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Who Wins American Trade Wars?

ArticleAugust 29, 2018

Marc-William Palen argues that US politicians’ pursuit of trade wars yielded long-term economic and strategic costs to their country.

China IPOs: Why Chinese Companies List Overseas

ArticleJuly 30, 2018

Professor Li Wei discusses why so many outstanding Chinese companies end up going public overseas.

Why Are So Few Companies Going Public?

ArticleJuly 25, 2018

Public companies aren’t dying out, but they are becoming a lot scarcer than they once were.

East or West? Some European Countries are Trying Hard to Balance

ArticleMay 28, 2018

Central and Eastern Europe faces a tough balancing act as it looks toward China for investment and growth. Launched first in 2012, the “16+1” Cooperation Framework includes 16 countries in Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. As a key part of the Chinese transcontinental economic and geopolitical vision, the heavily invested "16+1" becomes a perfect solution to some Central and Eastern Europe countries facing economic crisis. This closer tie with China, however, has made EU rattled. How to balance the relationship with EU and China becomes a head-scratching problem for many.

Currency Reform: Float of the RMB

ArticleAugust 9, 2017

The consequences of China’s currency controls are complex, and the road to achieving a more open currency difficult.

No Easy Rides: DCM Ventures’ Ramon Zeng on How Chinese Startups Manage to Thrive

ArticleMarch 29, 2017

The Chinese internet industry has developed at an amazing speed with a number of tech firms becoming "unicorns" worldwide. A major force behind those fast-growing companies and young CEOs is the venture capital firms who play a crucial role in spotting and supporting innovative models. Over the past 10 years, VC has evolved from a non-mainstream form of finance to one of the hottest areas in the Middle Kingdom. Ramon Zeng, with a number of successful investments in “unicorns”, talks about his observation of the industry and what the next big trend will be.

High-speed Diplomacy: Exporting China’s Train Technology

ArticleJanuary 30, 2017

China is exporting its high-speed rail to the world. In Turkey, China helped link the capital, Ankara, with the largest city, Istanbul. In Indonesia, construction on the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway line will begin this year. In 2016, the government also announced that it will build a high-speed railway to connect Singapore with the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. Domestically speaking, China has secured the leading position. Its network, already more than 20,000 km and still growing, is longer than the rest of the world’s high-speed rail tracks combined. Now China is targeting the overseas market for economic and political reasons.

Working it Out: New Trends in Fitness in China

ArticleJanuary 9, 2017

A fundamental generational change in attitude is happening: business people in China have started to question lavish banquets with too much bajiu, and new approaches to health and wellness are coming into vogue—particularly among the young, hip and urban. Rising with this trend is a multibillion-dollar fitness and food industry. Fitness apps are being downloaded by the tens of millions, and gyms are popping up almost everywhere you look in major cities. Market researchers predict that the gym, health and fitness clubs industry is to generate $5.81 billion, and that does not include sales of health food, which seems to be a craze all its own.

China, the World’s Automated Factory

ArticleDecember 21, 2016

Over the past 25 years, China has become the world’s preeminent manufacturer, churning out everything from running shoes to Apple products. Powering that ascent was heavy foreign direct investment combined with a seemingly inexhaustible pool of cheap labor. But now, as the Chinese economy slows, wages rise and the workforce atrophies, the decades-long manufacturing boom may be ending. To help deliver China from industrial decline, the Chinese leadership is betting on automation. However for Beijing to become the world's robotic leader, there is an even more complex issue behind updating robotic technology: how to handle the displacement of large numbers of Chinese workers?

Chinese Tech Startups: The Great Idea Bubble

ArticleNovember 7, 2016

One of the topics favored most by Chinese tech people is which city, or region, in China will become the next “Silicon Valley”. While observers have not gotten bored of guessing which one will be the next “unicorn” company, those who are really in startup companies have realized the fact that the China startup scene has peaked: many companies have died, using up the money given by investors but keeping no loyal users at all. Read our story about China’s startup bubbles and find how these bubbles, blown up by ambitious yet empty ideas, business plans and investors’ ignorance, finally fall and burst.

Chinese Acquisitions in the West: Making a Meal of It

ArticleApril 11, 2016

Chinese firms are betting on the acquisition of prime assets in the US and Europe to drive growth.

New Youth: Understanding China’s Millennials

ArticleFebruary 3, 2016

China’s millennials are an increasingly complex demographic, who as well as enjoying the fruits of China’s reform and opening up are also beset by all manner of societal and economic pressures, making them arguably much more different from their parents than their Western counterparts are from theirs. From an ever tougher job market to unobtainable home prices, millennials have to navigate a world with less security than was enjoyed by previous generations, all amidst slowing economic growth, to boot. And the many companies looking to sell to this increasingly important generation of consumers will have to grapple with all these issues, too.

Losing Signal: China’s Smartphone Market Slowdown

ArticleJanuary 18, 2016

Companies that have spent months being feted by the media don’t tend to revise down their sales target, but in March Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi did just that—from 100 million units set in December 2014 to 80-100 million. Rival Chinese brand Huawei overtook Xiaomi in the third quarter as China’s top smartphone vendor. It’s a reality check for the upstart vendor, which soared to fame and a $45 billion valuation in less than five years as China’s first-time smartphone buyers snapped up handsets at a furious rate. But Xiaomi isn’t the only one hurting from the smartphone market slowdown in China.

The Party Planners: Five-Year Plans in China

ArticleDecember 14, 2015

Dating back to 1953, China’s system of Five-Year Plans has long been dismissed as anachronistic, but it remains crucial to guidance of the economy. Five-Year Plans occupy a central place in China’s complex system of governance. For just as China’s economy has reformed and adapted in the last 37 years, so too has the planning framework. There are clear signs that planning will remain an indispensable component of Chinese economic and political development for years to come.

The Wizards of Zhongguancun: The Rise of Online Vocational Schools in China

ArticleDecember 8, 2015

Youngsters in China are looking for a more pragmatic approach to education that will lead to more money and a part to play in China’s much ballyhooed rise to a country of innovators. A 2014 report from iResearch, estimates that the number of online education learners in the country will surpass 120 million in 2017, an almost 80% increase in student numbers from 2013, and that online education revenue will more than double over the same period. Of all the sub-sectors within the online education industry, vocational education stands out as one of the key drivers of the industry’s future success.

SOE Reforms: Why it is Better to go Slow

ArticleSeptember 30, 2015

Everyone knows that China's state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are in dire need of reform. However, it seems the government wants to take its time through the reform process. The State Council's recently released guideline document on SOE reforms hasn’t set any deadlines or quantifiable targets. Rather it seems to stress upon the importance of not rushing through or forcing any immature reforms. There's a reason for that. Any attempt to speed up implementation of reforms at Chinese SOEs can have devastating consequences. We explain why.

The Power of Big Data in China

ArticleJuly 28, 2015

Big data promises to revolutionize the work of business and government, and China’s largest internet companies are leading the way

iLEAD’s US Module Sets Strong Pace for Preparing Next-Generation Global Business Leaders

NewsJune 29, 2015

Experiencing unparalleled international networking opportunities, world-class academic discussions, interactive panels with select executives, practical hands-on learning opportunities and visits to leading US and Chinese companies, an exclusive group of next-generation global business leaders has completed the inaugural 2015 iLEAD program’s 10-day US Module.