Today's Links: The art market, the wine market and the market in North Korea?
By 2009-4-10 9:54:54
- As Chinese art market crashes, many artists applaud [csmonitor.com] "Chinese artists were seen as ATMs," says Jerome Sans, director of the nonprofit Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing. "Maybe now they'll stop creating for the market and create for the mind."
- Wine producers pin hopes on China in tough times [AFP] "Wine producers are pinning their hopes for growth during the financial crisis on a country that only recently entered the ranks of the world's top ten wine drinking countries — China. Wine bars and speciality wine stores have flourished in Shanghai, which prides itself of being the nation's most cosmopolitan city, and have quickly become part of the landscape."
- Reports: China auto sales 1.03 million in March [Forbes] "Preliminary figures show auto sales in China rose to at least 1.03 million in March, exceeding U.S. sales for the third month in a row, state media reports said Wednesday. Sales data from 14 major auto makers, accounting for roughly 90 percent of total sales, totaled 1.026 million, the state-run newspaper Shanghai Securities News said, citing Chen Bin, head of the Department of Industry at China's main economic planning agency."
- China looks to expand stake in stem cell technology [Reuters] "China will build Asia's biggest base to develop uses for stem cell medical technology, which the health minister described as having huge potential for development, a Hong Kong newspaper reported on Wednesday."
- How a village doctor sees China's health care reforms [Xinhua] "The clinic has been under a pilot medical reform for almost two months. villagers can see the doctor for 30 common sicknesses and it costs only one yuan (0.15 U.S. dollars). And they can get 74 kinds of basic medicines at nearly cost prices... It's a small step in China's journey to provide improved medical services to all."
- Economic Interests Shape Beijing's Pyongyang Policy [Wall Street Journal] "China on Tuesday repeated a call for calm after North Korea's latest test of a multistage rocket, attempting to defuse anger in the U.S. and elsewhere at a time when its economic interest in the neighboring state is soaring."
From shanghaiist.com