Hi friend,

Welcome to On The Ground in China Episode 11!

Aubrey Martinson and Doug Guthrie are back to discuss the massive shifts occurring in the global political economy. This episode centers on the formal passage of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan: a strategic roadmap that dates back to the 1950s but has never been more relevant to the West than it is today.

We also dive into how the conflict in Iran is delaying critical diplomatic meetings and impacting small businesses through rising oil costs and why the current “G2” dynamic between President Trump and Chairman Xi remains a fragile but essential partnership.

Expect to learn: How China balances top-down central planning with a “culture of innovation” at the local government level, Why blocking Chinese automakers from the U.S. might actually hinder American job growth and manufacturing learning as well as The difference between user-friendly U.S. AI and China’s math-heavy, logistics-focused AI designed to build the world’s best manufacturing engine

Timestamp

• 00:00 Introduction: Catching up on OGL Creative Leadership with Prof. Slocum

• 02:27 Current Events: Jensen Huang comments about AI and Huawei’s new chips

• 06:46 U.S Senators’ Letter: Why blocking BYD from Michigan is a strategic mistake

• 11:05 The War in Iran: Impact on the Trump-Xi meeting delay and global oil prices

• 16:29 The 15th Five-Year Plan: History and the “Better at Capitalism” debate

• 20:39 Local Governments as Industrial Firms: How China advances political careers through KPIs

• 25:26 Education & High-Value Patents: The return of Foreign Joint Venture Universities

• 31:30 Strategic Focus: Science, Engineering, and Global Collaboration

• 33:46 The Contrast: U.S. Market-Driven EV Consumption vs. China’s Coordinated Effort

• 37:10 Final Thoughts: Independent thinking in a polarized world

Visit our website: OnGlobalLeadership.com

For more info on Doug Guthrie: profguthrie.com