Episode 70: China – Is it Still Open for Business? With Frank Lavin

Global Economy Podcast

ECIPE

Business

4.2 • 5 Ratings

🗓️ 10 February 2022

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

”China isn’t for wimps”, Frank Lavin used to say when he was the Undersecretary of Commerce in the U.S. administration. Despite fast market growth and a demand for foreign goods, it was never easy doing business in China. Now it is getting harder still – at least in sectors where Beijing is increasing regulatory barriers – and some suggest there is already an economic decoupling between China and the West. However, many Western companies are increasing their sales in China and have a larger share of their profits coming from there. In a new book, The Smart Business Guide to China E-Commerce (Penguin Business), Frank Lavin takes a fresh look at business and politics in China, and shares his experience from doing business in China over several decades. Is China closing itself? How are new trade and business restrictions causing friction? What are the secrets for success in China? In this episode, Fredrik Erixon and Frank Lavin have a conversation about business and politics in China. Frank Lavin was the Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade, and the lead trade negotiator for China. In his government career, he has been Political Director at the White House and U.S. Ambassador to Singapore. Lavin has also had senior leadership positions in banking and marketing, and in his business career he has helped many companies to succeed in China. He is the founder and chairman of Export Now and regularly writes about U.S. foreign and economic policy for newspapers and journals.

Transcript

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0:00.0	All right. Hello, everyone, and welcome to this E-Syp Online conversation about China. It's economic
0:15.4	openness and the climate of doing business in China. My name is Frederick Erickson and I'm very pleased to welcome
0:22.1	today Frank Levine, author of a brand new book about doing business in China, the smart business
0:28.2	guide to China e-commerce, published just a few months ago by Penguin. Frank has had a long and
0:33.5	distinguished career in US politics, the foreign service and the private sector. He is a former political director at the White House, and his last post in a US administration
0:42.6	was about 15 years ago when he was the US Undersecretary of Commerce for International
0:47.9	Trade, dealing among other things with China. He has also been a US ambassador to Singapore,
0:54.1	and between his political appointments,
0:56.7	Frank has had senior positions in banking, marketing, and consulting, and most of the time in Asia.
1:03.1	Frank, welcome to Isop, and congratulations to your new book.
1:06.6	President, thanks so much. It's great to be back with you. I just wish COVID is sort of created
1:11.7	a bit of turbulence in the world today, as we all know, but I'm just sorry I can't be visiting
1:17.9	you in Brussels as we've done in the past and have these in-person meetings are just a little bit
1:21.8	warm, a little more fruitful. But Zoom isn't bad. Zoom isn't bad, and I'm delighted to be able to
1:26.9	spend some time with you and with the audience here today.
1:29.8	Thank you.
1:30.7	No, it's our pleasure.
1:32.1	And look forward to hosting you in Brussels next time.
1:34.8	So we're going to talk about your book in a minute.
1:36.9	But I wanted us to start this conversation in China and current trends of economic policy
1:42.9	in China.
1:43.9	There is an increasing number of friction,
	...

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