IT’S NO LONGER NEWS THAT CHINA IS BECOMING A MAJOR player on the world economic scene. Yet, as we’ve noted in past editions, investing in China is fraught with uncertainty, due to a still un-free political situation, and insecure property rights. Despite our current lack of interest in Chinese stocks, China’s renaissance clearly has implications for investor decisions worldwide, simply due to its market’s enormous size.
Recently, China’s newfound economic strength has become fodder for political electioneering, and talk of protectionism is once again rearing its ugly head. Candidates are falling over each other to see who can blame the Chinese more effectively than their opponents. Of course, our readers recognize such ranting as nothing more than political gamesmanship. Nonetheless, all efforts to