Businesses invest in China at high end of value chain..

GlaxoSmithKline intends to double its R&D staff in China to 350 people in the next few years, reported Reuters.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) which currently has 170 R&D staff in China has plans to boost up its staff to 350 by the end of 2009. According to Carol Zhu, head of operation management and alliances in GSK's China R&D unit, the staff levels would remain static for three or four years after the increase, while the company will expand its facilities to accommodate further increases thereafter.

As part of its strategic plan to step up investment in biotech medicines, GSK has focused on China for furthering its R&D activities.

Women on top in a downturn - Are women company directors well placed to face a downturn in business?

But just in case there are any real cynics among you, who are still sceptical even now, perhaps this procession of casual generalisations will remove any lingering doubts: ‘Women are great at multi-tasking and very good at coping with stress’ (Jill Shepherd, Bamboo Learning); ‘There is less competitiveness amongst women and as such, we’re more open to sharing best practice and support each other’ (Lesley Lant, Perennial Marketing); ‘Women tend to grow their businesses organically rather than making testosterone-driven decisions on equity funding’ (Katherine Leopold, PA London).

Female business owners are more likely to survive a recession thanks to their slow and steady approach, according to a new study by Business Link in London. The support group, which says that it ‘helped’ over 28,000 female-owned businesses in the capital last year, says that women are better at planning ahead, taking advice, and sharing their experiences than men –and they’re not so obsessed with chasing a fast buck. All of which makes them the perfect choice for an economic crisis.

"Any 20-year-old American thinking of doing business in China one day ......

.. and not thinking of learning Mandarin is not thinking."

"This is a continental-sized economy being built from scratch," he said. "Everyone used to go to America because it was the global happening place. Now this is the global happening place."

McGregor, a former journalist who runs a business consulting firm in Beijing, advises those who want to head to China to bring an open mind, a sense of adventure and an appreciation for the absurd.

The other key to making it? Solid language skills.

"If you're going to be an entrepreneur, you need to sink into the culture," he said. "Any 20-year-old American thinking of doing business in China one day and not thinking of learning Mandarin is not thinking."

For a new generation, land of opportunity may lie in China, not the US

The Mayor wants children to learn Mandarin so they can develop business links with China.

I'll help London Mayor to solve China crisis

A PRIMARY head is set to help the Mayor of London out of a China crisis.

Don Berry of St Paul’s in Withington is to advise Ken Livingstone on how to take Chinese into the capital’s classrooms.

The Mayor wants to see pupils given the opportunity to learn Mandarin so they can develop business links with one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

But faced with the headache of how to get the project off the ground he is being put in touch with Mr Berry, whose school has been hailed as a model for teaching Chinese to young pupils.

Education minister Ed Balls has promised to set up the meeting between the pair after a chance meeting with Mr Berry at a Labour Party fundraiser in Didsbury this week.

It came just days after the London Mayor had revealed his plans to the minister over a dinner at the Shepherd’s restaurant on Marsham Street, Westminster.

Mr Balls told the Reporter: "Ken said he wanted children in London to learn Chinese because today’s pupils are tomorrow’s business leaders and he thinks it is vital to improve links with China. He told me that he thinks it’s important for the growth of London’s economy to forge closer ties with China.

Mr Brown and the Chinese premier Wen Jiabo agreed to increase trade between the two countries by 50% by 2010.

Mr Brown said the relationship between the two countries was "absolutely crucial" to the success of the global economy as a whole.

"It's true we are able to sell to China not just financial and business services and environmental technologies, but also a whole range of British brands that are now becoming very popular among the rising number of Chinese consumers."

He added: "We said we want Britain to be the number one destination of choice for Chinese business as it invests in the rest of the world."

The toy industry is a vital part of the Chinese economy

Managers from Chinese toy firms and state officials have been given lessons in product safety and quality supervision after recent scares. More than 1,000 industry figures attended a training workshop designed to familiarise them with key export and licence requirements, Xinhua reported.

'Prices in the US are artifcially low,' says Andy Xie, former chief economist for Morgan Stanley....

'You're not paying the costs of pollution, and that is why China is an environmental catastrophe.'

Multiple Learning Outcomes, Child Powered, Designing a Linguistic Play Unit

Following the success of an innovative summer school programme last year we are getting far more innovative this year! Our programme is ambitious but nothing GFT children cannot rise too. We can adapt it to your needs or create something similar with you. The programme is typical of Bamboo – West meets East seamlessly in a way relevant to the future.

The Challenge – Can you run a business (in Mandarin Chinese)?
Skilled Chinese tutors + a University Business Lecturer run the programme in partnership with you

China has taken a 'huge stride' in its march to Western-style captialism', said James Harding in The Times.'

The move highlights China's interset in new kinds of investment and is set to 'change' the dynamics of its relationship with America.

Beijing's move is a 'political master stroke', said Lex in the FT. Investing some if its reserves in a US firm tempers fears that diversifying into riskier assets will hurt the dollar, while holding part of America's top private equity groups demonstrates a willingness to engage with the US and should ensure ' a warmer reception next time it goes shopping in the US.'

'If China sharply revalued the yuan, as American politicians are demanding....

...., it could actually hurt the US and help China.'

Myth 1 - that there is overwhelming evidence that the yuan is grossly undervalued
Myth 2 - a re-evaluation ... would greatly reduce America's trade deficit

China needs to cool its asset markets with higher interest rates. To regain control over its monetary policy China needs to let the yuan rise. A revalutation could also help the government succeed in shifting the balance away from growth to investment and net exports towards consumption.

America is right that China needs to revalue, but for the wrong reasons. And arguing that a revaluation helps America's economy makes it less likely that Beijing will act. Likewise China is foolish to resist a more flexible exchange rate partly because it does not want to be seen to be caving into America's demand, when it is in its own interest. If the two world's engines of growth remain at loggerheads, everyone will pay the price.'