Breaking Waves
- Business Beyond the Reef received a good review this week from friend Alex Olah, a former Australian trade commissioner, who told his readers:
“If you want to follow the ins and outs of US international trade policy and developments I can highly recommend a look at Steve Craven’s blog. Steve was head of the Commercial Section of the American Embassy when we were stationed in Singapore in the mid-1990s, and we have kept in touch over the years.
After a distinguished career with the US Department of Commerce, Steve (& Donna) retired in Honolulu where he acts as a guru on international trade matters when he is not racing dragon boats or paddling around the Hawaiian Islands.
If you like your international trade served with generous helpings of wit, insight and candour, have a look at Steve’s blog.”
High praise, indeed. Mahalo, Alex. Alex and his wife have spent almost a year teaching English in China and he has written a magnificent diary of their experiences that I am encouraging him to publish. I’ll let you know if he does.
- Political buying power. That’s what China is using to woo Taiwan, according to a June 2 article in Asia Times. The opposition DPP party charges that China is sending provincial procurement officers to buy in Taiwan and thereby gain friends and supporters among Taiwan’s business community. China’s provinces are said to be buying flat screen TVs and monitors, biotech pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, chemicals, electronics, textiles and more. Shandong Province is said to have spent $620 million in Taiwan last month, and Hubei has ordered more than $25 million in Taiwanese goods. Seems cheap if political influence is being bought.
- Remember the ballyhoo about a year ago when seemingly everybody was predicting the end of the U.S. dollar’s status as a reserve currency? Some wanted the Euro, others promoted a basket featuring the Euro and the Yuan. All is silence now. The South China Morning Post even published an article this week about how China’s exporters, many of whom had switched their billing to the Euro last year, are now quietly, but quickly, moving their accounts back to the dollar.
- Take a look at my friend Jargalsaikhan Dambadarjaa’s blog post on business ethics. Jargal is a Mongolian businessman with long experience in the United States. I found it an interesting read.
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I hope to be back to regular blogging by next Tuesday or Wednesday. Our travels have taken us to Wooster, Ohio – where our daughter delivered our first grandchildren last night. That’s right: grandchildren, plural. Twins, one boy, one girl. The girl, Rosie, was born just before midnight, with the boy, Brack, not putting in his appearance until nearly two hours later – so our twins have different birthdays!
Mom and babies are due to come home Sunday. I plan to fly back to Honolulu Monday, leaving the new grandma to help out for a while in Ohio.
