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Asian Correspondent
Gordon Wong
It's funny how things work out. Based on birthplace, I really should be writing about Scottish culture,
Robert Burns poetry, and the failure of the national football team to qualify for a major final in 10 years.
As it turns out, things couldn't be further from that. Instead, I find myself focusing on all things Asia, having
made a decision to go east in the 90s and discover my family roots. What I hadn't quite expected to do though was
immerse myself quite so deeply in the lifestyle, culture and business of Asia, and in particular China and Greater
China. It's of course a happy accident that I've ended up dealing with this particular market, at this particular
time. Like many things, it certainly didn't come about through any skilful planning or foresight on my part, but
then isn't that just the way with lots of things? So, by dint of being born to Chinese parents, in Scotland, I
find myself being able to look at the Asian market through Western (or Scottish?!) eyes, as it were. And it's
great.
China is the market on everyone's lips at the moment, so I feel fortunate to have 'adopted' this geography as
my area of focus at this particular time. On a daily basis, I'm in contact with local companies and
journalists in Asia, and in particular China, and can confirm that things are indeed moving as quickly
as it appears to the outside world. I look forward to sharing my observations with you.
Dr Gordon Wong, Media Director, Techworks Asia Ltd (www.techworksasia.com), and EM&T's
resident Sino-Scot-in-the-field
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Recent articles by Gordon Wong;
China’s manufacturing sector evolves locally and nationally as Year of the Tiger arrives (28 April 2010)
The best indicator of future conduct is to look at past conduct. I think I may have read something like that in a parenting manual somewhere. In any case, as a new calendar and lunar year dawns, a quick look back over the last 12 months could be a good way to gauge some of the prospects that may lay ahead for the industry, locally, nationally in China, and further afield....FULL STORY
Electronics industry joins the party as China turns 60 (22 January 2010)
On the 1st of October, 1949, Chairman Mao Zedong told his people that "the Chinese people have stood up", and declared the founding of The People's Republic of China. China has since risen from being a backward, impoverished state to a nation that commands respect and is now being courted by the leaders of governments around the world....FULL STORY
China enters the innovation zone (24 September 2009)
As four-letter acronyms go, HTDZ perhaps isn’t one that trips off the tongue quite as readily as say HTML, or NASA, but in the context of China’s future growth into a global economic and technological powerhouse, it could well be one that becomes a household term, or at least in the vocabulary of economic commentators....FULL STORY
China hi-tech brands lead the way in Africa (18 June 2009)
With the frantic scramble to find ‘new’ business, Western consumer electronics and technology companies are turning their attention to emerging markets, to complement the traditional primary markets of Asia-Pacific, North America and Europe. ...FULL STORY
Innovating out of recession (13 March 2009)
The election of President Barack Obama and the implementation of his administration’s $800 billion federal economic stimulus package is being tipped by many industry observers to raise technology’s profile and grow the number of tech jobs in the US....FULL STORY
2008 - The ‘interesting’ year that was (12 January 2009)
‘May you live in interesting times’, is euphemistically referred to as a Chinese curse. Severe blizzards; the massive earthquake in Sichuan claiming more than 70,000 lives; and the recent shocks from the ongoing global financial crisis, all ensured that 2008 for China was certainly a most ‘interesting’ year....FULL STORY
Crisis: what crisis? (14 November 2008)
The character for both ‘crisis’ and ‘opportunity’ are exactly the same in the Chinese written language. With wall-to-wall reportage on how the financial crisis is hammering the electronics industry, it’s difficult, but not impossible, to find opportunities and positive news to report on right now, as Gordon Wong reports....FULL STORY
Improved relations to benefit Taiwan and China (13 October 2008)
In contrast to the so-called cross-straits tensions that have existed between China and Taiwan for nearly 50 years, recent diplomacy between the two influential countries seem to have resulted in an altogether more optimistic outlook for the region. ...FULL STORY
Overtime: how much is too much? (08 September 2008)
The various effects of the ‘global economy’ are not always immediately apparent. In the electronics industry for instance, we are familiar with the horror stories about collateral damage caused by the dictates of the market: a cycle of job losses and industry collapses in one country leading to opportunity and prosperity in another. Many factors are at play on the micro and macro level, and occasionally the outcomes are very surprising. ...FULL STORY
Go west: China’s electronics industry moves inland (14 July 2008)
The tragic Sichuan earthquake recently brought the western province of China to the world’s attention. The electronics industry has been aware of Sichuan, home of the Chengdu and Mianyang High Tech Parks, since they were established in the early ‘90s. Up until recently these parks have mainly attracted domestic Chinese companies. However, a small but growing number of foreign firms, including Intel, have decided to ‘go west’ as an alternative to investing in China’s traditional coastal regions....FULL STORY
China earthquake repercussions: Chengdu High-Tech Industrial Development Zone escapes major damage (16 June 2008)
It has been my intention over the last few months to devote a column to sharing information about the growing prominence of Chengdu as an electronics manufacturing area. However, with the news of May’s massive earthquake in Sichuan Province in Southwest China, the direction of my piece has been altered somewhat. ...FULL STORY
Japan forced to reinvent itself (02 May 2008)
Gordon Wong looks at how some Japanese companies are struggling to come to terms with changes in the global manufacturing order....FULL STORY
Vietnam attracts the PCB makers (31 March 2008)
Stories of unabated investment and the rapid growth and expansion of China’s burgeoning electronics industry are commonplace. However, recent developments suggest China is not getting everything its own way for a change. Stricter environmental laws, a new tax scheme, rising land costs and new labour laws in China are increasing pressure on PCB makers' production activity and are also significantly influencing their expansion plans....FULL STORY
Competition drives cooperation in China (25 February 2008)
‘Bigger than the sum of its individual parts’ seems to be the unofficial mantra driving the forward direction of companies jostling for market share in China’s highly competitive consumer electronics market. ...FULL STORY
China makes its holiday plans (21 January 2008)
Dealing with China means being aware of its customs, business ethics and …..when it's on holiday. Gordon Wong reports on how China is changing when it works....FULL STORY
Nothing wild about the Frontier City (03 December 2007)
The China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park - frontier city of global economy and high technology. Gordon Wong describes the effect the ‘city’ has had....FULL STORY
China brands to enter world stage (05 November 2007)
At the recent Chinese Communist Party conference, the role of science and technology moved up the agenda significantly. Gordon Wong looks at the consequences for the rest of World....FULL STORY
China plays clean-up game (18 September 2007)
Gordon Wong looks at the environmental pressures on China's PCB industry and some of the steps it is taking to counter them...FULL STORY
Doing China in a day! (09 August 2007)
Seems a bit simplistic to say this, but there are people who still think they can ‘do China’ in a day; OK, well not quite, but you get the idea. Gordon Wong dispels the myth...FULL STORY
China: leader or follower? (05 June 2007)
China should not be mistaken as purely a manufacturer - it has a proud history of innovation as Gordon Wong reports...FULL STORY
China’s pcb market (10 May 2007)
China’s PCB market is the most talked about on a global level. Gordon Wong examines the market and some of the challenges it faces....FULL STORY
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