Mobile Payment is Ubiquitous in China, and What is Coming Next?

In the June 2020 report, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasted that global GDP would contract by 4.9% in 2020, the U.S. economy is expected to contract by 8% and the European area by 10%. But China's economy is forecasted to grow by 1%, the only country with a positive growth over 2019, in part because the country got a head start on its recovery. Therefore, China may become a more attractive market to many western companies. However, selling to China may not easy, especially for small and medium companies who lack of expertise in the China market and Chinese culture, and don’t have a sizable marketing budget. Digital marketing can be an affordable way to help you grow business in China. This time, I invited Mr. Jie Zhang, Co-Founder & CEO of GoDigitalChina and AdChina.io to talk about how to enter and succeed in the Chinese market through digital marketing. GoDigitalChina is an Advertising Agency offers one-stop-shop of online marketing in China for western companies.

Effective communication is very important to a company’s success in markets, especially when western brands enter and operate in China. We have heard stories of well-known American or European brands stumbling in China. In this episode, Mr. Steve Drake, a long-time public relations veteran who has helped launch Walmart and Budweiser into China back in the 1990s, will share with us strategies for brands that went to China, issues they have met, and learnings from those experiences. Steve is founder of Steven Drake Associates and cofounder of RFP Associates. He has 35 years of experience in developing and leading strategic, global communications programs, especially in the United States and China. He lived in China in the 1990s when he launched and managed PR firm FleishmanHillard’s presence in China.

Many Israeli startups are very successful in the US market, so what is the secret sauce for their success in the US? And what part of that recipe can be relevant to another big, but very different market, China? What would work or not work when foreign startups come to China? Rami Blachman, a US/Israeli technology entrepreneur and venture capitalist, and founder of the China Israel Innovation Accelerator (CIIA), will share with us about his observations, experiences and framework through years of work with Israeli startups going to USA and China. CIIA works closely with Israel-based technology companies in pursuing a China strategy and commercializing in the Chinese market, and Rami splits his time between China and Israel these days.

Aaron Rose, an investor, board member, corporate advisor, and co-founder of multiple companies, has been doing business in China for near 20 years. His blog “Solutions for a Sustainable World” offers useful research information, resources, and his thoughts about the technology industry. In this episode, Aaron will share with us the trends he has observed in China, what opportunities he has seen as an investor, and his personal experience of investing and working in China. Ultimately, he will share his opinion on if NOW is a good time to invest in China.

What can the combination of Blockchain and IoT (Internet of Things) help industries transform in today’s world? What are some examples in the market today? Karl Weaver, Global Business Development Director of aitos.io, a Chinese startup builds trusted identity authentication and privacy-preserving data computation solution for the enterprises of AIoT, made a claim that “China is leading in Blockchain and IoT Industries.” I invite Karl to the show and explain why he thinks so. Karl is a Globally trained, bilingual Mandarin Chinese speaking senior mobility executive with vast experience selling wireless & mobile device technologies from both sides of the Pacific Rim to the global OEM/ODM handset/tablet PC ecosystem supply chain.

Covid-19 has changed the life for every human being in the world, no matter where you are on the earth. The pandemic started two to three months earlier in China, and by June, most people have returned to work or school, thanks to the Chinese government’s effective control of the virus. How does it look like in China now? Is people’s life back to normal? How has Covid-19 changed business in China? And, very importantly, what can businesses in the rest of the world learn from China when they consider reopening or adapting to the new norm? In this episode, I invited Mr. Cameron Johnson, Partner at Tidal Wave Solutions, and Vice Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, to share with us his observation in China. Cameron is based in Shanghai.

Small and medium companies often find it is difficult and expensive to get legal services when doing business in a foreign jurisdiction, especially when language and culture are different than your own country. What are some fundamental legal side factors that companies should know when doing business in China? What can be potential risks if not considering these things? In this episode, Mr. Tianpeng Wang, a New York and China qualified lawyer, and Founder and CEO of Trustiics (https://www.trustiics.com/), will share his thoughts to these questions. In addition, he will share resources that can help SMEs and individuals to get quality and affordable legal service on demand in China.

In mid-May of 2020, US President Donald Trump said the US 'could cut off the whole relationship' with China as tensions escalate during the pandemic. Experts say ‘the US and China have entered the beginnings of a new Cold War’. What impact has this situation brought to the Washington State, a state whose No. 1 trade partner is China? How can American businesses maintain relationships with China during such difficult times? In this episode, Mr. J. Norwell Coquillard, Executive Director of Washington State China Relations Council (WSCRC), will share his thoughts about the history of the US-China relationships, the current political situation, and WSCRC’s role in helping the local government. He will also give some advices to businesses that are collaborating with China. WSCRC is the nation’s leading statewide organization dedicated to promoting stronger commercial, educational, and cultural engagement with China.

By 2025, China will be the largest aviation market in the world. Analysts forecast, in the next 20 years China will add an additional 8,000 new passenger aircraft, and this demand will create huge opportunities to the entire aviation supply chain. In this episode, Mr. Van Yun Gao, Managing Director of IASC (International Aviation Supply Chain) Leadership Summit, will share with us their research and market insights of the China aviation industry (IASC.com.cn). We will talk about the impact from COVID19 to China’s aviation industry, the current opportunities and gaps in the supply chain, the aviation clusters in China, and how to find the right partner(s) to seize the opportunities in China.

In our last episode, Dr. Badri Narayanan talked about the impact of the tariffs to the US and China Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry, and what companies can do to deal with this impact. In today’s episode, I invite Dr. Narayanan back to talk about his latest research in understanding the potential economic impact of COVID-19, and share with us his insights from this work. Dr. Narayanan is an Economist with McKinsey, and Co-Founder and Partner of Infinite Sum Modelling, a leading economic modeling firm providing advice to a wide range of clients including government and non-governmental organizations, and companies.