Arnold Ma, CEO of the London-based marketing agency Qumin, has decided to join the China Speakers Bureau.
His focus is on China’s opening up to global markets, with a specialty on the country’s millenniums and subcultures that are becoming key for global companies trying to finetune their China operations.
Vision, robotics and language are key areas where China is worldwide leading artificial intelligence, says Rupert Hoogewerf, chairman of the Hurun report on AI. The number of patent applications has been rising sharply over the past five years, he adds in the South China Morning Post. Huawei holds a top position.
From a cash country, where transactions were done by moving plastic bags with money between bank branches, China has turned into a leading force in fintech or financiel technology. Mobile payment are standard. Bitcoins and blockchain technology found in China early adopters. Social media have – more than anywhere in the world – adopted payment systems to facilitate online trade.
Understanding the consumer in China is tough for most foreign companies entering this competitive market, says retail analyst Ben Cavender. There is no escape from shopping here, as retail is fully integrated into daily life. “China is where all the future trends are happening,” he says.
China veteran Shaun Rein explains at the WSJ Tech Live conference how the policies of US President Donald Trump help China companies to focus on their own innovation instead of buying technology in the US.
China’s Hurun rich list is signaling yet another economic shift, says Hurun chairman Rupert Hoogewerf at CNN. This time the rich from tech firms are replacing those from manufacturing and real estate, according to the latest annual rich list.
Marketing expert Ashley Dudarenok dives into the fast-changing landscape of China’s internet, especially Bytedance. The relative newcomer has become an established player next to the old trinity of Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent (BAT). She looks at some of Bytedance’s major operations: Jinri Toutiao and Douyin, and Bytebance’s international expansion for Asia Times.
China’s competitive landscape is changing fast, and the blooming incubators for startups offer multinational a much-needed edge in local competition, says William Bao Bean, managing director of the Chinaccellator in Shanghai to Forbes. “When you’re under pressure and local players are taking market share from you, you look to innovation.”
Alibaba will not be the same after its charismatic chairman Jack Ma has left, says business analyst Shaun Rein, according to the China Daily.” “I’m not sure that people want to meet Daniel Zhang in the same way they want to meet Jack Ma.”
VC William Bao Bean explains at MOX in Taipei how his firm SOSV became the no.1 accelerator in Asia, globally investing in 150 startups every year in multiple verticals.
Shanghai-based MOX (Mobile Only Accelerator) works from different places in the world, including Taipei. Taiwan offers an excellent launching platform for ventures who look for international expansion into the rest of Asia, says MOX managing director William Bao Bean, according to the News Lens.
New retail is changing the mindset of both the Chinese consumers and the retailers, writes marketing expert Ashley Dudarenok. Some brands are finally getting the idea, but for traditional retailers, there is still a lot of work to be done, she says in the China Economic Review.