CHINA ECONOMIC REVIEW recently conducted a reader survey to investigate opinions of Shanghai as a business and financial center. While the pool of respondents was limited, the survey results are useful as a general indicator of the business mood.
The vast majority – nearly 74% – of respondents said their company’s head office or principal regional office is located in Shanghai, and almost 34% said the city is their primary market. More than 88% of respondents rated Shanghai’s location as a strong or fairly strong advantage for the city. The infrastructure was also rated highly by 71%.
Shanghai’s disadvantages were also clear. Questions aimed at determining the greatest challenges to business in Shanghai were rated from one to five, with one representing "little challenge" and five representing "great challenge." More than half of respondents gave Shanghai’s talent pool a four or a five. The regulatory environment was also given a four or five by about half of respondents.
Still, the survey revealed a sense of optimism. While opinions were mixed about the Expo’s impact, over 42% said the infrastructural improvements would strongly benefit the city. Overall, more than three-quarters said Shanghai had changed for the better since their arrival.
For a more detailed explanation of the survey, see this story on http://www.chinaeconomicreview.com.
