Notable China-related quotes from the last week:
A Chinese citizen commenting on an internet forum about how corruption in the country’s funeral industry drives up funeral costs:
“When one is alive he can’t afford to buy a house to live in and when he is dead he can’t afford a tiny box to rest in.”
Joerg Wuttke, president of the European Chamber of Commerce on China, on how Beijing is using its stimulus package to build up domestic companies in industries that are off-limits to foreigners:
“It’s a reflection that business groups are getting the upper hand and coaching the government. These companies want to create monopolies or oligopolies and have less competition.”
Robert Ubell, head of a New York University program in China that trains Chinese employees of foreign companies, on why university grads have such a hard time getting jobs:
“There is a misalignment between the university system and the needs of the economy. Chinese graduates often have few practical skills.”
Dwyfor Evans, a strategist at State Street Global Markets in Hong Kong, on why Chinese exporters may be past the worst of the global downturn:
“Inventories have been drawn down to such an extent that companies are going to have to start rebuilding. [From the second quarter] we’re going to see far more robust numbers in terms of production and GDP.”
