business

China overtakes Japan in Fortune 500 ranks

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© 2012 AFP

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Don't expect this trend to change any time soon. Japan Inc. has seen its best days.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Why is a country that has mostly State owned companies even in the Fortune 500 to start with?

-3 ( +4 / -7 )

China hasn't reached anything like its full growth potential yet. Its power companies will be huge for obvious reasons of population and this also applies to state banks. Construction companies will continue to see expansion but more significant is the growth in the manufacturing companies. Car manufacturers such as BYD, Chery and Geely aren't household names outside of China but have large market share in the domestic market and are making inroads in developing countries. This is also true of computer hardware manufacturing. China will have the most companies on the Forbes 500 by 2020? 2025?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Apple shooting up the list is a given. I can see them having a top 15 spot in another decade.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Jimizo Jul. 10, 2012 - 07:58AM JST. Car manufacturers such as BYD, Chery and Geely aren't household names outside of China but have large market share in the domestic market and are making inroads in developing countries.

Here is the problem. By 2020, China will likely import 70 percent of the oil it consumes, compared to over 50 percent today. China’s dependence on imported oil will leaves them vulnerable, since long-term global energy “scarcity” that undermines economic growth and increases unemployment could bring social instability. U.S. will exploit its energy weakness of China. China sees the U.S. as the global energy giant. The U.S. military, having gone to war in Iraq and Libya to secure access to North Africa and Persian Gulf oil, is now expanding its influence into Central Asia and Africa. There are few ideal strategies for China, since longterm, high-risk investments in unstable states have great economic and political costs. And China's policies raise tensions with the U.S.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

^ I was under the impression China was developing Thorium Nuclear reactors. What your saying is spot on though.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

No matter how you look at it, China is another flash in the pan, just like Japan was twenty years ago. Their growth is absolutely unsustainable, from many aspects. Energy use, demographics, current fiscal policy, massive government intervention into the marketplace.

Sixty percent of China's GDP is from government spending. This can't continue.

Of course, the rest of the world ain't doing so good either, and there is likely going to be some problems, but whatever happens to the global financial system, China stands to lose big.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

China's raise to economic power has it's consciousness. They are world's leader in digital piracy and copyright violations. They are the single most polluted country on the face of the planet with the highest birth defect and highest cancer rates in the entire world. (These are not my opinion these are facts). China may be rising fast, but at a terrible cost to human rights and human health not to mention their pollution and will soon if does not already effect the the rest of the world. No country on the planet should envy China, or be threatened by their so called success. I am all for China lifting nearly 200 million people out of poverty, but another 500 million, are being poisoned by their massive industrial mining. FYI China has something like 80% of the entire worlds arsenic supply and much of it leaking into the soil, rain water, even the ocean.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Jeeze, at least Wal-Mart and Toyota are holding down the fort against the oil companies. I'm wondering what % of the total revenues are from oil related companies.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

What goes up must come down.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

What goes up...must eventually yield to the momentum of a larger force with over 10 times the population and 30 times the landmass.

To think that "Little Japan" had bested the Chinese for the last 150 years or so is a miracle to say the least.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Japan lost all that ground despite a very strong currency. I know their currency has hurt exports but the strong currency would value the Japanes companies quite a bit higher in Dollar terms. But Japan still does not get it.... Like Nero fiddling while Rome burned.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

But Japan still does not get it.... Like Nero fiddling while Rome burned.

Oh..the people know alright, and so do the Optimates who keep the status quo. What Japan needs is a Caesar-like red tape cutting saviour to march on Tokyo.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

about time, China should be at least 2-3 times higher in GDP as well as Fortune 500 companies. With a population of over 10 time more than Japan I doubt they will ever be able to equal GDP per person simply based on economics of scale, but maybe around 50% by 2100.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@cwhite,

China probably will. They've only been doing this for 30 years. And starting from a very low base. There is no reason for them to stop here.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@Robert Dykes,

China is actually not the leading violator of intellectual property rights. .

It would be ironic if you happen to be an American because all leading research shows that the US is actually the biggest violator of intellectual property rights in the world. .

In terms of software piracy, the global ranking is: (1) USA (2) China (3) Russia (4) India In terms of movie piracy, China actually ranks very low! Well below the US and Europe. .

Here are 2 articles out of many that show the true status of piracy in the world:

1) http://finance.ninemsn.com.au/newsbusiness/aap/8248562/software-pirates-most-active-in-asia-pac 2) http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1022243

0 ( +0 / -0 )

What goes up...must eventually yield to the momentum of a larger force with over 10 times the population and 30 times the landmass.To think that "Little Japan" had bested the Chinese for the last 150 years or so is a miracle to say the least.

Then how do you explain South Korea, with a smaller ladmass than Japan, and half the population, currently dominating Japan in every industry imaginable? (While still growing rapidly in terms of GDP)

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

Then how do you explain South Korea, with a smaller ladmass than Japan, and half the population, currently dominating Japan in every industry imaginable? (While still growing rapidly in terms of GDP)

Which industry?

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Today Japan. Tomorrow the US. ;-)

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Much of the relative decline in the US standing over the last decade is related to American companies relocating to other countries due to the high US corporate tax rate.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Looking at this report, interesting points are...(1) Natural resource companies are dominating the list. (2) The number of China based companies jumped from 11 in 2002 to 73 in 2012. (3) Japan is losing the number from 88 in 2002 to 68 in 2012. (4)New rising sun from India. Two companies are listed within 100. Given this result, it seems to me that a lot of companies may be listed within 100 in coming 10 yrs.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Pollutions : well, some posters citing this point are probably correct..the dark side of rapid developments seemed inevitable -- 18th century England amid industrial revolution & Japan in the 1960-70's. State-owned companies : surprisingly these state-owneds performed relatively ok though ? -- that was beyond my expectation from these companies typically underperformed given the stereotype issues : red tape, bureaucracy & lack of drive from employees.. Sustainable development : planned economies ( Vietnam & China etc ) / pseudo-planned economies ( Japan in the 60-80's & S. Korea in the 70-90's ) seemed matching the value of the neo-confucius influenced Asia. No matter what is judged appropriate approach, the successful stories kept repeating in this region from planned economic regimes or economies with heavy administrative guidance from govt.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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