⦁ Really? China wants to build high-speed train from China to the United States. According to an item by Jack Dunhill in IFLScience.com, which serves the science community, the basic facts are these: China wants to build a high-speed 13,000-kilometer (8,078-mile) train that goes from mainland China, through Siberia in Eastern Russia, under the ocean through the Bering Strait into Alaska, across the mountains of the Canadian Yukon and British Columbia, and into the U.S. Estimated Cost? $200 billion.
The article continued: “The plans emerged in 2014, when multiple news outlets covered a report by the Beijing Times that outlined plans for China to build the 8,000-mile super train. It would be called the ‘China-Russia-Canada-America’ line (catchy, we know) and stretch across all four nations, connecting them together for a trade, tourism, and economic boom. Stretching across the Bering Strait, it would require an underwater tunnel four times larger than the Channel Tunnel, and far more high-tech to boot.” Click here to read the complete article.
⦁ In China, sex isn’t selling like it used to: “Unfortunately, the distinction between femininity and sexualization is still a grey area for many luxury brands. But changing attitudes about sexuality and gender will determine which brands resonate with society’s values in the future,” Jing Daily recently reported, noting that an Ipsos Chinese survey revealed that “happiness, dignity, confidence, and kindness were the most important attributes in making a woman beautiful, and only 55 percent of respondents considered sexiness important.” For the full article, read here.
⦁ Do you speak Chinese? Something to think about if you’re marketing to China: “I’ve been teaching English for academic purposes at an international school in East China for the past four years. In that time, my school’s enrollment figures have soared, in no small part thanks to its increased emphasis on English-language learning and teaching. Today, it’s expected for even local teachers to exclusively speak English in the classroom, regardless of their accent or ability to express themselves. But is anybody actually benefitting from this embrace of English-language learning?” Read complete article here, courtesy of the Sixth Tone.
⦁ U.S. Organization Cites Unease over Business Conditions in China: The American Chamber of Commerce in China said in its recent annual report on business conditions, points to “growing unease among American and other foreign companies about the impact of economic and strategic tensions between Beijing and their home countries. Brands including Swedish retailer H&M, Adidas and Nike have been targeted by demands online for consumer boycotts. That came after state media criticized them for expressing concern about reports of possible forced labor by ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang region of China’s northwest.” The American Chamber said 78 percent of companies that responded to its survey cited “rising tensions” between Beijing and Washington as their top concern. (From the Arab News on the United States’ Memorial Day. Read here for the complete article.)
