China Tries to Solve its Brand X Blues

The problem, which is really apparent in the article - the shoe's logo (Nike ripoff) and the company's slogan (Adidas ripoff), is that after years of repression Chinese society just lacks creativity. You just cannot have a totalitarian government and a society that is free to innovate and create new things<p>Another good example is Singapore. Sure you can walk alone at 3am and not even be in the slightest bit of danger... but with all the censorship you have graduate students who do not know how to have sex. This is not a joke - it was prominent problem 8 years ago. They just went around the problem by heavily promoting immigration

The only story here is that the New York Times believes the United States can compete in China better than major domestic manufacturers by leveraging some illusionary strength in "branding". Huh?<p>How about a reality check: Nike and Li-ning are in fundamentally different markets. If the COO of Li-ning thinks that branding gives them maybe a 10% boost in sales he probably knows what he is talking about. As far as growth opportunities go, I'd much rather be in Li-ning's position in China than Nike's.