To Steven on LinkedIn: China vs the West ep 14: When Do You End Your Workday? 996 in China Have… (2024)

China vs the West ep.13: Baby Bust vs Baby BoomA recent article titled “Suddenly There Aren’t Enough Babies. The Whole World is Alarmed.” by The Wall Street Journal highlighted the surprising decline in birth rates worldwide. With many countries struggling to maintain replacement rates, it's possible that the global population may begin to decline earlier than expected. Asia, excluding India, is particularly affected, with South Korea leading the way in low fertility rates.China's population decline has been a topic of interest, and the world notices the country's shift from being the most populous nation to India this year. I discovered two new insights today, by the infographics where we not only look at China’s fertility rates across years, but to compare it against other developing countries like India and Mexico. Insight 1️⃣: Since 1980, one policy might have brought China’s fertility rates from 5 (Mexico and Indian’s rates) to 3 (China’s actuals). If that were the case, China might not lift out of poverty as quickly as we have seen. One child policy worked to the favor of economic miracle because we allow scarce resources to be allocated more concentratedly.Insight 2️⃣: China's fertility rate has experienced two sharp declines, both unique to the country's circ*mstances. The first decline occurred after 1989, coinciding with the Tian'anmen Square event, which had a profound impact on Chinese parents-to-be and their perceptions of the country's future. The second decline in population, around 2019, was influenced by a combination of factors, including the political climate, rising housing prices, and socioeconomic changes among young people, particularly women, regarding marriage and childbirth.It is essential to note that countries that have experienced decline in population have not succeeded in reversing the trends. As the global population continues to decline, it raises questions about the potential existential threat to human civilization. Will population growth become as significant an event as climate change and AI in terms of its impact on the future of humanity?"Source: Wall Street Journal

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<China vs The West ep 12> An Imbalance in Understanding: 290,000 Chinese Students in the US vs 900 American Students in ChinaThe U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken recently visited China to discuss ongoing tensions between the two countries. During his concluding press conference, Blinken highlighted many things and one statistic caught my attention: there are over 290,000 Chinese students studying in the United States, yet fewer than 900 American students studying in China. This gap shows the lack of mutual understanding between the two global powers especially from the West towards the East. Living and studying in another country for several years is one effective way to gain cultural competence. But with so few Americans experiencing life in China firsthand, how much true understanding can there be of Chinese society in the US?To some extent, the numbers are not surprising. America has one of the best higher education systems in the world and houses renowned universities. On the list of QS Top 50 schools, there are 16 universities in America vs 3 in China (excluding Hong Kong).The number of American students in China was actually higher in the past, according to Blinken. A decade ago, around 15,000 US students studied in China each year. Clearly other factors beyond just the pandemic are contributing to the decline. In my view, increasingly hostile rhetoric and policies from the US government toward China, and the deteriorating environment for openness in China in recent years have likely made the country a less attractive study abroad destination for American students. Of course, increased business ties provide another avenue for Americans to gain Chinese exposure and insights. Unfortunately, reliable current data on the number of US business professionals working in China seems limited. More exchanges at all levels - students, tourists, professionals - would help foster mutual understanding between these two pivotal powers. Reducing tensions and building trust first requires appreciating different perspectives on both sides.#china #chinabusiness #anthonyblinken

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We’ve prepared a special series about female founders on Amazon to celebrate International Women’s Day. The stories of Jane and Crystal are so powerful that it transcends across gender and geographies.

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<China vs the West ep11: Constrasting perceptives on livestreaming>An article titled "The Godfather of AI in China, he sold online courses for more than 100 million RMB" recently gained widespread attention. Li Yizhou, who claims to have a PhD from the prestigious Tsinghua University, has been selling AI courses on various platforms like Douyin (China's version of TikTok) for the past two years. One of his secrets to commercial success, besides selecting engaging topics and titles, is his dedication to livestreaming. He goes live for several hours almost daily. In this piece, I will explore differences between China's and the West's approaches to livestreaming as an emerging marketing channel.During his live, Li follows a consistent routine. He first introduces himself, then outlines course features and benefits. Finally, he creates urgency by stating only a few spots remain. In one four-hour session, he repeated this cycle every 10-15 minutes. This exemplifies a common Chinese livestreaming pattern—lengthy streams with regularized key messaging. Western livestreaming styles differ. On Amazon Live, influencers and celebrities adopt an informal talk show style with more emphasis on sharing experiences and engaging with viewers, while subtly spotlighting products. In contrast, many Chinese livestreaming function primarily as digital storefronts. Streamers frequently present new items in quick succession, not unlike a fast-paced art auction where piece after piece is shown with regularity. The focus tends to be squarely on promotion, moving from one product to the next within a few minutes in a style that emphasizes turnover.The difference in livestreaming approaches is also evident in the broadcasting hours. For example, TikTok has struggled to get influencers in the West to go live for more than three hours, even with heavy subsidization. When they wanted a UK influencer to broadcast over Christmas, they offered to pay tens of thousands of pounds but received a rejection—he said he doesn't work on holidays. Meanwhile in China, if there's a commercial opportunity, influencers have no issue broadcasting not just 24/7 but also during tentpole festivals like Chinese New Year. The prospect of lucrative deals means China's livestreamers are even willing to forgo family holidays and leverage major shopping occasions.Lastly, there is a key difference in the use of discounts. In China, live broadcasts frequently promote "the lowest prices on the net" for products featured. Heavy discounts incentivize viewers to purchase during the stream. This mirrors group buying platforms like Groupon, which drive sales through time-limited deals. Live hosts negotiate bulk deals to offer steep discounts to viewers, matching their claims of the best available prices online.#china #west #livestreaming #amazon #tiktok

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11 years ago, I was part of Kellogg GCBC organizing committee. This year, I’m honored to be invited to speak about my observations and experiences in China business. Looking forward to an intellectual discussion on one of the most important powers in 21st century!

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<China vs the West ep.10: Understanding Cultural Differences in Presenting Marketing Insights>I recently had an insightful discussion with a Chinese colleague that highlighted divergent approaches to marketing proof points between Western and Chinese audiences. In the West, marketers typically keep messaging simple - a single statement summarizing key findings is usually enough to drive action, like "Advertisers using sponsored products see a xx% increase in ROAS." Chinese audiences, however, have a different perspective. When presented with the same high-level statement, they immediately had follow up questions:- Under what conditions were these results seen? - How was the data analyzed - how many sellers, what timeframe?- Did results vary by category, marketplace or month?They want to understand the logic and methodology behind the insights, not just the final conclusion. My colleague therefore is planning to ask our global insights team for the "workings" - the intermediate steps and full data analysis underpinning the findings. This surprised me, as Western teams see the workings as unnecessary details and aim to simplify messaging. But for the Chinese, complexity isn't an issue if it leads to confidence in applying learnings. They don't take simple answers at face value if unrelated to their specific situation. Showing varied dimension of data gives them something tangible to evaluate opportunities within their business.Some even look beyond validating proof points - actively scanning presented metrics like ROAS by category or marketplace to hunt for new business ideas. If they are presented with a data table of ROAS uplift by categories, they will be looking for categories with the highest ROAS and ponder if they can find any product opportunities. Likewise, ROAS uplift by marketplaces will inform them which part of the globe presents good opportunities for cross-border e-commerce. The appeal of data is its objectivity - Chinese trust numbers over subjective language to guide important decisions. This cultural difference is important for marketers to understand when localizing messaging in China. What convinces one audience may leave others skeptical without deeper insights into methodology and implications.#china #west #culturaldifferences

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Are you a leader or a manager?I have read an article on The Economist today on the classical debate around leadership versus management. It discussed research-backed traits and behaviors of each role from sources like the Harvard Business Review. In answer to whether being a leader is truly "sexier" than a manager, the piece argued this to be the case in brief. Most aspire to change the world through visionary thinking, while others seek senior leadership positions with broader control - roles that enable shaping strategies at large. By comparison, management can seem a more mundane task of overseeing day-to-day functions.However, the article also made an important point that both roles are vital within an organization. While vision sets the direction, strong execution is equally critical for realizing real impact. Effective management systems help teams work seamlessly together to operationalize lofty goals. As the piece noted, neither leadership alone nor management in isolation can deliver sustained success - each plays a complementary, mutually-reinforcing part in driving forward progress when executed well in tandem.Are you a leader or a manager? Which role do you aspire to be?#business #management #leadership

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Population decline: Record low marriages in China in 2022Do you know that India is on track to surpass China and become the most populous country in the world this year? While India's population continues to swell, China's is shrinking rapidly due to declining births, which stems directly from fewer marriages in the country in recent years.The recently released 2022 marriage registry statistics from China provide critical insight. An alarming new low of just 6.8 million marriages were registered last year, setting a sobering forty-year record low. This staggering figure represents an alarming near-halving from 2013's total of 13.4 million marriages concentrated within a single, swift decade.The downward marriage trend shows no signs of abating either. Marriage registrations on May 20th, colloquially dubbed "I Love You Day" in China, plunged 30-40% in heavily populated provinces like Guangdong and Sichuan. This sharp drop signals the decline is spreading further across the country. With fewer marriages equating to dramatically fewer births and an accelerating aging wave, uncertainty surrounds China's demographic future. Discerning the bottom of marriage rate declines has become an urgent challenge for the government, businesses and investors confronted with stabilizing China's population. Determining measures to reverse these trends is crucial for China's long term economic prospects and stability.Source: Caixin media#china #business #population

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<China vs West: ep 9 the most creative frugality displayed by a Chinese car rental company>Chinese businessmen are known to be practical, sometimes frugal. One of the largest car rental companies in China, ehai (think Hertz or Avis), shows me a world class example of practicality, frugality and flexibility that totally blew my mind.I reserved a car on Friday for the weekend. I went to the store after work to pick up my car. The store is located on the 6th floor of a car park. I was expecting a pop-up store, which is usually the case. But the “store” is actually made up of a van, parked in one of the slots! Think the disguised police car who serves as the control station for an operation. Except in China, they are actually using it, as a “store” to manage car rentals in a car park.It’s like food trucks but even smarter, coz a car park is a confined space where there’s very limited flexibility. By using a parking slot plus a car serving as store, the companies save tremendous costs. This is a scalable concept where hundred of stores can be populated in no time, provided that they obtain permission from the car parks.Have you seen other similar examples? Leave a comment if you do!#china #west #frugality

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