Voting From Abroad & Fast Food in China

I made it to the US consulate this morning to send my absentee ballot to Boulder. Originally I was going to send in a Federal Write-in ballot, basically just a blank form for people who have not received their real ballots in time; but my procrastination paid off, as I received my ballot on Sunday. It felt good to participate in our country's political system, especially so in a swing state (I tried to register in Cook County, but that is a story for another lawsuit). There were a few too many Colorado ballot initiatives for me, so I had to do some homework to find out what they were all about (half of them I left blank as they have been eliminated from consideration due to wrangling between Colorado's labor and business powers).

Anyway, the point of this pointless story is that this year FedEx offers a free service, called "Express Your Vote", which will overnight my ballot back to the US. I don't know why this (relatively expensive) service is offered, or who funds it; but I definitely would thank them if I had the chance. I especially like that I can track it (my ballot is currently somewhere in the air between Shanghai and the states). I can rest easy knowing that if my man loses Colorado by one vote, it won't be my one vote.


On an unrelated note, I was reading the Economist today as I ate my spicy chicken sandwich at a local KFC, when I came across this article about Burger King making moves in mainland China. The article astutely points out that KFC's dominance in China is due in large part to Chinese consumers' preference for chicken, and the relatively localized menu that they feature here. I think one thing that the article ignores is the role of skillful marketing in McDonald's mainland success (KFC not withstanding).

Marketing, especially focused on youngsters, is what keeps McDonald's growing in China, and helps them to overcome the general distate for the stuff from more traditional palates, as older (middle-aged and up) folks are dragged along by their Xiao Huangdi (little emperors). The kids come for Ronald, free toys, ice cream, and a kids' clubhouse atmosphere. The adults that accompany them are stuck with the food offerings, while McDonald's is 'stuck' with their money. I'd be interested to see if anyone has done any research into the percentage of McDonalds mainland business that is directly related to kids. I'm sure it would be higher than in the west, and that in tier-2 and tier-3 Chinese cities (ie not Shanghai, Beijing, or GZ) it would be the highest.

Presidential Candidates on China

As I have heard both presidential candidates say some pretty uninformed things about China in the past, it is good to see that they have taken the opportunity to explain their thoughts and strategy regarding the world's most populous country. As has been reported by many different China related blogs, McCain and Obama have both written essays for the American Chamber of Commerce in China. It seems that both are sticking to relatively safe positions, but the essays are interesting nonetheless. The "China Rises" blog has posted both essays, along with a succinct summary of both candidates' China strategies put together by the Asia Foundation. Definitely worth checking out (here).

The writer of the blog, Tim Johnson, mentions that there may be some nostalgia for the presidencies of both Bush 41 and Bush 43 in China, as they are both considered "friends of China" (41 was de facto ambassador to China prior to the normalization of diplomatic relations). I would generally agree with his position, but add that when he mentions 'China', it should be thought of as the leadership in Beijing, not the country in general.

Addendum: From the China Law Blog, best summary of the essays so far:

"Anyway, I give you McCain and Obama, in their own words, on China, written for AmCham. The summary of both is that China has done great things (duh!), still has a ways to go (duh!), and the US should cooperate, except where it does not make sense to do so (duh!). Yada, yada, yada. One can hardly blame America for focusing more on Sarah Palin's glasses?"