Reed signals seriousness on China

The announcement that Reed Elsevier has appointed Henry Kissinger's key China adviser as the chairman of its China business sends a clear signal of just how seriously the company is looking at the Middle Kingdom. The position is a new one and Shan Mei can be expected to be using the political connections built up over 20 years working for Kissinger to try to ease Reed's way through the minefields of China's regulatory environment.

Mei will be based in Beijing and report to Reed Elsevier's Chief Strategy Officer, Nick Baker.