https://www.scmp.com/rss/311848/feed Edward Tse is founder and CEO of Gao Feng Advisory Company, a strategy consultancy with roots in China assisting clients on global business and management issues. He previously headed Greater China operations for two major international management consulting firms for over 20 years, and is the author of The China Strategy and China’s Disruptors. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Chinese President Xi Jinping and other senior government officials met a group of prominent Chinese tech entrepreneurs in Beijing last week. That neither the property nor finance sector was represented sent a clear signal of the government’s priority. Attendees included Jack Ma, co-founder of Alibaba Group Holding (which owns the South China Morning Post), Xiaomi founder and CEO Lei Jun, Tencent founder and CEO Pony Ma Huateng, BYD chairman and CEO Wang Chuanfu and Huawei Technologies founder... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3299485/chinas-social-minded-technopreneurs-are-force-reckon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3299485/chinas-social-minded-technopreneurs-are-force-reckon?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Feb 2025 01:30:08 +0000 This week marks the 120th birthday of Deng Xiaoping, architect of China’s reform and opening up. It is also a major milestone in commemorating his contributions to China’s rejuvenation. China’s transformation over the last four decades since its reform and opening up in the late 1970s is a highly unusual phenomenon. China’s gross domestic product grew from US$150 billion in 1978 to about US$17.8 trillion by 2023, making it the world’s second largest economy. Per capita GDP jumped from US$157 in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3275315/seeds-deng-xiaopings-legacy-have-yielded-remarkable-progress?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3275315/seeds-deng-xiaopings-legacy-have-yielded-remarkable-progress?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Aug 2024 08:30:11 +0000 Soon after Tesla CEO Elon Musk met Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing, news emerged of Tesla’s collaboration with Baidu to leverage the Chinese company’s mapping data and push the US carmaker’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology in China. This collaboration is a significant move for Tesla amid intense competition from Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers. Musk has been seeking new strategies for the Chinese EV market – the world’s largest and arguably most innovative. Six years ago, the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3262245/what-green-light-tesla-says-about-chinas-attitude-foreign-investors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3262245/what-green-light-tesla-says-about-chinas-attitude-foreign-investors?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 May 2024 08:33:33 +0000 During the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held in Beijing last month, President Xi Jinping announced that China would lift all restrictions on foreign participation in manufacturing. This move demonstrated China’s continuing shift towards inclusiveness when it comes to foreign businesses. The announcement also put a spotlight on China’s growing confidence in its ongoing “reform and opening up” process. China’s low-cost manufacturing sector has emerged over the past four... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3240793/chinas-welcome-foreign-firms-boon-manufacturing-sector?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3240793/chinas-welcome-foreign-firms-boon-manufacturing-sector?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Nov 2023 10:30:12 +0000 New measures to boost growth in the private sector announced by the Chinese government on July 14 have received a mixed reaction from privately owned firms. Some are suspicious of the policy’s intent, some are in a wait-and-see mode and others are positive. Why this sense of unease? In the last three years or so, the government has taken some actions that have stunted growth of some private-sector companies. This has created a broad impression that the government is anti-private... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3229476/measures-boost-economy-show-china-still-has-love-its-private-sector?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3229476/measures-boost-economy-show-china-still-has-love-its-private-sector?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Aug 2023 07:45:09 +0000 The world is changing. Geopolitics, economics, technology, climate, public health and demographics are all shifting, triggering huge uncertainties. A new world order is taking shape and China’s rise to become a major economic power is a key driver behind the tectonic shifts. Business decision-makers are baffled by the myriad of questions they need to answer. Is deglobalisation for real or will globalisation, albeit in a different form, continue to prevail and even grow? Is decoupling feasible?... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3223008/are-business-leaders-ready-new-world-order-china-fore?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3223008/are-business-leaders-ready-new-world-order-china-fore?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Jun 2023 13:15:11 +0000 President Xi Jinping told key Communist Party figures on February 7 that China would continue to pursue Chinese modernisation, as a path distinct from Westernisation. The rest of the world is still trying to decipher what Chinese modernisation means. The failure to understand Chinese modernisation outside China is tied to the West’s belief that the country owes its competitiveness in global markets to unfair means, including infringement of intellectual property rights and use of government... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3210916/chinese-modernisation-may-baffle-west-it-works?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3210916/chinese-modernisation-may-baffle-west-it-works?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Feb 2023 16:30:14 +0000 Nikkei Asia reported that the US-headquartered Dell Technologies plans to stop making any products that requires semiconductors made in China by 2024 and is planning to move half its production out of China by 2025. Instead of feeling alarmed, this needs to be taken in stride. The world’s third-largest personal computer manufacturer, behind Lenovo and HP, had a market share of 11.7 per cent in the third quarter of 2022 in China. Besides the three leading players of Lenovo, HP and Dell, there are... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3207835/why-chinas-move-value-chain-means-dells-departure-no-big-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3207835/why-chinas-move-value-chain-means-dells-departure-no-big-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Jan 2023 12:30:12 +0000 At the 20th party congress, President Xi Jinping said China was entering a new era of “Chinese-style modernisation”. Considering China’s role in the global economy, it is important for businesses worldwide to understand what this means. Xi has indicated that a new growth model is needed to drive China’s evolution into a modern socialist country by 2049. While China intends to maintain its position as one of the world’s largest economies and a major contributor to global economic growth, this new... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197563/foreign-companies-are-still-needed-chinas-new-era-economic-modernisation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197563/foreign-companies-are-still-needed-chinas-new-era-economic-modernisation?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Oct 2022 19:30:08 +0000 The view that foreign companies are not investing in China any more and that those who have are leaving seems to be persisting. The proportion of EU companies considering moving current or planned investments out of China more than doubled to 23 per cent between January and May, according to a survey by the EU Chamber of Commerce in China. The principal reasons include China’s Covid-19 policy and the Russia-Ukraine war, besides major logistics challenges. In the same period, US companies... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3196566/not-all-foreign-companies-china-want-leave-some-are-doubling-down-investments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3196566/not-all-foreign-companies-china-want-leave-some-are-doubling-down-investments?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Oct 2022 13:30:09 +0000 The possibility of multinational companies leaving China in droves along with their supply chains has become a hot topic these days. This is nothing new. In the first quarter of 2020, at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, many held the same view. The US and Japanese governments even offered subsidies to companies leaving China and returning home or relocating elsewhere. However, as the pandemic eased in the second quarter and China’s gross domestic product rebounded, the issue became... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3184033/china-no-danger-losing-its-supply-chain-supremacy-india-or-vietnam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3184033/china-no-danger-losing-its-supply-chain-supremacy-india-or-vietnam?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Jul 2022 04:30:20 +0000 John Lee Ka-chiu, Hong Kong’s sole chief executive candidate, is looking to form an advisory group akin to the old Central Policy Unit (CPU), according to a Post report. The plan is “to reinstate an official think tank in the heart of government with the aim of conducting policy research and taking the pulse of society to address a current deficiency in the administration”. But can a revived CPU meet the needs of our time? Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s decision to wind up the CPU deprived her... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3176001/how-mainland-style-strategic-planning-can-help-hong-kong-improve?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3176001/how-mainland-style-strategic-planning-can-help-hong-kong-improve?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 May 2022 05:30:25 +0000 The Belfer Center at Harvard University’s Kennedy School released a paper in December titled “The Great Tech Rivalry: China vs the US”, analysing the technological status of the two giant economies. Harvard professor Graham Allison, lead author of the report, and Eric Schmidt, the former Google CEO, also published an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal on the subject. They contend that China has already surpassed the US in areas like artificial intelligence, 5G, quantum information science,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3164758/apple-and-teslas-success-china-shows-sino-us-cooperation-can-be-win?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3164758/apple-and-teslas-success-china-shows-sino-us-cooperation-can-be-win?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Jan 2022 17:30:28 +0000 On August 17, President Xi Jinping explained the concept of “common prosperity” as a key requirement of socialism and a major feature of Chinese-style modernisation. Major policies are in for a sea of changes. These range from reforming income distribution to more equal opportunities in education, health care, pensions and housing; to addressing monopolistic behaviour; and to extending boundaries of common prosperity from physical wants to mental fulfilment. Reducing income inequality through... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3148814/foreign-firms-will-have-adapt-chinas-common-prosperity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3148814/foreign-firms-will-have-adapt-chinas-common-prosperity?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Sep 2021 06:30:20 +0000 Recent regulatory actions by the Chinese government towards the tech industry have raised concerns for many people. Starting from the postponement of Ant Group’s IPO to the complete overhaul of regulations governing private tutoring and additional regulations on other market leaders, many are wondering whether these steps constitute a sudden change in the government’s attitude towards private enterprise. In the past decade or so, Chinese entrepreneurs have been quick to leverage the internet to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3145581/how-chinas-tech-crackdown-lays-foundation-future-growth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3145581/how-chinas-tech-crackdown-lays-foundation-future-growth?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Aug 2021 17:30:21 +0000 China is building a modern socialist state with Chinese characteristics. The paradigm shift of reform and opening is now spearheaded by innovation, while historical Chinese experience is applied in the context of the current global environment. In rejuvenating the Chinese nation, the goal is to become a modern society of common prosperity, capable of defending national sovereignty and helping to ensure global stability. In recent years, the prevailing Western view of China has undergone a... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3143186/what-west-needs-know-about-where-modern-china-headed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3143186/what-west-needs-know-about-where-modern-china-headed?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Jul 2021 17:00:11 +0000 US President Joe Biden inherited much from Donald Trump – including trade tariffs, sanctions on Chinese tech companies and curbs on exports of core technology – yet he is clearly following a different track. While Trump was obsessed with containing and weakening China, Biden is aware that the real issues are domestic. His team has said more than once that domestic issues need to be addressed and US competitiveness enhanced to fight China’s growing clout. On March 31, Biden unveiled a US$2... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3131274/how-bidens-build-back-better-plan-takes-page-out-chinas-playbook?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3131274/how-bidens-build-back-better-plan-takes-page-out-chinas-playbook?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Apr 2021 17:30:10 +0000 Last year marked the first year in which China took the position of top foreign investment destination from the United States. According to Unctad, foreign direct investment (FDI) in the US fell to US$134 billion in 2020, a decline of 49 per cent. Meanwhile, FDI in China rose by 4 per cent to US$163 billion. Some observers have said the drop of FDI in the US was because of Covid-19, implying it would rebound as soon as the pandemic stabilises. At the same time, the renewal of economic growth in... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3120757/how-china-became-land-inspiration-and-innovation-foreign-investors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3120757/how-china-became-land-inspiration-and-innovation-foreign-investors?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Feb 2021 17:00:16 +0000 In October, during the 40th anniversary of the Shenzhen special economic zone, President Xi Jinping encouraged young people in Hong Kong and Macau to study and work on the mainland to strengthen their “sense of belonging”. Recently, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor unveiled the Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Scheme which, by partially funding 2,000 positions, encourages companies in the region to create jobs for Hong Kong’s young people. China has transformed incredibly... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3114556/greater-bay-area-offers-much-larger-playing-field-hong-kongs-young?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3114556/greater-bay-area-offers-much-larger-playing-field-hong-kongs-young?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Dec 2020 21:15:14 +0000 Back in 2014, e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding pulled off the largest-ever initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange. Merely six years later, Alibaba’s online finance spin-off, Ant Group, was set to break records by raising at least US$34 billion in Hong Kong and Shanghai. While the Chinese regulators have called a last-minute halt to the IPO, Ant’s move to become a major player in the Chinese finance industry is clear. Chinese tech entrepreneurs are today increasingly taking... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3108823/copycat-tech-trailblazer-china-now-inspires-west?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3108823/copycat-tech-trailblazer-china-now-inspires-west?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Nov 2020 18:30:13 +0000 The Trump administration, which has been blacklisting Chinese tech companies for years – including the electronics giant Huawei – is now targeting TikTok, the viral short-video app owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, among others. Citing national security concerns, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said the app might deliver Americans’ personal data into “the hands of the Chinese Communist Party”. Yet, before these claims surfaced, TikTok was already operationally independent from its parent... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3096481/tiktok-ban-us-should-be-building-bridges-not-walls-data-governance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3096481/tiktok-ban-us-should-be-building-bridges-not-walls-data-governance?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Aug 2020 17:30:08 +0000 As political tensions rise amid the pandemic, relations between the United States and China have worsened at the federal level. Nevertheless, based on our interactions with our clients, we see many from both sides continuing to support collaboration at the local level – between cities, provinces or states. Despite the rhetoric at the federal level, a number of local American officials looking to rejuvenate the economy still welcome Chinese investment. Texas may be a deep red state that voted for... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3088371/even-talk-new-cold-war-chinese-companies-should-seek-stronger?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3088371/even-talk-new-cold-war-chinese-companies-should-seek-stronger?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Jun 2020 17:00:13 +0000 The Covid-19 outbreak has many speculating whether there will be a mass exit by foreign companies from China after the pandemic. Indeed, the crisis has delivered massive blows to many companies’ supply chains. A March survey by the American Chamber of Commerce in South China indicates that all 237 respondents have seen their supply chains affected, and 15 per cent of respondents were already out of some supplies. Some governments have echoed these concerns. On April 7, Japan unveiled a relief... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3081759/will-coronavirus-pandemic-be-final-nail-coffin-chinas-manufacturing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3081759/will-coronavirus-pandemic-be-final-nail-coffin-chinas-manufacturing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2020 12:00:16 +0000 As the humanitarian cost of the coronavirus epidemic mounts, economic casualties are also surfacing throughout China. More than 48 cities have issued lockdown policies, and businesses have had to repeatedly postpone the return to work following the Lunar New Year holiday.  The economic impact is estimated to far surpass that of the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak, given China’s greater integration in the global value chain. The outbreak is also revealing long-standing societal... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3051918/post-crisis-china-will-focus-public-health-and-welfare-business?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3051918/post-crisis-china-will-focus-public-health-and-welfare-business?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Feb 2020 03:00:15 +0000 Edward Tse Edward Tse In the October 23 Congress hearing on Facebook’s digital currency Libra, Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of the social media giant, warned Washington that blocking Libra would give way to China’s growing technological supremacy, which would eventually jeopardise America’s democratic values. Zuckerberg’s remarks, though somewhat apocalyptic, fit into the rhetorical framework of the battle for technological leadership between the world’s two largest economies, the United States and China.... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3037950/why-us-should-not-try-thwart-chinas-blockchain-and-digital-currency?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3037950/why-us-should-not-try-thwart-chinas-blockchain-and-digital-currency?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Nov 2019 03:00:10 +0000 The months-long protests in Hong Kong have not only attracted international attention, but have also begun to involve major foreign powerhouses like the NBA and Apple. The fallout caused by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey’s tweet led Tencent and China’s predominant broadcaster CCTV to suspend the airing of NBA games, and Chinese companies such as Ctrip.com (China’s major travel booking platform) to terminate NBA sponsorship. Meanwhile, Apple’s approval of an app which allows users to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3033579/nba-and-apple-cases-show-foreign-businesses-need-better-understand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3033579/nba-and-apple-cases-show-foreign-businesses-need-better-understand?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Oct 2019 18:00:12 +0000 In a recent business report by the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, 77 per cent of the surveyed companies reported that their China operations are profitable. Around 60 per cent are optimistic about the five-year business outlook and nearly half are increasing investment in 2019. The findings were consistent with those of another report, by the US-China Business Council in August, suggesting that 87 per cent of the US companies operating in China do not want to leave.  Both are slaps in... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3030158/under-one-world-two-systems-us-companies-stay-china-must-evolve?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3030158/under-one-world-two-systems-us-companies-stay-china-must-evolve?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Sep 2019 17:00:12 +0000 Embroiled in a trade war with China, the Trump administration, in February, signed an executive order aiming to spur the development of artificial intelligence, in response to the rising fear in academia and government that the US is losing the race for global AI leadership to China.  Such fears are not entirely unfounded. China has a well-funded commitment to the development of AI. The leadership in Beijing has outlined its ambitions in various development plans, including the initiative to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/3008726/china-and-us-may-be-competing-over-ai-they-dont-need-engage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/3008726/china-and-us-may-be-competing-over-ai-they-dont-need-engage?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 May 2019 17:00:13 +0000 China has just passed a new law that will replace existing regulations on wholly foreign-owned enterprises and on joint ventures involving overseas companies. In response to changing global realities and the need to further open up its economy, the new law includes many stipulations that aim to foster a level playing field for foreign and domestic enterprises.  Forced technology transfer, one of the main issues driving the US-China trade war, will now be banned. The law also emphasises... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/3002701/chinas-new-foreign-investment-law-opens-door?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/3002701/chinas-new-foreign-investment-law-opens-door?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Mar 2019 18:00:13 +0000 In trying to curb China’s supposedly unfair trade practices and substantially reduce its trade deficit with China, the United States is unintentionally helping to accelerate China’s reform and innovation. Washington’s trade war has gained support from many in the Sinophobic circle of politicians, businesses and lobbyists, who have long complained about Beijing’s treatment of foreign businesses, especially those from the US, on issues such as intellectual property protection, forced technology... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2184681/how-us-trade-war-and-other-efforts-thwart?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2184681/how-us-trade-war-and-other-efforts-thwart?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Feb 2019 19:00:00 +0000 In the last 40 years since the start of China’s economic reform and opening up, a lot has happened. The most profound development in China is the rise of the private sector. Compared to the state sector, the private sector contributes much more to GDP and the creation of new jobs. But more importantly, the private sector has been embracing emerging technologies, in particular over the last decade. Ironically, this decade is epitomized by American inventions. The iPhone and the wireless internet... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/edward-tse-china-will-become-ai-leader-it-wont-catch-us-shortly/article/2180173?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/edward-tse-china-will-become-ai-leader-it-wont-catch-us-shortly/article/2180173?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Dec 2018 11:00:45 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping met a group of entrepreneurs on November 1 and underscored the government’s support for the private sector. Soon after, Guo Shuqing, chairman of the China Banking Regulatory Commission, pledged that at least 50 per cent of new corporate loans by China’s banks would be provided to the private sector.  These moves reaffirmed Xi’s earlier position that both the state-owned and private sector are critical to China. In fact, a “three-layered duality” working model has... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2173602/why-china-too-important-market-foreign?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2173602/why-china-too-important-market-foreign?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Nov 2018 19:00:30 +0000 The topic of the Fourth Industrial Revolution topped the agenda last month at the World Economic Forum “Summer Davos”, where over 2,000 top-level representatives from politics, business, social sectors and the arts gathered in the Chinese municipality of Tianjin. China has been one of the leading countries in this imminent revolution, characterised by cutting-edge new technologies that are “blurring the queues between the physical, digital and biological spheres”, according to forum chairman... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/world/article/2167192/trade-war-or-not-ai-blockchain-and-new-energy-vehicles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/world/article/2167192/trade-war-or-not-ai-blockchain-and-new-energy-vehicles?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Oct 2018 18:00:45 +0000 Female entrepreneurship is on the rise in China. In the 2017 Forbes list of the world’s 56 self-made women billionaires, there were 21 Chinese entrepreneurs, accounting for 37.5 per cent of the total. In 2017, China’s female/male ratio of an index measuring entrepreneurial activity is 0.87, above the global average of 0.7. The Total Early-stage Entrepreneurial Activity index, published by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, reflects the percentage of the 18-64 population who are either a... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2160786/dare-fail-why-chinas-women-entrepreneurs-are?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2160786/dare-fail-why-chinas-women-entrepreneurs-are?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Aug 2018 07:00:30 +0000 The Yabuli Youth Forum took place in Hong Kong last month. More than 200 people attended the offshoot of the idea-exchanging platform, the China Entrepreneurs Forum. Government and business leaders from Hong Kong, the mainland and Macau – including former Hong Kong chief executive Leung Chun-ying, former chairman of the China Banking Regulatory Commission Liu Mingkang and Vincent Lo Hong-shui of Hong Kong Trade Development Council – spoke of deepening cross-border collaboration to foster... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2155809/hong-kongs-youth-need-realise-land-opportunity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2155809/hong-kongs-youth-need-realise-land-opportunity?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Jul 2018 22:15:15 +0000 Are the world’s two most powerful nations heading towards a Thucydides Trap? Harvard Professor Graham Allison sees the US and China stumbling into the same dynamic that led to the Peloponnesian wars and that repeated itself between a rising England versus the Dutch Republic in the 1600s, a rising Germany versus Britain in the early 1900s and a rising Japan versus the US in the 1940s. Warning lights of an inevitable war between China and the US are flashing red. The tit-for-tat tariffs threaten... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2149941/ignore-rhetoric-us-china-trade-benefits-both?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2149941/ignore-rhetoric-us-china-trade-benefits-both?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Jun 2018 17:03:49 +0000 At this year’s Boao Forum, President Xi Jinping reiterated China’s commitment to further open the country’s market to foreign companies and improve intellectual property rights protection, an issue that has long been a concern for foreign companies operating in China.  A couple of weeks before Xi’s speech, at a press conference at the end of China’s Two Sessions, Premier Li Keqiang said China would not force foreign companies to transfer their proprietary technology to China.  While some say the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2142595/open-china-market-not-ticket-success-foreign-companies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2142595/open-china-market-not-ticket-success-foreign-companies?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Apr 2018 08:00:30 +0000 The looming trade war between the US and China is front-page news around the world. On the surface, it looks like US President Donald Trump following up on his campaign rhetoric of “America first” and part of his strategy to treat China as a “strategic competitor”. However, it’s possible to trace the roots of the current impasse to a fundamental mistrust between the West, in particular the US, and China. The cover story on the March 3, 2018 issue of The Economist, “How the West Got China Wrong”,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2139422/chinese-innovation-us-characteristics-maybe-china-and-west?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2139422/chinese-innovation-us-characteristics-maybe-china-and-west?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Mar 2018 09:15:00 +0000 Two recent failed deals involving Chinese companies seeking to invest in the US have made headlines. US telecoms company AT&T walked away from a deal with Huawei, a Chinese telecom equipment and smart device maker, under pressure from US Congress. The US government also rejected the intended acquisition of MoneyGram, a US money transfer company, by Ant Financial, an affiliate of China’s internet giant, Alibaba. It was reported that both deals triggered US “national security” concerns. The media... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2132239/china-us-trade-and-investment-thriving-pockets-ground?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2132239/china-us-trade-and-investment-thriving-pockets-ground?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Feb 2018 09:22:11 +0000 While the past two years may have been brutal for brick-and-mortar stores worldwide, China’s online and offline retailers have witnessed a “new retail” revolution, driving an increasingly stronger national consumption. Since China launched economic reforms in 1978, the country’s retail industry has undergone multiple stages of development. With foreign retailers flooding in after China joined the World Trade Organisation in 2001, the scene was diversified. Offline retail started to be challenged... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2125831/how-china-leading-new-retail-revolution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2125831/how-china-leading-new-retail-revolution?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Dec 2017 09:20:16 +0000 In the past few years, China has dived head first into artificial intelligence (AI) research, with the goal of becoming the de facto world leader in this game-changing technology. According to The Economist, from 2012 to 2016, Chinese AI companies received US$2.6 billion in funding while US peers received US$17.9 billion, but this is quickly changing. China, earlier seen as a technology development laggard, is now grasping AI as an opportunity to leapfrog foreign peers. Over 40 per cent of the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2108318/how-chinas-ai-experts-can-beat-google-and-microsoft-their?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2108318/how-chinas-ai-experts-can-beat-google-and-microsoft-their?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Aug 2017 03:04:12 +0000 The 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule is almost upon us and now is the time to reflect on our lessons learned and examine what the future may hold. At the core of the handover is the “one country, two systems” principle. People who support this idea say it is a masterful invention by Deng Xiaoping ( 鄧小平 ) and an ingenious way to resolve Hong Kong’s handover issues. I believe China had no other choice. As a British colony, Hong Kong’s political and social systems mimicked... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2100328/hong-kong-part-china-must-keep-its-eyes-future-not-past?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2100328/hong-kong-part-china-must-keep-its-eyes-future-not-past?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jun 2017 08:28:06 +0000 With the rise of protectionism in the West, President Xi Jinping ( 習近平 ) has vowed his support for globalisation through China’s “Belt and Road Initiative”. The recently held forum in Beijing symbolised China’s ambitious claim to global leadership, and the belt and road – which Xi calls a “project of the century” – serves as a critical pillar of his diplomacy. The belt and road is China’s game-changing strategy for the world, and it will fundamentally alter the dynamics of world trade and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2095370/can-chinas-grand-plan-revive-silk-road-spirit-succeed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2095370/can-chinas-grand-plan-revive-silk-road-spirit-succeed?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 May 2017 09:21:43 +0000 For a long time, Chinese companies have been known for copying market-proven products, brands and business models from the West and adapting them for the local market with only minor modifications. Such a phenomenon is known as shanzhai, a Chinese term that was originally used to describe a bandit stronghold outside government control. In today’s slang, it refers to businesses based on fake or pirated products. Shanzhai has been prevalent in China in recent decades and this has earned China the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2083377/how-chinas-copycat-tech-companies-are-now-ones-beat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2083377/how-chinas-copycat-tech-companies-are-now-ones-beat?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Mar 2017 08:45:15 +0000 Hong Kong’s government has a reputation for being inward-looking when it comes to formulating policies. Prior to the 1997 handover, such an approach was acceptable and made sense, as Hong Kong was separated from mainland China. However, interactions between the city and mainland have significantly increased since the handover. The government must now take a more holistic approach to understanding the overall developments on the mainland and their implications for the future of Hong Kong. This... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2078663/technology-will-change-land-use-hong-kong-and-its-about-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2078663/technology-will-change-land-use-hong-kong-and-its-about-time?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Mar 2017 09:45:00 +0000 Donald Trump’s recent appointment of Peter Navarro to head his newly formed White House National Trade Council has sparked controversy. Navarro is known for his hawkish views on China and many believe that, by appointing him, the US president-elect is signalling that he will play hardball with China on trade when he takes office. Navarro has written a number of books and filmed a documentary in which he criticised China for unfair trade practices, especially with the US. He has called China “a... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2059297/how-chinese-entrepreneurs-can-help-trump-make-america-great?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2059297/how-chinese-entrepreneurs-can-help-trump-make-america-great?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Jan 2017 09:10:46 +0000 Donald Trump’s election as the next US president is generating a lot of speculation about US-China relations, especially in investment and trade. People are wondering what the implications will be for both Chinese and US companies. We can look at this situation in several ways. First, isolationism can never generate sustainable growth for any country. History has proven this over and over again. The Chinese learned this the hard way in the past. After the completion of Zheng He’s “expeditions to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2049261/four-reasons-why-trump-will-learn-chinese-lesson-how?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2049261/four-reasons-why-trump-will-learn-chinese-lesson-how?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Nov 2016 02:33:31 +0000 It is no understatement to say that, over the past several years, Hong Kong’s youth have displayed increasing frustration. Occupy Central, riots at Lunar New Year, campaigns against parallel goods traders, the Hong Kong independence initiative, along with the controversy over the Wang Chau housing plan, clearly reflect the frustrations of our young generation. So, what’s behind this? There is probably no single reason, but rather a variety of political, social and economic factors. Hong Kong’s... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2027821/hong-kongs-angry-youth-can-find-hope-innovation-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2027821/hong-kongs-angry-youth-can-find-hope-innovation-and?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Oct 2016 06:54:30 +0000 Chinese electrical appliance manufacturer Midea’s move to acquire Kuka, the German robot maker, could be a defining moment in the evolution of China’s manufacturing sector. China’s reliance on low-cost, labour-intensive manufacturing to power its immense economy is no longer attractive, mainly due to the rise in labour and other costs. The world’s second-largest economy needs to seek alternative ways to grow and companies like Midea are showing the way. Midea was founded in 1968 by He Xiangjian... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2006054/mideas-move-german-robot-maker-kuka-may-be-turning-point?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2006054/mideas-move-german-robot-maker-kuka-may-be-turning-point?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Aug 2016 02:00:24 +0000 One of the most talked-about topics these days is undoubtedly China. Is the country going to have a “hard landing”, as George Soros has proclaimed, or will it continue its transition to stability and prosperity? READ MORE: Ignore George Soros’ prophecy of doom; China has its economic situation well under control Of course, numerous people have expressed their views on China over the years and these views cover the entire spectrum, from hugely negative to widely optimistic. For such a big and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1915895/doomsayers-chinas-future-ignore-complexities-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1915895/doomsayers-chinas-future-ignore-complexities-and?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Feb 2016 10:26:04 +0000