Archives: March 2008

Don't Mess With Japan

Posted by: Kenji Hall on March 25

Carry your own chopsticks. Carry your groceries in cotton eco-bags. Use public transportation. Ride a bicycle. Recycle. They can't be crammed into a catchy slogan, like the one Texas had...

Hiking Indian bureaucrats' salaries: smart or silly?

Posted by: Manjeet Krpalani on March 25

Yesterday, a report released by New Delhi's quaintly-named Sixth Pay Commission, recommended upping the salaries of federal government employees by a whopping 30% to 50%. That's $7.5 billion added to...

Big Loser in Taiwan's Election - Cathay?

Posted by: Bruce Einhorn on March 24

The KMT is back in charge in Taiwan, after the election went off without any last-minute surprises. This being Taiwan, lots of people were on the alert for some 11th-hour...

Tiananmen Square Media Blackout for Olympics

Posted by: Frederik Balfour on March 24

In the latest example of ham fisted public relations management by Beijing, the government reportedly plans to ban live film coverage from Tiananmen Square during the Olympics, leaving international broadcast...

As the yen surges, is Toyota right to play down expectations?

Posted by: Ian Rowley on March 21

Toyota didn't get where it is today by over-promising and under-delivering. Yet according to Toyota executive vice president Tokuichi Uranishi yesterday, the automaker may struggle to reach its annual sales...

Huawei Bid for 3Com Finally Dead?

Posted by: Bruce Einhorn on March 21

A few weeks ago I wrote here about the end of the proposed takeover of 3Com by Bain Capital and its Chinese partner Huawei Technologies. At the time, 3Com's director...

Korea’s Emphasis on Growth Drives Currency Lower

Posted by: Ihlwan Moon on March 21

Recent movements in South Korea’s foreign exchange market underline how government policymakers could influence the extent of a currency’s fluctuation. As Finance Minister Kang Man Soo and other top economic...

U.S. Carrier Near Taiwan as Election Nears

Posted by: Bruce Einhorn on March 20

For a ship that's about to get mothballed, the USS Kitty Hawk sure has a way of getting attention. Recall back in November, the Chinese government suddenly refused permission...

What Should India Do About Tibet?

Posted by: Bruce Einhorn on March 19

The other day I wrote about the impact the Tibetan crackdown might have on politics in Taiwan. It will be interesting to see if there's fallout in India, too. India's...

Will Tibet Swing Taiwan's Election?

Posted by: Bruce Einhorn on March 17

The death toll in Tibet is rising and unrest is spreading to neighboring provinces. Tibet’s Buddhists aren't the only ones angry at being part of China. Farther north, in Xinjiang,...

Ethnic Unrest Flares

Posted by: Dexter Roberts on March 14

Despite Beijing’s efforts to tighten control over dissent in the run-up to the 2008 Olympics, ethnic tensions involving independence-minded Tibetans and also Muslim Uighurs are flaring up dramatically. Over the...

India's slowdown

Posted by: Manjeet Krpalani on March 13

As the US economy brakes, it is causing the meaningful economies of the world to stall with it. India and China, which are both supposed to balance the agony of...

Hong Kong Ain't No World Class City

Posted by: Frederik Balfour on March 13

It’s a rare day indeed when a diplomat will be truly frank when dealing with reporters. It’s even rarer still when one makes his or her comments on the record,...

Flu Deja Vu in Hong Kong

Posted by: Bruce Einhorn on March 12

Five years after the SARS outbreak shut down Hong Kong, there's a new flu scare in the city. Over the past fews weeks, four young children have died after coming...

Hollywood Might Like a Crackdown on China's YouTube Imitators

Posted by: Bruce Einhorn on March 11

All sorts of speculation in the blogosphere about what's happening to Tudou, probably the top Chinese video-sharing site. Rebecca MacKinnon, the former CNN reporter who now teaches at the University...

Sovereign Wealth Funds: Taiwan's Turn?

Posted by: Bruce Einhorn on March 07

Singapore, the Saudis and other Gulf states have gotten lots of attention lately for their sovereign wealth funds, vehicles that invest billions of the countries’forex reserves. The Chinese last year...

Chinese shoe maker sponsors US Ping Pong Team

Posted by: Frederik Balfour on March 06

Talk about putting a new twist on ping-pong diplomacy. Chinese sports apparel and shoemaker Li-Ning has agreed to sponsor the US National Table Tennis Team for the next five years....

Could Toyota Shine in Land of Hyundai?

Posted by: Ihlwan Moon on March 06

South Korea has long been one of the world’s least hospitable markets for imported cars where it’s hard to spot a Toyota. Until 2001, more than 99% of cars sold...

Lesson in Korea from Research Fakes

Posted by: Ihlwan Moon on March 05

A probe into another research faking scandal holds a lesson for South Korea: Pressuring to produce quick results is no longer a recipe to make Korea a truly advanced nation....

Pioneer Gets Smart About Surviving TV Battle

Posted by: Kenji Hall on March 04

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Pioneer is considering outsourcing the panels that it uses to make flat-screen plasma TVs. Making flat TVs from scratch requires heavy-duty investments in plants and...

Virgin's big India move

Posted by: Manjeet Krpalani on March 02

On Sunday, May 2, after gratifying everyone with one of his usual gimmicks - he climbed up the face of the Hilton Towers in Bombay - Richard Branson climbed down...