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To: J Fieb who wrote (25586)	11/22/1997 10:13:00 AM
From: John Rieman	Respond to of 50808

China PCs????????????????????????? November 24, 1997, Issue: 982 Section: Opinion/Letters ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A wired China By Richard Wallace Despite the turmoil in the Asian currency and equity markets, there are growing indications that China's electronics market is on the verge of an unprecedented expansion. The market-development efforts spearheaded by Intel, Compaq, Microsoft and others in the People's Republic are paying off as PC fever spreads among China's citizenry. Last year, 2.1 million PCs were sold in China, according to International Data Corp. That's a small number, given the population. But now growth rates of close to 40 percent are being projected for China's home- and business-computer segments. Just a few years from now, U.S. marketers predict, China will be the world's third largest PC market, behind the United States and Japan. The Chinese, like people everywhere, look to information technology as an empowerment tool and a ticket to a better quality of life. Once considered a luxury, the PC is quickly joining the television, stereo, refrigerator and washing machine as a home necessity. And it's not just PCs that have caught China's fancy. The country is embracing the full spectrum of digital technologies that have followed in the wake of the PC. China is already a major market for digital entertainment electronics, including digital audio and digital video. Backed by its enormous market clout, China will not be a passive observer when it comes to setting new standards in the wired world. The industry has already seen several indications of China's resolve to be at the fore of standards efforts. Several weeks ago, the People's Bank of China backed the Visa International smart-card standard. Analysts say the move could result in annual production of as many as 200 million smart cards in just a few years. Further, as reported last month (see Oct. 6, page 1), China's Ministry of Electronics Industry has disclosed plans to extend the Video CD 2.0 standard to add Internet connectivity and interactive features to the current format. The move-which bucks the established DVD standard-was seen as a signal that China's electronics industry intends to exploit its own video CD-player format as a gateway platform for emerging Internet interactive-game and educational applications. Those and other recent developments suggest that the industry had better brace itself for the emergence of a potent new force in global electronics. The sleeping dragon is awakening to its potential, and it's ready to roar. Copyright (c) 1997 CMP Media Inc. New Search \| Search the Web You can reach this article directly here: techweb.com