Saw this tweet yesterday posted from the Chinese government's American embassy which boasted about the 'benefits' of forced sterilization of Uygur women in their 're-education' camps: Is anything ever going to be done to address their pretty blatant human rights violations? At this point it seems the US government turns a blind eye to any country committing such gross acts so long as they are important to us economically (i.e., relations with the Saudis in the midst of Khashoggi's assassination and their backing in Yemen). Curious to hear thoughts on what's going on there.
08 Jan 2021
I am leading a startup accelerator/VC (part of a Chinese innovation company) in China, Shanghai, since 2019. Our focus areas are MedTech, EdTech, Smart Manufacturing, CleanTech - Seed/pre-series A mainly. Any startups interested in expanding to China - feel free to get in touch ;) Prior to that I worked in strategy consulting across Europe for 3 years (based in Frankufrt, then Berlin). Studied in Mannheim, founded a students startup intiative. On the side, I am rather active on social media, especially on YouTube (search for "Kevin Jon") and talking about management consulting, venture capital
28 Feb 2020
Hey Guys, I was wondering whether or not It is a marketable skill to know Chinese Mandarin? I am majoring in Economics, minoring in Business Fundamentals, and taking 4 semesters of Chinese Madarin. Eventually, I would like to do business in China, I see much growth potential in China. Are there any careers straight out of college which would make practical use of this language skill? Just to show you where my thoughts are: A big ambitions of mine is to become a venture capitalist in China one day. What are your general thoughts about learning the Chinese Language, and how useful will this
26 Mar 2012
I'm currently a Private Equity Analyst in Shanghai, China. Academically, I graduated from a target school majoring in Economics and Chinese. I also spent my time at college as the president of an on-campus student organization related to Finance and Economics and a volunteer for a local school program. I have always had a nose for digging deeply into matters that I can't grasp as first, and thus trying to make sense of financials and business strategies in China seemed like a perfect challenge after college. After spending some time as an Analyst for a publicly-listed Chinese company, I
19 May 2013
You're a non-Chinese who has studied some Mandarin and is now totally inspired to get a super awesome IB job in China? That's fantastic. Despite my sarcasm and what others may say, it is possible to get a job in investment banking in China as a non-Chinese with subpar Mandarin skills. I did it, and this is how I did it. Things to know up front Your best bet if you're not a native Mandarin speaker is actually to go to Hong Kong or Singapore. Hong Kong naturally has a ton of China business and Singapore has more SE Asia, but both cities are jockeying with each other to be the financial center of
14 Aug 2012
How important is it to know Mandarin in order to work in Hong Kong? I ask this as some one who speaks only english and french. Is still it worth me applying?
08 Nov 2010
In case you missed it, there's been an ongoing, sustained effort by the Chinese government to hack foreign governments, companies, newspapers-- basically anything or anyone with a computer. As usual, the Chinese government is trying to play coy in the face of a mountain of evidence. It really doesn't surprise me though; it's just another example of the country's "why figure it out for ourselves when we can just steal it" mentality. Sharing is caring; in a land where the biggest companies in the most critical sectors are controlled by the government, there's a lot that these companies could
19 Feb 2013
Soooooo China landed on the moon on Saturday, thoughts?
Now China, much richer and stronger, aspires to become a globally respected power, and the government sees a major presence in space as a key to acquiring technological prowess, military strength and sheer status.Full article here.
16 Dec 2013
This week I'm going to try to give a high level view, based on my personal experiences, on what the investment banking industry is like in China. There are obviously similarities to the U.S., but also a number of key differences as well. There are basically 2 distinct flavors of investment banks in China: the huge guys, and everybody else. The huge guys group does include all the bulge brackets we've all come to love, but they really don't have much of a share in the market here. China is dominated by the domestic banks and securities firms.
19 Jun 2012
A few days ago, I gave Miss Cleo a call and got some ideas about a different perspective on my comments last week. Specifically she told me that I was painting too nice a picture and wasn't being critical enough in my views. So without further ado, here are the same points told from a slightly different perspective. More Outbound Investment / M&A While not exactly a merger or an acquisition, the failed attempt by COVEC, a unit of state-owned China Railway Construction Company, to complete the construction of a highway section in Poland illustrates that there is still a steep learning curve
26 Dec 2012
Hi. Hope everyone is doing well during these turbulent quarantine times. Just a little bit about me: I was born in the States but moved to China at three. Grew up there and came back to the States around the start of middle school. I speak fluent Mandarin with no accent and my Mandarin writing/reading ability is about the same as a Chinese middle/high schooler (can read WSJ Chinese with little to no difficulty). I also know how to speak (to a certain extent) the Henan regional dialect/accent, though I don't know how much of a role that'll play into all of this. I'm currently at a top target
28 Apr 2020
Hello everybody, First I want to thank you for the time, I will try to cut it short. I am a foreign student who is doing a bachelor degree in Beijing/UIBE. I am in my third year, and I am fluent in Mandarin, passed HSK-5 2 years ago, taking all my courses in Mandarin. I am highly interested in valuation, modeling and research, love doing research particularly in Healthcare & Tech. And want to be competent in the Chinese healthcare sector in the future. Love reading clinical research etc.. I am in my third year and applied a couple of firms but I am really not confident in finding a solution to
09 Aug 2019
Not to start any conspiracy theories here, but I just got off Skype from an interesting debate after a conference with my firm's team in their Beijing office. Someone at their office mentioned a meeting by its execs on protocols and plans to move our employees out of our Asian offices in the case we attack China or they attack us. The debate was interesting. A guy brought up the point that China holds 1/3 of our entire debt. But then again, "debt" and "govt bonds" are simply pieces of paper. If we can't pay back our debt, we simply attack them under the guise of something (Iraq was oil, China will prob be something too) and make the concept of debt, null and void.
14 Aug 2012
im going to china next year so im interesting in chinese culture and stuff , i have found that chinese students in my uni are very upset about the comparison between china and india . I was talking to a chinese student about india and china and he was so angry with it because he said india and china are not comparable and seems like chinese dislike indian a lot , everytime i mention the word"chindia" chinese student would be very unpleasent with it , why? is there any issue between chinese and indian? (i think it is because china is well developed than india and chinese are kind of proud of
25 Sep 2012
The recent state dinner hosted by the White House was nothing short of lavish. Lobster, 400 dollar wine, etc. I understand the need to appear strong and stable in the eyes of the world but come on, really? 400 bucks a bottle. I'm sure the President and the White House get some sort of discount, to be sure, but in light of all the outrage over Wall Street excess, shouldn't the President (the face of our nation) take a certain amount of responsibility show solidarity with the "Main Street, regular people" these same people so often publicly sob for?
21 Jan 2011
The BRICs, four nations of undoubtably great importance in our world today. Some have equated them to the Old world's four horsemen, insolent upstarts vying to replace the old guard. To most however, we see nothing but a vast, wet, and beautiful ocean of opportunity. Since the term was coined nine years ago, the BRIC nations have been on a massive growth spurt and are expected to go on still until they surpass much of the developed world. China's GDP for one has already eclipsed that of France, the UK, Germany, and Japan since then. With that growth come big opportunities. So if you had to be
07 Dec 2010
short european companies that have major exposure to chinese construction? Short chinese construction companies? ....
10 Aug 2010
this video is sick, it shows a little girl getting ran over 2 times and no one helping every one just looking; wonder what your opinion on the issue was it's graphic, but no blood and gore. Not gunna lied made me go ***** a few times. AGAIN NSFWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW I'm curious to know the opinion of people who work in China who work there is.
17 Oct 2011
Just when you thought the pain wouldn't come, the big red boot kicked in the door waiting a vintage 1953 Kalashnikov and telling you to get your lazy American ass in shape. Well, not exactly but Dagong's threat to downgrade U.S. debt is an interesting signal. One that can certainly be interpreted differently by bears and bulls. [quote]If the debt limit is raised and the public debt continues to grow, it will further damage the US debtpaying ability, which is a key factor in Dagong's evaluation, and we will consider loweringits ratings accordingly. If the raised limit fails to pass and the US
14 Jul 2011
China's debt has been skyrocketing by the billions to finance their new infrastructure program, which could in turn take down the whole world's economy if it is a failure. China's current debt is 240% of their GDP, around 300% by 2020, certainty very alarming and could lead for a huge downfall. The Bank of England even has warned China that their level of debt is very risky. You can read more here * Could this really lead to a global financial crisis? and why? * What industries do you think will be hit
28 Aug 2017
It must be an election year; the anti-China rhetoric has been hot lately. Every day there's a new story out about how the Chinese are stealing our jobs, screwing our companies, etc.; and how we are on the verge of a trade war with them. As if for the past decade China hasn't been stealing our jobs and screwing our companies. The idea of a trade war breaking out is silly though, because we've already lost. No hard feelings, this is just how it works with China: foreign companies play against a stacked deck and loaded dice. Complaining about it won't do anything. The WTO and others may make
17 Jul 2012
For those of you interested in gaining a deeper level understanding of the Chinese economy and Chinese banking system, I highly rec. a recently published book called "Red Capitalism". It's written by former bankers, not economists, and it has a lot of awesome, hard to find information as well as some very interesting insights. I don't necessarily agree with everything in the book, but it's definitely worth a read for anyone seriously interested in China. Disclaimer: It's pretty dense and not exactly an "easy read"
30 Jun 2011
Yesterday in a further attempt to stimulate their economy, Japan announced plans to increase their asset purchase program. The move was meant to lower rates even further in order to encourage additional lending and risk taking. The program is similar to ones enacted recently by the Fed and the Bank of England under the guise of Quantitative Easing. While it may seem innocent enough for a country to attempt to stimulate their economy, the fact is this doesn't occur in a vacuum. These programs tend to (and are perhaps intended to) lead to depressed domestic currency values and therefore
20 Sep 2012
I saw a posting for an analyst at a BB IBD for full-time in Beijing. Mandarin is requirement; i am wondering what proficiency are they expecting?
12 Feb 2011
Hello monkeys – Over the last three years, I have observed an enormous increase in the attention paid, both by sell-side and buy-side, to developments in China. One post does not do justice to the topic but hopefully this can get you started in forming a macro view on China: On April 20th, 2014, Forbes carried an article suggesting that Li Ka-Shing, the 'Superman' of Hong Kong and 'China's Warren Buffet', is moving out of China which may indicate an early warning of an imminent slowdown. Meanwhile, the real Warren Buffet has, very famously, said: [quote]The 19th century belonged to England
27 Feb 2015
I am worried. Any ideas on how to counter this? In a hypothetical situation where we had to defend Taiwan from a Chinese invasion, our carriers will be sitting ducks because of this new missile. Any ideas? http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3e69c85a-1264-11e0-b4c8…
29 Dec 2010
With the recent revolutionary fervor in the MENA region, one can only wonder if and when the tidal wave will sweep further to the East. In light of recent increases in Chinese censorship it is as good a time as any to muse about the validity of the Yuan as the world's reserve currency. We have been here before in recent times, as doomsday preachers espoused the increasing influence of China in global markets and as the U.S's personal debt holder. But how strong is the Yuan fundamentally? Can an economically survive long term while artificially held in place? Does a machinery which functions on nothing but production and export really have a bright future?
07 Jun 2011
I am about to choose HKUST for a bachelor's in Quant finance, but before that, I wish to obtain some information about the financial industry. My thoughts are that studying quant finance + (a double major in comp sci) at a bachelor's would allow me to best develop my quantitative/critical thinking side as a strong foundation. However, I suppose I do not particularly enjoy spending all my time sitting behind a desk trying to build models/validate models/full-on research (this is my general stereotype based on what I have read on quant finance jobs); I do also sometimes enjoy being at the
02 Apr 2021
Just curious for those readers from Shanghai, what is the going rate for an hour with an escort nowadays? I received a call on the room phone in the Hotel I am staying in (escorts basically call every room hoping to get a guy on the line) Anyways it is an escort who was surprised I answered in English, so she struggled to come up with whatever English she knew and asked "Uhh Hello, do you want special service?" So I asked how much and she replied 400rmb for 1 hour. So just wanted to know is this a pretty average price? Also does anyone know of any good escort services here in Shanghai?
09 Oct 2011
Dear Friends, I am writing because I was hoping to get some advice on a decision I have to make. Someone would have to have some experience working in China/MBA admissions to really comment, but any feedback is very much appreciated. Background: 25 years old, non-target, 3.5 years removed from school, a year of experience in buy-side finance-contract jobs/internships at BB PWM, HK startup hedge fund and mid-market PE firm in SF-nothing really substantial, currently working a dead-end temp job and doing a lot of odd jobs to pay the bills in New York. Need MBA to hit reset button. Desperate and starving.
07 Jan 2015
I'm looking to re-brand and apply to an MBA program this fall. Would it be advisable to apply to a top Chinese school if I'm thinking about doing PE long-term? How are their programs different than from the US programs? Do you still have summer internships?
11 May 2014
The US-China Trade War has lasted for almost 10 months now which has seen $250 Billion in tariffs against Chinese products and an additional $110 Billion in tariffs against US goods. Many industries have been affected and while talks have been held, little progress has been made. However, US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has stated that the US and China have recently made progress and are heading towards the "final stages of discussion." Therefore, Mnuchin and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will be in Beijing on April 30th to begin talks. Mnuchin has stated that if the talks fail
29 Apr 2019
The WSJ had an interesting opinion article over the weekend on US foreign policy on China under the Biden administration in relation to the Trump policies and longer term challenges, particularly with US businesspeople and conflicts of interests between American values and access to the China market. https://www.wsj.com/articles/beijing-targets-amer… For those without a WSJ subscription, the author states that US / Western business interests want to steer away from the ideological conflict yet this is inevitable. The result is a binary choice: help China or the
28 Mar 2021
For a number of years now I have been getting strange looks and my views on global economics have come into question. There is a plain and simple reason, I don't buy China. All the Chinese growth notwithstanding I am not impressed and never have been. There is a great big difference between a location, a product or a business being a great investment vehicle and an actual force. Since there have been a lot more murmurs here on WSO and throughout the financial media about China's aura of invincibility waning, I decided to bring up a point that is seemingly ever ignored. You see, my fellow
02 Oct 2011
So 2012 is essentially over and it's been an interesting year by all accounts. I think it's been a fairly bad year, both geopolitically and in terms of finance (although for myself it's been quite good!). Some of my key moments of 2012: LIBOR - Global hatred of bankers reached new highs this year with various scandals including money laundering, derivative mis-selling and of course, LIBOR manipulation Heightened tensions in the Middle East - Iran, Israel, Palestine, Syria, all of these have been involved in conflicts of some sort and it seems like this will only escalate further in 2013
27 Dec 2012
just graduated from undergrad and moving there june 13th. looking for people to network/make friends with. pm me if interested
31 May 2012
In short: Google.cn now redirects to Google.com.hk, where mainland users can get uncensored search results. Aside from the fact that this will in all likelihood only last for a few hours until the Great Firewall "fixes" it, how would we monkeys profit from this? Some ideas: The obvious - Buy Chinese Internet - probably overdone already, esp on BIDU. But you also have SOHU and, to a lesser degree, SINA. A wildcard here is MSFT (Bing China). AND, if you can trade HK-listed, Tencent is another possible winner. The also obvious - Short GOOG. A bit dangerous, but self-explanatory. The tin-foil hat - Double-down on TBT (UltraShort 20+ Year Treasuries) and TBT calls. China angry --> China dumps enough UST just to make it felt without really hurting themselves, or even just further reduces pace of purchases. Of course, by no means is this an exhaustive list...
22 Mar 2010
i'm curious to hear what you guys think about China right now if europe, one of their main export destinations, is clearly going in at least a minor recession, us economic growth is consistently sluggish, and their property bubble is in the early stages of bursting, i fail to see how you can reasonably argue for a slowdown from 9-10% growth to 7-8% growth.
09 Jan 2012
There was a great article in the Wall Street Journal the other day explaining the inability of a massive Chinese state-owned construction company to complete a simple highway project in Poland. Ironic jokes about incompetence aside, this highlights an important point about China that is often lost amid the hubris about breakneck development: Big or small, China cannot be depended upon to competently make anything of long-term quality.
05 Jun 2012
So, I am going to say upfront that I don't like China. It's not their commoners, but their communist party and anybody who blindingly supports the bully regime. Reasons: their planned economy is wasting natural resources across the world, which is used to build ghost cities that serve no purposes; most of the people, except for few, who got affluent so suddenly are one way or another connected to the corrupt and dishonest communist party and these people are who do not share democratic or meritocratic values are pouring into advanced nations, thereby negatively impacting communities; their
12 Jul 2016
I am currently a rising junior at a semi-target school preparing for recruitment, which is happening very soon. I will be spending the entire summer interning in China, and have just started the job at a PE firm, which does not really match my expectations of what the job would be like (there's too much due diligence and menial work that do not involve any modelling work). I was lucky enough, however, to have come by an opportunity to switch to some Chinese IBs through referral, and I have a couple options to choose from. So I have three questions: 1) Is it going to be a lot better for IB
20 Jun 2017
China's new leaders, President Xi and Premier Li, are rumored to be removing the one child policy by as early as the end of this year according to BoA economist, Ting Lu. If one parent comes from a one child family, that parent will be able to have two children. By as soon as 2015, it might be possible for all families to have two children. Lu is saying that is will be done to help improve China's slowing economy.
13 Aug 2013
I'm not talking about the last time I went out to a night club in Beijing (although there may actually be some correlation). This is about the demographic challenge hitting China that is only going to get worse in the future. The proportion of the working-age population is beginning to decline, and will continue to do so, with major implications for the country's economy. During the first decades of Communist China birth rates were high but the food supply was sometimes unpredictable. Then there were some management changes, resulting in 1) the food problems going away and 2) the introduction
02 Oct 2012
Not sure if I should put this here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post… China is evil. Personally I consider myself of Taiwanese descent. Comment.
19 Oct 2011
China; the birthplace of Kung Fu, fireworks, hot asian women, and fake Louis Vuittons. It's meteoric rise in power is unparalleled throughout history. Though largely hated in the old world, some say that it's the future, the new frontier, the place where dreams come true and fortunes are to be made. I absolutely agree, I think it's a great short. And here's why: Dollar peg- By shorting the Yuan forever to keep their rates low, China has become the exporting and economic giant it is today. But: •Low rates: cheap credit has allowed people to buy way more than they could afford; their credit to
08 Nov 2010
Okay so I just looked into glassdoor's information on 1st year business analyst/associate (entry level) at MBB in Mainland China and the overall number fluctuates around 30k-35k (USD, annually). The number is so low I even gasped when I realized that includes bonus (WTF?). All three firms have offices in Beijing and Shanghai only and given the expensive nature of the two cities, and I don't get how they can pay their analysts/associates so badly when they are supposed to be one of the greatest, most coveted firms not only in China but also worldwide.
27 Sep 2011
guys where do u see china as an economy in a decade or two and compared to us and eu.\ Moreover isnt this the right time to pursue a career in that economy and grow with it. wouldnt it be good time to have an mba from china and work in china or asia pacific in investment banking or investment management right now as i think this region is the next financial powerhouse
29 Mar 2009
We all know that the People's Republic of China basically copies everyone's ideas, from making fake Rolex watches, Louis Vuitton handbags to pirating movies and selling DVDs on the street for less than $2. Its newest invention is Goldman Sachs (Shenzhen) Financial Leasing Co., which has been operating in China since May 2013 using the nearly identical English and Chinese name to the American counterpart. [quote] A staffer at Shenzhen Goldman Sachs said any similarity to the US-based bank was unintentional Thursday, weeks after a Chinese man was arrested for setting up a fake bank branch. "We
06 Sep 2015
A very well written piece by Roger Altman (most of you know him as CEO of Evercore) in the latest issue of Foreign Affairs. Some shocking excerpts from his piece include: - Economic threats have been used to influence foreign policy in the past. In 1956, during the Suez crisis, the US threatened not to support an IMF loan to England unless the British agreed to withdraw military from Egypt. England with a sensitive economy at the time caved in. Altman argues China could do the same owning as many Treasury bonds that it does in the instance it takes action against Taiwan. - Global financial rejection of the US has happened in the past (1979) and is very possible to happen again in the near future if America continues its current economic policy
04 Nov 2010
Who and what were they? With 2010 fast coming to a close, we say goodbye to another decade and enter one anew. 2001-2010 was not without its drama; we saw the horrors of terrorism with 9-11, we had the wars in the Middle East, there were epidemics, massive oil spills, nut job dictators, and possibly every other misfortune to contend with. It wasn't all that bad though; we saw the first black president go into office (doesn't mean I like him), we had once-poor nations rise in prosperity, we also saw a multitude of technological and medical breakthroughs. And in our world of finance, it was just
18 Dec 2010
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