How London lost the Tiktok HQ – Matthew Brennan

 

Matthew Brennan

For a while, London was in the running to get the Tiktok international headquarters, but under the Tiktok-Oracle deal the UK’s capital seems to have lost that opportunity, says China internet watcher Matthew Brennan to CNBC. That seems another setback for the UK now the country is already suffering under the corona crisis and Brexit.

CNBC:

Less than a month ago, there was talk of putting TikTok’s international headquarters in London, but that looks increasingly unlikely.

“Assuming the Oracle/Walmart deal goes through, then the HQ for TikTok Global for sure is in the States,” said Matthew Brennan, a social media analyst based in China.

TikTok has offices in Paris, Berlin, and Dublin, but London is TikTok’s biggest hub in Europe by some margin.

“For London to be the HQ of a company like TikTok would have been a coup for the city, but alas it seems not to be,” Brennan told CNBC, adding that it would have greatly raised the prestige of London in terms of attracting international tech talent.

More at CNBC.

Matthew Brennan 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 ongoing trade war between China and the US? Do check out this list.

How brands can relate to youth subcultures - Arnold Ma

Arnold Ma in Action

Brands need to dive into youth subcultures in stead of focusing on platforms, says branding expert Arnold Ma at a meeting in London. You have to focus on people, rather than technology, and he explains how three rebellious Chinese youth subcultures relate to different brands.

Arnold Ma 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 this list.

  Arnold Ma on Chinese Youth Subcultures + Tech at the BETA British Educational Travel Association from Qumin on Vimeo.   

Zhang Lijia: a Chinese sensation at Jaipur Literary Festival

Zhang Lijia

A raving review of the appearance of Zhang Lijia, author of Lotus, a novel, on prostitution in China, at the Jaipur Literary Festival in London, at The Citizen. "I was very fascinated by prostitutes. However, the only prostitution I have done was intellectual prostitution,” Zhang Lijia says.

The Citizen:

A Chinese author has emerged as one of the sensations of the Jaipur Literary Festival underway in London where writers and their admirers have been mingling in the open air. 

Nanjing-born Lijia Zhang, who was employed in a Chinese rocket factory in her younger years, is the author of ‘Socialism is Great’, ‘China Remembers’ and ‘Lotus’, said “Writing in English freed me because in China there is censorship and writing in English meant I did not have to go through censorship.” Zhang was appearing on a panel headlined ‘Words Are All We Have’, alongside Indian writer Anjali Joseph and Sri Lankan novelist Rohan Gunesekera. In her presentation Zhang revealed how she discovered that her grandmother had first been a prostitute and later evolving into her grandfather’s concubine in 1948. 

“I was no rocket scientist, I was just a factory worker”, Zhang said about her own life.. “But I was very fascinated by prostitutes. However the only prostitution I have done was intellectual prostitution.”

More at the Citizen.

Zhang Lijia 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 at the China Speakers Bureau? Do check out this list.

What Mr. Trump has been missing - Harry Broadman

Harry Broadman

As a former US negotiator Harry Broadman looks with shock at how US president Trump is using his tariffs to get his trade policies in place. For Forbes he describes what has been going wrong at the misinformed White House.

Harry Broadman:

Regrettably, for Mr. Trump, there are other constituencies of his base throughout America’s heartland, Rustbelt and elsewhere that are feeling as much pain as farmers from his 2018 tariffs—or will do so shortly as the bite of his newest wave of tariffs kick in. Perhaps saddest of all is the fact that imposing tariffs on merchandise imports—the president’s choice, if not sole, instrument to seemingly induce WTO-sanctioned “behind-the-border” reforms of China’s economic regime, such as a hold by the state on the free play of prices, weak protection of intellectual property, provision of huge subsidies to state-owned enterprises by state-owned banks that only pretend to require debt repayments, and artificial barriers to market entry and exit—simply will not work. 

We Americans are willing to endure pain for gain. But let’s not fool ourselves into thinking as Mr. Trump does, that simply eliminating our bilateral merchandise trade deficit with China, which in and of itself is not an economically meaningful objective but which his tariffs may well do, will alter the core of China’s conduct in the global trading system. 

In a nutshell, no matter how high or expansive are tariffs, they will not create effective incentives for China to execute the fundamental market-oriented reforms Beijing legally obligated itself to undertake in its 2001 WTO Accession Agreement. That is the real endgame. 

Achieving that goal--necessitating a reduction in the fundamental role of the state in China's economy, which of course Chinese President Xi Jinping is loathe to do since that is the raison d'etre of the Communist Party--is a wholly different matter. That would require both using a different arsenal and employing a fundamentally different strategy, especially marshaling a multilateral coalition of the world's leading trading partners. Our president seems to be moving us further away from that path each passing day.

More at the BBC.

Harry Broadman will be in London on June 27-30 and in Edinburgh July 1-3.

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.

Do you need more experts on the ongoing trade war between China and the US? Do check out this list.  

US remains main destination for China's rich - Rupert Hoogewerf

Rupert Hoogewerf

Despite talks for trade war and erratic tweets and policies by US president Donald Trump, China's rich still see in the US the preferred destination for migration, says the 2018 Hurun report on immigration and China's HNWI'd. And despite talk of the Brexit, London is moving upwards in its annual rankings, says Hurun chief researcher Rupert Hoogewerf.

The Hurun Report:

Rupert Hoogewerf, chairman and chief researcher of Hurun Report, said, “The United States is definitely the first choice for Chinese HNWIs who are considering immigration. London has risen rapidly to become the sixth most popular destination for purchasing overseas property, overtaking Vancouver, Toronto and Melbourne for the first time. It is also interesting to note that 90% of those considering immigration intend to live in China after retirement. I am delighted to release the White Paper for the fifth consecutive year in association with leading Chinese immigration brand Visas Consulting Group. We hope that this report will help Chinese HNWIs (those with family assets worth US$1.5m to US$31m) considering investment immigration make better decisions.”... 

This year, Visas Consulting Group and Hurun Research reveal the top ten countries that constitute the Visas Consulting Hurun Report Chinese Immigration Index 2018 (CII 2018) based on the eight categories of education, investment destination preferences, immigration policy, property purchasing, personal taxation levels, medical care, visa-free travel and ease of adaptability. The United States remains the most popular destination for HNWIs investment emigrants for the fourth year running, while the UK has risen from third place to second. Emerging immigration destinations Ireland and Greece performed well, with Ireland moving up four places to third, and Greece occupying sixth place in its debut appearance on the ranking. Canada falls two places to fourth, while Australia is down one place to fifth. Rupert Hoogewerf said, “The United States far surpasses other countries as the first choice of Chinese HNWIs in terms of immigration destinations.”... 

The UK climbed from third place to second with a score of 8.5. Despite the UK being set to leave the EU, London remains one of the world's leading financial centers, and British education is regarded as second only to that of the United States. Investment immigration to the UK comes with the benefits of one’s children enjoying an elite British education, and of the family gaining access to its high quality medical and welfare systems. Furthermore, a favourable exchange rate makes investment in the UK more attractive. Rupert Hoogewerf said, “Brexit has had little impact on Chinese entrepreneurs. At present, British property represents good value, with uncertainty over Brexit and the weakness of the pound making it relatively cheap”.

More at the Hurun 2018 Report.

Rupert Hoogewerf 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 stories by Rupert Hoogewerf at the China Speakers Bureau? Do check out this list.  

Brexit and capital control do not deter investments into UK - Sam Crispin

Sam Crispin

Chinese investors are still flocking into the Royal Albert Docks in London, says property consultant Sam Crispin in the South China Morning Post. Doomsday scenario's with rigid capital control from Beijing and the Brexit is not stopping those investments.

The South China Morning Post:

Firms from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and India have acquired or reserved 60 per cent of total office space, or 33,388 square metres, in the first phase of the Royal Albert Dock project, Sam Crispin, chief executive officer of ABP’s Hong Kong sales unit told the South China Morning Post. 

Costing £1.7 billion (US$2.2 billion), the revival of the 137-year-old dock in East London, seen as the city’s third financial and business district, aims to attract Chinese and other Asian firms looking to expand into Europe. ABP, founded in 2003, is a privately held Chinese developer of economic zones, including the Royal Albert Docks project. 

Beijing’s crackdown on capital outflows and debt-fuelled overseas acquisitions by aggressive conglomerates has not deterred companies interested in moving into Royal Albert Dock, said Crispin, who led PwC’s urbanisation team and real estate business advisory services before joining ABP this year. 

“The concern is where Chinese banks have been lending to fund overseas acquisition, whether that’s a risky thing to do or not, and how future acquisitions will be funded in what’s perceived to be a less risky way,” he said.

The latest State Council directive issued on Friday restricting Chinese overseas investments in property, hotels and sports clubs is likely to have limited impact on the project, Crispin said on Monday, as ABP primarily targets “companies that already have operations in Hong Kong and other Asian countries” and hopes “to attract owner occupiers.” 

Unlike landmark buyers such as sauce maker Lee Kum Kee, which bought London’s “Walkie Talkie” tower in July, potential and existing Chinese buyers of ABP’s project are mostly smaller firms, financed in a less risky way and making “smaller investments that are below the radar” of Beijing, Crispin said.

More at the South China Morning Post. 

Sam Crispin 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 outbound investment experts at the China Speakers Bureau? Do check out this list.  

Terror does have a short-term effect on Chinese tourists - Shaun Rein

Shaun Rein

The recent attacks in Manchester and especially London do not seem to have a huge impact on the stream of Chinese tourists, who still put Europe and especially the UK on the top of their destinations. But tourists from China are very security conscience, says business analyst Shaun Rein, who does expect a short-term decline, he tells the South China Morning Post.

The South China Morning Post:

Shaun Rein, managing director at China Market Research, warned that the attacks could have a “devastating” impact on Chinese tourism to the UK, particularly since more than one incident has occurred recently.

Chinese visitors are “very concerned about safety and tourism”, so they are more sensitive to international events than other travelers, he said. 

Areas that previously have experienced terror incidents have seen tourism fall off for a short while but saw the negative effect mitigated months later. 

While travel to Paris plummeted from 9.8 million travelers in 2015 to 8.4 million last year in the wake of the 2015 attacks on the city, officials said in April that tourism has recovered. 

Impacts to Chinese tourism in the UK will likely not be long-term, Rein said, although it may take six months without incident to reassure tourists.

More in the South China Morning Post.

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.

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

Related articles

• Will the Manchester bombing put tourists off visiting the UK?
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• Britain leads Europe as investment magnet - for now
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Europe book tour for Joel Backaler

+Joel Backaler 

 Author Joel Backaler of China Goes West: Everything You Need to Know About Chinese Companies Going Global is visiting Europe this month on an impressive book tour. Shortly, he will visit Dublin, London, Hamburg, Brussels, Amsterdam, 14 events in 8 cities.

The Hamburg EU-China is the largest event, also attended by premier Li Keqiang.

A selection of these events you can find here:

• London, Oct 6: London School of Economics
• London, Oct 7: SOAS
• London, Oct 7: China-Britain Business Council
• Dublin, Oct 8: Institute of European and International Affairs
• Hamburg, Oct 10-11: Hamburg Summit
• Brussels, Oct 13: EU-Asia Centre
• Amsterdam, Oct 17: NCH Netherlands

If you are interested in attending one of these events, please follow the links to check on the availability of seat, reservation and other details.

Joel Backaler 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.

Related articles

• Joel Backaler to visit Europe in October
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A culinary tour in London's Chinatown

When you are mostly living in Europe, and craving for decent Chinese food, life is not easy. So, a recent trip to London allowed me to visit Chinatown. First on the agenda was xiaolongbao, but even I cannot live on xiaolongbao only.
London's Chinatown is one of the better organized I have ever visited. Of course, the size of the Chinese population does help London, but the local shop owners had their stuff pretty well organized. A decent website, regular performances and loads of people. Almost 100% pedestrian area, nice decorations and too many restaurants to choose from. We could not scientifically compare all the offerings, but we were able to visit and eat in four restaurants.
The winner is Dumplings' Legend, who offered not only dumplings, but almost anything you can imagine. Their xiaolongbao were excellent (unlike one of the other restaurants we visited). The restaurant had departed from the traditional Chinese outfit and had clean while walls with nice pictures. People had to queue up, and did so for a good reason.
Staff was friendly and efficient.

Dumplings are made behind glass by a legion of workers, offering nice entertainment while queuing up. When you can only visit one restaurant, this should be your choice.

Second best was Taotaoju, in terms of quality, although their xiaolongbao was slightly disappointing. Other food was excellent, although the portions could not have been smaller. Quite nice and clean, and a fairly new addition to Chinatown (we learn from the reviews). And as you can learn from the reviews: they go to both extremes.

Most disappointed experience was at the Er Mei restaurant. The restaurant was packed, and advised by a friend, so we thought this would be a positive experience. We did get an excellent fish head soup, but the rest was pretty much junk food. Quantity (we did get enough) went over quality, although we did not have to send dishes back to the kitchen (like our neighbors), because the food was still cold.
We were initially stuffed into a kind of corridor, but could get later a better place. When we visited the toilets, we discovered, we could have been worse off: the cellar was also changed into a restaurant floor. I'm not sure how they was pass any fire safety controls, but it seemed like a pretty dangerous place.
They also failed to invest in a decent airco, but obvious all these points did not deter people from visiting the place.

One lunch we had at Jen's Cafe: basic food for a quick fix, and way too expensive tea.  What we had was good, but the place combined old Chinese traditions, like a lack of choice and a lack of hygiene.
Hard to miss, so a lot of people looking for a seat had to move on.

Of course, we look forward to expand this experience, by visiting other restaurants. As a concept China town is almost too successful, looking a the large crowds and the lack of restaurant space to accommodate all.

Related articles

• London's Chinatown
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What can London do for Chinese tourists? - Roy Graff

Roy Graff

The UK might be lagging in attracting Chinese tourists, a great city like London can still do more to accommodate those tourists who take the initial barriers to the island. Hospitality specialist Roy Graff spells out some tips for the city in the ChinaContact newsletter. 

+Roy Graff 

Whilst retail in London is more expensive than in the rest of Europe, the sales offer great value and the selection is spectacular. Prices are still cheaper than in China. Chinese love value, so the 12-15% VAT refund at the airport is music to their ears. Chinese shoppers are keen to show off their purchases using social media. Yet they are careful not to disclose the actual spend of their purchases. Instead, they might say ‘’several credit cards have been maxed out during the shopping trip”. Retailers that wish to win new fans and loyal customers should invest engaging with  Chinese social media sites such as WeiBo, WeiXin, KaiXin or RenRen. 

From surveys, a major frustration for Chinese shoppers is finding the right size (shoes/clothing). People also complain that they often have to compete with fellow Chinese shoppers in busy shopping districts. Off-the-beaten shopping alternatives would be much appreciated by the independent Chinese visitors. 

Department stores, such as Harrods and Selfridges, as well as shopping areas like Westfield have invested in research and staff training, hired Chinese-speaking staff and started to offer Chinese language information. Retail outlets that want to ensure they are on the Chinese shoppers’ map should invest in cultural awareness and service training, offer Chinese language information and accept the China Union Pay payment card. Learning to distinguish the different types of Chinese shoppers and knowing where they are from (North China, South China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, etc…) to better serve them would be optimal.

More in the ChinaContact newsletter.

Roy Graff 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.

China Weekly Hangout

What do Chinese tourists want, the +China Weekly Hangout asked last week Roy Graff of +ChinaContact. He also pointed at the huge changes taking place among Chinese tourists, and told that there is no longer 'no size, fits all' solution.

 The upcoming cyber war is the subject of the +China Weekly Hangout on Thursday 27 June. The revelations by Edward Snowden showed that the US is preparing a military shake-out, as both China, Russia and other countries are building up their cyber war capacities too. Joining us are former security consultant +Mathew Hoover and media en communication lecturer +Paul Fox of the Hong Kong University. Moderation by +Fons Tuinstra, president of the China Speakers Bureau.

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• Winners of the October Golden Week - Roy Graff
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Why London is lagging behind in Chinese tourists - Roy Graff

Roy Graff

A cumbersome visa system, no Chinese language brochures. Those are just a few of the barriers the UK and London have in place to stop more Chinese tourists from visiting their country, almost ten years after the first groups were allowed in, hospitality expert Roy Graff tells Christine Lu in the Jing Daily. 

Roy Graff:

The retail industry in London is very happy with Chinese consumers; we just need more of them. Britain was late to this game since the EU signed the ADS agreement two years earlier. At that time, the vast majority of Chinese tourists came in large groups and travelled by coach across Europe to visit as many landmarks as they could. But in the last 5 years, what became very clear is that Chinese outspend most other nationalities when they travel, and the rate of growth overall has surpassed 15% every year. In 2005, the UN WTO (World Tourism Organisation) predicted that Chinese outbound tourists will number 100 million by 2020. It has since revised that date to 2015, and recently the president of China said he believed 200 million Chinese will travel abroad by 2020! 

For the UK, I’ve long argued that the focus should be squarely on high net worth individuals and small groups of discerning tourists. It would be better to have 400,000 Chinese who spend £3000 on their visit than a million who spend £1000. In 2005, the idea that Chinese would outspend Americans, Japanese, and even Middle Eastern tourists seemed ridiculous, but this is fast becoming the reality... 

I think you have similar appeal in New York City, Paris, Hong Kong, and Singapore–globally famous cosmopolitan cities that have a unique, distinct set of characteristics. Many of China’s cities have developed to resemble each other so this uniqueness is a draw. London has a long established Chinese diaspora community and a thriving China town. It is an education and business centre and had historical ties to China. 

Despite London having higher prices than Europe for shopping, the sales offer great value and the selection is world class. Prices are still much cheaper than China. Chinese love value, so getting 12 to 15 percent off for VAT refund at the airport is great.

More in the Jing Daily.

Roy Graff 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.

+China Weekly Hangout 

+Roy Graff will join us on Thursday 20 June at the China Weekly Hangout to discuss what Chinese tourists want (apart from quick visa and Chinese brochures). Getting Chinese tourists to your country, and letting them spend is an art in itself. Here is our announcement, or you can register directly at our event page. 

Getting tourists might not be the UK's strongest asset, education is doing much better. The China Weekly Hangout discussed the future of Chinese students when they start an international study? +Andrew Hupert, formerly working for the NYU Shanghai campus and +Paul Fox, lecturer at the HKU School of Professional and Continuing Education joined +Fons Tuinstra, president of the China Speakers Bureau.

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Best of Britain? Education - Rupert Hoogewerf

Rupert Hoogewerf

Of all the assets Britain can provide top Chinese business people, education has the largest personal appeal, tells China's Rich list producer Rupert Hoogewerf to The Standard.

The Standard:

The London education market in particular “has more personal appeal to top Chinese business people than almost anything else in Britain”, according to China Rich List compiler Rupert Hoogewerf. St Paul’s, Westminster and Harrow don’t need to market themselves to China — there is a booming business for organisations such as Old Etonian William Vanbergen’s Shanghai-headquartered BE Education, helping parents get their children into top public schools. 

Now London state schools are starting to seize the same opportunities. St Mary Magdalene in Islington, an academy founded in 2005, has an established relationship with a school in Chongqing. In September it will take five students from a new partner school in Beijing to study for the International Baccalaureate (IB). The Chinese parents will pay for their child’s bed and board with families of St Mary’s pupils in London. St Mary’s is simultaneously helping the Beijing school introduce the IB programme.

More in the Standard. Rupert Hoogewerf 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.

China Weekly Hangout
Is education a gold mine or a black hole, for the institutions or for the students and their parents, the +China Weekly Hangout  wondered in February of this year. +Andrew Hupert of +China Solved , formerly working for the NYU Shanghai campus and +Paul Fox, lecturer at the HKU School of Professional and Continuing Education join +Fons Tuinstra, president of the China Speakers Bureau.

On Thursday 6 June the +China Weekly Hangout  discusses the art of making trade agreements with China. Your can read our announcement here, and register here for participation. 

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Helen Wang to visit London, Paris, Europe

Helen Wang

Helen Wang, the author of the leading book, The Chinese Dream: The Rise of the World's Largest Middle Class and What It Means to You, will be visiting London early December on the invitation of Lord Wei. She will also visit Paris and other parts of Europe and is available for speeches.

On Monday 5 December she will be talking in the Asia House in London on the invitation of Lord Wei of Shoreditch. From the invitation:

In The Chinese Dream, a groundbreaking book about the rising middle class in China, business consultant and China expert Helen Wang challenges us to recognize that some of our fears about China are grossly misplaced. As a result of China’s new capitalist paradigm, a burgeoning middle class – calculated to reach 800 million within the next fifteen years – is jumping aboard the consumerism train and riding it for all it’s worth – a reality that may provide the answer to America’s economic woes. And with China’s increasing urbanization and top-down governmental approach, it now faces increasing energy, environmental, and health problems – problems that the U.S. can help solve. Through timely interviews, personal stories, and a historical perspective, China-born Wang takes us into the world of the Chinese entrepreneurial middle class to show how a growing global mindset and the realization of unity in diversity may ultimately provide the way to creating a saner, safer world for all.

Lord Wei of Shoreditch is a social entrepreneur, interested in social reform, and a citizen with a keen interest in developing civil society solutions to social problems. Nat was a former advisor with the government on the Big Society, works with the Community Foundation Network to develop local responses to the Big Society, and serves in the House of Lords as the youngest and only active Chinese peer. 'Lord Wei currently sits as the Chair to the All Party Parliamentary Group on East Asian Business and also as the Treasurer to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Chinese in Britain.

Helen Wang is available for other speeches in Europe.

Helen Wang is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need her at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch. Or you can fill in our speakers' request form. More information on 

Helen Wang at Storify.

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