MANDARIN RISING INNOVATIVE EDUCATOR Learning to say xiexie Building better schools in Pakistan, P28-29 against the odds, P32 Thailand: Baht30.00 Thailand: ASIA WEEKLY AUGUST 30-SEPTEMBER 5, 2013 VOLCHINA 4 NO 34 DAILYwww.chinadailyasia.com Published by China Daily Asia Pacifi c Limited Getting to grips CHINESE CARMAKERS WILL HAVE TO RETHINK STRATEGY, IMPROVE PRODUCTS, PRODUCTIVITY AND SERVICE IN ORDER TO COMPETE OVERSEAS ncl JCT), Malaysia: RM2.00, Nepal: NPR30.00, Philippines: Peso50.00, Republic of Korea Won2,000, Singapore: S$3.00 (Incl GST), Singapore: Won2,000, of Korea Republic Peso50.00, NPR30.00, Philippines: RM2.00, Nepal: ncl JCT), Malaysia: By ALFRED ROMANN in Hong Kong and 100 percent for cars that can go even further. overseas. It is great propaganda for them to go For China Daily Asia Weekly But there is a catch. These vehicles must be overseas. It is good advertising for them,” says assembled domestically and as much as 84 per- Zeng. The problem is that “most of them are treat- ore than 1 million new cars cent of components must be made locally. Virtual- ing overseas markets as a trading business … They were sold in Indonesia last ly no Chinese automakers are in a position to take mainly rely on price as a weapon.” year. That fact alone makes advantage of those tax breaks. For the time being, On the surface, it makes sense for Chinese auto- the Southeast Asia giant a very Japanese automakers will continue to dominate mobile manufacturers to look to new markets. desirable market for automak- the market. Competition in China is intensifying and overca- ers. Not only in Indonesia but in most foreign mar- pacity among domestic makers is still a signifi cant Indonesia accounts for about 40 percent of the kets, Chinese automakers are having a hard time issue, according to a new report by international Mpopulation of the Association of Southeast Asian competing with more advanced multinational consultancy AlixPartners. Most Chinese manufac- Nations (ASEAN) and its economy has been grow- manufacturers from Japan, South Korea, Europe turers operate at 65 percent capacity, compared ing fast, at more than 4 percent per year for more and North America. with the 80 percent considered to be the mini- than a decade. It is a natural export market for Chinese companies want to go abroad, but their mum for stable profi ts. Chinese auto manufacturers looking to up their off erings are still of lower quality and the after- At the same time, Chinese automakers have market share. sales service typically weak because they generally struggled to gain market share, particularly in the And it gets better. do not have the networks in place to provide qual- key sedan segment. The only standout is Great Earlier this year, the Indonesian government ity services, says John Zeng, managing director at Wall, which has a leading position in the China launched new tax incentives for low-cost green LMC Automotive Consulting in Shanghai. SUV market, according to the report. In the luxury cars, which give automakers another reason to get Aside from a couple of standouts like Great Wall car segment, BMW and Audi lead the way, fol- into the action. The government has cut the luxury Motors, Chery and possibly Geely, most Chinese lowed by Mercedes-Benz. Australia A$4.00 (Incl GST), Dubai AED5.00, Hong Kong: HK$6.00, India: Rs20.00, Indonesia: Rp8,500 (Incl PPN), Japan: Yen400 (I Yen400 Rp8,500 (Incl PPN), Japan: Rs20.00, Indonesia: HK$6.00, India: A$4.00 (Incl GST), Dubai AED5.00, Hong Kong: Australia Road, Aberdeen, Hong Kong Praya Wan Tin 7 Centre, Wai Hing Joint PrintingLimited, 2-3/F, Company tax by 25 percent for cars that can get fuel effi cien- automakers simply cannot compete in this area. cy of 20 km per liter, 50 percent for 28 km per liter “(Chinese automakers) are quite eager to go SEE “AUTO” P5 Cover Story Australia’s auto sector driving to an end, Thailand becoming Detroit of the East, page 6 page 7 PAGE 28 CHINA DAILY ASIA WEEKLY AUGUST 30-SEPTEMBER 5, 2013 Focus: Mandarin in Pakistan Language of a trusted friend YOUNG PAKISTANIS SNAP UP THE OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY MANDARIN FOR BUSINESS, CAREER AND PLEASURE By SUDESHNA SARKAR in Kolkata For China Daily Asia Weekly hen Sabir Mirza went to the LP Thong den- tal clinic in Karachi, Pakistan’s commercial capital,W his Chinese dental surgeon was in for a pleasant surprise. Mirza, an aspiring medical stu- dent who hopes to study at Shang- hai Medical University, is learning Mandarin to prepare for a long stay in China. And he was able to con- verse in fl uent Mandarin with his dentist. “There is a growing interest in the Mandarin language in Pakistan, especially among young people,” says Muhammad Arif, editor of Nihao- Salam, an e-magazine that promotes Pakistan-China ties. The 32-year-old had his first immersion in the language during a six-month course at the National University of Modern Languages (NUML) in Islamabad in 2011. There were 27 other students in the class. While a few were “follow- ers” — merely carrying out parental PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY ASIA WEEKLY wishes — most were keenly interest- Premier Li Keqiang (2nd last row, fi fth from right) meets students and offi cials from Roots Millennium Schools at the Pakistan-China Friendship Centre in Islamabad ed in education and business oppor- during his visit to Pakistan in May. Next to him (fourth from right) is Mir Hazar Khan Khoso, the then caretaker prime minister of Pakistan. tunities in China, Arif says. At the NUML, the Mandarin class- eastward. It has also boosted the es are run in cooperation with the popularity of Mandarin as jobs grow Confucius Institute in Islamabad, for interpreters, managers and con- the fi rst Confucius Institute in the sultants. Islamic world. Three years after the fi rst Confu- Since the opening ceremony in cius Institute was launched in Paki- 2007, it has bagged the “Confucius stan, Mandarin received another Institute of the Year” award three fi llip when Faisal Mushtaq, a young times — in 2007, 2008 and 2010. Pakistani educator, was persuaded Besides Mandarin, the institute also to visit China. teaches Taoist philosophy, tai chi and Mushahid Hussain, a Pakistani kungfu. senator, Sinophile and founder of Arif explains why Pakistanis are the Pakistan-China Institute, was learning Mandarin: “They regard seeking to connect more Pakistanis China as an all-weather, trusted and Chinese. friend and the two countries enjoy “You like going to Europe,” Hus- 62 years of long friendship. sain told the globetrotting Mushtaq. “With the Chinese economy “(Now) come to China and see Asia’s growing, Pakistanis are aware of the future unfolding before you.” advantages of learning the Chinese So in 2010 Mushtaq went, saw language — for education, doing and was conquered. While attend- business or simply understanding a ing the 19th international trade fair neighboring nation better.” in Urumqi in Northwest China, he For Pakistan’s well-heeled, the announced he would introduce Chi- Roots Millennium Schools students pay a tribute to Sino-Pakistani friendship on annual parents’ day in 2011. United States, Australia, Canada nese classes at the Roots Millennium and Europe traditionally remain the Schools (RMS). both countries to interact and pro- tors. So he went to the Confucius time teachers, and the students do places where they send their chil- The RMS group was started by mote trade, education, culture and Institute, who provided him with six not have to pay extra for the Man- dren for higher education. But the Mushtaq’s mother in the 1980s; it diplomacy.” more teachers. darin classes. growth of the middle class, the fall- currently has 25 campuses in 12 He conducted on-the-spot inter- It still wasn’t enough. Then he Mushtaq has a favorite slogan ing Pakistani rupee, and tougher visa Pakistani cities with over 15,000 stu- views during his whirlwind China contacted China Radio Interna- that he coined himself: Club 21:21. and education requirements abroad dents. trip to select two instructors who tional’s Confucius Classroom, who It refers to the fact that, together, have led to a dip in the number of “I announced the launch of the followed him to Pakistan to start the agreed to sponsor an additional four Pakistan and China make up 21 per- students going west. Chinese classes to promote cultural, fi rst Mandarin classes under private experienced Mandarin teachers. cent of the world’s population in the The increase in trade and eco- social and language understanding initiative. “RMS has the honor to be the fi rst 21st century. nomic cooperation with China, opportunities among China and With nearly 4,000 students — school in Pakistan to off er Chinese “Language taught through the which means more Chinese com- Pakistan,” says the 34-year-old, who from fi rst to seventh graders — hop- classes,” says a proud Mushtaq. school curriculum can play a key panies working in Pakistan, has is now CEO at RMS. “(It would cre- ing to study Mandarin, Mushtaq The RMS Chinese language encouraged some students to look ate) opportunities for people from realized he needed more instruc- department presently has 15 full- >> PAGE 29 AUGUST 30-SEPTEMBER 5, 2013 CHINA DAILY ASIA WEEKLY PAGE 29 FROM PAGE 28 role in unifying the youth of the two Building personal and political nations,” he says. The language initiative received a significant recognition when Mushtaq and students of RMS were invited to meet Premier Li Keqiang bridges between Pakistan and China during the latter’s official visit to Pakistan in May.