China Perspectives

The German Chancellor is

in China.

A visit that many in the German-speaking business community have been waiting for. 🤩

China and Germany have enjoyed a close cooperation for decades, but it is not only smooth sailing at the moment.

I recommend reading the always excellent analysis by Dr. Constanze Wang from the German Chamber (you can find her on LinkedIn, highly recommended).

She summarizes the key messages the German business community asked Mr. Merz to address with his counterparts:

👉Ensure fair and sustainable competition
👉 Mitigate the discriminatory effects of the “Buy China” trend
👉 Strengthen IP protection, focusing on local enforcement
👉 Allow for quicker export control approvals

These are not abstract policy issues. They directly affect the daily operations of German firms on the ground...and together with a slower economy are serious concerns for business success.

And what do I see across the German companies I work with? Keeping in mind, I visited around 140 production sites of DACH and European companies last year...

Things are not easy, that is for sure. 𝗜 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗱, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗜 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀.

Interestingly, 𝗜 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗲-𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴.

What I do hear is something else: Deeper integration

This is what we call 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟯.𝟬.

And it goes far beyond the never-ending question:
“𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗮 𝗚𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗚𝗠 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆?”

The points of planning I hear the most:
👉How do we systematically develop 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀?
👉 How do we 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 hubs in China?
👉How do we strengthen 𝗥&𝗗 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆?
👉How do we 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 the “China goes global” wave?
👉How much 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 to remain competitive under ‘Buy China’ pressures?


I’ve heard Mr. Merz prepared extensively for this visit and invested significant time in stakeholder consultations. That is great to hear.

I am eagerly looking forward to hear impressions and results afterwards.

What do you think will happen?

2 months ago | [YT] | 11

China Perspectives

𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿

…of the 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 🔥🐎

While tomorrow is officially still a working day in China, many of our 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀, 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀, 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀 have 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆.

If you are working outside China, 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 will likely be on leave until 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟯𝗿𝗱 (𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲), with some extending their holiday until the end of February.

𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗱. Thank you for your patience. 🙏

As a recruiter working internationally, I often get the question if I cannot contact candidates during this period...

My answer: "How would you feel if a recruiter contacts you on the first Christmas day, after you have just eaten a huge meal with your family, whom you haven't seen in a year, wearing your holiday-themed PJs, and the board games are about to start"...then people know 🤭

This is the most important holiday of the year. Millions travel back to their hometowns to spend time with family...sharing meals, following traditions, reconnecting with friends from the same village, and enjoying time together across generations. 🥟🧧🀄

As we say goodbye to the Year of the Snake, we 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲. 🔥🐎

The Fire Horse symbolizes 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆, 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱, 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻...but also 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆. It is a year of movement, momentum, and change. As an eternal optimist, I firmly believe that the change will be better than most of what we have seen in 2025. 🤩

One thing is certain: this will not be a boring year.

At the same time, a small reminder to take care of your health, slow down occasionally, and spend time with your loved ones.

From our team and me to you, your team, and your family: 新年快乐 Happy New Year!

2 months ago | [YT] | 41

China Perspectives

Wow. 70,000 followers...

...that is... a lot of eyes. 👀👁️👀👁️

Just a little over one year ago, I started my YouTube channel 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀. If you’ve been following me over on LinkedIn, you’ve probably seen a short clip or two as well. 😜

But never in a million years did I expect it to grow like this.

This morning, the first messages came in:

“𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 - 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝟳𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀.”

Seventy. Thousand. People.

Wowsie.

I am trying to wrap my head around that.

👉That’s the size of a small German city.
👉Oooooon the other hand, I’m quite sure I once lived in a Shanghai apartment compound that was bigger than that.

Perspective matters.

China Perspectives. 😉

What makes me most grateful:

👉 The messages from people I would 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘁
👉 The huge amount of 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 coming out of this
👉 The business opps outside of my HR scope which I was able to 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀- together we grow!
👉 The thoughtful 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 across industries
👉 The number of 𝗚𝗠𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗘𝗢𝘀 who now greet me with:
“𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂? 𝗕𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆, 𝗜 𝘀𝗮𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼.”

Somewhere along the way, talking about China, business, leadership, and reality on the ground moved from being just a passion to an actual project.

And yes...I have probably given the “𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗧𝘂𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹” talk often enough for it to be a second business. If it’s your dream: 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁. You never know where it leads.


𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗜’𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆!

If you are:
👉A B2B company
👉Ideally in a manufacturing sector
👉Active in China

𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀. Just reach out to me for a first chat. :)


To everyone here who subscribed, shared, commented, pushed, and encouraged – thank you. Many of you are part of those 70,000.

Picture today not for attention, but for celebration

2 months ago | [YT] | 50

China Perspectives

China seems to be communicating

lower expectations.

While the official 15th Five-Year Plan will only be announced in March, several Chinese provinces have 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗱 their GDP growth expectation down to "between 4,5 to 5%"

In recent years, the target hovered around 5% and was met every year.

Say what you want about the reliability of those numbers, personally, the last two years also felt pretty similar economically (highly unscientific, I know, but still ;) ).

This number was always 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹 - used to communicate expectations from the government to the country and abroad, signalling what kind of macro environment companies should prepare for.

Now you may argue that "𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝟱%" 𝗮𝗻𝗱 "𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝟰,𝟱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝟱%" is not all that different. But the directionality is important in its message. I personally think it is less about the actual number and a lot more about the 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 that is communicated.

At the same time, hopes for stimulus packages remain high, especially given the importance of 𝗗𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗶𝗿𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 and the 𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁.

But perhaps this is also a signal that 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘂𝘀 will be provided than some market players expect (?)

Another pretty strong signal: Beijing is trying to get a grip on intense and often cannibalising 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝘀 in the form of its newly drafted 𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗟𝗔𝗪.

Online platforms have been called upon to stop 𝗯𝗶𝗴-𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗴 (you pay more because of your user profile) and firms across the spectrum to 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗯 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝘀.

For years, this hyper-competition was celebrated: 𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀.

Now, many firms are struggling and Beijing calls it “𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻” and a 𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺.

How this will be enforced remains to be seen, especially if implementation 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗯𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲. Cause money is tight for many of them.

Overall, the message seems clear: Slower growth ahead, hopefully healthier growth. Is this a case of "it will get worse before it gets better," or will it get better sooner?

What is your read on this? Actual target or expectation management?

2 months ago | [YT] | 5

China Perspectives

Salaries are going

…up. 👆

Whaaat?

This is traditionally a busy time for recruiters (in-house and external, like me).

We’ve just entered the new year, and the Chinese New Year is around the corner.

It’s the season of 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀, 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 are handed out, 𝗞𝗣𝗜𝘀 measured, 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 and 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀 decided...and, inevitably, decisions are made about 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗴𝗼.

And we are clearly in such a wave right now.

Many individuals hired during the late/post-pandemic period 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀.

Some sooner (30-day notice), some later (e.g. summer). But it is a wave, without doubt.

𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻.

And what I see is that salary budgets seem to be increasing again.

Not drastically, and if you joined in, say, 2015, you likely still earn more than what you could ask for today. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝟭–𝟮 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.

The past years were marked by 𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘀: salaries 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝘆, unrealistic “unicorn” profiles (can do everything, knows everything, works for cheap). And because the labor market was weak, companies 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 candidates forced to accept.

But now?

Candidates are saying, quite confidently:

“My current salary is X. I want 𝟭𝟬–𝟮𝟬% more.”

(And yes, compared to the golden years, that is MODEST. Compared to last year, that is HUGE.)

👉Companies are adjusting budgets upwards
👉I haven’t seen a true low-ball offer in months
👉And I no longer see that “𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗵” decision-makers do when we discussed reasonable salary ranges

Let’s all cross fingers and toes that this will be the 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 since 2021.


And yes...𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱, 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁. If you find yourself on that side of the equation, don’t give up.

Please keep a positive mindset, be clear on your financial situation, and have a good recruitment strategy. A lot of the job search is a mind game. If you can keep a calm mind, you are already one big step ahead.



Video for attention:
My YouTube channel "China Perspectives" (which, by the way, is growing like crazy - thank you to everyone following) started a year ago, mainly with candidate-focused content. If you’re navigating the market right now, some of those early videos might be worth revisiting.

2 months ago | [YT] | 6

China Perspectives

Everything is faster in China

...except ONE thing and that is the MOST IMPORTANT thing in the country. 🤓

“China Speed” is a term most people in the business world know by now.

It can come in a 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲:
👉Look how fast Chinese companies iterate.
👉How quickly a street, factory, hospital, or entire district is built.
👉How many new flagship products are pushed into the market.

It can also come in a 𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲:
👉996 working culture. Big argh.
👉Teams that are “always on.”
👉Messages late at night, on weekends, during holidays.

The examples of China speed are endless.

But the one thing is SLOW:

And that is 𝗚𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘅𝗶 关系 - 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 building.

Guanxi helps with everything:
👉problem-solving across the board
👉client acquisition
👉access to information, resources, opportunities,that investment or the best doctor

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲, 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗲𝗿.

Most people in China are pulled constantly into the networking system
👉Events every day
👉Networking organisations are everywhere
👉People stay in touch - from neighborhood to university or hobby groups
👉Everyone connects on WeChat

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘅𝗶 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄.

From my perspective as a foreigner, it usually requires:
👉Meeting 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻
👉Getting to know each other on a 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹
👉Offering value first: a contact, insight, tip, or even a restaurant recommendation.
👉 You better not be starting with “this is what 𝗜 want from 𝘆𝗼𝘂”.In most contexts, people are aware already who wants what from whom. For lack of a better description Guanxi is something that is better given, not taken.
👉𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
👉A professional, respectable presence, including on social media
(unprofessional behaviour online can lead to a ...slow fade.)
👉𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲...often the decisive factor. People who have known each other for 5 vs 15 years simply operate on a different level, regardless of skill

It makes sense to me that in the 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁,
the MOST VALUABLE asset is 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄.

What’s your experience? As a foreigner or as a Chinese?

2 months ago | [YT] | 2

China Perspectives

The crazier the president

..the better your MANAGING DIRECTOR needs to be.

Because let's face it...times are wild. 🔥

We live in times where new tariffs, laws, and regulations are announced in CAPS LOCK via social media.

In my recruitment practice this year, almost all strategic conversations today revolve around two topics:

👉GROWTH and RISK MANAGEMENT👈

And yes, technically not new.

Growth was always important. What is newer (or at least newer in this dimension) is the risk management part.

I spoke to the global CEO yesterday about exactly that:
"3 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘦. 𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 - 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘢 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱?"

And I said:

We focus on what we can control.

What we can control is making sure we adjust our selection process.

Keep the good questions
+ industry
+ skills
+ strategy/management/leadership

and then add: 𝗴𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 and understanding of the 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 and 𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲.

And no, a Managing Director does not need to be a lawyer; they will always use lawyers.

But they do need to be a bit of a unicorn nowadays. (German: Eierlegende Wollmilchsau)

But if this person is your 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 in China...the one speaking to global shareholders and shaping China strategy and yes, taking the role of "China Whisperer" internally, then I would strongly recommend making sure they have at least 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝗳 the following:

👉China’s Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law
👉Blocking Rules
👉The Unreliable Entity List
👉The Export Control Law

None of these laws are new. None.

The same applies to broader policy frameworks.

Including the 𝗙𝗶𝘃𝗲-𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 (which, frankly, still surprises me how few candidates can summarise even roughly), but also topics such as 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟯𝟱 or 𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀.

𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿-𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀.

And at the top of a firm, a broad understanding increasingly matters more than narrow functional excellence.

I have always felt that at the top, we should see more generalists than specialists. But they need to be even more "general-ishy" than they were 10 years ago.

What do you think?

Does your HQ have the 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 to know these things? Or are we finding out the hard way?

Are you considering the increasing geopolitical volatility in your interview selection process?


My name is Miriam. I am a recruiter. If you are reviewing your China leadership criteria and wondering whether they reflect 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆’𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 or those of the “𝗴𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀”, feel free to reach out.

2 months ago | [YT] | 1

China Perspectives

"Grow or Die"

...in your China business.

The year of 2026 is all about GROWTH in China.

Well, duh, Miriam. When does a firm ever 𝗻𝗼𝘁 want growth?

Yes, yes, I know.

But reading the news about the 𝟱% 𝗚𝗗𝗣 growth data that just came out, and thinking about the general sentiment I hear from clients across manufacturing industries, this just sticks out.

5% GDP sounds great and is exactly on target, same as previous years, by the way.

Sure, someone will always critique the numbers. But honestly, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗿.

That said, while many large economies would 𝗿𝗲𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 at hitting 5%. Yet many firms in China still experience this as one of the most challenging years for doing business.

The 5% number does not translate into easy business:
👉ongoing cost pressure
👉low demand
👉very cautious consumer spending
👉oversupply

Most growth comes 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀, while the 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 market is lagging (which is also why further local stimulus is widely expected this year).

So what does that mean?

Companies have realised that “growth” 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 going back to the 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 of the last two decades.

Right now, growth means adjusting expectations.

"𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘅".

Over the last few months, many firms have either 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 (often the replacement of the replacement from 2023) or issued very 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀.

HQ says:
“𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘟 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 (𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 3 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴). 𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴.”

And if you don’t know: 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 is usually code for closing down or significant downsizing.

So if you are hiring for your China leadership team now, the focus is no longer 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝗰𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 (thats so 2024/2025).

The new focus:
👉Always did purchasing? Now you need to 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴
👉Clients mainly in industry X? 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 industry
👉Mainly focused on global clients? 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗼 Chinese firms
👉China for China? Welcome to 𝗔𝗣𝗔𝗖 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻
👉Premium segment only? Get used to 𝗺𝗶𝗱-𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀
👉Traditional B2B sales channels? Learn 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴
👉 Let go of you chinese JV partner? Consider 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 again
👉Decoupling? …𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 decoupling?


What do you think?

Difficult times, yes. But also exciting times. Those who will come out on the other end in a few years will have innovated and pivoted, and I can't wait to see what firms are coming up with.

Growth in easy and hard times works differently. This should be reflected in your leadership choice.

My name is Miriam, and I am a recruiter. If this is a question you think about, please be invited to reach out :)

4 months ago | [YT] | 41

China Perspectives

"In China,

you have to drink to get business deals."

This was once a more or less universal truth not so long ago, esp in manufacturing.

However, things are changing.

China is a 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽-focused culture.

To build relationships, it requires 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁.

𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 can be developed in many different ways (a common network is still the best one), but drinking together was (and partly still is) one of them.

It was not uncommon for me to speak to foreign global Sales Leaders or CEOs flying into China and telling me about the 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗱 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 they (felt they) had to do.

Hard liqueur. Often 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲. People being sick. Still, you had to keep going. Headache the next day, but up into the meeting you go and 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 after.

And the chinese 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 we 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 during those years?

They would often tell me similar stories. Most really did not enjoy it - horrible for their health and social life, but it was simply an expectation.


Today, while yes, business drinking still exists, there are more nuances.
👉If you are in a 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 (e.g., agriculture, construction or mining), then you are likely going to drink more than e.g. in the Semiconductor or Medtech
👉If your counterpart is a 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿 (50 years or up), instead of a 35-year-old, you will likely drink more. Generational habits matter.
👉If your counterpart works for the 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, then you used to drink more, and now it will be very 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲, and their personal risk level
👉If your meeting is 𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲s in a rather remote location, you are likely going to drink more

But overall, things are changing.

Many companies I know used to send and receive lavish gifts (from "𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆-𝗳𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀" 15 years ago) to extremely 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 just a few years ago. Now, many will 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁 even tickets to a nice industry event due to compliance concerns.

The chinese government is actively trying to reduce the excess business practices (from business drinking to bribery) and is having some first success.

In the 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 published update to the ANTI UNFAIR COMPETITION LAW, the government requests no alcohol during business hours.

Many business meetings are now decidedly 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 alcohol.

Many individuals have gained a new consciousness for their health and want to drink less and be healthier. Sport is up too. An excellent development.

What do you think?

𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲?

4 months ago | [YT] | 5

China Perspectives

Hi guys,

I have an honest question for you.

Each video gets likes and dislikes. 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝘀, but I am not sure if you can.

On average, it is 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝟮 - 𝟮𝟱 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼. Given that the view number is quite high for many, I can totally live with that. Can't make everyone happy, and that is also not the purpose.

(You know how they say "if you want to make everyone happy, you should sell ice cream" - yeah, that. 😂)

The highest outlier is the video about the DIGITAL YUAN (link in first comment) 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝟱𝟬 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝟰𝟰𝗸 𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀.

I am wondering about this:

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗻 "𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲", 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲
+ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱, 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱, 𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗺𝗲𝗱
+ 𝗢𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗢𝗣𝗜𝗖 (𝗲.𝗴. 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝘄𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗶𝘀 creating)
+ Other (if so, what)

I have been trying to correlate dislikes with comments, but it's pretty tough. 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗗𝗜𝗚𝗜𝗧𝗔𝗟 𝗬𝗨𝗔𝗡 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀...𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆? Is the DIGITAL YUAN making us feel uncomfortable on a personal level, and that makes people dislike the video?

I am really curious and would appreciate it if you share your personal reasons on when to "dislike".

PS: For me personally, when I dislike something, it 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰, meaning I am unhappy about XYZ which the video is speaking about. If I really do not like a style/format/structure, then I don't watch for a long time and just click somewhere else....

4 months ago | [YT] | 17