Slow recovery in China, but expanding global coronavirus mayhem

Tenerife

The China government is trying to push positive news in the way it handles the coronavirus crisis, but the economic fallout is only shaping up as the panic moves to other parts of the world. Airlines, shipping lines and other logistics and hospitality providers are maintaining the reduction on services, as demand is not yet picking up. Some logistic providers contemplate resuming services only in June, although they do not wish to confirm that less-favorable scenario.

Europe has become the latest victim of the coronavirus panic, and the number of patients rises, while numbers in the Americas are still low, but expected to go up too. That means that even when containerships are picking up cargo in China again soon, there might be limited capacity to unload them in the rest of the world.

The policy at the China Speakers Bureau is to advise against planning major events at this stage in Asia and Europe, but most clients have delayed or cancelled already. The option of relocating events becomes also unattractive, as major economic centers like Norther Italy, France, South Korea, Japan and other countries suffer from the coronavirus panic. Not only our speakers have problems in moving around in the world, event organizers have a hard time too to get international audiences together.

Containing the virus and its effects, including a reduction of the spread of the virus when Spring kicks in are still part of the optimistic scenarios. But those scenarios are not strong enough to support planning major events that require larger amount of people to come together. We do see some online speeches taking off, but that is only a very limited number.

Are you interested in discussing your plans and pick our brains on the future developments: do not hesitate to get in touch.

China owns Asia since the US left it - Jim Rogers

Jim Rogers

China owns Asia, after the US under Donald Trump decided to leave the continent, argues super-investor Jim Rogers, author of Street Smarts: Adventures on the Road and in the Markets, at AMTV. The US moved out, and now you see the Chinese everywhere, in Russia, in Iran, just because they have no competition anymore. "You should invest in markets others hate," he says.

Jim Rogers is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers' request form.

Are you looking for more experts on the trade war between the US and China? Do check out this list.

Aussie startups: stay away from China - William Bao Bean

William Bao Bean

Managing director William Bao Bean of the leading Chinaccelerator, on tour in Australia, warns Aussie startups to stay away from China and much of Asia, he tells the Australian Financial Review. They should look for their opportunities much closer to home, he added.

The Australian Financial Review:

"I think Australian start-ups should take a look at expanding closer to home. The vast majority do not belong in South East Asia or China," he said. "Something you build for Australia is almost certainly not going to work in the rest of Asia. If you want to expand there, the first step is to take your product and throw it in the garbage. Then take your special sauce and build a new product."

Mr Bao Bean, who has also worked with Softbank China and India and SingTel Innov8, also recommended Aussie entrepreneurs interested in Asia "get out of the building" and spend time exploring and understanding the market before attempting to launch a business there.

Despite his hesitancy around the potential of Australian businesses in Asia, Chinaccelerator has backed two local companies in the last three years – travel services business Chozun and careers platform QLC.io. To meet more local start-ups, Mr Bao Bean has arranged an event at Sydney start-up hub Haymarket HQ on Wednesday. With both companies he has backed, Mr Bao Bean said rather than being specific to the Asian market, he saw potential in them as global platforms. "It comes down to solving a problem. For Chozun, it's not a Chinese problem, it's for international travellers. With QIC, they're solving a problem for millennials and connecting them to jobs in start-ups and those jobs are all with English-speaking companies," he said.

More in the Australian Financial Review.

William Bao Bean is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers' request form.

Are you looking for more experts on innovation at the China Speakers Bureau? Do check this list.  

A private tour at the Art Basel Hong Kong - Wei Gu

+Wei Gu 

WSJ wealth editor Wei Gu enjoys a private tour at the Art Basel Hong Kong, with a strong focus on Asia. A leading exhibition where Chinese art is still favorite but other countries and young artists are emerging too.

Wei Gu is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need her at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers´ request form.

Are you looking for more experts on cultural change in China and Asia at the China Speakers Bureau? Do check out our latest list.

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Social responsibility: an issue for Chinese consumers - Paul French

+Paul French 

Price and quality might be leading criteria for Chinese consumers, but surprisingly social responsibility of producers is also an issue. Author Paul French points in EthicalCorp.com at two recent surveys, featuring increasing social conscience in Asia and China.

Paul French:

Why do these findings seem surprising? Because the loud voices shouting about responsibility tend to be western. 

However, those who shout loudest are not necessarily those who care most. 

In China, blogging aggressively about air and water pollution, toxic spills and “outing” poorly performing companies with strong links to the government requires a certain level of bravery. Recriminations may occur, even if the censors allow you space to vent. Newspapers, magazines and TV shows tend to avoid the problem – it’s hard, if not impossible, to talk about the state of China’s environment, workers’ rights, labour conditions and poverty without criticising Beijing at some point and possibly facing retribution. 

Western consumers, on the other hand, have freedom of expression and a free media to voice their concerns. This means the chatter on TV, in the newspapers and across the internet is so much noisier and in your face than it is in much of Asia. This can lead to two things: 1) we naturally assume that people are more corporate-responsibility-aware in the west because we hear about it more and debate it intensely and 2) seeking out and buying products from brands with corporate responsibility agendas in the west is far less of a conscious political act than it is in more repressive countries, such as China... 

Of course there’s a problem with these two surveys, and others of the same kind. They are all about “intention” rather than “action”. Rates of actually buying products linked to corporate responsibility campaigns remain highest in the EU and US. Again there are specific issues – in China few local companies champion their CSR (where they do it) as part of their wider brand building strategy and actually finding affordable (rather than very expensive imported) products that fit the criteria can be a problem. In India awareness may be high but availability of products and services with clear corporate responsibility policies is lower than in the west. 

But then, as my school sports teacher always told me as I missed another clear shot at goal or fell over in the mud, showing willing is extremely important.

More in Ethical Corp.

Paul French is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers´request form.

Are you looking for more branding experts at the China Speakers Bureau? Do check out our latest list.  

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• The Treaty of Versailles, and the betrayal of China - Paul French

Business sentiment ´worse than ever´- Shaun Rein

Shaun Rein

Foreign firms find the business climate in China ´worse than ever´, tells business analyst Shaun Rein to the Wall Street Journal. Economic growth is lower, and companies wonder what kind of investments are worth while. Pollution and protectionism do the rest.
The proposed reforms by China´s government have not yet taken off and - according to Shaun Rein - foreign firms take a ´wait-and-see´approach.

Shaun Rein is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers´request form.

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• Sports wear: more fashion than sport in China - Shaun Rein
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China drives Vietnam into Pentagon's arms - Wendell Minnick

Wendell Minnick Fantake via Flickr

China's higher military profile is pushing Vietnam into the influence sphere of the United States, even though they have been fighting a war against each other in the past, says Wendell Minnick, Asia bureau chief of Defense News in AOL News.

"There are still bumps in the road in U.S.-Vietnam relations," Minnick wrote in an e-mail. "There are still legacy issues with the older leaders of Vietnam who fought in the Vietnam War and still harbor anger at the U.S."

"But the opportunities for Vietnam greatly outnumber the negatives, and it's clear that many in the Pentagon see China's aggressive moves in the South China Sea as a plus for better ties with Vietnam," Minnick said. "The old saying still holds true: 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.'"

Both Vietnam and the U.S. had run-ins with China in the South China Sea last year.

Commercial
Wendell Minnick is also a speaker on military affairs in Asia and is part of the China Speakers Bureau. When you need him at your meeting or conference, do get in touch.

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A new magazine on Asia I must have missed

I might be giving away a secret here, but there seems to be a new weekly around, English language and published in Hong Kong. It seems to have been around since the end of 2006 and they have been doing a good job in hiding themselves.
Today I get an invitation for a 6-month free trial and that is of course an offer I cannot refuse. I rushed to their website, to check their online presence. There is a website but that is almost all I can report. There is no content and certainly no updated content. There are no names of contributors, although the email I received indicates that Jasper Becker is involved. But otherwise no clue.
No online commentaries are possible, no track back, but then, who needs it when there is no content. I guess I might get in a few weeks time an envelope with content. Might report on that if it is worthwhile.

Update: Ah, it is only six weeks. We will see.