This week we have a review of the US-China relationship following Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman's meeting in Tianjin. We talk with former long-time diplomat and China expert Susan Thornton about how the US and China should each adjust their policy approach in order to get out of the current standstill in bilateral dialogue. Susan currently serves as a senior fellow and research scholar at the Paul Tsai China Center and as a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. 

Susan offers her analysis of the major themes guiding President Biden's China strategy and what a possible meeting between the two country's leaders could look like. She also gives her take on whether the US is likely to join a trans-Pacific trade agreement and finally, how the US needs to ready itself for the current shift in the international system as China rises as a leading power. 

This episode we chatted with Echo Gong, head of Greater China Advisory at Coresight Research, to discuss China's consumer retail trends. We talk about the latest in both online and offline retail trends, including how brands are now trying to bridge the gap between the two platforms to create more personalized experiences for customers. 

Echo also offers her take on emerging trends in the China market, including the growth of the "self-care" sector, and which Chinese trends are now making their way into Western markets, such as livestreaming. Finally, Echo gives some practical advice about how companies should prepare for the Double 11 shopping festival and what companies need to do to educate consumers about newer sectors like sustainability and cruelty-free products. 

This episode we're exploring China's electric vehicle sector and the many manufacturers vying for a piece of the increasingly crowded market. We're joined by Nick Lai, head of Asia Auto Research at JP Morgan, to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing foreign EV producers in China, as well as the intersection between electric vehicles and smart cars in the future of auto manufacturing.

We also chat about China's charging infrastructure and EV battery market, including why foreign battery manufacturers are unlikely to compete in the China market. Finally, Nick offers his take on whether the majority of China's new car sales will be EVs by 2030. 

This week we're focusing on a challenge foreign companies in China have long faced: how to deal with the often complex relationship between the China team and global headquarters. We explore this issue with Pierre Cohade, a long-time China executive with experience as president of Goodyear in China and who now serves on the boards of multiple MNCs. 

Pierre walks us through some of the classic challenges teams in China face, including getting headquarters executives to understand the speed and ingenuity of the China market, and how teams can work through these issues in constructive ways. He also offers his take on how the pandemic has exacerbated some challenges in this relationship, and how China teams have been called on to support global performance in the past several months. 

This week, we explored the latest trends in Shanghai's retail and commercial real estate market with Hoichi Yeung and Kelly Cheng from property advising firm Savills. Hoichi works on Savills' commercial team, while Kelly focuses on cross-border retail. We discussed changing demand in Shanghai's typical commercial districts like Lujiazui as more development is built in areas such as the North Bund, and the enduring popularity of the Former French Concession.

We also chat about what's driving a change in the city's master planning for new developments to allow for more green space and how national policies like the dual circulation policy could have effects on China's property market. 

This week, we looked at how to forge brand partnerships and licensing deals in the China market with Gary Chan and Elaine Chiu from brand management agency CAA-GBG, a joint venture between Creative Artists Agency and Global Brands Group. Gary is the vice president of brand management at CAA-GBG China, and Elaine is the senior vice president and head of CAA-GBG China. 

Gary and Elaine offer practical guidance for brands looking to enter into licensing deals and partnerships in China and dispel common misconceptions about the risks and costs involved. They also offer detailed examples of successful brand partnerships in China as well as advice on how brands can protect their intellectual property. 

This episode, I partnered with the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center's "China in the World" podcast for a joint episode focused on President Biden's China strategy after his first 100 days in office. The "China in the World" podcast is hosted by Paul Haenle and examines China's foreign policy and shifting engagement with the world. Paul holds the Maurice R. Greenberg Director's Chair at Tsinghua University's Carnegie-Tsinghua Center, and previously served as director for China, Taiwan and Mongolia Affairs on the National Security Council staffs in the Bush and Obama administrations. 

Paul and I talked on April 21, and he offered his analysis of Biden's China strategy thus far, including what the makeup of the president's China team signals about his strategy and how he's pursuing a multilateral, strategically competitive approach to dealing with China. Paul also offered his take on how he believes Biden will use strategic tools like tariffs and the entity list, and how he thinks Biden's China strategy could unfold in the months and years to come. 

This episode, I discussed recent changes in China's digital healthcare industry and policies with Carrie Xiao, a Life Sciences and Healthcare Partner at Deloitte China. Carrie advises clients on digitization trends in the healthcare industry, and how companies can take advantage of new market opportunities. 

Carrie gives a detailed overview of the latest digital healthcare trends, many of which have been accelerated due to the pandemic, including the rise of online consultations and increases in internet hospital licensing. We also discuss updates in industry policies, particularly around patient data privacy, and key market opportunities for foreign healthcare firms in China, such as in senior care digital healthcare and AI-powered healthcare. 

This week AmCham Shanghai's Director of Communications Ian Driscoll served as guest host to interview Peter Alexander, founder of asset management consulting firm Z-Ben Advisors. Peter is one of Shanghai's leading voices on investment management, offering strategic advice to many of the world's largest financial services companies.

Peter brought his more than 25 years of experience to the podcast to discuss some of the latest innovations and issues in the asset management industry. He and Ian discuss topics including the use of mobile as a platform for new products, how foreign companies have navigated an increasingly competitive market, and why global firms need to have a more nuanced "on the ground" view of the China market.  

This episode, I spoke with Tom Miller, senior Asia analyst and senior editor at global investment research firm Gavekal. Tom is one of the foremost experts on China's Belt and Road Initiative, and we chatted about the recent evolution of the foreign policy strategy, and what he views as the misguided critique that the BRI is a form of debt trap diplomacy. Tom has also written two books on China: China’s Urban Billion: The Story Behind the Biggest Migration in Human History and China’s Asian Dream: Empire Building Along the New Silk Road. 

Amid the economic downturn caused by the pandemic, Tom shares his insights into some of the recent dips in BRI funding, and the shift in some funding towards more renewable power projects. Finally, he weighs in on whether the BRI can yet be called a success or a failure.