I will be speaking at a number of events in the next month. Most of these events directly concern the Supertrends book, but one, on sustainable business, will draw on my experience as an cleantech consultant to focus on China’s current environmental and sustainable development challenges and opportunites.

April 23 – CanCham Shanghai, 6:30 PM at the Four Seasons Shanghai

May 7 – Green Product & Business Forum, 10 AM at Shanghai’s Guangdong Hotel Conference Center

(More information on the above two events can be found at this post on Supertrends).

As well, in May I will be talking to some groups privately, including a study tour to China from my alma mater, the Richard Ivey School of Business, and a group of EMBA students from the John Molson School of Business of Concordia University.

I am available to speak about China’s economy and the Supertrends at events inside and outside of China. Please contact me for more detials.

The most recent article I have written is out in the new CanCham March / April newsletter.  My article, “Shanghai’s Great Expectations: Can the World Expo 2010 Revive a Depressed Economy?” is on page 8 in the Special Focus section.

The overall topic of this issue of the newsletter is in fact the upcoming World Expo. I have previously written on this topic in relation to Haibao, the pinipedean Gumby look-a-like Expo mascot, but my new article is less tongue-in-cheek and more about what the real potential for the 2010 Expo really is:

Fast-forwarding to 2010, the Shanghai-hosted World Expo could be a turning point of the economic crisis, or it might be one of the worst-timed major events of the 21st century: When Shanghai opens its doors to the world, China’s economy and that of the world could be on the way to recovery or in the midst of a downturn possibly rivaling the Great Depression.

I go on to compare it with the last major expo, that of 2005 in Aichi, Japan, which I had the chance to attend given that Nagoya was a city I once called home. The theme of the Japanese pavilions and the overall event was the role of technology in our lives, apt in a demographically-challenged yet high-tech Japan. This contrasts with the theme of Shanghai’s, which is to be Better City, Better Life, basically all about urbanization and sustainable development. I must say, I prefer the idea of a cleaner greener future rather than one in which I am served by robotic guides…

I think that in the end, Shanghai’s Expo will be, much like Aichi’s was, a phenomenal success. Sure, there is the possibility it may not be in the booming China that we have grown accustomed to in the last several years, but I believe it will be a source of new optimism for a brighter future.

I had originally planned to write the first post in a few days, on my official four year anniversary in China, but since this blog has just gone online today, June 1 2008, it seems close enough and is also, to me, an easier-to-remember date. Although I first visited China in 2003 as an exchange student while doing my MBA, I moved to Shanghai permanently on June 6 2004.

I’d first like to welcome you to JasonInch.com and say thank you for visiting.

This site is for my professional and business life, so here you will find information about current projects, work history, and my thoughts on working in China as a consultant, speaker, and entrepreneur. 

For those who would like to know a little something about me, I’ve put a short profile online here.  I’ve also included links to some of my newspaper articles online.  Finally, you can read about my latest endeavor, the new book, Supertrends Of Future China: Billion Dollar Business Opportunities for China’s Olympic Decade, scheduled for release this summer. 

I welcome any feedback, comments or questions.  I can be reached through the Contact Form.

I’m predicting another four productive and enjoyable years in China.

Thanks again for visiting.