Full Contents - December 2003

Media - the final frontier
The government stranglehold is loosening and increasing amounts of private cash are flowing into the sector.

Airport ownership transfer
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) announced that the management rights of 93 airports, involving RMB 40 billion in assets and 50,000 employees, would be transferred to provincial governments before the end of this year.
Tax rebate repercussions
The reduction in the tax rebate for exporters will affect some industries more than others.
Silk Road Revival
As China and the US navigate through turbulent trade waters the EU and China are calmly expanding their relationship.

5,000 Years vs 50 Years
Private entrepreneurs are making progress after a temporary suspension of service.
Adam
One of the China trade's bestknown players, Jardines chief China rep Adam Williams, has just published his first novel, <i>The Palace of Heavenly Pleasure<i>. It is an adventure yarn set during the Boxer Rebellion when a deadly mixture of Manchu decadence, western arrogance, peasant superstition and Christian holier-than-thouness led to an uprising aimed at killing or driving from China all the Foreign Devils. CER asked Adam what parallels and differences he sees between that time of intense Chinese-Westerner confrontation a century ago, and today:

Plastic nation
China is moving from cash to a credit society, which bodes well both for burdened domestic banks and eager foreign banks.

Spreading the wealth
With the SARS setback of earlier this year all but forgotten, China's economy looks set to grow at an annual rate of at least 8.5 percent.
Economic geography
This map shows the current and future locations of high income households.
Bank bailout on the cards
It is looking increasingly likely that the Chinese government will provide another massive bailout for China's burdened state banks.
Suzhou takes on the world
The once-quiet canal town has become a manufacturing powerhouse.

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