Blinken on China strategy: eloquent but no new policies – Ian Johnson

 

Ian Johnson

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken gave last week his grand speech on the US-China strategy. It was not only one year delayed, but also offered no new policies, says CFR scholar Ian Johnson in a first analysis at the website of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Ian Johnson:

In its more developed iteration, the policy focuses mainly on non-China actors. The first is “invest”, which calls for the United States to invest more in high tech and other future-oriented industries so it can compete with China. However, Washington’s political paralysis is leaving new investment packages dead for the foreseeable future, barring a Democratic victory in the upcoming midterm elections.

The second (“align”) is about finding allies who oppose China’s vision of authoritarian-based development. Here, Blinken stood on much firmer ground. He outlined steps the administration has taken to link up countries with shared interests. This includes the newly announced Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, the Australia-UK-U.S. (AUKUS) military cooperation scheme, and expanded collaboration through the Quad.

The third pillar (“compete”) unites the first two to challenge China. The goal, he emphasized, is not to isolate or harm China, but to uphold the rules-based international order that led to China’s rise. Another goal is to offer developing countries alternatives to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Blinken listed areas where the United States and China could cooperate, but they were largely familiar issues that have gotten little real traction. They include climate change, COVID-19, nuclear proliferation, synthetic drugs, and the emerging global food crisis.

Even more telling was the lack of discussion on tariffs. Some officials, such as U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, favor keeping tariffs on Chinese goods in place, while others, such as Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, have come out against them.

More at the CFR website.

Ian Johnson is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your (online) meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers’ request form.

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How negotiations in China changed in the past 25 years – Mark Schaub

 

Mark Schaub

China-lawyer Mark Schaub looks back at how negotiations in China have changed compared to 25 years ago. Now, deals are made much easier, and lawyers no longer attend negotiations on basic deals. Business partners can solve often their problems without a large delegation of lawyers on both sides, he tells on his vlog.

Mark Schaub is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your (online) meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers’ request form.

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

What works in China, might not work elsewhere - Jeffrey Towson

Jeffrey Towson

Whether bike-sharing is heading for a success or just a financial sinkhole is still unclear, despite a giant surge in VC funding. But Beida business professor Jeffrey Towson, a bear in this industry, is sure that it will not work outside China, because of the rather special situation in China, he tells the South China Morning Post.
The South China Morning Post:

Jeffrey Towson, an investment professor at China’s elite Peking University, views the booming industry slightly differently, calling it a new wave of “digital disruptors” in access and convenience: a living example, he adds, of “making it easy and making it now” for consumers. 

“This is only possible in China,” he added, “because of the arrival of smartphones, mobile payments, and a very dynamic mobile app ecosystem. 

Wilson Chow, the technology, media, telecommunications leader of PwC in China and Hong Kong, agrees completely with Towson, but adds the nation’s tech-led stampede for sharing, isn’t really about saving money, it’s more to do with convenience.

More in the South China Morning Post.

Jeffrey Towson is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch fons.tuinstra@china-speakers-bureau.comor fill in our speakers' request form.

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

Why most US market entries fail

Paul Denlinger is not only a freshly enlisted speakers at Chinabiz Speakers but is also developing as a prolific columnist at his weblog. Today he addresses the failure of most US companies to enter the China market, for sure an interesting topic.

My experience is that there are errors which are repeated over and over again. It gets like being condemned to watch a single Broadway show, over and over again, where the only things which change are the sets and the actors; the lines are the same.

His focus in mainly on IT and media companies, but the message is clear for all: a failing strategy leads to internal warfare and failure:

This puts the China office in a continuous battle with the US headquarters for resources; the Chinese local competitor has no such restrictions on what it can do, and the Chinese company surges ahead in capturing market share, and eventually, revenue. The American company then organizes what can best be called a “strategic withdrawal”, as did eBay.

More at Chinavortex. Later today Paul will also have an article at Chinabiz.