Blogs and Articles from Third Way Forum Membrs

・Japanese companies don’t have scale to compete with China in mass markets. Just like German auto-industry did, they need to upgrade their brand and quality and compete in the premium markets where Chinese companies still have weak presence. Chinese people often do not trust Chinese products. That’s why they used to come to Japan a lot to buy Japanese products, believing that they were better in quality and more trendy in fashion. The question is, is this still the case today? Is Japan still better in quality and more trendy in the eyes of the Chinese consumers?

・China has already got the leading position in the areas of Cyber technology, A.I. , Surveillance technology etc. China got the upper hand than the US.

・Financial power is currency power. And currency power is linked with the nation’s political power. EU is getting weaker as an Economic zone. Japan is getting weaker as an Economic power. China is going to fill the vacuum with its currency Yuan(RMB) getting stronger. Within 10 years, it is predicted that Shanghai will replace Hong Kong as the biggest financial hub in Asia.

・China has been heavily investing in social infrastructures of developing Asian nations and Africa. As a result, China has huge influence over these countries.

・It seems like China will prevail as long as they don’t rush to do stupid things such as invading Taiwan or something that hugely upsets the global world. China already got the technological superiority, more financial power, control over social infrastructures of many countries and more than a billion people getting more educated and affluent. If they just keep doing what they are doing quietly, the world domination may automatically drop into their hands.

・In the Western countries including Japan, we tend to have bias against China and see China as bad. We need to have critical thinking ability to see things objectively. The American media tends to see things black and white, good vs bad. But what we are really talking about is not good vs bad. It is about two possibilities of our future world. One is based on the big data accumulated by America. The other is based on the big data accumulated by China. It looks like we have two choices. You are either controlled and brainwashed by GAFA & Netflix or you are monitored by the Chinese Communist Government.

・So what should Japanese business leaders and Japanese companies do? One option is to keep politics away from business completely and do business where it makes sense. If you get more business in China and with the Chinese, expand your business relationship with China. The other option is to take a cautious approach and avoid any further business reliance on China. The discussion on how to deal with China could potential divide the Japanese public opinion.

・Maybe there is a Third Way option. That is to stay close with both the US and China by expanding business with both of them. In this way, Japan could be the mediator when the US-China tension escalates. Both countries would then rely on Japan for support when the two countries have to work together. Just like the Old Venice Republic that became an economic super power by mediating a Muslim empire and Christian countries in Europe.

・In 10 years from now, the definition of Globalization, Global Leadership, Global Stakeholders etc in Japan could mean something pretty different from today. Probably much more to do with China.