China Encounters a Brave New World3 Feb 2012

David Pilling writes in his column in the Financial Times about the confusion China’s policy of “non-interference” in the affairs of nations – including its own – is beginning to create both at home and abroad. It’s wo...

In HK, Expectant Mainland Mothers Keen to Get to the Emergency Room on Time1 Feb 2012

The recent squabbles between Hong Kong citizens and mainland political and media commentators reminds me of a story a Hong Kong lady told me about what angers HK people so much about their over-bearing cousin. The Wall Street Journal has written seve...

The Dark Side of Solar Power Manufacturing16 Jan 2012

It was September, and an angry mob of 500 villagers were breaking through the chain-link fence of a solar cell factory belonging to Jinko Solar Holding Company, intent on ransacking the premises. A torrential rainfall had flooded the compan...

Shards of Jade: Piecing Together Expat Lives in China24 Nov 2011

I recently had a conversation with a young(er) American expat who has been living in China nearly ten years. I had told him about the talk – The Warlord and the Engineer – the Royal Asiatic Society (Suzhou branch) had hosted a few ...

China’s Property Development Sector: What’s the Hurry?22 Nov 2011

The past month here on the ground in the Yangtze River Delta has seen activity that runs counter to macroeconomic measures in the property development sector. By all accounts, construction sites are supposed to be grinding to a halt and new pr...

Corporate America and Its Leaders: They Had Help - Forbes24 Jan 2012

Corporate America and Its Leaders: They Had HelpForbesYet the debt he was recounting wasn't owed to parents, spouses or mentors but rather to the US government, which has been the business community's helpmate over the last century in growing the US economy, corporate profits and individual incomes.