I am writing this blog from the offices of one of the most respected and experienced developers in China, which is situated in Jiangyin City in Jiangsu Province. China is one of the strangest places I have ever visited because it looks poor but is actually one of the wealthiest countries in the world, however, you can't even send a simple email with attachments without going through hell and the telephones cost £1.50 pm with texts at £1.20 and there seems to be no guarantee they will actually arrive at their destination.

On the upside they are a very interesting race with strict customs which sit next to the worst manners I have ever encountered, this spreads to every aspect of their lives including their driving, which is a life and death experience that I don't recommend to anyone especially those with a heart condition...........our driver Mr Wong a nice young gentlemen who I feel may be better suited to stunt driving managed to top 160mph on a single track road and got a Mercedes up on two wheels whilst narrowly avoiding a head on collision with a bus. The hospitality is great and any guest has a dinner in their honour where they constantly toast you as a group and also individually with a Chinese whisky that is 70 per cent proof, this is highly unfair as with 14 people at the table you have to drink with three toasts from the Directors or hosts plus one toast with each individual that's 17 double whiskeys in an hour and 40 minutes........you will be pleased or slightly embarrassed to know that not only did I manage to pull off this amazing feat I also belted out Delilah, True and Congratulations amongst others to several standing ovations accompanied by an offer of a recording contract in China........my first album could be called "Fat bloke sings" and would include covers of Cliff Richard, Bucks Fizz and Tom Jones which appear to be the most popular Western songs out here.   On a very serious note it is hard to understand why the Government veto’s lending in the country and insists that outside institutions don't bring in money to lend (private equity investment from non-institutionals is fine) which has the effect of strangling their own economy! Is it paranoia seeing what is happening everywhere else or simply good old fashioned communism dictating..."whatever it is there are huge opportunities in China that cannot be ignored and we should be looking to work closely with the privateers over here to develop a process of developing a way to invest. The country may look underdeveloped and have the "the Great Firewall of China" but there is plenty of business to be done as long as we can convince their government that there is a way to invest without disturbing their economy. I have a cunning plan!   Off now to sample the delights of another "karaoke club" it all feels a bit like a trip to a bar in St John’s Wood (which will mean something to a small number of readers) have a great week.   Terry P