What is it about China? After attending a China Dragon Fund meeting the other night, I got all excited about China once again. From an investment perspective, China is the land of milk and honey, and Albert Koopman, CEO of China Dragon Fund has a way of firing me up about it. Having been there myself, I totally get it. Even Prime Minister Paul Martin has now jumped on that boat - never mind that he’s far behind many European nations, Australia, and the U.S.A. It seems Canada has taken the slow boat to China, but whatever, we finally made it.

Considering Canadians are very much respected in China, one has to wonder what took our government - albeit typically - so long to get involved. While opportunity will abound for many years to come, this is the ground-breaking time for ventures in China. The Chinese central government is moving very quickly with their capitalistic policies, and things are shifting fast. Rules and regulations regarding private business ownership change daily, so you must be on your toes if you want to be the first in the door. You snooze; you just might lose!

Capital B
Of course, the latter statement applies to business in general. In fact, it’s a universal truth. Hey, I think I’m onto something here!

Are you aware that universal truths apply to everything in the universe? Duh!! Is it a trick question? Absolutely not. Is it only me, or how many of us think to apply those truths to something - well, as inhumane and capitalistic as business? Or need business be inhumane?

This is what fascinates me about Albert. He regards everything from the same perspective. In his world every single act of humanity, from the evolution of personal integrity, to developing individual relationships, to raising kids, to creating a business, and anything in between must follow an identical plan in order to achieve success. As Albert sees it, taking care of and respecting fellow human beings is the only way to be sure that an entity as faceless as a business will be rewarded by the universe. We reap what we sow. What goes around comes around. A business like all else must have a higher purpose, allowing it to survive according to the universal code of honour.

Soul Food
This brings me to book recommendation time. I may have mentioned it before, but once again “The Quest for the Corporate Soul”, co-authored by Albert Koopman and Lee Johnson, is a fascinating read. Promoted as ‘the Celestine Prophesy of the business world’, and laden with Albert’s ideologies, it’s written as a novel - good news for those who nod off upon opening anything resembling non-fiction. This style also serves to illustrate Albert’s somewhat pedantic opinions very well. You may or may not accept some character’s demeanor; that’s okay, it is fiction. Keep reading. It’s the intentions and the greater truth that are important. By the way, this book will be hard to find, but I’ve a copy I’m willing to lend, and I know where to get it. Contact Diane or Blair if you’re interested.

It usually remains a mystery to me how I get from where I’ve started to where I ultimately end up. There are often many side trips along the way, flitting from branch to branch. I guess that’s what I enjoy about the creative process of writing. Once I put pen to paper or fingers to keys the result unfolds with a purpose of its own, not unlike Michelangelo and the block of stone.

Bread and Butter
So, back to China. I’ve begun reading the China Daily on the world-wide web. I find it interesting and revealing, not what one might expect from a Communist report. Apparently the new government is not afraid to allow individuals their voice. This is probably the best way to discover China from afar. You can access this publication free of charge at www.chinadaily.com.cn.

You can learn many things about China at this site. Did you know the average wage earner gets about $100 CAD per month? Slave labour, you say! Not at all. Many of these people are able to own cars - there’s definitely an abundance (and I mean millions) of late model cars on the roads there - and after all their expenses they are still able to save $10. That’s 10% of their total income. How much are you socking away each month toward your financial freedom?

Steamed Rice
Almost certainly attitude plays a large part in this scenario, and after Western attitudes erode Chinese culture maybe they’ll be in the same amount of debt as the average North American. I hope not, though. We should be learning from our own mistakes, and not passing them on to others. Looking at it from the larger perspective, I’m thinking possibly China would do well not to hurry to democracy too quickly. Having a parent in charge, so to speak, while it does limit freedom, isn’t necessarily a bad idea. And from what I witnessed personally, the Chinese people by and large are a happy lot. I haven’t been to another country where I saw so many people wandering down the street and singing to themselves. Now that’s happiness!

If you’re looking for happiness, Corbins is the place to do business for your business. While we can’t make you happy, we’ll do our utmost to help you attain that state of being. So, what can we do for you? Let us know how we can help.


For your success,

Team Corbin

Please note: The China Dragon Fund is under the auspices of the Freedom Investment Club. For more information on the Freedom Investment Club go to www.ficinvestors.com or feel free to contact Blair or Diane at Corbins.