Chinas Marken-Problem

Chinesische Firmen haben in letzter Zeit zwar einige große westliche Marken (man denke nur an IBMs ThinkPad oder Volvo) aufgekauft. Damit können sie sich allerdings weniger auf dem internationalen Markt durchsetzen, als vielmehr in der Heimat überleben, schreibt die Washington Post in einer Analyse:

Last year, China overtook Germany to become the world's largest exporter, and this year it could surpass Japan as the world's No. 2 economy. But as China gains international heft, its lack of global brands threatens its dream of becoming a superpower. No big marquee brands means China is stuck doing the global grunt work in factory cities while designers and engineers overseas reap the profits. Much of Apple's iPhone, for example, is made in China. But if a high-end version costs $750, China is lucky to hold on to $25. For a pair of Nikes, it's four pennies on the dollar. "We've lost a bucketload of money to foreigners because they have brands and we don't," complained Fan Chunyong, the secretary general of the China Industrial Overseas Development and Planning Association. "Our clothes are Italian, French, German, so the profits are all leaving China. . . . We need to create brands, and fast." ... The Chinese computer maker Lenovo, which bought IBM's ThinkPad in 2004, wasn't the first Chinese company to acquire a big foreign brand, but it's still considered the pioneer. ... Lenovo responded by following the lead of an increasing number of Chinese firms: returning to its roots. Yuan Yuanqing was reappointed its chief executive and refocused Lenovo on the company's one bright spot: the China market. Sales skyrocketed, despite lackluster performance overseas. Lenovo, according to Bob O'Donnell, a longtime expert on personal computers at IDC, "became a Chinese company again." Still, analysts said Lenovo's rocky foreign adventure saved the company.