Powerful brands needed to boost nation's influence

A SHOE-MAKING factory in Zhejiang province reportedly produces two similar models of shoes, yet their prices vary greatly because one model is subcontracted for a German brand while the other is produced for a local brand. Rednet comments:

The two different models are made with the same materials and using the same technology. They even meet the same quality standards. Yet the shoes subcontracted for the German brand sell for 300 yuan ($45.2) while the other, for a domestic brand, sell for 50 yuan.

Just as the manager of the company said, Chinese products do not lag behind their Western competitors but their brands do.