Will the Olympians have fresh air when they compete? (Click for link to Bloomberg News Article)

China’s environmental issues are continuing to escalate as their economic machine grows to enormity. Unfortunately, where there is growth, there is waste and China is great at waste. What they are not great at, is controlling waste, namely in the form of pollution. China is now home to 16 of the world’s 20 most polluted cities (Council on Foreign Affairs, Sept 2007).

The 2008 Olympics are placing the failures of China center stage. Numerous reports are dogging Chinese Officials and Party Representatives. There are the never ending stories of human rights abuse and now China’s infamous pollution issues and the lack of attention to same has surfaced in the media.

The attention has caused the government to attempt to clean up Beijing at least while the Olympics are in town. They are forcing many businesses and factories to close if they produce environmental hazards, especially in regard to air quality. They have also started a campaign to plant greenery and trees along the streets of the city. Will these measures last after the Olympics have come and gone? Will China ever get past corruption and start enforcing the environmental laws that are actually applicable to China, but not equally enforced across the land? Laws and regulations that are not enforced due to local government corruption that hides behind Party membership and conceals the ill gains from the Central Government in Beijing. Time will tell.

The Olympics are placing serious pressure on the government to literally clean up its act.

No doubt that China's market is expanding. http://www.theusxchinafund.com/html/returns.html

There is no doubt that China's market is doing well. I was doing a little research and as a small time investor, I like to study the various indexes. This year has been brutal for the USA and many think that it is going to be downhill for 2008. Other analyst project that this is just a time for a much needed market correction in the USA. I personally think that it is a buying opportunity! Attached is a link to an investment company that has a "China" fund. Basically, the company invests in the Chinese market, which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan, but focuses on China exclusively. This is very new!

I have nothing to do with the company or anyone that works there, I am just using their record of returns to show how the Chinese market is setting a burning pace.

There are thousands of Pacific index funds on the market to choose from and they cover possibly hundreds of countries throughout the Pacific region, including China. Attached is a report from an investment firm that has a "China only Fund" You can see how well the China market has done in the past couple of years.

China and Asia's influence, beyond exports and politics (click here for connection to article)

Recently, in my UNC-G MALS class (Charting the path of modern China) we have been discussing the incredible growth and transformation of China. We have covered politics, economic implications from various government programs and the rapid spread of communication within the country. I found an interesting article in the Saint Louis Post-Dispatch that brings to light a new found influence of our Eastern neighbors on the American Dream....our home.

http://www.azcentral.com/home/design/articles/0911asianhome0911.html

Kevin