Asia Pacific is a strategic market for O3b. We are working closely with the region’s mobile operators and Internet Service Providers to develop affordable Internet backbone connectivity solutions that will rely on our satellite constellation; we can deliver truly scalable capacity from the low Megabit to multiple Gigabits in any location within the region.

When you consider the fact that not all countries in the region have access to reliable terrestrial connectivity solutions, O3b’s advantages become obvious. For example, the average data rates per user in Indonesia is half that of users in Thailand. Our system was after all, built around a business problem; how to deliver ubiquitous affordable bandwidth anywhere across over 150 countries in all emerging markets. O3b’s technology will simply augment the fiber capacity mostly restricted to some of the wealthier countries, by continuing to provide fiber-like capacity beyond the practical and budget limitations of the less economically developed countries. Likewise, the mobile industry also presents a significant growth opportunity for O3b, as we will continue to launch more products aimed at serving 2G, 2.5G, 3G and BWA (Broadband Wireless Access) customers to increase the profitability of every mobile tower.

There are two reasons why O3b focuses on emerging and developing markets like Asia Pacific. The first is there’s a real desire for cost-effective services. And secondly, there’s an ethical imperative to bring those people into the economic opportunities that are currently enjoyed by the developed world and are not available to the emerging markets of the word.

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由国务院发展研究中心主办的“中国发展高层论坛2012”年会3月17号至19号在钓鱼台国宾馆举行。来自国内外的企业家、专家学者、政府官员和国际组织代表共500多人参加了此次会议，参会人数和规模创下新高。在本次会议上，与会的中外嘉宾关注的焦点议题都包括了哪些？又提出了哪些值得中国思考的观点？

“本届“中国发展高层论坛”年会的主题是“中国和世界 宏观经济与结构调整”。在当前美国经济疲态不减，欧洲经济重回衰退的大背景下，中国经济如何避免所谓的“硬着陆”是参会嘉宾关注的重点。对于这一问题，美国耶鲁大学教授、摩根士丹利亚洲区非执行主席史蒂芬·罗奇延续了他一贯的乐观观点，他表示，中国经济‘永远’不会硬着陆。

罗奇说：“中国会不会有所谓硬着陆的危险呢？我认为永远不会。我的朋友当中有一些人这样认为，我觉得他们是错的。五年之前，中国总理温家宝就对中国经济提出警示，他说中国经济是不稳定、不平衡、不协调以及不可持续的，他这句话是恰如其分的。中国必须从依靠外需的推动更多转向内需的推动。”

罗奇认为，当前对中国来说，至关重要的问题不是政策制订的问题，而是执行政策的问题。他表示，中国第十二个经济社会五年发展计划当中包括了通过改善社会保障、提高工资等多方面内容，都清楚表明了中国转变发展方式的目标。但是，这些政策实施方面的步骤还是比较慢的，希望随着十二五规划的深化实施，能够看到一些新的更大的进展。

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Hong Kong’s property tycoons are the wealthiest men in the city. Many of them are well into their 80s: Li Ka-shing of Cheung Kong, Lee Shau-kee ofHenderson Land, and Cheng Yu-tung of New World Development. But all of them are still involved in running the businesses they helped found.

Raymond and Thomas Kwok of Sun Hung Kai Properties

Wealth experts say Hong Kong is unusual, in that its many self-made billionaires often struggle to turn over the reins of their companies to their heirs. For investors, who like a clear succession plan, the uncertainty is an added risk.

“Once in a while I see an enlightened Joe who opens up the conversation about planning and continuity. But it is rare,” Thelma Kwan, the head of wealth advisory for Asia Pacific at Barclays Wealth, says. “The inability to let go is always there. The reluctance to talk about mortality is always there.”

But increasingly, a younger generation of scions, educated abroad, are getting involved and shaking things up. Take, for example, 32-year-old Adrian Cheng Chi-kong. He’s set to inherit part of the empire carved out by his grandfather, Cheng Yu-tung, whose holdings are worth an estimated $9 billion, according to Forbes magazine. They include the privately held Chow Tai Fook jewelry chain and the Hong Kong-listed New World group, active in property and infrastructure.

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