China- I'am glad somebody is doing good.Plenty of good news for Tech in China.
Hi Kemble:
Since you are 'our man on China' I thought you might like this bit of information.
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FIRST, THE GOOD NEWS
There is also plenty of good news. Growing incomes and an overhaul of musty state industries are fuelling a frenzied rush to get wired.
China has offset plunges in spending across Southeast Asia and in moribund Japan.
''We've been able to stay flat in the region as a result of the counterbalance of those various forces,'' said James Jarrett, president of Intel China.
While China's slowing economic growth -- a result of the Asian financial crisis -- has pinched car makers to beer makers, information technology spending is set to grow at an eye-popping 27.6 percent a year, according to tech market research firm International Data Corp (IDC).
''Everyone sees China having such potential. Vendors are all looking to get a foothold,'' said Jared Peterson, IDC's China research director.
Industry executives giddily recite the latest forecasts for the PC market: four million machines in 1998, up from 2.8 million last year.
Moreover, with just 11 million PCs installed nationwide, there is no bottom is sight.
''The penetration here is very, very, very low in all the markets -- business, government, academic markets,'' said Jarrett.
Another bright spot is telecommunications sales. With only seven percent of China's people hooked up to telephones, Beijing has made development of the sector a national priority.
''In telecoms, God knows how far projected into the future, they're still adding something like a Baby Bell a year,'' said Mark Mechem, deputy director of the U.S. Information Technology Office (USITO) in Beijing, referring to a major regional U.S. telephone company.
biz.yahoo.com |
