FOCUS The Balancing Act

Asia's Political Lessons
The PRC shares some of the same political weaknesses as its Asian neighbors.
Minxin Pei

Growth, Reform, and the Effects of the Asian Crisis on China
Beijing must choose between short-term stability and long-term economic health.
John Fernald

China's Fiscal Time Bomb
Low tax revenues and a heavy reliance on bond issuance put the central government's budget in a precarious position.
Chi Lo

The Other Side of China's Prosperity
An unusual glimpse of life beyond the Middle Kingdom's booming coast.
Daniel Wright

FEATURES

2009: China's Human Resources Odyssey
What was and what will be for foreign companies in search of local managerial talent.
Rebecca McComb

Guanxi: Grease for the Wheels of China
Almost any problem, large or small, can be solved with the help of connections.
Scott D. Seligman

Shipyards Adrift
PRC shipbuilders restructure in an attempt to go up-market.
Paul Woodward

China Prepares for the Millennium Bug
Contingency planning is the name of the game for foreign investors facing the year 2000 in China.
Sheila Melvin

Cover design by Greg Berger

Departments

Short Takes
Hong Kong downgraded; Americans support free trade; and PRC beer prices drop.

Trends & Issues
SAIC Inspections--Setting Aside the Blame Game
Edward Lehman and Stan Abrams

Letter from the President
The PRC at Fifty

Bookshelf
A new investment manual; economics and energy; a review of Pacific Rim economies; a market yearbook; a profile of Jiang Zemin; a volume on social changes in China; and a language lesson on CD-ROM

China Business

Council Activities
Meetings on China's year 2000 preparations and the US Environmental Protection Agency in Beijing

Classified Ads
A new, expanded section