A business associate just came back from China. He made the same observation that the air was awful to breathe. He said he was told that they’re building a coal powered factory one per week. He also said that the Chinese told him and his friends that they’re fearful that the US will elect a “weak” president, someone that cant stop the terrorists. They are also worried about US imports dropping – not a surprise. But I was interested to hear of the Chinese speak of a “weak” president. We ran out of time and I didn’t get any more details.
Also of note, he told me that the Chinese mandated that one of his business associates automatically drop their profits by 17%. And they also formally requested – I dont think there’s a choice in the matter – that another business associate of his build another factory about 200 miles away. I asked him why would they do that and he said that the government wanted a different geographic area to benefit from local employment. You’re at the mercy of the Chinese government when you do business over there.
