By Ron Cune

China is hot news. For many companies however the information found in the newspapers every day is seldom industry related and rarely contains any research related figures.

Mentioned in earlier articles, the difference between any preparation and none, can make the difference between success and failure. Preparation means more than answering questions like ‘What do I want in China’, and ‘Why should I go to China, specifically’. Having any knowledge about the Chinese economy or being informed about the domestic situation of your business field, will give you that needed edge visiting China for business.

Now, much information can be found on websites of your embassy or governmental related institutes – and there are several other sources of information. Many of these websites contain information that is gathered by and for foreigners. It is however as important to read information sources from and for Chinese eyes. This will help you getting hold on the Chinese way of thinking and valuing information.
From various economic sectors, some good newspapers and magazines could be interesting to find general and industry related information.

South China Morning post   http://www.scmp.com
First of all, the South China Morning Post. This paper is published in Hong Kong and has a wide variety objective articles.  Social demographic, political and cultural subjects are written on daily basis and are easy to read.

China Economic Review   http://www.chinaeconomicreview.com/
In-depth information about industries can be found in The China Economic Review. This magazine is a good source of sector related trends and facts finding.

China International Business   http://www.cibmagazine.com.cn/
Thirdly, the Chinese Ministry of economic affairs publishes the Chinese International Business Magazine. It covers almost every sector including new and/or under developed industries.

Ron Cune, DragonDancers