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May 25 2018

Cross-border Talent Management and Recruiting: Outlook on China and Asia


On May 17, 2018, the Washington State China Relations Council convened a session of the Corporate Executive Briefing Series with panel discussion, “Cross-Border Talent Management and Recruiting: Outlook on China and Asia.” The panel featured executive search experts William Reffett and Thomas Young of Reffett Associates, and Catherine Pierce and John Hagen of Washington Search Partners.

Reffett Associates and Washington Search Partners, both WSCRC members, shared seasoned insights into effective cross-border executive search and placement. Reffett Associates, founded in 1994, has an impeccable record of successfully placing top executives across industries and around the world. Regarding Reffett’s approach to international executive search, Director of Operations Tom Young explained, “our model is, ‘we don’t try to be the expert, but we find out who the expert is and let them do their thing.’” This model has led Reffett to work closely with partners such as Agilium Worldwide and Chelsea Partners, whose specialties in in placing senior level executives in Asia complement Reffett’s experience in Stateside search.

Catherine Pierce, who spent a significant part of her career working on the ground in Asia, channeled her knowledge and experience into the field of executive search, co-founding Washington Search Partners in 2009. “I do search like I run business. It’s really simple when you look at it like that,” Catherine explained. She and WA Search Partners president John Hagen have a reputation for locating and placing women leaders in key executive positions. Catherine expressed her confidence that no matter how specific the parameters of a client, there is a qualified person for every position.

John Hagen added that a client can expand their network by partnering with a recruiting firm. The partnership also helps avoid the pitfall of exclusively hiring from within one’s own field, which in Hagen’s view puts a company at risk of stymying innovation. William Reffett concurred, noting that, “when you exhaust your personal network, you turn to us.”

Both firms strongly emphasized the significance of building a trust relationship with clients. “Recruiters are a bridge between cultures,” Young remarked, which makes it essential that the firm have a cultivated understanding of cultures on both sides of the border. This allows the firm to preempt the challenges that the new executive will face on the job and in their daily life as a local national, a US expatriate, or a foreign expatriate. Grasping the subtleties of client company culture, cross-cultural relations and candidate needs has translated to high retention rates for executives placed by both Reffett Associates and Washington Search Partners.

Summary Author: Trudy Boothman

Written by wscrc_admin · Categorized: Recent News · Tagged: culture, executive search, Reffett, talent, Washington Search Partners

May 17 2018

Lifelong Leadership: Assessing President Xi Jinping’s Power Consolidation

On May 14, 2018, WSCRC welcomed Dr. Victor Shih to this year’s fourth installment of the Policy Briefing Series. Shih is an associate professor of political economy at the University of California, San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy. Following up on his November 2017 briefing which assessed outcomes of China’s 19th Party Congress, Dr. Shih provided insight into implications of President Xi Jinping’s consolidation of power.

In March 2018, China’s state constitution was officially amended, making it illegal for Xi to be voted out of office. “Everything points to Xi serving for life,” Shih explained, and with many of Xi’s Zhejiang “clique” being promoted to the Politburo, Xi will “dominate the Politburo Standing Committee in the near future,” with a few more key promotions.

Though Xi initially lost followers subsequent to the anti-corruption campaigns of his first term, the outcomes of the 19th Party Congress proved that his shrewd strategic planning and positioning were ultimately successful. “Xi has been able to concentrate a lot of power in his hands,” Shih continued. This consolidation of power is demonstrated clearly in the immense restructuring of the central government’s ministerial system into a series of CCP commissions which will assert greater control over every policy area at the central, provincial, and local levels and most of which are helmed by Xi himself.

Xi’s tremendous consolidation of power also carries implications for the current US-China trade dispute. “Because of Xi’s almost limitless power,” Shih elucidated, “he has great latitude to negotiate. To the extent that they do not fundamentally undermine the ‘China Dream,’ Xi will happily make concessions.” In Shih’s view, President Trump’s resent statement regarding the softening of penalties on Chinese tech company ZTE is likely a signal to China that the US is still open to negotiation. Likewise, Shih foresees that Xi will find peaceful and harmless ways to reduce the trade deficit while avoiding concessions on real sticking points such as tech transfer policy, leaving these critical questions unresolved.

Summary Author: Trudy Boothman

Written by wscrc_admin · Categorized: Recent News · Tagged: 19th Party Congress, constitution, dispute, power, trade, Xi Jinping

May 17 2018

Contemporary Asian Art from Global Perspectives


On May 10, 2018, the Washington State China Relations Council convened the first session of the Chinese Art & Culture series at the Seattle Art Museum. Edward Gui, director of San Francisco-based NanHai Art, presented a seminar on Contemporary Asian Art from Global Perspectives.

Mr. Gui shared observations of trends in China’s contemporary art movement in terms of commerciality, government sponsorship, and global recognition. The institutional changes of the last decades combined with the ambition of contemporary artists in China has created a modern artistic phenomenon, which Mr. Gui is passionate about understanding and promoting.

A brief history of the Chinese contemporary art movement reveals that official government sponsorship marked a significant turning point in the direction of the movement. “Historically contemporary art was counter-cultural, counter-political and considered ‘experimental’ by the government, but the Shanghai Biennale was historic because it marked the government’s official support of the movement,” Gui explained.

Since that time, the Chinese government has contributed to defining the contemporary art culture, and China’s top art academies have received not only increased government attention, but also a deluge of applications from young artistic hopefuls to whom a career in the arts become a viable and respectable option. Collaborations between entrepreneurs, collectors, architects and artists have been another driving force in the creativity displayed in modern museums, art fairs and exhibitions.

Interest in contemporary Chinese art has skyrocketed in the past decades, as evidenced by the establishment of as many as 386 art museums in one year, many of which are located in second-tier and even remote locations. Similarly, specially designated art districts in major cities are attracting foreign tourists as well as nationals. Pre-1990 Beijing could boast not a single professional art gallery, but now more than 300 can be found in the art district alone.

Gui believes that the Magiciens de la Terre exhibition in 1989 Beijing was pivotal in initiating an East-West dialogue that has continued to flourish to the present day. The first Chinese contemporary art auction at Christie’s in 1998 again increased international interest. Since then, contemporary Chinese artists have been featured prominently in many of the world’s most distinguished venues, and Chinese auction houses rank the third and fourth largest in the world in terms of revenue.

Special thanks to NanHai Art and SAM’s Gardner Center for Asian Art and Ideas for co-hosting this seminar.

Summary Author: Trudy Boothman

Written by wscrc_admin · Categorized: Recent News · Tagged: art, Beijing, contemporary, Edward Gui, seminar

May 01 2018

China’s Uyghur Biodata Collection


On April 25, 2018, WSCRC welcomed Darren Byler as presenter at the Policy Briefing Series. Currently a doctoral candidate in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Washington, Byler studies emerging forms of art and politics amongst urban migrants in Northwest China. His research into the securitization of the region provided fodder for his presentation at WSCRC, “China’s Uyghur Biodata Collection.”

Byler adeptly traced the emergence of current political and social trends as they parallel the phases of infrastructure buildout beginning with roads and railways it the 20th Century. Television and radio arrived in the early 2000s, followed by the arrival of 3G networks and smart phones in 2010. Byler explained that this period marked the beginning of trends which altered the social, religious and political landscapes of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and led to the securitization being experienced today.

Physical and digital proximity to surrounding Turkic and Islamic cultures contributed to an increased interest in Islamic pious practice, which Byler noted has been heavily conflated with violence and political disturbance. Consequently, security measures have increased drastically in the past decade and pious Islamic practices and symbols have been outlawed. Police presence has intensified with “convenient police stations” being found every 400-500 meters throughout the province’s capital city of Urumqi. Redundant security checks have become a part of daily life with ID and facial scanning, checkpoints on roads, and more recently, the collection of biometric data from 18.8 million Uyghur people.

Byler discussed how security procedures have both created jobs and attracted investment from artificial intelligence companies. Additionally, while Uyghur people are subject to more strenuous screening than other ethnic groups in the region, young Uyghurs are often recruited into the police force. It remains to be seen how the massive amounts of data being collected from security screenings will be utilized and what precedents Xinjiang’s securitization will set for other regions or countries, Byler explained.

Special thanks to Darren Byler for sharing his findings at the Policy Briefing Series.

Summary Author: Trudy Boothman

Written by wscrc_admin · Categorized: Recent News · Tagged: Artificial Intelligence, Biodata, Security, Uyghur, Xinjiang

Apr 30 2018

ECONOMIC OBSERVER INTERVIEWS WSCRC

Chinese-language financial newspaper Economic Observer interviews WSCRC Chair Andy Wilson and Board Member Dean Jones on impact of China tariffs on Washington State.

View original publication from the Economic Observer here.

经济观察网 记者 张文扬 美东时间4月5日,美国总统特朗普指示美国贸易代表办公室依据“301调查”,考虑对从中国进口的额外1000亿美元商品加征关税是否合适。这一行动在当天得到了美国贸易代表办公室的肯定性支持。加征关税的具体商品目前并未给出。

这一突发消息令市场反应激烈。美股期货、国际油价等急跌,金价则攀升突破1330美元/盎司关口。

北京时间4月6日中午,商务部新闻发言人应媒体询问时再次坚定了立场:“我们不想打,但不怕打贸易战”。他说:“中方将奉陪到底,不惜付出任何代价,必定予以坚决回击,必定采取新的综合应对措施,坚决捍卫国家和人民的利益”。

中美在贸易天平上不断加码的时刻,人们也许还关注,特朗普的“1000亿”中还将涉及哪些领域?中方还将出哪些牌去反制特朗普的“1000亿”?

人们或许还会问,中国的改革开放进程会因此受阻吗?商务部发言人在4月6日的谈话中说:“中方将继续扩大改革开放,维护多边贸易体制,推动全球贸易投资自由化和便利化。”

美方加征1000亿美元关税

特朗普在4月5日美国白宫发表的声明中称:“鉴于中国的不公平报复,我已指示美国贸易代表考虑,根据第301条,增加1000亿美元的关税是否适当,如果适当,则应确定征收这些关税的产品。我还指示农业部长在我的内阁其他成员支持下,利用其广泛权力,执行一项保护我国农民和农业利益的计划。”

对于特朗普这一额外的301条款行动,美国贸易代表莱特希泽在4月5日的声明中表示了支持。在美国贸易代表办公室(USTR)网站上的声明中,莱特希泽称,“中国选择对美国出口的数十亿美元(包括我们的农产品)征收不合理的关税。这些措施无疑会对美国工人、农民和企业造成进一步的伤害。在这种情况下,总统要求采取进一步的适当行动,以消除USTR报告中所确定的不公平的行为、政策和做法,是正确的。”

目前,美方并没有公布详细的加征关税名单。据USTR信息,提议的任何额外关税都将在2018年4月3日公布的征收关税的情况下进行类似的公开评论。在相关程序完成之前,不征收关税。

据彭博社报道,一名白宫官员在稍后表示,特朗普在声明中使用的1000亿美元的数字是指将被追加关税的进口商品的价值,而不是将对商品征税的总额。

北京金诚同达律师事务所律师杨晨对经济观察网指出,从美国上一轮公布的拟征税产品范围就可以看出,中国对美国的出口,产业比较分散。再追加1000亿美元商品的关税,中国对美国出口的产品1/3多都被覆盖了,很难想象会集中在哪些领域,但根据中国对美国近两年的出口情况,可能电子产品受到的冲击会大一些。

并不是所有来自华盛顿的声音都对征税表示认同。华盛顿州中国关系委员会主席Andy Wilson在4月5日对经济观察网说:“多次的例子证明,贸易战争伤害了各方——增加了中国和美国消费者的价格,并增加了许多公司的成本和供应链问题。解决当前形势的办法不是增加双方的关税,而是要在两个市场上对所有公司平等参与和参与的诚实谈判。”

中国回应:将采取新的综合应对措施

所谓的“1000亿美元商品征税”,是继美东时间4月3日,美国对中国约 500 亿美元商品公布对华 301 调查征税建议清单后,再次亮出的砝码。这也意味着贸易战进入了第二回合。

北京会继续亮牌吗?商务部新闻发言人在4月6日表示,如果美方不顾中方和国际社会反对,坚持搞单边主义和贸易保护主义行径,中方将奉陪到底,不惜付出任何代价,必定予以坚决回击,必定采取新的综合应对措施,坚决捍卫国家和人民的利益。

对于美国的单边行动和贸易保护主义,中国从未停止反击的脚步,并依据WTO争端解决程序予以反击。4月4日,中国就美国对华301调查项下征税建议在世贸组织争端解决机制下提起磋商请求,正式启动世贸组织争端解决程序。4月5日,中国就美国进口钢铁和铝产品232措施,在世贸组织争端解决机制项下向美方提出磋商请求,正式启动争端解决程序。

问题在于,4月4日北京宣布对美国的大豆、棉花等农产品、汽车、化工品、飞机等500亿美元的进口商品征税25%后,还能出手哪些牌?

目前,从反制裁的方面看,中国政府目前并没有发动汽车飞机大型制造业领域制裁。华盛顿州中国关系委员会的成员Dean Jones的个人看法是,目前中国对波音飞机的关税仅限于较小的飞机,而对其他飞机征收更大的关税,可能为其竞争对手“空客”提供巨大优势

服务贸易成为关注的焦点之一。北京大学国家发展研究院副院长余淼杰的观点是,有可能通过限制美国服务贸易对华出口的方式来应对贸易制裁。他认为,美国服务贸易出口增加本国就业岗位、减少收入差距,美国服务业企业在华获得丰厚收益。如果贸易摩擦升级,美国服务贸易对华出口受挫,美方得不偿失。

在服务贸易方面,美国对华长期保持着巨额顺差,仅2016年美国对华服务贸易顺差就高达557亿美元。据商务部信息,2006年至2016年,中美服务贸易总额增长3.3倍,而逆差增长33.7倍。

中美博弈,改革开放将继续

早在4月4日,商务部副部长王受文在国新办的新闻发布会上就指出,特朗普总统早前在推特中提出“希望中方每年减少一千亿美元的对美顺差”的这一言论,“是绝对不能接受的”。王受文说:“贸易顺差逆差,是市场力量决定的,是由美国整体经济政策、经济结构来决定的,中方一家是减不了顺差的。”

王受文说:“如果我们深入分析中美贸易顺差或者逆差的数字,如果考虑统计的原因,考虑转口贸易的原因,考虑服务贸易的原因,中美贸易的顺差实际上只有美方公布逆差的三分之一,并不那么大。” 据美国商务部2月6日公布数据,2017年美国对华货物贸易逆差约3752亿美元。此外,中美贸易统计也存在差异。据中国和美国统计工作组测算,美国官方统计的对华贸易逆差每年都被高估20%左右。

Andy Wilson说:“中美讨论的焦点不应该是商品贸易逆差的价值——这不是一种有用的经济措施,包括当今复杂的供应链和数字/服务经济。相反,谈判的重点应该是一项新的双边投资条约(BIT),将两国平等地对待,因此在这两个市场上给予商业投资和经营的平等机会。”

中国的改革开放进程会因此受阻吗?商务部发言人在4月6日的谈话中说:“中方将继续扩大改革开放,维护多边贸易体制,推动全球贸易投资自由化和便利化。”

对外经济贸易大学国际经济贸易学院教授、中国世界贸易组织研究会副秘书长、研究部主任崔凡对经济观察网指出,要在坚持扩大开放中对美实施对等反制,要争取不能让它对我们打造全面开放新格局的国策造成太大影响。

如何在积极主动开放的过程中实施报复呢?崔凡建议道,中国政府已经宣布了的金融业包括银行、证券、保险要扩大开放,专用汽车和新能源汽车在2018年6月份之前在自贸区要开放,汽车的关税要逐步下降,这些进程都不能因为美方的行为而停止。但是,如果美方对中方实施歧视性措施了,这些开放措施可以暂时不对其实施。比如,汽车降低关税,但是一旦美国对我国实施歧视性关税,降低的部分即不对美国实施;其他国家和地区在自贸区里开办新能源汽车的独资公司,中方欢迎;但是如果美方实施对中方的歧视,中方就暂时不允许它进入。这样的好处在于,一是能够在困难中继续开放,二是能够在现有领域增加报复砝码从而尽量不扩散到其他领域,三是有利于团结没有对我国实施歧视政策的国家和地区。

Written by wscrc_admin · Categorized: Recent News · Tagged: economics, tariff, trade, USTR

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