Conversation360 Podcast

We’re delighted with your response to the second series of Asia and the West. We’re taking a break to produce our third series of Asia and the West, so stay tuned for more conversations with fascinating people with lots to say about these two important parts of our world.  We appreciate your feedback and welcome suggestions as to how we can make Conversation360 podcasts more valuable to you.  Contact us via our site  www.conversation360podcast.com.

Ernest Parker Greer, a Tennessee native, has worked globally from Asia since 1995, while living in Sydney, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Thailand. He has led companies in Europe and North America and in 15 countries in the Asia Pacific region. For years, he was a senior executive with Steelcase Inc., most recently as President, Asia Pacific. He holds over 40 patents, and lectures at universities and symposiums around the world. He founded g+, a Hong Kong based consultancy which employs user-focused design methodologies to help clients develop innovation and globalization strategies.

An astute observer of the impact pricing and currency practices have on economies and the businesses they support, Ernie shares his views on their importance to China’s continued growth. We cover many topics in this episode: why Trump is regarded as a media star by many Asians; shortcomings of China’s efforts at innovation; how the use of smart phones has reduced interaction between Chinese parents and children; the fraught relationship between Hong Kong and Mainland China; how young entrepreneurs need to relate to traditional Chinese business leaders; and proliferation of fake news everywhere.

In this podcast, Jasmin Sadler gives us an inside view of China from her perspective as a member of the ’17 inaugural class of Schwarzman Scholars at Beijing’s Tsinghua University. This is a stellar up-close-and-personal report of “what’s hot and what’s not” among Chinese of college age and just beyond. A Swiss citizen, Jasmin’s been going to China since she was 16, and speaks Mandarin fluently. She explains how not only having read and being able to discuss Romance of the Three Kingdoms— the historical novel beloved by all Chinese, and the basis for hugely popular video games—gives her the ability to connect on the most personal level with Chinese friends.

We talk of just how connected our world could be if everyone learned at least one foreign language and could speak it with people for whom it is their native tongue. We also talk of why China is the perfect place for entrepreneurs right now, how young Chinese with experience in the West feel empowered in straddling two worlds, why Chinese are optimistic about their future, and what challenges could get in the way of that future being realized.

Hear Angela Mackay, Global Publisher of FT Live, and The Financial Times’ Managing Director of Asia Pacific, talk of the surge in China’s confidence, military might and entrepreneurism resulting in new rules of engagement with the West, especially media.  You’ll learn of the subtle shift of attention at conferences and global gatherings to the views of Asians-- not Westerners-- and how impressive China’s millennials are in terms of their STEM achievements and their enthusiastic, unbridled ambition. Through it all, the FT and others walk a tightrope to avoid Beijing’s efforts to control media, activity which she feels could be China’s Achilles heel.  

We cover these topics plus robotics, China’s relationship with North Korea, corruption, global terrorism, and many more, all against the backdrop of events in the entire Asia Pacific region.

Mini vandePol, Global Chair of the Compliance and Investigations Group of Baker & McKenzie, and a partner with over 24 years’ experience, is recognized as one of the world’s leading anti-bribery and corruption lawyers.  She was born in India, raised in Australia, and worked professionally in Australia, and now Hong Kong. She is the editor of the popular Global Attorney-Client Privilege Handbook and has published a wide range of articles focused on anti-bribery and corruption compliance in Australia, India and elsewhere in Asia. In this wide-ranging podcast conversation, Mini gives us her views of developments in China, India and elsewhere in Asia—including just why corruption is such an important issue, why the promotion of women could be the “game changer” Asia can exploit profitably, and much more.

Po Chi Wu comes from a line of illustrious scholars. His father’s epitaph was “The Father of Modern Physics in China.” One would think his ancestors presented a hard act to follow, but Po Chi has broken records of his own. Straddling both the East and West in his role as a highly acclaimed Professor in both Asia and California, he also directs an advisory firm that focuses on “Cleantech”, information technology and life sciences, and is renowned for his insight into the challenges of innovation and entrepreneurship.

The fun part of this podcast episode is listening to Po Chi’s wide-ranging expression of expertise on a variety of subjects. He references Star Trek to explain the differences in the way Chinese and Westerners view the world. And he says that American culture is similar to television programming in black and white, in contrast to Chinese culture which is like television reception with a spectrum of millions of colors. We cover lots of ground in this episode including the new Belt and Road initiative recently introduced by Beijing, the impact of Chinese investment on Africa, and why despite the fact that Shanghai is a terrible place to live, it still attracts people who seek the gateway to wealth and opportunity.

You’ll hear it in her voice. Melbourne-born Michelle Garnaut is not only a legendary restauranteur with a string of awards over a career that spans continents, she’s a high spirited enthusiastic adventurer who has made China the canvas on which she’s created a truly unique life. She came to Hong Kong from Australia knowing no one and now overseas a trio of restaurants and bars in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing that are icons of their cities—not just because of great food; it’s that Michelle feels conversations that take place over meals are the very heart of a well-lived life.

You’ll hear how she got her start in the restaurant business and what she’s learned along the way. She’ll share her strongly held opinions on the role of good restaurants in society, what the West can learn from China, and why even though it’s gotten tougher to do business profitably in China these days, there are plenty of opportunities for the adventurous.

Norma Rosenhain came to China decades ago when her friends in Australia said “China? Where’s that?” and built an empire –called Creata--manufacturing toys—ultimately billions of them— for export to the rest of the world, a good many of them to accompany McDonalds Happy Meals. She’s the one who set the standards for many of the manufacturing processes there.  Things have come full circle, so that she’ll soon be manufacturing goods in the U.S. for export in the other direction, to China and the big consumer market it has become.  And she is now licensing IP for films and music, essentially vertically integrating the business.    In this podcast you’ll hear Norma’s facts and figures on everything about manufacturing in China from the costs of land on which to build plants, to factory construction costs, to loan interest rates, labor costs, to “logistics” of electricity and customs and duty charges and licenses and more.  She’ll tell you about China’s serious shift to “Green Manufacturing” and robotics as they move up the manufacturing gravy train to dominance.  Then she’ll fill you in on how she has vertically integrated her business beyond manufacturing so she’s licensing IP for music (even hard to get Beatles rights) and films as well.  She learned from the Chinese the importance of having a long term view and is now reaping the rewards, big time.

You’ll meet many Brits in Hong Kong, but Jonathan Midgley is one of a kind. In big demand as a criminal defense attorney, he came on the scene fresh out of English law school and made a quick name for himself by winning a notorious case that got his picture on the front page of the Star, then Hong Kong’s tabloid. His work took him to the “down and dirty” reaches of Hong Kong where he learned the City’s secrets and launched a practice that made him today’s go-to attorney for famous and well-heeled Hong Kongers in a jam. A marvelous story teller and astute observer of human behavior, Jonathan shares his views on the relationship between Hong Kong and China, the level of bemusement with which the Chinese view the United States and its current leadership, how the world’s powers need to collaborate to get things right on global issues like climate change, and why some Hong Kong taxi drivers still years for the days of Colonial Hong Kong.

Chin Lim is a global citizen who lives primarily in Hong Kong, and spends much time in Australia, Europe, and the U.S. as well.  She has an extensive business background so when she became Managing Director of Asian Property Investments Limited in Hong Kong, she knew the ropes around financial transactions and now has a following as a real estate investment guru.  Her global life experiences makes her an astute observer of cultural differences between Asia and the West.  In this podcast, Chin talks of the cultural challenges to improving understanding between Asia and the West and shares personal anecdotes that make her perspective especially memorable.  She gives her view of why Mainland Chinese are such avid investors in real estate outside of Mainland China, and her hope that we can learn from the about improving our planet for the future.