Last week I spotted a sign in Beijing’s metro trying to convince harried commuters to visit Turkey. “Not the same as Europe. Not the same as Asia” ran the advertisements.
They aren’t the only country pinning their hopes in Chinese tourists.
Morocco’s tourist agency has just set up an office in Beijing, after Morocco was added to China’s approved destination status last year, alone with Syria and Oman.
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Hold on tight. I argued last month that the Middle East was about to be swamped by Chinese steel. There’s growing evidence that the steel is now arriving.
The latest data shows China’s exports to the Middle East continuing to rise sharply. We’ve seen this before — in late-2008, during the midst of the global crisis, China’s exports of steel to the Middle East surged. So, either the Middle East is currently experiencing a mini-consumption boom or, and far more likely, it is being swamped by Chinese steel as the latter’s demand slows.
This Al Hayat article captures Saudi Arabia’s worries. There’s a lot of concern about the government’s difficulty in setting prices in a competitive market.
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Websites are statements of intent. They are the modern version of a ground-breaking ceremony. China is especially fond of them, so it’s about time that the country has created a site dedicated to China’s trade with the Middle East.
Launched last week, the site is nicely designed, although there isn’t much content yet. There are the usual figures and official statements, and a few interesting picture galleries. But more interesting is the fact that Ningxia province is one of the site’s major sponsors. (You can find it’s advertisement in the right hand-corner of the site).
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China got old while it grew. The average Chinese is 34-years old. The average Indian is 24-years. It’s a big age-gap. It’s the difference between raising a family or searching for a first job.
It’s also one of the Silk Road’s biggest challenges.
The world’s youth population, aged between 15-24 years, is set to decline by 12 million people from now until 2020, according to United Nations estimates. Europe and the United States will account for most of the decline. But China will also account for its share.
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The West’s bookshelves are already cluttered by souvenirs purchased in Egypt. Now for China.
The overseas edition of the People’s Daily has written about overseas Chinese bringing gifts home to friends. It used to be a no-brainer. Not anymore. In the 1980s, relatives wanted clothes and daily goods. But China has grown wealthy since then. Besides, the article argues, most of this stuff is made in China, even if it’s sold overseas as a local product. I feel for one embarrassed returnee who is told by her brother: “If you can’t find anything else, it’s better not to bring that type of thing anymore”.
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One step forward. Two back. Egypt’s Masry AI Youm reports that China is asking for 40-year land rights to develop the North-West Suez Gulf Economic Zone. The request is resulting in a conflict between the Chinese investors and Egypt’s Ministry of Investment.
This is a project that has been under development for some time. And I have heard that only minimal progress has been made so far. A former advisor to the China-Egypt Business Council, Doctor Abdul Aziz Hamdi, is quoted in the article as warning that Chinese investors may even leave because of the zone’s bureaucracy and a lack of flexibility, even unpredictability, in decision-making.
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“I finally saw the $100 million dollar Saudi Arabian pavilion!” says Chinese-blogger Happy Wanderer. The pavilion is one of the largest at the Shanghai World Expo and apparently has the longest queues. Happy Wanderer says people are lined up for at least 4-hours. (And I’ve since had that confirmed). But she’s attached some pictures, and it’s apparently worth the wait.
The pavilion is shaped like a half-moon boat. Inside, I’m told, there is a huge IMAX theatre that whisks people across Saudi Arabia. I also read that a traditional Bedouin tent out the front, complete with palm trees, is catching attention.
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It wasn’t much of a reply. But Qin Gang, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, has stirred up India’s media. He was asked about plans to build a direct train link between China and Pakistan. He neither confirmed nor denied, instead talking about the strength of the relationship between the two countries. The question was asked after Pakistan’s President Zardari, currently visiting China, referenced the idea of a link.
Now, it’s too early to start booking tickets. This is an idea that has sat on the drawing board for a long time.
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“China cheat sheet helps investors survive”, Bloomberg, September 1, 2010
“No more silver bullets for Beijing”, Wall Street Journal, June 17, 2010
“China’s historic return to the Gulf”, Foreign Policy, April 2, 2010
'The New Silk Road' is published by Palgrave Macmillan and is available in all good bookstores and through online retailers.
