IanC,

The Gini Co-efficient is a common measure of the level of economic equity. It might prove helpful to you?

That said, if parties to the Lorenze curves, both become richer, together, the disparity remains unchanged.

Without looking, my guess is the urban Chinese entrepreneurs are becoming wealthier than China's rural folk.

In dynastic China, leaders took better care of the rural classes, because they would retire on the Land, when they didn't have earned income and bribe income, to sustain them.

Berti7

Not sad. Disastrous.

Statistics on regeneration can be misleading. Regeneration also includes orchards and commercial wood chip plantations not in degraded areas. Open space, freeway landscaping Olympics venues also included as is landscaping of government office complexes.

The scope of the problem comes into focus when viewed as an annual overall impact.

China's deserts are merging and expanding between 4,000km2 and 5,000km2 each year.

Each year, China's expanding deserts and annual dust storms impact on the economies and health of downwind South Korea and Japan.

China also uses the term "Mongolia" loosely when referring to dust storm sources when it should name Inner Mongolia and not, independent Mongolia.

Resource development is creating new deserts in Tibet. Forcing nomadic herders into fixed communities has also resulted in massive pasture degradation.

AT

Oliver

If you know your own business very well, then you are in a good position to make on floor assessments, but don't forget upstream and downstream differences and traps.

Accept what is available and learn from there with continual research and personal observations. Never accept as wrote, since most are general in approach.

Careful with wording and translators. One word has several meanings in respect to government and corporate titles. Minister could only be a director of a department or even a manager. Ask the same question three or four times on separate occasions during more than one discussion but couched in different terminology. Save one up for a heavy meal when the spirits are flowing and ask different individuals.

Impossible to become a short term expert. Take it step by step, otherwise information overload, confusion, and errors.

Get used to operating in a country where "half truth, lies and damn lies" is common place. This is more to do with face (mianzi) than the inference the west gives to the practice. Face is sacred and applies to the individual, family, corporation, and government. To be aware provides balance and awareness. Respect the customs of the country you are in.

AT.

Arthur,

Thanks for your reply.

"Get used to operating in a country where "half truth, lies and damn lies" is common place." - AT

A PAP (Singapore) Minister and I went into provincial China (2001), to purchase a secondary school. In China, we were encouraged towards the purchase of the same, on the basis of the profitability of the immediate stratgic business unit.

After investigations were carried-out, it transpired said immediate strategic business was not really where the Chinese party was looking to make the kernel profit. Rather, the profit was in the student of accommodation, which was not part of the joint venture deal.

In my experience, Americans (universities mainly) and other Westerners are relatively open, whereas, Chinese are more knowledge retentive.