Banning WeChat: Practicalities, Legalities, and Consequences

For all the attention that the proposed TikTok ban garnered with President Trump’s Executive Order on August 6th, the issues for corporate America, for Americans with connections to China as well as for the Chinese diaspora in the U.S. run much deeper if they face restrictions on the use of WeChat, arguably, the world’s most influential app. With a user base of more than 1.2 billion people globally, it is omnipresent in China. For any company, domestic or foreign, operating in China, it is central to any marketing/commercial strategy. Craig Allen, President of the US-China Business Council, summed up the concerns of American companies by stating to the Wall Street Journal, “For those who don’t live in China, they don’t understand how vast the implications are if American companies aren’t allowed to use it…they are going to be held at a severe disadvantage to every competitor.”

On September 3rd, WSCRC and the US-China Series will host a panel on the ban of WeChat. We will discuss the rationale, consequences, legalities, and practicalities of the ban and what this means for users and the parent company Tencent.

REGISTER HERE.

Panelists

Nelson Dong is a partner in Dorsey’s Corporate group, Chair of the National Security Law practice and co-Chair of the Asia-Pacific practice. Nelson regularly advises corporations, private and public universities, other independent research institutions, engineering and medical societies and other organizations around the world on export control, economic sanctions and national security matters, and international technology law issues. Nelson has substantial experience in counseling e-commerce, semiconductor, electronics, computer hardware and software, and biomedical and biotechnology companies with special expertise in domestic and international technology licensing, outsourcing and manufacturing in Asia and U.S. export control matters. Prior to joining Dorsey, Nelson served as an Assistant U.S Attorney in Boston and worked as a White House Fellow.

Paul Krake has over 25 years’ experience as an economic and political strategist. Paul founded View from the Peak in 2011, seeing a need for a truly global, multi-asset class research platform that focuses on the interactions between public policy, economic trends, technology and geopolitics. Paul was a co-founder of the US-China Series, a sequence of events designed to provide a forum for rational debate and critical dialogue cover complex issues between the U.S. and China. Prior to forming View from the Peak, Paul spent 15 years in Investment Banking and Asset Management. He was the Managing Partner of Corus Capital Management, a multi-strategy Asian focused hedge fund based in New York. Prior to forming Corus in 2005, he held Asia focused roles at Moore Capital Management, Goldman Sachs and Macquarie Bank. Paul holds a Bachelor of Economics and Politics from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.

Kevin Shimota is a leading expert on digital technology in China. With nearly a decade experience in China, he most notably worked as Global Marketing and Partnerships Manager for WeChat (Tencent) for 4 years. He has consulted many of the the world’s top global companies on the China market-entry strategies, and spoken at major events on China’s digital tech ecosystem. Kevin has an MBA from CEIBS and a bachelors from the University of Washington in Seattle. He previously worked at Boeing in Seattle as global supply chain manager.

Moderator

Dr. Man Wang is the Director at the Washington State China Relations Council. Prior to joining the WSCRC, Man founded People and Places, a consultancy providing research services on regional development, demographics, and business and cultural exchange opportunities between China and the U.S. Man’s previous experience includes serving as China Business Development Manager at the Washington State Department of Commerce, Editor for Seattle Luxury Living Magazine, and adjunct faculty at the University of Washington. She has co-authored articles on spatial disparities and community vitality in the Pacific Northwest and regional economic development in China and contributed book chapters on China’s urban and economic geography. Man holds a PhD in Geography from the University of Washington; a M.A. in Geography from SUNY Albany; a M.A. in International Studies from East Carolina University; and a B.A in Foreign Language and English Literature from Liaoning University.