Why Xi Jinping turned against Miao Hua – Victor Shih

 

Victor Shih

China’s President Xi  Jinping turned against his erstwhile handpicked ally Admiral Miao Hua, a member of the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC). Political analyst Victor Shih explains at CNN this change in Xi’s long-standing struggle against corruption.

CNN:

As the geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China heats up, the PLA Navy has also seen a drastic increase in the procurement of warships and other weapons, providing ample opportunities for corruption, said Victor Shih, a political science professor at the University of San Diego.

But there could be another potential reason behind Miao’s downfall, Shih said, for “being too obvious in his attempt to foster a faction in the military.”

Xi has repeatedly warned against the forming of factions in both the party and the military. “Of course, the only person who is allowed to do that is Xi himself,” Shih added.

Miao is seen by some analysts as having recommended multiple associates in the Navy for promotions to key positions, including Rocket Force Commander Wang Houbin and Defense Minister Dong Jun.

The announcement of Miao’s investigation came a day after the Financial Times reported that Dong had been placed under investigation for corruption, citing current and former US officials. The Defense Ministry dismissed the report as “sheer fabrication,” and days later, Dong made a public appearance at a security forum…

Miao’s downfall comes less than a year after former defense minister Li Shangfu was removed from the CMC.

The powerful body had six members – all deemed as Xi’s loyalists – serving under the top leader when he began his unprecedented third term two years ago. If Miao is also removed, it would leave two vacant seats.

Shih, the expert on Chinese elite politics, said many dictators, from former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin to Mao, have eventually turned against their own proteges.

“Once all of their real competitors are gone, a dictator can never think to themselves: ‘Oh well, all the threats are gone. I can just relax.’ Because they always think that new threats could emerge, including from people who once were very close to them. This happens over and over again,” he said.

More at CNN.

Victor Shih is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Would you like him at your meeting or conference? Contact us or fill out our speakers’ request form.

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What the West gets wrong about China’s economy – Shaun Rein

 

Shaun Rein

In an interview with Keith Yap, shanghai-based best-seller author and business analyst Shaun Rein, recently published The Split: Finding the Opportunities in China’s Economy in the New World Order and explains what the West gets wrong about China’s economy and how the country is working.

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

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What do you need to sell your product in China? – Ashley Dudarenok

 

Ashley Dudarenok

China is a complicated market, where consumers know what they want and what they do not want, tells marketing expert Ashley Dudarenok. She says that finding the right channel is the start of a complicated process.

Ashley Dudarenok is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need her at your meeting or conference? Get in touch or fill out our speakers’ request form.

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Why China’s trade war with the EU will be limited – Shaun Rein

 

Shaun Rein

The temperature of the trade relations between China and the EU has been going up, but business analyst Shaun Rein, author of The Split: Finding the Opportunities in China’s Economy in the New World Order, does not expect it will be an all-out trade war, he tells CNBC. Rein expects China’s response to be “measured” as it seeks closer economic relations with Europe amid intensifying tensions with the U.S., he says.

CNBC:

Beijing will avoid escalation of its dispute with the European Union over tariffs on its electric vehicles, industry watchers said, a day after China again approached the World Trade Organization for resolution.

China’s commerce ministry said Monday that it had filed an additional appeal with the WTO over the EU’s tariffs on its EVs, as bilateral talks have yet to lead to a breakthrough.

The move is “a warning shot against Europe to show that it [China] is strong but won’t go too far,” Shaun Rein, managing director of China Market Research told CNBC, who expects China’s response to be “measured” as it seeks closer economic relations with Europe amid intensifying tensions with the U.S.

Since the tariffs came into effect last Wednesday, both sides have explored the possibility of setting minimum price commitments from Chinese car producers, as an alternative to the tariffs. The EU reportedly accounted for more than 40% of Chinese EV exports in 2023.

More at CNBC.

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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How Maye Musk won the hearts in China – Ashley Dudarenok

 

Ashley Dudarenok

The Chinese opinions on Elon Musk might still go to extremes in both directions, but his mother Maye Musk did win many Chinese hearts and souls. Marketing expert Ashley Dudarenok explains why Maye Musk did so well in NBC News.

NBC News:

Much of her popularity stems from her 2019 memoir, “A Woman Makes a Plan,” which was translated into Chinese the following year, said Ashley Dudarenok, the founder of ChoZan, a China-focused digital consultancy based in Hong Kong.

The book traces Musk’s “unconventional career path,” Dudarenok said, as well as her struggle to provide for her three children as a single mother after divorcing their father, Errol Musk, at age 31.

“She basically did it her way,” Dudarenok said. “That was one message that resonated very strongly.”

The other appeal, she said, “was that people wanted to figure out, how do you actually give birth [to] and raise billionaires?”

The book has found an audience among working women in China, who are increasingly resistant to social pressure to get married and have children, even as the Chinese government clamps down on the feminist movement and says it is up to them to boost the national birth rate.

“A must-read for all girls! Thank you for showing us the resilience and strength of women,” one Xiaohongshu user wrote.

Though much of the initial interest in Maye Musk came because of Elon, “she is really becoming kind of her own personality,” Dudarenok said.

Older Chinese, who in the past would have devoted all their spare time and money to their grandchildren and other family members, have in recent years realized “that they have this whole life ahead of them, 20, 30 years ahead,” Dudarenok said.

“They have hobbies, they look after themselves in terms of fashion, nutrition, skin care and whatnot,” she said. “And they love to see those role models of somebody who is aging gracefully.”

For Musk, that means appearing on magazine covers and lots of opportunities to endorse products. She has walked the runway for Chinese apparel brand JNBY and appeared at an event in Shanghai this year for the sportswear brand Fila.

She is also a global brand ambassador for Chinese mattress brand AISE Baobao, attending a store opening in Shanghai this month, and has appeared in smartphone advertisements for Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer Oppo…

Maye Musk’s positive image, Dudarenok said, “helps to make Elon’s future political career and business success in China even more human.”

More at NBC News.

Ashley Dudarenok is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need her at your meeting or conference? Get in touch or fill out our speakers’ request form.

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China’s state of the economy – Victor Shih

 

Victor Shih

Financial expert Victor Shih, director of the 21st Century China Center at the University of California San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy, discusses today’s state of China’s economy at the Centre for Geopolitics with William Hurst, and how it has developed in the 25-year long collaboration between both. 

Victor Shih is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Get in touch or fill out our speakers’ request form.

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How did the China government deal with different faiths – Ian Johnson

 

Ian Johnson

Berlin-based journalist and researcher Ian Johnson, author of  The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Ma0,  joins an Asia Society panel on moral authority and how the Chinese government has dealt with faiths over the past decade. While Christianity and Islam are curtailed, traditional faiths are embraced, he says. Other participants include professor Xi Lian, and Whitman College Assistant Professor Yuan Xiaobo. Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis Fellow G.A. Donovan moderates the conversation.

Ian Johnson is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Would you like him at your meeting or conference? Contact us or fill out our speakers’ request form.

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How drones are changing China – Ashley Dudarenok

 

Ashley Dudarenok

Marketing expert Ashley Dudarenok explains on her TikTok channel that drones have become a common feature in China and will change the country even more in the next two to three years.

Ashley Dudarenok is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Would you like her at your meeting or conference? Contact us or fill out our speakers’ request form.

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Why global brands need to look at China for their digital transformation – Ashley Dudarenok

 

Ashley Dudarenok

Increasingly global brands not only look at China as a potential market but also as a guide on how they can use the country’s digital transformation for their global ambitions, writes marketing expert Ashley Dudarenok on her website Chozan. “By this year, China’s digital transformation sector is expected to reach $221.95 billion. It is forecasted by Mordor Intelligence to expand to $410.67 billion by 2029, with an annual growth rate of 13.1% over these years,” she writes.

Ashley Dudarenok:

Companies everywhere are looking to China for digital transformation lessons. It is now common knowledge that companies need digital transformation in order to cut costs and run efficiently in the modern age. It involves streamlining processes and the adoption of new technologies. But why China specifically?

By this year, China’s digital transformation sector is expected to reach $221.95 billion. It is forecasted by Mordor Intelligence to expand to $410.67 billion by 2029, with an annual growth rate of 13.1% over these years.

China’s digital transformation involves adopting advanced technologies like AI, 5G, IoT, and big data to modernize its economy and society. This includes integrating these technologies into traditional industries to create efficient and innovative business models.

The transformation focuses on building digital infrastructure, enhancing services, and fostering tech-driven innovation across sectors like finance, healthcare, and urban management, aiming to drive economic growth and establish China as a global tech leader.

Over 50% of thriving global companies incorporate outsourcing into their delivery strategies, according to Deloitte. 72% prioritize digital transformation, and 55% utilize unified enterprise platforms like ERP3 or SAP/4HANA.

Data migration and generative AI are becoming major growth areas. Remarkably, 80% of global business leaders believe generative AI will boost their business efficiency.

Last year, China announced its comprehensive plan for digital development, aiming to make significant strides towards building a “Digital China” by 2025 and to lead globally in digital innovation by 2035.

In 2023, China’s total data output hit 32.85 zettabytes, marking a 22.44% year-on-year increase. Additionally, core digital economy industries contributed 10% to the GDP, as highlighted in the latest Digital China development report from the NDA released last Friday.

More at Chozan.

Ashley Dudarenok 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.

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Trump’s China tariffs will dramatically increase prices in the US – Harry Broadman

 

Harry Broadman

While the stiff inflation rate was one of the key reasons US voters preferred Trump over Harris, Trump’s announced China tariffs would increase the costs for US consumers, warns Harry Broadman, former U.S. assistant trade representative in the George H. W. Bush administration in Dow Jones.

Dow Jones:

Among the biggest uncertainty is the issue of tariffs, what products they will hit and what technology sectors could be hurt. The bottom line, though, on tariffs is that they will lead to increased goods prices.

“Trump’s plans will make us worse off economically,” said Harry Broadman, a principal at WestExec Advisors, senior economist at the Rand Corp. and former U.S. assistant trade representative in the George H. W. Bush administration. “In the short run, the consumer or individual will pay higher prices for imports and that means the cost of what they are buying has risen significantly. That means you are going to have inflation, people will find their disposable income decreased.”

During his first term in office, Trump’s administration imposed tariffs on a wide range of products from China, but the tariffs he has discussed for his next term are even higher and could be more detrimental…

During his first term in office, Trump’s administration imposed tariffs on a wide range of products from China, but the tariffs he has discussed for his next term are far higher and could be more detrimental.

“It would be one thing if Trump said, ‘I am going to work with the G7 leaders’,” Broadman said. “That is what needs to be done, but instead individual country leaders become susceptible to sweetheart deals with China.” He said if the U.S. does not work with other countries, China will retaliate. “You do it arm-and-arm with allies. Because what China will do is play off importing nations off other importing nations.”

More in Dow Jones.

Harry Broadman 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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How China is leading the world in 5G and will be in 6G – Ashley Dudarenok

 

Ashley Dudarenok

With 3.8 million 5G stations China is leading the world in 5G, explains marketing expert Ashley Dudarenok on TikTok. Alibaba already uses technology to replace workers, she adds.

Ashley Dudarenok is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Would you like her at your meeting or conference? Contact us or fill out our speakers’ request form.

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Why Chinese prefer Trump over Harris – Shaun Rein

 

Shaun Rein

According to Shanghai-based analyst Shaun Rein, most Chinese prefer Trump over Harris because they expect Trump to be more transactional, while they feared Harrid would lead a more ideological struggle, he tells CNBC.

Shaun Rein is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Would you like him at your meeting or conference? Contact us or fill out our speakers’ request form.

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