Quotable

The customers (in China) are very different. They have different cultural tastes and preferences and ways to consume products (and services); the products they want are not the same as those Western consumers want."

Robert Salomon, associate professor at New York University's Stern School of Business

"There are too many entrants in the sector, and some of them are just speculators. The government has to raise the threshold. It's bad to see irrational investments in projects with low technology levels."

Yin Chengliang, a professor at the institute of automotive engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. China's electric vehicle industry, with 200-plus companies backed by billionaires, verges on a massive shakeout as the government imposes stricter technology standards and considers limiting their number to only 10.

"Many of my high-end clients want to allocate their funds globally. They find insurance products of Hong Kong are more diversified and appealing."

Zhang Shuo, a Beijing-based agent for China Life Insurance Co Ltd. Chinese mainland visitors paid insurance premiums worth HK$31.6 billion ($4.1 billion; 3.7 billion euros) last year, accounting for 24.2 percent of new premiums in Hong Kong.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 09/02/2016 page24)