Honda Strike
China's Wealth Drain
Students' Job Prospects
Graduates Working For Free
Coal Made More Efficient
Drawbacks Of Hydro Power
Drug Commission Scandal

Here in China the phrase "study abroad" usually conjures up images of young people hoping to enhance their career prospects with a much sought after qualification from a foreign institution. And more and more of the country's top academics have spent time studying overseas.

But now it looks as if educational professionals could be following in the footsteps of their students. Over 100 professors, leaders and principles are to be sent abroad to learn from universities in other countries, including the United States, Japan, the UK and Australia.

Now the recession has hit job markets the world over, and for young graduates job hunting has never been tougher. But with job prospects bleak at home, some young foreigners are looking at a move to China as a possible solution to the employment crunch.

China has recently implemented policies aimed at increasing enrollment into its universities in the name of education. The aim is obviously to make the country's workforce more qualified.  But paradoxically, one unintended consequence of this policy has been rising unemployment among graduates. As a result, students are having to prepare ever earlier for the tough job market that awaits them.

In China, as everywhere else, looking for a job these days is no easy task. While the country has been spared the worst effects of the global financial crisis, job prospects - especially for new graduates are bleak. So in a market where employers can pick and choose – what criteria are used to select the right person for the job? Is the choice on suitability made on or do other factors influence. While China doesn’t have a specific anti-discrimination law, it does have laws which forbid discrimination in the workplace against women, people with disabilities, or those suffering from certain chronic illnesses.

Chinese President Hu Jintao has just wrapped up an historic state visit to the United States. But what consequences will his trip and this new stage in Sino-US relations have for business? Russell Brown is co-founder of LehmanBrown International Accountants, a China-focused accounting, taxation and business advisory firm. He talks to Fergus Thompson about the prospects for foreign businesses coming to China - and Chinese businesses heading abroad.