Category: Economics & Trade

Karen Hu of the first foreign insurance company to gain a licence in China, American International Group (AIG), assesses the changes that China’s insurance market is currently undergoing and offers advice for the insurance purchaser on the mainland.

China is becoming increasingly important to Dragonair, the Hong Kong-based airline, and now represents more than eighty per cent of its business. We talked to Simon Heale, the airline’s chief operating officer.

China has opened up the opportunities in its power sector to foreign investors at a pace that has astounded observers. With 100 per cent foreign ownership of power stations permitted, and with 32 Chinese counties still without electricity, the prospects for foreign companies are enormous. Frank Gray assesses the bold steps China is taking to reverse the current situation of its energy supply lagging hopelessly behind demand.

Though China is one of the last places on earth still building locomotives, plans are afoot to introduce the bullet train on a new line being built in Fujian. We look at China’s ambitious efforts to upgrade its inadequate rail infrastructure and assess the impact the changes will make.

Xiamen (formerly Amoy) in Fujian province is traditionally known for its fishing industry and busy port. Now, as one of China’s Special Economic Zones, its industrial output is dominated by its light industries, and it is the recipient of a large amount of Taiwanese investment. We take a closer look at this coastal town.