Tough Slogging

As a result, touting e-commerce is proving to be tough slogging. In one session at the five-star Garden Hotel in Guangzhou, Asian-Trader enlisted the aid of Taiwanese Congresswoman Jung-Shu Hsu to promote the concept of conducting business electronically. Only a handful of Taiwanese businesspeople were in attendance, and they were enthusiastic about the prospects of more "efficiency" in their operations.

But getting going was another matter. One manufacturer urged the legislator to hold more seminars - so he and other businessmen could first learn how to get onto the Web. It seems collaborating with resellers and business partners will have to wait.

Indeed, the congresswoman may have been watching the real revolution unfold right before her eyes. As she talked to her small audience of 15 businesspeople, two popped out in the hallway to answer cell phones. Others just covered their mouths and kept talking, while she talked, uninterrupted.

Forget computers. China has a real shot at becoming the largest market in the world for cell phones. At present, some 40 million Chinese are mobile phone users, and the number is expected to surpass 100 million by the end of next year. And those numbers may be understated.

In fact, cell phones could well become more widely used than computers for gaining access to the Web in China, in fairly short order. "If you are looking for a leapfrog opportunity in China [on the Web], it's definitely going to be wireless," Michael said.

In China, as in Japan, the cell phone is not seen as just a universal walkie-talkie. They are cameras for taking pictures of cute guys or gals at parties and sending to friends. They are for downloading music clips, listening to music and, if mood strikes, buying music. Hear a song on the radio? Buy it on the phone.

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Imported Ideas Don't Fly