Asia
Putrajaya, the new administrative capital
Built around an artificial lake, this new city is a showcase for trends in contemporary Malaysian architecture: a Mughal-style courthouse, a Safavid-inspired mosque, a conference centre reminiscent of a flying saucer and futuristic bridges. The whole thing is monumental, brand new, but... soulless. The Pullman Putrajaya Lakeside hotel, close to the convention centre, has opted for...
Malaysia: address book
Identity card Formalities: passport valid for 6 months after the date of return. Time difference: +6 hours in summer, +7 hours in winter. Currency: The ringgit (RM). 1 euro = RM3.99 (June 2013). Area code: + 60 (Malaysia); 3 (Kuala Lumpur); 4 (Penang). Best season: equatorial climate...
"You can plan a short trip to Malaysia, which will leave you...
What advantages does Malaysia have to offer an incentive group? Abdul Rahim Haron - There are many! Malaysia is a multi-cultural country with a very different atmosphere and landscape. Its infrastructure is modern. Everyone speaks English, there's no need for a visa, no special vaccinations... A change of scenery is guaranteed in Malaysia.
Ascott on the road to India: Gurgaon in 2016
A key player on the business hotel scene, the Indian market will soon be attracting a new major player: the Ascott group, which already has nine business addresses in India, is getting ready to set up its premium hotel residence brand in 2016 in Gurgaon, in what is considered to be one of India's main business destinations, some twenty kilometres...
Bombay - Bangalore: address book
Getting there Jet Airways, an Indian airline with one of the world's newest fleets and some of the lowest fares on the market, operates one flight a day to Bombay from Brussels, using a two-class Airbus A330-200. This service to the Indian city is operated on a shared basis...
Seoul: design destiny
At first sight, this phenomenon may come as a surprise to Western travellers unfamiliar with Asian trends. From Bangkok to Singapore, from Hanoi to Manila, the younger generation only has eyes for K-pop or K-sitcoms. By "K", we mean anything that originates in Korea. A veritable invasion that is...
Wuhan: the ambitions of a Francophile
Knowing that Wuhan is pronounced Wouran will soon be no more than a question of general knowledge. And with good reason: the capital of Hubei - one of China's richest provinces - is fast becoming a first-class business city. Of course, when you stroll along the banks of the Yangtze, you'll notice...
China: address book
Identity card Formalities: Passport valid for 6 months after date of entry + visa. Currency: the yuan (CNY). 1 euro = 8.2 yuan (May 2012). Time difference: +6 hours in summer, +7 hours in winter. Area code: +86 (China), 10 (Beijing), 27 (Wuhan), 23 (Chongqing). Getting there Air France...
Chongqing: an oversized megalopolis
A Chinese version of the conquest of the West is being re-enacted in Chongqing, almost 2,000 km from Beijing. With a population of 32 million living in an area of 82400 km², Chongqing is the most densely populated city in the world. These extraordinary dimensions are in fact maintained by...
Tokyo Marunouchi never sleeps
Getting to Marunouchi is easy: just get off at Tokyo Station, the sprawling central station. Right in the heart of the city, on the steps of the Imperial Palace Gardens. A suburb of Edo Castle during the feudal era, Marunouchi - 'in the enclosure' - saw its destiny change at the end of the 19th century with the...
Tokyo Marunouchi: address book
Practical information Area code: +81. Time difference: +8 hours in winter, +7 hours in summer. Currency: Yen. 1 euro = 98 yen (January 2012). Electricity: 100V/60 Hz with flat plugs, but most hotels offer in-room connections suitable for European appliances. Getting there...
Taipei - The quiet revolution
Obsessed with the stellar performance of Asian economies, led by mainland China, we almost forget that Taiwan could represent, beyond its undeniable economic success, the model of society to which most of Asia could aspire. In terms of GDP, Taiwan's economy grew by 10.81TP3Q in 2010, under the triple...
Bombay - Business landmarks in booming India
When we talk about Bombay - or Mumbai, its official name since 1995 - the outside world often only remembers the cliché of Bollywood, the glittering centre of an Indian film industry that remains the world's leading, with almost 3,000 films produced every year. But entertainment is not the only thing...
Singapore: A city in constant redefinition
Turning a challenge into a success. Singapore, a small piece of peninsula with no resources or hinterland, populated by a majority of Buddhist Chinese in a corner of Asia that tends to be Muslim, has succeeded. Taking advantage of its differences, Singapore has established itself over the past 50 years as the hub of South-East Asia. After trade and finance in the...
Shanghai / Guangzhou - Asian Games: The new ingredients for...
Establishing itself as the new economic centre of southern China is one thing. Establishing this new prestige with dignity is quite another. And one that requires a real helping hand to turn some very exotic ingredients to good account. Three in all: an international event, a new business district and, in the process, a monument...
Shanghai / Guangzhou - World Expo: a better life in...
Looking at the figures announced, Expo 2010 is big. In fact, it's the biggest of all the Universal Exhibitions ever organised, with all the superlatives: the longest duration (184 days), one of the biggest budgets (3 billion euros), the largest surface area (528 hectares), the largest number of participants (192 countries,...
Shanghai / Guangzhou - Two cities and Chinese modernity
In front of the impressive urban forest of the Pudong district, everyone can see the extent of Shanghai's new ambitions. The host city of the 2010 Universal Exhibition has undertaken a host of projects, not least the renovation of the famous Bund: it is adorning itself and preparing to become the London of Asia, the showcase of the...
Shanghai / Guangzhou - Bruno Lefébure, Partner, Bignon-Lebray law firm
How did you become a specialist in Franco-Chinese law in Shanghai? Bruno Lefébure - Originally a lawyer at the Paris Bar, I arrived in China in 2000, then returned to Paris to set up a department to handle Chinese investment in France. I came back to Shanghai in 2009 to help French companies...
Olivier Colomès, Chairman and CEO of the Exotissimo incoming agency
How is Exotissimo developing in South-East Asia? Olivier Colomès - With my partner, Éric Merlin, we set up Exotissimo in Vietnam in 1993. Then, after Indochina - Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia - we added Myanmar and Thailand. Indonesia is our new destination for 2010, with Bali and then Java. What are your...
Gangnam-gu: Profile of a district to suit all tastes
If there's one district to discover among Seoul's 25 dongs, it's Gangnam-gu. For business, but also for pleasure. Because you really can find everything in Gangnam-gu. However, constant hustle and bustle has not always been the golden rule in this urban condensation of the new South Korea. Not so long ago,...
