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Capital Decisions
China’s reshuffle of its financial regulatory system suggests a more systematic approach, a government consultant says
South Korea Seeking Russia Ties
South Korea is seeking support from Russia for its “New Northern Policy”
Government Investment Crowding Out Private Sector: Expert
The slowdown in government investment will help reduce risk and achieve more sustainable future economic growth, an expert says
Tax Reform Gets Balance Right: Editorial
The new personal tax reform will ease people's burdens and contribute to social fairness, a Party-run paper editorializes
Relocation Must Consider Local Needs
News reports have revealed many resettlement complexes are of poor quality and remain deserted
Visual Report
To date, Baopals has taken more than 100,000 orders – nearly 600,000 items from 20,000 registered members. Charlie and his pals moved the operation out of their apartment last September, and into a new office with 26 full-time staff and a lion-wig-wearing dog.
To their surprise, the team has found more than just language problems can prevent expats from using Taobao. There’s also a lack of trust. But Jay and Charlie say they’re trying to overcome that.
Jay writes a weekly column called CCC (The Cool, The Cheap & The Crazy) on Baopals’ website and WeChat account, introducing buyers to the coolest gadgets, the cheapest goods, and the weirdest stuff their team has found for sale.
Jay surveyed their registered members’ searches and found that their top searches are for bicycles, Xiaomi phones, iPhones, Game of Thrones, boots, PS4s, funny Halloween costumes and sexy dresses.
1. Braised eggplant, grilled cauliflower, and fried noodles with sliced pork: the Baopals pals, Charlie, Jay and Tyler, order their meal at a Hunanese restaurant in Shanghai.
2. Jay and Charlie attend a summit on e-commerce entrepreneurship in early July.
3. Jay and Charlie say they are trying to build trust between expats and Taobao vendors, and to dispel the common misconception that products made in China are of low quality.
4. This startup experience has convinced the team of China’s promising business environment.
5. The trio still cannot figure out how on earth deliveries in China can arrive so quickly.
6. Jay and Charlie look after the company’s operations and team building, while Tyler handles all the tech work.
Politics
Free, Fair and Open
The best way for China to celebrate four decades of ambitious economic progress is to show it means business
More Than ‘Downsizing’
A sweeping restructure is in place to make the government and the Party more adaptive to the modern era, and better able to build a rising, large nation
Society
Speaking Up
China has set new standards for English learning that aim to put an end to the days when students could pass a test, but not actually speak
More than Muscle?
With the rise of celebrity culture, China’s private security industry is growing rapidly. Yet there are few regulations, and the sector is little understood, with many people equating the profession with what they see in a kung fu movie
