Source: International Energy Agency: Chinese auto sales are expected to exceed those in the US in about 2015, when there will be more than 17 million vehicles in the Chinese market. Welders assemble cars at a General Motors plant in Shanghai.(photo) published by the Washington Post, July 28,2008 on page A6.
Photo: Traffic moves along in Shanghai. China began to promote car ownership and has since cut sales taxes, encouraged construction of parking areas, banned bicycles on some streets and laid thousands of miles of highways. National Geographic Image Collection.
Page A7: "People want to have a car that shows off their status in society... Fuel economy is probably the last thing Chinese look for." Business folks want status with material things such as house and car. However,ordinary Chinese cannot afford to buy cars with their limited income. My comment: Happiness is not material consumpton over desire but we need intellectual pursuits,spiritual satisfaction and good health. I repeat my thoughts for readers to ponder and reflect my philosophy of life in the mundane world.
On the same page A7:To encourage the Chinese to go green, GM,which has ranked first for passenger car sales in China in each of the past three years, is preparing to market hybrid vehicles or cars that run on alternative fuels. But a Shanghai business man Zhang bought the Hummer in 2006, on special order from the US. It cost him $220,000, including hefty shipping and import fees. My comment: It is good for American business to sell cars to Chinese who can afford to buy such vehicles.
Francis Shieh a.k.a. Xie Shihao, a native of Shanghai but prefers to ride a bike to exercise for health in China during my teaching years(1993-1996) in Beijing. However,I need to drive now in Maryland for shopping and going to the libraries at a distance. July 31, 2008 at 6.32 a.m.
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