Is the new 3 series is losing US market share?

I've been to Hong Kong and Shenzhen once a year for 15 years and my biggest issue is avoiding the karaoke clubs and massage facilities. I just can't say 'no' at the fruit plate and the US dollar just goes too far.

BJ

Originally Posted by dtc100

I was introduced to a popular seafood meal in which while you work on the fish, it could bite your fingers off if you were not careful, because the fish head was kept alive. I chickened out.

That sounds more like Japan than China. Chinese generally don't eat raw stuff.

Originally Posted by Lorenzzo

The Chinese government is pretty smart. With China and Japan the second and third largest world economies they can't afford continuing escalations. Japan has even more incentive to avoid conflict insofar as they can't defend themselves and we sure aren't going to do it.
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Japan do not have too many friends in Asia. Obviously, the Chinese hates them, the Koreans like nothing more than to stick it to them for what they did in WW2. If conflict arise between China and Japan, it will be interesting to see what involvement the US military will take under the Treaty of San Francisco. I think the last thing the US want right now is a war with China over a Japanese claim of a small island.

Originally Posted by dtc100

Japan's vulnerability is not national security, rather limited resources (why they invaded their neighbors) and an aging population.

Yes but with no real military they can't defend the rocks and fanning nationalism is tough when warheads are your only source of miitary strength. Industry will reign the expansionist goofballs in fast enough.

Originally Posted by Jamesonsviggen

I am a bit of a picky eater(No seafood for example) so that made things much harder.

animal or vegetable was my first question. I also refused to eat anything that was able to look back at me lol.

Oh, the food is insanely good and dirt cheap there. You do have to know what you're eating and be careful where you go. It's not uncommon for cooking oils to be scooped out of gutters for re-use.

Originally Posted by boltjaM3s

I've been to Hong Kong and Shenzhen once a year for 15 years and my biggest issue is avoiding the karaoke clubs and massage facilities. I just can't say 'no' at the fruit plate and the US dollar just goes too far.

BJ

LOL. How are you able to handle the beautiful young ladies who will do anything to have you bring them back to the US with you? So far I've managed to stay strong.

Originally Posted by The X Men

Japan do not have too many friends in Asia. Obviously, the Chinese hates them, the Koreans like nothing more than to stick it to them for what they did in WW2. If conflict arise between China and Japan, it will be interesting to see what involvement the US military will take under the Treaty of San Francisco. I think the last thing the US want right now is a war with China over a Japanese claim of a small island.

The consensus amongst expats over there is the 50,000 or so US troops in Japan present the prospect of both risk and stability. We can't pull 'em, we can't use 'em but they're in the way of a military advance.

With proper diplomacy all around it's hard to imagine how the 1,2 and 3 biggest economies of he world would get into it, even in recession. That said, the ex pats and I are all businessmen who see things through economics. History amongst the three countries is a little bit of a sticky wicket.

Originally Posted by Chris90

That sounds more like Japan than China. Chinese generally don't eat raw stuff.

Supposedly the fish is well cooked, except the head, and It is left gasping for air.

BTW, depending on where it is, things are no longer cheap. In fact many Chinese there consider real estate here cheap and buy with cash left and right.

Originally Posted by Lorenzzo

Yes but with no real military they can't defend the rocks and fanning nationalism is tough when warheads are your only source of miitary strength. Industry will reign the expansionist goofballs in fast enough.

Japan has a substantial military, something like the 3rd or 4th largest military budget in the world, and state of the art stuff (F-15s, Aegis cruisers).

LOL. How are you able to handle the beautiful young ladies who will do anything to have you bring them back to the US with you? So far I've managed to stay strong.

I don't remember seeing a single attractive woman in Hong Kong, was there twice. Nothing like Shanghai or Taiwan.

Originally Posted by Lorenzzo

LOL. How are you able to handle the beautiful young ladies who will do anything to have you bring them back to the US with you? So far I've managed to stay strong.

You need to learn the phrase "Hong Kong Wife".

BJ

Ha. I have a story from a good friend that went to Taiwan a few times on business that would explain this to a T (girlfriend at the time set limits which he ended up going past because he didn't want to hurt the feelings of the young lady). However, it is not a story that should be shared on a public forum.

All I know is I hope BJs actual US Wife (#1) doesn't read his forum posts. LOL.

Originally Posted by Chris90

Japan has a substantial military, something like the 3rd or 4th largest military budget in the world, and state of the art stuff (F-15s, Aegis cruisers).

Japan rank 9th in the world's most powerful military, behind China, India and South Korea.

Originally Posted by boltjaM3s

You need to learn the phrase "Hong Kong Wife".

BJ

I'm not about to admit my state of knowledge about that on a public forum, per v-ninja's advice. I will say there are newish buildings in Shenzhen mostlyl inhabited by female friends of married Hong Kong bon vivants who are "sponsoring" them.

Since the mainlanders can't readily go to Hong Kong but the HK guys can pass through at will, it must be nice for them to know their gf-s can't follow them home.

Originally Posted by Chris90

Japan has a substantial military, something like the 3rd or 4th largest military budget in the world, and state of the art stuff (F-15s, Aegis cruisers).



I don't remember seeing a single attractive woman in Hong Kong, was there twice. Nothing like Shanghai or Taiwan.

They're 6th to 9th depending upon source which means little because after the US and maybe China, nobody has a meaningful military budget. The US is really the only country that diverts meaningful GDP that way. Japan has the toys as I alluded to, partly because they make us happy by buying our stuff. But they aren't trooped up and since WWII have been neutered.

Hong Kong is really a completely different place than mainland China and we're talking mainland. That said, there is no shortage of both beautiful and ugly in both places depending upon where you look.

Originally Posted by Lorenzzo

They're 6th to 9th depending upon source which means little because after the US and maybe China, nobody has a meaningful military budget. The US is really the only country that diverts meaningful GDP that way. Japan has the toys as I alluded to, partly because they make us happy by buying our stuff. But they aren't trooped up and since WWII have been neutered.

Hong Kong is really a completely different place than mainland China and we're talking mainland. That said, there is no shortage of both beautiful and ugly in both places depending upon where you look.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...y_expenditures

China spends a lot true... but if you look at, for example, all of the NATO countries excluding the US, they combined still have more military spending than China does.

No question that China is on a path towards replacing the former USSR as the chief military that the US will concentrate on countering later on this century.

And.... we are now seriously off topic and I'm one of the principal offenders. My apologies to the OP and others who want to discuss BMW market share.

Originally Posted by boltjaM3s

I've been to Hong Kong and Shenzhen once a year for 15 years and my biggest issue is avoiding the karaoke clubs and massage facilities. I just can't say 'no' at the fruit plate and the US dollar just goes too far.

BJ

I was there for a few weeks. Every woman, beautiful or now was built like a 12 year old boy lol.

I have a unique job as Industial Designer, sometimes I am at an nice office complex working with their engineers, but much of the time I am in their filthy factories sort of doing QA on the assembly line. Most of my meals were at the factory which looks very much like a concentration camp at lunch time.

Originally Posted by Jamesonsviggen

I was there for a few weeks. Every woman, beautiful or now was built like a 12 year old boy lol.

I have a unique job as Industial Designer, sometimes I am at an nice office complex working with their engineers, but much of the time I am in their filthy factories sort of doing QA on the assembly line. Most of my meals were at the factory which looks very much like a concentration camp at lunch time.

Why I said it all depends on where it is. The places I went were more upscale, very similar to the big US cities. The least expensive bottle of wine (mostly Aussie or CA wine) was over 300 RMB, which was about US$50. A nice dinner for two was easily over US$100. Not what I call dirt cheap, and those were just average dinning places located in semi-upscale shopping malls.

Young women were beautiful and trendy too, very westernized. One thing I noticed, not a single one of them was overweight or plus size

Originally Posted by dtc100

Why I said it all depends on where it is. The places I went were more upscale, very similar to the big US cities. The least expensive bottle of wine (mostly Aussie or CA wine) was over 300 RMB, which was about US$50. A nice dinner for two was easily over US$100. Not what I call dirt cheap, and those were just average dinning places located in semi-upscale shopping malls.

Young women were beautiful and trendy too, very westernized. One thing I noticed, not a single one of them was overweight or plus size

I also apologize for the hijack, but where were you staying? When I'm in Shenzhen, Shanghai or Bejing, I eat pretty well for 20 RMB or $3. Fancy meals in fancy places are certainly more but still around hald what I'd pay in the states for what I get. Per person for under 300 RMB you can eat like a king.

Wine is a different story and usually not worth getting at all. Most I've gotten is not only expensive but poorly stored.

Originally Posted by Lorenzzo

I also apologize for the hijack, but where were you staying? When I'm in Shenzhen, Shanghai or Bejing, I eat pretty well for 20 RMB or $3. Fancy meals in fancy places are certainly more but still around hald what I'd pay in the states for what I get. Per person for under 300 RMB you can eat like a king.

Wine is a different story and usually not worth getting at all. Most I've gotten is not only expensive but poorly stored.

Shanghai, outside of Shanghai we stayed with pre-paid tour packages.

In Shanghai we visited an old friend of my dad several times. They were school buddies before the communists took over. After 40 years he went back found his childhood buddy. The guy was an iron man, locked up by the communists several times for the most part of the 40 years but lived to tell.

Since we were familiar with Shanghai, we sought out many eating places, from upscale to hole in the wall kind. Ten years ago it was cheap, but now I can honestly say we never found a place we could eat "pretty well" for 20 RMB per person.

I agree with you about the wine. There were places that knew how to store and serve wine, but they were upscale and very expensive. After we got back, went to or local favorite wine tasting diner, had some real good wine and a nice meal, for half what we spent in a similar quality place in Shanghai.

Originally Posted by dtc100

Shanghai, outside of Shanghai we stayed with pre-paid tour packages.

In Shanghai we visited an old friend of my dad several times. They were school buddies before the communists took over. After 40 years he went back found his childhood buddy. The guy was an iron man, locked up by the communists several times for the most part of the 40 years but lived to tell.

Since we were familiar with Shanghai, we sought out many eating places, from upscale to hole in the wall kind. Ten years ago it was cheap, but now I can honestly say we never found a place we could eat "pretty well" for 20 RMB per person.

I agree with you about the wine. There were places that knew how to store and serve wine, but they were upscale and very expensive. After we got back, went to or local favorite wine tasting diner, had some real good wine and a nice meal, for half what we spent in a similar quality place in Shanghai.

As a tourist it may be different. As a frequent business visitor you get to know the places.

Originally Posted by voip-ninja

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No question that China is on a path towards replacing the former USSR as the chief military that the US will concentrate on countering later on this century.

Thanks mostly to US technology transfer, to make a quick buck in the short run.

One incident in particular was due to a trend years ago to use cheap launch services from Russia and China. If I remember right, of four satellites launched by Chinese rockets, two ended in the wrong orbits. It was blamed on the lack of accuracy of their guidance system. So Honeywell's system was given to them with the promise that they will use it only for commercial rockets. of course, they immediately ended up in their ICBMs. There are already untold numbers of ICBMs aimed at California and I am sure by now many other places in the US.