I love boring my family to death with predictions, so why not on this board as well.
China will soon be producing larger and larger motorcycles.
There were off road machines made by "Janshe" which attracted attention at the recent EICMA in Milan.
My guess is that as they get their production gets into gear they will be looking to build regular road bikes and the next step is competition, and what better place to get recognised than at the IOM.
Anyone interested in a franchise, now would be a good time to get in there. I believe there are also scooters made by Zhongyu and Futong.

Ah So, fine thought, Oh Glate one, however, they have such a HUGE untapped home market, and they probably haven't even heard of T'Isle o'Man, so we need to educate them !!!

Next time we all go into a Chinese Restaurant tell them about the TT---It is sure to filter back to someone in the home country.....

Talking about China, a work colleague said he heard there was going to be a motorcycle meeting held there. Have you heard this story, Don.

Yes Jan, Zhuhai will be hosting a round or the FIM endurance series in 2004.
It will be a 6 hour race (that brings back a few memories for you Sydney people) and it is on from Apr 30 to May 2.
Zhuhai is in the south of Guangdong province and is near to Macau and Hong Kong. Here is a web site about the race:
<A HREF="http://www.zhuhai.gov.cn/363384194933456896/20030714/1037056.html">http://www.zhuhai.gov.cn/363384194933456896/20030714/1037056.html</A>

You could fit this into your plans and visit it on the way to the TT next year Jan!