In the difficult times we go through in China, not to say particularly in Beijing, reading the Weekly News Update of CER makes me feel a bit better. For sure 99% of the Chinese readers have no clue what they are talking about, which is a good thing for CER. Sarcasm (Western style) has never been a strong point here. So, here the latest one:
“Dreaming of Beijing’s blue skies”
It is possible to wonder whether any living human being has ever seen clear skies over Beijing. Maybe one person has, a 127-year old woman living in Xinjiang, although why she would have travelled so far East is up for debate. Blue skies are so rare in fact that they would likely replace Tiananmen Square and the Great Wall as the capital city’s biggest tourist attraction.
But soon we might become the first generation to witness this great miracle. This week central government officials issued a decree to curb pollution through the closure of dirty mills and factories and a reduction in coal-fired power. They envisage huge wind turbines on top of the Temple of Heaven and solar panels spread out across the gardens of the Summer Palace.
Skepticism about the success of such plans abounds. For a start, any reduction in industrial emissions will be more than offset once every single adult in China is driving a gas-guzzling SUV, one of the most popular models of cars in the world’s biggest auto market. Porsche certainly hopes so: The luxury German automaker forecasts strong growth in this sector.
Chinese nationals however are expected to vote with their feet on this one, and Thailand is positioning itself to capture as many of the rich ones as it can. Bangkok has said it will scrap import taxes on a range of luxury goods to encourage wealthy Asian visitors to swing by. From this it is not hard to imagine the country offering a luxury goods investor immigration scheme to turn weekend shoppers into permanent on-the-ground consumers.
While locals are plotting their escape route, foreigners are complaining bitterly about their inability to inhale the Chinese Smog, a Traditional Chinese Medicine updated for the 21st Century. Apparently a new visa law is causing delays in the visa application process . Still, there is one bright spot: Sources say the government might scrap burdensome mandatory health checks for new arrivals.
Note: as far as I understand, Chinese nationals no more need a visa for Thailand as from this month.