Latest Posts
Caught by the corona virus on our holiday – Shaun Rein
Shanghai-based business analyst Shaun Rein was with his family on a well-deserved holiday as the fallout of the corona virus crisis caught up with his trip. Panic is spreading over the world, especially now in the US. Rein is back in Shanghai and feels himself more safe than in some of the countries he has been in over the past few months, he tells at CGTN, although there is a lot room for improvement in China too.Read More →
The West squandered time on the coronavirus bought by China – Ian Johnson
The West could have known about the dangers of the corona virus when China started to fight it. But the West preferred to watch on, in stead of jumping into action, writes Beijing-based journalist Ian Johnson in an opinion piece in the New York Times.Read More →
Why China blamed the US army for causing the coronavirus – Victor Shih
Although not taken serious, when a spokesperson of China’s Foreign Affairs ministry blamed the US army for bringing the coronavirus into China, many paid attention. Political analyst Victor Shih explains why China relied on this very unlikely scenario at the New York Times.Read More →
Some industries have severe scratches as economy resumes – Arthur Kroeber
2019 was a good year for most of China’s industries, the corona virus black-lash might be rough for some industries, says leading economist Arthur Kroeber in the Financial Times. Substantial double-digit declines in many production-side economic indicators might be expected over the first three months of the year,” he added.Read More →
Preparing the life after the corona crisis
China and South Korea might be starting to resume their economies, the rest of the world is getting further into lock-down mode. After Italy, the rest of Europe and the United States are only at the beginning of the corona virus pandemic. And for sure nobody in those countries is in de mood to prepare for a life after the current crisis.
At the China Speakers Bureau, we do start to look ahead, also as more events are cancelled and international flights still seem in a unstoppable free fall. But one thing is sure: even when timing is unclear, this crisis will be disappearing in the months to come, even when experts already predict a second wave of patients after the summer. In our line of business the average lead time between inquiries for speaker’ assignments and execution is on average three months, and we do not want to start for resumption of our business until the pandemic has officially stopped.Read More →
The China Question: will there be sufficient market reform? – Harry Broadman
The key question for China is: is there sufficient market reform to allow more growth, says former U.S. Assistant Trade Representative Harry Broadman at a conference at the London School of Economics in February 2020.Read More →
The coronavirus: a different disruption of your logistical chains – Harry Broadman
When you are in business and managing logistical chains, you are prepared for disruption. But the coronavirus is a different kind of disruption that needs a different mindset, says Harry Broadman. “The coronavirus is something that knows no borders and is far more diversified than any supply chain. That’s why you’re seeing pretty pronounced effects reverberating,” he says at US News.Read More →
Success tips from a China marketeer – Ashley Dudarenok
Becoming a successful marketeer can be learned, says China-veteran Ashley Dudarenok at Hive Life. She gives six tips to move forward in selling into China. For example: get a mentor. “You can do it all – but it’s going to take you twenty years. Do you want to do it the hard way? Or do you want to pay somebody some money to show you how to do it in probably in just two to three years? “Read More →
The corona crisis: too little, too late
The medical magazine The Lancet was one of the first Western media to point out the rest of the world could learn from the way China had dealt with the corona crisis. The severe lock-down of Wuhan and Hubei province, and the extended deployment of medics from the rest of China, was then still seen as too draconian to be used on other parts of the world.
Now Italy is in a lock-down and medical care in Northern parts are in crisis, while the rest of Europe looks surprised. “They are in a crisis,” said a shaken Dutch doctor on Dutch TV last night, after he made a phone call to a colleague in Milan. Displaying confidence in your own capabilities sometimes becomes a handicap.Read More →
Italy: the new Wuhan in the coronavirus crisis
China, with the exception of Hubei province, might be getting back to normal, the rest of the world is still bracing for a further outbreak of the coronavirus. Northern Italy shows remarkable similarities with the early weeks of the crisis in Wuhan: cramped medical facilities, expanding quarantine measure to stop the spread of the virus, and much uncertainty in countries and regions that still try to control the crisis. In China numbers of new patients are dropping, so – unless you might distrust those figures – its heavy-handed approach seems to be working at this list. But global stress on international economic relations seem far from over.
With all the justified criticism on the way China dealt the with coronavirus in the early weeks, the country did make some right choices later in the crisis as containment of the health issues was more important than keeping up the economy. More surprising it is that countries with a more developed health care system like Italy seem utterly unprepared for a major outbreak of the virus. Even a very solid country like Switzerland sees the number of coronavirus patients going up fast.Read More →
Coronavirus will not save the bike-sharing industry – Ben Cavender
The bike-sharing industry sees a spike now contingency measures allow more people to hit the road in major cities, but business analist Ben Cavender expects the positive news to be short-lived, he tells Abacus News. “In the longer term, it will still be difficult for the industry to bounce back and grow,” says Cavender.Read More →
China’s big plan for autonomous vehicles – Mark Schaub
Every crisis offers an opportunity and China is pushing ahead with its plans to develop autonomous vehicles, as the car market in in the doldrums. China lawyer Mark Schaub summarizes the effect of the country’s plans for the future at the China Law Insight.Read More →












