Service sector full of potential
FACING a slight decline in foreign investment, Shanghai is being urged to turn to the service sector - ranging from accounting, consulting, law, tourism to education - to reverse the tide.
Sino-EU talks on WTO push shipping high
CHINA'S container business outlook is bright as its negotiations with Europe about the entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) continue smoothly.
Certificates for OTC medicines to be discussed
ALL pharmaceutical companies wishing to grab a share of the OTC (over-the-counter) medicines market in China need to apply for certificates for their products this August.
Jinjiang gets five-star rating
JINJIANG Hotel was awarded a five-star hotel rating last week by the National Tourism Administration, making it the 12th five-star hotel in Shanghai.
Bayer to build Pudong R&D centre
CHEMICAL company Bayer of Germany last week announced an investment of $10 million in a research and development centre for applied polymer technology in Pudong's Jinqiao Export and Processing Zone.
Epson offers long-lasting prints
YOU may want copies of your favourite photos to be brilliant and last as long as possible. But conventional printers can let you down.
Internet, mobile phone match up
PRODUCERS are clamouring for new applications software to cement the marriage between the Internet and mobile telecommunication.
Website offers sympathy over big and small ills
CHINA'S first on-line problem page which invites comments from people who have suffered everyday setbacks from being ripped off to getting the sack has opened at zhaodaola.com.
Serviced offices come to Shanghai
FOR the Shanghai real estate market, 1998 and 1999 was the era of serviced apartments. Will 2000 usher in the era of serviced offices? Vigers Shanghai Research Department takes a look at three businesses offering serviced offices in Shanghai: "Instant office" from Regus, "Executive Suite" from Servcorp and "AABiz Center" from BAA.
In search of sub-contracts
By Tony Zeng
MAJOR software producers in Shanghai have joined forces to woo more sub-contracts and orders from overseas markets. They will also set up a website to share software development updates, staff and technology advancement to compete with rivals in India, Mexico, Ireland and Israel which are keen to become the next software powerhouses after the United States. Thirty leading software players agreed to combine to expand overseas last week when they formed the Software Offshore Business Union of Shanghai (SOBUS), a non-profit loose organization directed by Shanghai High-tech Exports Leading Group, whose sole role is to promote high-tech exports. "The group will help Shanghai software makers to win back more big orders and contracts from overseas and increase their exports," said Zhu Xiaoming, executive vice-director of the group. More than 100 software producers are operating in Shanghai, and last year the sector chalked up $35 million in exports. The producers are small or medium-sized firms, lacking the capacity to take large orders and running short of staff and knowhow in software designing and developing, he said. "The problems have made US software producers pass them by and sign deals with giant firms in India, Israel and Mexico," he said. Zhu said SOBUS will focus on luring more sub-contracts from software producers in the US to design and manufacture software products. Software producers in the US have resorted to sub-contracting orders to overseas makers as a means of reducing costs and improving efficiency. Last year alone, nearly one-third of the output value of US software products was secured via sub-contracting, or nearly $40 billion, which is a lucrative potential market for Chinese software makers. "With the alliance, local makers can compete with rivals from these other countries to win more sub-contracts from the US," he said. In the long term, local software makers can join forces with overseas partners to design, develop and make software products to cater to local needs, he said. The organization should break the regional barriers to woo more software firms, especially from such high-tech centres as Beijing's Zhongguanchun and Shenzhen to join the group.
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