Like 3.5 bazillion other people, I watched the Games of the XXIX Olympiad on TV.  I witnessed the remarkable feats within the Bird's Nest (a.k.a., the Beijing National Stadium) and the even more remarkable feats (as in Michael Phelps) within the Water Cube (a.k.a., the Beijing National Aquatics Center).

Consider those two buildings, for a moment.  One literally appears to be a randomly woven structure of straw.  The other an assemblage of ice cubes.  Can you picture either of those two buildings being built anywhere in the U.S. with the exceptions of (1) Las Vegas or (2) property owned by Disney?  I can't.  I can imagine people being up in arms when presented with the mere proposals.

What's all the more remarkable is that both structures were designed by non-Chinese firms.  In the case of the Bird's Nest, the design competition was awarded to Herzog and de Meuron, a Swiss company.  The Water Cube was done by PTW Architects of Australia.

Clearly, the organizers (a.k.a., the Chinese government) were sufficiently comfortable enough with their own taste to go with what are evidentially avant-garde buildings.

When it comes to the auto industry in China, all too often, I think, those of us in the U.S. seem to reference what Western manufacturers are doing in that country.  For example, isn't it somewhat amusing that Buick is a highly desirable marque in China?  People in the U.S. sometimes question the on-going relevance of Buick.  In Beijing the brand is hot.  Or we see that the Japanese builders, the European builders, and a whole bunch of supplier companies are doing comparatively considerable business in the fast-growing market.

One could argue that the successes of these Western companies have had the effect of biting them in the behind: as the number of motor vehicles in China increases, there is a proportionate rise in demand for petroleum there, which then leads to higher fuel prices, which leads to reduced car and truck sales in the companies' home markets.

But what we don't pay sufficient attention to are the domestic Chinese manufacturers.  It may be years before they export product to Western nations in any great numbers.  It will be a bit of time before they are producing at the rate that we've been familiar with in the U.S.

But make no mistake: They are growing.

And like the selection of the architecture, there will undoubtedly be some rather impressive displays going forward.

This may be somewhat difficult for those of us in the West to fully understand outside our familiar frames of reference.  That is, I received a press release that opens as follows: "Wuhan, Hubei, China."  I was lost at the dateline.  Wuhan is in central China—and has been for some 3,000 years.  Anyway, it goes on, "China Automotive Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CAAS)"—yes, it trades on NASDAQ—"a leading power steering components and systems supplier in China, today announced that its subsidiary, Jingzhou Henglong Automotive Parts Co. ("Henglong"), has signed a supply agreement with ChangAn Auto Co. Ltd. ("ChangAn Auto")."

I don't know about you, but my knowledge of Henglong and ChangAn Auto are on par with my ability to compete in the 200 m butterfly (a.k.a., nonexistent).  But I learned that China Automotive Systems produces power steering systems, steering columns, oil pumps, and hoses, and that it supplies vehicle manufacturers including China FAW Group, Donfeng Auto Group, Brilliance China, Beiqi Foton Motor, and Chery Automobile.  ChangAn Auto is a full-line manufacturer producing cars, SUVs, light trucks, minivans, buses, and other commercial vehicles; it has an annual vehicle capacity of 1 million and can build 1.1 million engines.

Numbers-wise, this may not be a big deal.  Total shipments of steering systems in '08 (including an electric steering system) of just 30,000 units.  But just wait.  Or better yet, if you're a supplier of anything, don't wait: make sure that you're sufficiently innovative and lean to be a competitor.  Otherwise, you may be seeing some imaginative, gutsy competitors from the East all too soon.