Asian_Geographic_Issue_4_2017

(John Hannent) #1
below A Mao impersonator
in front of an international
fashion brand’s shop in
Taiyuan

above A woman rides
past hundreds of “share
bikes”, China’s latest trend
for sustainable mobility
in Shanghai

They entered in hordes to explore a cheap manufacturing


base and to pioneer their business given the huge


potential market for their products. In exchange,


China got everything its leaders wanted: Protecting


core sectors and enacting laws that required foreign


companies to establish themselves in the country with


joint ventures was a perfect means of achieving the


transfer of technology.


Almost four decades later, this strategy has paid off.


China is the second-largest economy in the world – the


first if purchasing power parity (PPP) is used; it is the


main trade power with the biggest surplus in history,


and the factory of the world. Moreover, with the help


of the government, China has created a group of huge


companies with the ambition of going global, shaking


up the world order.


Individualism and consumerism


have given the boot to old-fashioned


fraternity and collectivism


culture

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