August 2006

Lam Heng Chi, the Hong Kong famous columnist, said that Chief Executive Donald Tsang learned the wrong lesson from Singapore. Instead of the experience of training political talents, Singapore's management system of foreign currency reserve is something we should learn. According to his calculation, the investment company that handles Singaporean government's foreign currency reserve achieves an annual gain rate as high as 9.5%. Since 1997, Hong Kong's foriegn currency reserve has increased only at 3.65% each year, from 90 billion to 120 billion.

"You may go to toilet whenever you want. You may drink water whenever you want."

Once you enter Just Garments, you will find it different from other factories. In Just Garments, with about 100 workers, there is no high wall and repressive labor management; instead the working environment is clean and safe. A good ventilation system is installed and chairs designed according to body mechanics are available. This factory is worker-managed. Workers have cooperation and mutual trust in production line. They see the factory as their homeland.

Yahoo! auction site is a very popular portal in Taiwan. With 3.7 million items and the annual transaction value of NT$22 billion (2005), it owns most of the local market. It recently announced that all users will be charged 3% of transaction fees on most of the items. It aroused users' severe complaints and they accused Yahoo! of violating the Fair Trade Act.

The term "NGO" becomes popular in Hong Kong. While more attention is paid to it, more different voices about it are heard. Recently, Greenpeace China was criticized by mainland media as exaggerating the problems of "polluted vegetable" and "genetically modified food". The corporates and governments released research findings and information to refute Greenpeace's accusation. A member of Greenpeace said it was defeated in the media battle. A critic, Tang Hao, said in his article published in Southern City Daily, "Greenpeace is following a radical tradition, showing the style of extravagance and calculating cost and effect. I find them questionable." Fang Zhouzhi criticized Greenpeace China as "anti-scientific" repeatedly. Some Greenpeace supporters argued that this wave of criticism is the collaborative strategy of governments and corporate groups. Indeed, an engaged NGO is usually controversial. It is inevitable. But I really expect responses to these criticism from Greenpeace.