The article in Etion’s Geëngageerd Ondernemen is in Dutch, so we provide a short summary below. You can find the original here, on page 22.
China is rising on the world stage, and the United states and Europe take notice. But how are the Chinese perceiving themselves? With our boots on the ground and our deeply connected team, we have the experience to formulate an answer to this question. And so we did! The result of this interview is ready to read in the last edition of Geëngageerd Ondernemen, a business magazine by Etion.
China has the reputation of being military agressive. Yet the Chinese themselves are more worried about the military power of the United States, since their own military bases are fewer than those of the US and even though they have been named a world power, they have never had colonies, or attacked other countries.
Though, the situation with Taiwan and Hong Kong has changed over the past few years and tension is noticeable, it seems the US has taken a doubtful position in this situation. Their support towards Taiwan shows the Chinese that the US is not trustworthy enough to be seen as an ally. People in China, and by extension Hong Kong, are interested in their own economic situation. With an annual growth of 8%, this situation is still much better than some other countries. They want to have economic control over their own lives, by e.g. buying their own houses (which is now impossible for young people in Hong Kong). That might be a reason why the rebellions in 2019 took place. Real estate is very important for the Chinese people, hence why they are so invested in their economic growth.
Corruption in business and politics is a large problem, that is why Xi Jinping has made continuous efforts to minimize and punish corrupt businesses.This is a great advantage for western companies who are looking towards China, and it makes that the people have great trust in their government. When companies are looking towards China, they have to think if their product is relevant and who the competition is. Things have changed tremendously the past decades, and everything is readily available in China nowadays.
Since China has evolved economically and politically, their way of working has, too. The Chinese develop their own products, R&D is happening in China itself. Where China had the reputation of copying other products, they now have their own knowledge and power to invent and produce their own products. That is why the question around IP has been all over the place: the Chinese themselves have more to lose now, than they did a few decades ago. Copyrights must be respected; that is in everyone’s favor.
