I write these words moments after news has come that China’s fourth-quarter economic performance not only beat expectations but also put the country on course to overtake Japan to become the world’s second-largest economy. Like a stock that continues a long and steady climb, despite analysts’ warnings that the next quarter will bring dire results, China continues to defy the deniers who endlessly predict an economic implosion. True, there may soon be a disappointing quarter or even two, perhaps the next quarter, but the Chinese may very well defy John Maynard Keynes’ view that in the long run we’re all dead. North American managers wanting to capitalize on the opportunities in China will discover some excellent and helpful reading in this issue of Ivey Business Journal.

Stephen Bernhut,
Editor