Eric Harwit, a professor at the University of Hawaii, says they are contemplating South Korean- or Japanese-style protectionism: red tape and other non-tariff barriers.

ECONOMIST: Is there any point in manufacturing cars in China?

But the church eventually found less sophisticated officials in Huizhou, near Hong Kong, and sold them the idea (one local dignitary at the time was under the impression that Panda was one of America's Big Four car makers, according to Eric Harwit, an expert on China's car industry at the University of Hawaii).

ECONOMIST: South Korean business