http://www.julianhewitt.com A China-Africa Knowledge Blog from a South African living in Shanghai Wed, 24 Dec 2008 08:38:36 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en (A Reunification gift from the Mainland to Taiwan. When put together, the Panda names mean 'reunited.' Taiwan is a key part in China's Superpower puzzle. Photo Source: Shanghai Daily) China's current rise is often viewed through a lens of economic indicators. It is after all China's sustained economic growth rates over ... http://www.julianhewitt.com/2008/12/24/when-china-has-arrived-as-the-worlds-next-superpower/ (Australian Mining Stocks on the Decline: S&P ASX 300 Mining and Metals Index showing a 49% drop over 6 months ended 1 December 2008) ‘Be bold on expanding overseas' is the near official line hailing from China Daily's front page yesterday. After years of battling to keep input costs down amid a ... http://www.julianhewitt.com/2008/12/23/christmas-comes-early-for-chinese-mining-companies/ (An old symbol of China's bygone colonial legacy nestled in the bamboo mountain retreat of Moganshan near Shanghai. Picture: Julian Hewitt) The Chinese economy is still on track to overtake the USA economy in real GDP terms in less than 2 decades Is this the ominous decline of the American empire ... http://www.julianhewitt.com/2008/06/08/empire-v-economy/ (Challenges of the Rainbow Nation. Copyrighted by Zapiro. Reproduced by permission) Life in Shanghai is frequented by taxi rides. It makes sense. Taxis are cheap, cover the city and follow a relatively standardized process. Once in, the challenge that awaits you is to tell the driver your destination in pitch perfect ... http://www.julianhewitt.com/2008/05/29/do-not-get-tired-of-tomorrow/ (3 minutes of silence in Beichuan near the earthquake epicenter. Photo: European Pressphoto Agency) There are lots of things I would like to write about the devastating earthquake to hit Sichuan Province. I would love to say more about how the Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao was on a plane to ... http://www.julianhewitt.com/2008/05/19/deafening-silence/ Africa's New Colonialists Julian Hewitt Published 5 April 2008 "India and China have become Africa's new colonialists," declared respected international financier, George Soros, during a Reuters interview earlier this year. More recently, the Economist ran with a cover story titled "The new colonialists", which detailed China's huge appetite for acquiring global resources. The real ... http://www.julianhewitt.com/2008/04/10/africas-new-colonialists/ I lost a few precious years months off my life last year. Thanks to the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People's Republic of China and I can even tell you exactly when this happened. Here is the story... The Ministry of Environmental Protection ranks 84 Chinese cities on a daily ... http://www.julianhewitt.com/2008/03/31/whittling-a-few-months-off-my-life/ (Photo: Julian Hewitt. Getting to Grips with China is not always this straight forward) There is a popular quote doing its rounds in China at the moment that goes something like this: ‘Visit China for a week and you can write a book, stay for a month and you can put ... http://www.julianhewitt.com/2008/03/20/%e2%80%98china-is-the-most-unresolved-nation-of-consequence-in-the-world/ Straight across from our flat is a captivating view of Shanghai's financial skyline that speaks of the city's soaring aspirations. In many ways, these big brash concrete, iron and glass edifices are a sharp rebuff from the elegant sandstone colonial buildings they glare down at ... http://www.julianhewitt.com/2008/03/18/chinas-silent-armada/ (Will the Dubai Burj soon have a Shanghai Rival? Source: Imre Solt) Shanghai is about first impressions and built to capture not just your attention, but your imagination as well. The Dream of the New China is represented no where else in the country as clearly as in this city. ... http://www.julianhewitt.com/2008/03/08/world%e2%80%99s-tallest-building-coming-to-shanghai-soon/