 to 18-JAN-07
SSCs provide your organizations cost-reduction opportunities through centralization. They raise your productivity through the elimination of duplicated tasks and processes.
Venue: Renaissance Shanghai Pudong Hotel, Shanghai, China.
China International Transportation Interiors Exhibition(CITIE)
Date: 25-JAN-07 to 27-JAN-07
Asia's only one interiors exhibiton covering air, land and sea. This event not only provides a effective trade platform for relative domestic and international business, and also suggest a access for overseas corporation who wish to enter the potential China market.
Venue: Beijing International Convention Center, Beijing, China.
China International Transportation Interiors Exhibition
Date: 25-JAN-07 to 27-JAN-07
Transportation Interiors China Expo will focus on the commercial application of aviation electronics and testing technologies sources available today and will strive to provide an interactive platform for the manufacturers, suppliers and service providers from the world over to showcase their products and to exchange business, scientific and technical information within the products used in interior transport.
Venue: China International Exhibition Centre, Beijing, China.
Date: 31-JAN-07 to 03-FEB-07
Cosmoprof Shanghai s a regional extension of the successful COSMOPROF ASIA concept. Its intention is to offer exhibitors and visitors an all-China event for selected manufacturers and buyers who are looking at developing a quality distribution system, and also foreign investors who are China product oriented.
Venue: Shanghai New International Expo Centre, Shanghai, China.
Date: 03-MAR-07 to 04-MAR-07
CIEET Beijing has been designed to connect proactive domestic, regional and international educational institutions and training and awarding bodies with undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Venue: Beijing Exhibition Centre, Beijing, China.
Date: 04-MAR-07 to 07-MAR-07
Stonetech Shanghai is the leading fair of stone China. It is dedicated to bringing together everyone involved in the production, design, specification and purchasing chain. It ensures that every exhibitors here will meet the best cooperators and capture more business opportunities, the buyers here can meet almost famous stone enterprises in China and have the high quality products at the right price and quality in a short period of time.
Venue: Shanghai New International Expo Centre, Shanghai, China.
Date: 04-MAR-07 to 07-MAR-07
Stonetech is the leading fair of stone China. It is dedicated to bringing together everyone involved in the production, design, specification and purchasing chain. It ensures that every exhibitors here will meet the best cooperators and capture more business opportunities, the buyers here can meet almost famous stone enterprises in China and have the high quality products at the right price and quality in a short period of time.
Venue: China International Exhibition Centre, Beijing, China.
International IC China Conference & Exhibition-Shenzhen
Date: 05-MAR-07 to 06-MAR-07
International IC China Conference & Exhibition is a must-attend event for design engineers, technical managers and purchasing executives in China. It is the Mainland's largest showcase of IC application technologies & high-end components.
Venue: Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
Date: 05-MAR-07 to 06-MAR-07
IC China is a must-attend event for design engineers, technical managers and purchasing executives in China. It is the Mainland's largest showcase of IC application technologies and high-end components.
Venue: Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
Date: 05-MAR-07 to 06-MAR-07
Embedded Systems-Shenzhen is a must-attend event for design engineers, technical managers and purchasing executives in China. It is the Mainland's largest showcase of IC application technologies, embedded solutions and high-end components.
Venue: Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
International Medical Equipment & Technology Exhibition
Date: 06-MAR-07 to 08-MAR-07
International Medical Equipment & Technology Exhibition showcases the rapidly progressing scenario of the pharmaceutical industry of China. Alongside Chinese companies a large number of International companies will provide the global overview of this sector with new innovations and research techniques that are already on or in the anvil.
Venue: Shanghai Exhibition Center, Shanghai, China.
Date: 06-MAR-07 to 07-MAR-07
CIEET Chongqing has been designed to connect proactive domestic, regional and international educational institutions and training and awarding bodies with undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Venue: Chongqing Exhibition Centre, Chongqing, China.
Date: 07-MAR-07 to 10-MAR-07
Sino Print is an International Exhibition and Symposium on Pre-press and Printing Industries.
Venue: China Export Commodities Fairground, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Date: 07-MAR-07 to 10-MAR-07
Printing South China, South China International Industry and Symposium on Pre-Press and Printing Industries.
Venue: Guangzhou International Convention & Exhibition Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Date: 07-MAR-07 to 10-MAR-07
China International Exhibition on Beverage, Brewery and Wine Technology.
Venue: Guangzhou International Convention & Exhibition Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Date: 07-MAR-07 to 10-MAR-07
Sino Label is an International exhibition and conference for the labeling & converting industry.
Venue: China Export Commodities Fairground, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Date: 07-MAR-07 to 10-MAR-07
International Water, Wastewater & Water Treatment Trade Show, an exhibition on water industry, waste water management, drinking water and conservation of water. Its all about showcasing technologies, identifying initiatives, forging future collaborations, building partnerships and making business happen in the water sector.
Venue: Guangzhou International Convention & Exhibition Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
International Maritime Expo-China
Date: 07-MAR-07 to 09-MAR-07
International Maritime Expo-China is organized with the objective of providing a common platform for the marine industry to interact with significant customers & key decision makers. Exhibitors, potential buyers and clients from the Indian sub-continent, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the European countries will participate at the event.
Venue: Guangzhou Jinhan Exhibition Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
International Power Transmission & Control Exhibition
Date: 07-MAR-07 to 10-MAR-07
International Power Transmission & Control Exhibition brings together the renewable energy, renewable fuels and emerging energy technology sectors of the energy industry to discuss the key technical, regulatory, structural, economic and market issues impacting their commercial future.
Venue: Guangzhou International Convention & Exhibition Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
China International Measurement & Testing Exhibition
Date: 07-MAR-07 to 10-MAR-07
China International Measurement & Testing Exhibition, International exhibition on Instrumentation & Controls, Information Technology & Software Solutions, Building Automation, Safety & Environment, Electricals & Energy Conservation, Security Electronics, Telecommunications.
Venue: Guangzhou International Convention & Exhibition Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
China International Factory Automation & Instrument Exhibition
Date: 07-MAR-07 to 10-MAR-07
China International Factory Automation & Instrument Exhibition, International exhibition on Factory Automation, Instrumentation & Controls, Information Technology & Software Solutions, Building Automation, Safety & Environment, Electricals & Energy Conservation, Security Electronics, Telecommunications.
Venue: Guangzhou International Convention & Exhibition Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
International Pump, Valve & Pipe Trade Show
Date: 07-MAR-07 to 10-MAR-07
International Pump, Valve & Pipe Trade Show will provide you with good favor in exploiting market and seeking commerce opportunity.
Venue: Guangzhou International Convention & Exhibition Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
International Air & Waste Treatment Trade Show
Date: 07-MAR-07 to 10-MAR-07
Air & Waste Management China, is the China's most comprehensive fair for practical solutions to problems in all fields of waste disposal and environment technology. The main emphasis lies in the disposal and recycling of solid refuse and in the treatment of waste water and sewage sludge.
Venue: Guangzhou International Convention & Exhibition Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Date: 07-MAR-07 to 10-MAR-07
Sino Pack is the premier exhibition of packaging and processing machinery, materials and associated technology in China. Sino Pack is your opportunity to present your products and solutions live and in person to a dedicated buying audience.
Venue: Guangzhou International Convention & Exhibition Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
China Xiamen International Stone Fair (CXISF 2007)
Date: 08-MAR-07 to 11-MAR-07
China Xiamen International Stone Fair (CXISF 2007) ensures that the exhibitors here will meet the best cooperators and capture more business opportunities; the buyers here can find various products at the right price and quality in a short period of time. It will make your purchasing trip more effective and convenient.
Venue: Xiamen International Conference & Exhibition Centre, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
Date: 08-MAR-07 to 09-MAR-07
IC China is a must-attend event for design engineers, technical managers and purchasing executives in China. It is the Mainland's largest showcase of IC application technologies and high-end components.
Venue: China World Trade Center, Beijing, China.
Date: 08-MAR-07 to 09-MAR-07
Embedded Systems-Beijing is a must-attend event for design engineers, technical managers and purchasing executives in China. It is the Mainland's largest showcase of IC application technologies, embedded solutions and high-end components.
Venue: China World Trade Center, Beijing, China.
International IC China Conference & Exhibition-Beijing
Date: 08-MAR-07 to 09-MAR-07
International IC China Conference & Exhibition is a must-attend event for design engineers, technical managers and purchasing executives in China. It is the Mainland's largest showcase of IC application technologies & high-end components.
Venue: China World Trade Center, Beijing, China.
Date: 10-MAR-07 to 13-MAR-07
Build+Decor, a platform of several successful combined building exhibitions, is set to be the leading international trade event for Asian building industry , providing unprecedented numbers of visitors and unmatchable impact both in at buyer-suppliers end, with a world of excellent business opportunities in the Asian markets.
Venue: China International Exhibition Centre, Beijing, China.
Date: 10-MAR-07 to 13-MAR-07
HAVC China presents an ideal marketing medium to provide infrastructure and building services industry a platform of opportunities to launch new products, contact ready and potential buyers, take on agents and distributors, garner brand awareness, as well as educate the market and launch business networks. Venue: China International Exhibition Centre, Beijing, China.
Date: 10-MAR-07 to 11-MAR-07
CIEET Shanghai has been designed to connect proactive domestic, regional and international educational institutions and training and awarding bodies with undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Venue: Shanghai New International Expo Centre, Shanghai, China.
Source:http://www.biztradeshows.com/china/
Photo:http://www.lib.umd.edu
Cigarettes for the unprivileged children in China
Photo:www.wikipedia.com
The Beijing Cigarette company Zhongnanhai Lights has invented a new marketing strategy for cigarettes in the campaign "smoke for the poor people". “For every pack of Zhongnanhai cigarettes you consume, you are making a contribution to Project Hope.” Project Hope is a national philanthropic organization dedicated to providing education to underprivileged children.
The question is if the people behind Zhongnanhai brand cigarettes, will donate a portion of the profits to the foundation or if they just will hand out a few free cartons to the poor kids. Zhongnanhai is a brand of cigarettes in China; it is considered highly popular and holds a large market share. The name Zhongnanhai is also that of a central government complex in Beijing.
Source: www.shanghaiist.com, www.wikipedia.com
GM and Chery will jointly develop a new car brand
Photo:shanghaiist.com
After General Motors Daewoo sued Chery for imitation of the Spark minicar in its design of the QQ, Chrysler has announced it will jointly develop a new joint venture brand with Chery, one of China's top ten automakers. Interestingly, a report by the world's favourite news agency describes Chery as "one of the few Chinese companies that successfully produce their own models instead of manufacturing foreign brands under a licence".
Source:shanghaiist.com
The "Marketing to Women fair in China 2007"
A summary of the Götheborg project and the ship's journey
Photo:www.soic.se
History and facts
The 2 of October 2005 Götheborg, one of Sweden's biggest marketing project departed from Göteborg harbour for its two year long journey to China. The East Indiaman Götheborg is a large wooden sailship, a replica of the vessel with the same name. The original sank off Gothenburg on the 12 September 1745 while approaching its home harbour after returning from her third voyage to Asia. All sailors survived, but the ship was lost.
The start of the Götheborg project
When the wreckage of the vessel Götheborg was found in 1985 the idea emerged of making a replica of the vessel. The vessel was built using traditional means and is as close to the original as possible. The vessel was launched 6 June 2003. Ten tons of ropes were to be used in rigging the vessel, together with some 1,000 blocks and 1,800 m² sail, all produced as in the "old days". The first trial under sail was 18 April 2005. The project has so far cost some 250 million SEK.
The journey to China
The voyage is expected to take about two years, with the vessel returning to Sweden in September 2007. Among the harbours to be visited are Cadiz, Recife, Cape Town, Singapore and Shanghai. The total list of legs with cities and distances are listed below.
Photo:www.soic.se
- Leg 1 - Gothenburg to Cadiz - 2,400 nautical miles
- Leg 2 - Cadiz to Recife - 3,100 nm
- Leg 3 - Recife to Cape Town - 4,200 nm
- Leg 4 - Cape Town to Fremantle - 4,900 nm
- Leg 5 - Fremantle to Jakarta - 1,800 nm
- Leg 6 - Jakarta to Guangdong - 2,000 nm and Shanghai - 900 nm
- Leg 7 - Shanghai to Hong Kong - 800 nm and Singapore - 1,800 nm
- Leg 8 - Singapore to Mauritius - 2,900 nm
- Leg 9 - Mauritius to Port Elizabeth and Cape Town - 2,400 nm
- Leg 10 - Cape Town to Ascension Island - 2,500 nm
- Leg 11 - Ascension to Azores - 4,700 nm
- Leg 12 - Azores to London and Gothenburg - 2,600 nm
The ship's present position
You can follow Götheborgs journey and see the ships position at www.soic.se , The captain's (Peter Kaaling) weekly report is also available
Photo:www.soic.se
Sources:http://www.gotheborg.com/project/index.shtml, www.wikipedia.com, www.soic.se
China -Sweden's most important trading partner
In 2005 imports from China to Sweden reached SEK 29,7 billion. Light machinery and consumer goods, such as textiles, clothes, shoes and sporting equipment, dominate imports (2005).
Most large Swedish companies have established themselves in China, but also smaller companies are finding their way here. In total approx. 220 companies have manufacturing facilities or offices on the ground, primarily in or around Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing.
Chinese companies are also finding their way to Sweden. To strengthen the economic relations between Sweden and China is an important issue for the Swedish government.
Source: www.swedenabroad.com
More Chinese investments in Kalmar
The center, which will be Fanerdun’s European headquarters, will lead to the creation of an estimated 800 new jobs in Kalmar and included in the complex will be a hotel, restaurant and a spa offering Chinese medicine.
Explaining the choice of Kalmar, Jin Xing Luo, Fanerdun Group owner, said: “The conditions in Kalmar are excellent, especially on the investment side.” Companies exhibiting at the center will range from textile manufacturers to technology suppliers, Fanerdun said. Johan Persson, chairman of the Kalmar municipal board, called the investment gigantic and said the center, expected to be complete in one year’s time, would attract one million visitors a year. He said: “This venture will create a great many jobs and put a much stronger focus on Kalmar. If all goes as planned we will substantially expand air travel capacity in the city.”
Fanderum Group’s large investments in Kalmar is now being followed up by an additional investment. WestBaltic, a holding company, is being established in Kalmar County for industrial investment in the entire Baltic region and China.The holding company, which will be called WestBaltic will have its head office in Västervik.The company will invest in industrial companies in the Baltic region and China. WestBaltic is owned by Fanerdum Int´l Holding Group Investment.
The ambition is to create a group of industrial companies with a turnover of SEK 2 billion within a 5-year period. Acquisition objects will be sought within companies that are faced with a generation shift, are in need of owner capital for growth as well as other companies with synergies directed towards the Chinese market.
Kalmar County’s collaboration with the Yangtze Delta River region goes back just over three
years when contact was initiated for Chinese investment in Sweden. This led to several visits
between the two regions, as well as Chinese investment in Semax, a forklift company in
Silverdalen, Hultsfred. Changxing opened an office last spring at the Regional Council of Kalmar County for investments in both Sweden and China.
There is collaboration between Kalmar County and China in several different areas in the
county. The University of Kalmar is collaborating with China for in-company training for
Chinese civil servants and businessmen within the areas of management, the environment and
business culture. Through a collaboration agreement, Kalmar Science Park will gain increased
knowledge of how high-tech Chinese companies are built up. The Swedish Inventor’s
Association is collaborating with the government of Changxing’s research and technology
authority. The objective is for Chinese investors to invest in Swedish inventions
Source:www.cbbf.se, www.isa.se, www.kalmar.se
Mao covergirl on "Commupolitan" -Is it OK today to make a joke of Mao and communist China?
Year 4705, the year of the pig
People born in the Year of the Pig are chivalrous and gallant. Whatever they do, they do with all their strength. They have tremendous fortitude and great honesty. They don’t make many friends but they make them for life....Chinese New Year is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar. The Chinese year 4705 (= 2007) begins on Feb. 18, 2007. The New Year festivities traditionally start on the first day of the month and continue until the fifteenth, when the moon is brightest. In China, people may take weeks of holiday from work to prepare for and celebrate the New Year.
According to the legend Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Twelve came, and Buddha named a year after each one. Some famous people born in the year of the pig are: Humphrey Bogart, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ernest Hemingway, Alfred Hitchcock, Mahalia Jackson, David Letterman, and Arnold Schwarzenegger .
Sources: www.c-c-c.org, wikipedia.com, infoplease.com, www.chizod.com