Forums > Living in Kunming > Carrefour Giving Up On China Carrefour is selling and 80% stake, does not necessarily mean that stores will close. Initially stores and staff will be absorbed by the new owner Sunning. For those areas that do not currently have a Sunning presence, t first all that will change will be the name on the door.
Forums > Living in Kunming > Carrefour Giving Up On China Tesco did have a JV in China, but they pulled out several years ago.
Forums > Living in Kunming > Carrefour Giving Up On China Airless holes. I think that sums up a lot of superstores/hypermarkets, in many parts of the world, that are located in a larger multistorey shopping complex. True for Walmart, Homemart, Sunning, Metro, and other places I have visited.
Forums > Living in Kunming > Bike registered - Selling second hand The authorities have been trying to control the ebike market for several years and previous attempts have not been successful. This time I believe it will be successful.
Almost daily I see police with a recovery/flatbed vehicle seizing unregistered machines. There seems to be a clear mandate to get the no longer legal ebikes off of the road.
Like @JanJal, I thing the main issues have been around safety. When I first came to China in 2004 ebikes were small, light, and only did about 20kph. I also believe they were only 12 v.
Now ebikes are bigger and heavier than a gas scooter, 72V and capable of over 60kph, and still no license, insurance, or training is required to ride one.
I have been hit by an ebike once, whilst riding my bicycle, and nearly been wiped out on at least two other occasions by kamikaze ebike riders.
I have seen several ebike crashes caused by riders who do not have proper control of their vehicle (using feet as brakes, slamming on the front bike causing a low-side and dropping the machine, panicking and just freezing as they plow into other vehicles), this is a training issue. Alternative, let the untrained ride smaller and slower machines.
The market needed controlling. Yes there will be some waste, but in the next 4 years some sanity will quickly return to the streets and cycle paths.
The alternatives are to let the 'arms race' (bigger faster ebikes) and carnage continue, or do what other cities have done and ban ebikes and bikes from downtown (more cars would be the pattern, not desirable), or let the old bikes die through natural wastage (bureaucratic and uncontrollable).
Forums > Living in Kunming > Bike registered - Selling second hand It looks like the police are actively trying to phase out the older machines.
Kunming's metro could cost 300 billion yuan
Posted byIf they worry about cost, and only provide minimum service until things pay for themselves, then they will always be in a debt cycle. For example, if the service only runs the cheapest (minimal) service from 9-5 people cannot possibly use it for work. They screw themselves.
There is a real need to bite the bullet. Then the best returns can be realised, only if they take the risk and run the service as a viable alternative to driving. Short term loss will be high, but utilisation will follow very quickly.
There is a need to follow the models of service provision in Shanghai and Beijing, but accept that the break even point in Kunming will take longer to realise. However, if you don't, the losses will continue for many years.
Kunming to offer visa-free transit stays
Posted byNot sure, but would that be transiting? I think transit ticket is for an onward journey to a third country.
Perhaps you could fly from somewhere, via Kunming, to HK or vice vesa.
Airport temper tantrum lands Yunnan official in prison
Posted byThat last statement contradicts itself.
Kunming to offer visa-free transit stays
Posted byShanghai and Beijing are also major business hubs and doing a few days extra business, while breaking a long haul trek, makes sense. Also, both cities are tourist centres in themselves.
Kunming is neither. Kunming wants to be a trade centre with ASEAN, but that is not yet happening. Kunming is not really a destination, more of a spring board to Yunnan (which you cannot do in 3 days). All you can really do is play golf, which some people do.
Airport temper tantrum lands Yunnan official in prison
Posted byI think the crime was getting caught, and so publically. Getting caught on camera and having it go viral is an embarrassment to gov. This is not good for social order.
There has also been a trend towards more unruly behaviour at airports, some of which have gone viral (like the Shandong woman in Guangzhou airport). This case in Kunming might be an exemplory/detterent sentencing.
Either way, it is a step in the right direction.