A Postcard from China: Insights from the inside

Analysts in bullish mood

When you visit a country to meet company management teams, you often get some interesting insights into the way the local society operates.

Those in turn can point you towards wider investment themes and opportunities. My recent visit to China was no exception. During my round of company meetings in Shanghai, one of most striking things was the number of women in senior corporate roles. This was certainly higher than in most other countries I have visited. While Chairman Mao famously declared that "women hold up half the sky", I suspect that the prominence of women in corporate life is one outcome of China's infamous one-child policy. That policy has recently been relaxed, but after four decades, one child per couple is now ...