China Tech Talk
By TechNode
It is hosted by John Artman, Editor-in-Chief of TechNode English, and Matthew Brennan, founder of ChinaChannel
China Tech TalkJul 28, 2017
84: Facebook's Libra and China's Central Bank with Zennon Kapron
Just weeks after Facebook announced their Libra cryptocurrency project, the People's Bank of China has become quite vocal about their on-going project. Most recently, the PBOC announced that China's digital currency is "nearly ready." Following on from our previous conversation about Libra and QQ Coin, this week we're joined by Zennon Kapron, director of Kapronasia, to look at what Libra means in a global context as well as China's plans to launch its own digital currency.
Key questions
- What are the biggest implementation and adoption challenges for Libra?
- Why don't governments like cryptocurrency?
- How does a digital currency affect the RMB's status?
- What are the downsides of a digital fiat currency?
Links
- China Tech Talk 33: Fintech IPOs and the future of money in China with Zennon Kapron
- China Tech Talk 80: Libra lessons from WeChat and QQ
- China fast-tracks development of national digital currency in response to Libra
- China’s digital fiat currency is ‘nearly ready’ for launch: PBOC official
- WeChat Conference: CHina CHat 2019!
- Become a member of TechNode Squared
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- Music: “Theme from Penguins on Parade” by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3
83: Podcasting and why the open web is dead in China with Rio Zhan
At the end of 2018, Connie Chan of Andreesen Horowitz, wrote about how podcasts in China monetize. However, what she calls podcasts aren't really what we call podcasts: they're more like paid-for educational audio content. Podcasting, like what we do at China Tech Talk, is actually still very immature in China. But that doesn't mean there aren't content creators following the "traditional" podcasting model.
To talk about this, we're joined this week by Rio Zhan, early stage VC and host of the Crazy Capital podcast. We share notes on podcasting and talk about how China's content models have evolved away from the open web.
Key questions
- Why is the China market different for audio content?
- Why is the open web almost non-existent in China?
- What role does culture play in creating acceptance of paying for content?
- How might Facebook's Libra enable monetization for Western podcasts?
Links
- Crazy Capital (in Chinese)
- Outgrowing Advertising: Multimodal Business Models as a Product Strategy
- The Dark Forest Theory of the Internet
- WeChat Conference: CHina CHat 2019!
- Become a member of TechNode Squared
Guest
- Rio Zhan, @RioJot
Hosts
Editor
Podcast information
- iTunes
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- Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3
82: Tech conferences in China
In the tech and startup ecosystem, there's always another conference to attend. The landscape isn't all that clear, however, with some conferences getting more public hype and others keeping it low-key. After organizing and attending many of them, John and Matt sit down this week to go over what's out available, what makes certain conferences different, and which are some of the best to attend and why.
Key questions
- What kinds of conferences are there?
- What should you consider before going to a conference in China?
- How do conferences monetize?
- How much work goes into a successful conference?
Links
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- Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3
81: The new new retail with Michael Norris
In June, Carrefour sold 80% of its China operations to electronics retailer Suning. The news is representative of a much broader shift in the new retails space. When we first covered new retail in 2018, unmanned stores were gaining traction and it was unclear if Alibaba was going to win. In 1.5 years, unmanned stores are almost dead and Alibaba is a clear winner.
To discuss this shift, we're happy to welcome Michael Norris, research and strategy manager at AgencyChina.
This episode was recorded on June 25, 2019.
Key questions:
- Why would Suning be interested in Carrefour?
- How did JD lose the new retail battle?
- What makes Hema and the Alibaba model so successful?
- What makes the China market so difficult for non-China retailers?
Links
- New Retail Keynote (Dropbox)
- Carrefour sells 80 per cent of its Chinese retail operations to Suning for 4.8 billion yuan
- Why it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee on Luckin
- WeChat Conference: CHina CHat 2019!
- Become a member of TechNode Squared
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- Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3
80: Libra lessons from WeChat and QQ
On June 18, Facebook announced the Libra cryptocurrency, a solution to their P2P payments conundrum. As to be expected, this move has gotten a lot of attention. In China, that attention has taken the form of comparing Libra to Tencent's breakthrough Q Coin as well as how WeChat has integrated payments.
Key questions:
- What is Q Coin?
- What's the difference between a virtual currency and a cryptocurrency?
- What is the relationship between Libra, Calibra, and Facebook?
- Will China ever have something like this?
Links
- Everything you need to know about Libra, Facebook’s ambitious cryptocurrency
- Can Facebook’s Libra replicate WeChat Pay’s digital payment dominance?
- Facebook, Libra, and the Long Game
- FACEBOOK’S CALIBRA IS A SECRET WEAPON FOR MONETIZING ITS NEW CRYPTOCURRENCY
- Become a member of TechNode Squared
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- Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3
79: Facial recognition, AI, and privacy in China with Zen Soo
Facial recognition has taken off in China. Perhaps the most widely implemented use case, facial recognition is used to deter jaywalkers, track attention and behavior in schools, catch criminals, monitor live streamers, and more. Unlike Western countries, China's privacy protections laws are almost non-existent, but that is changing with draft legislation soon to be released
Key questions:
- What is China's plan for facial recognition?
- How is facial recognition being used now?
- What are the local attitudes toward the technology?
Links
- Video: Facial recognition is on the rise in China
- Upgraded AI surveillance helps nab student suspected in mother’s murder
- Inside China Tech podcast
- Become a member of TechNode Squared
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- Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3
78: Hot take—Huawei after Google
Last week, the White House announced a ban on US companies doing business with companies deemed a security risk. Over the weekend, Google announces that they must suspend Huawei's access to Android. This episode, Matt and John have a short discussion about what the announcement means for Huawei and what the company may be able to do about it.
Correction: In this episode, John says that "HongMeng OS" could be translated as "Red Dream." This is incorrect. The characters for HongMeng are 鸿蒙 and refers to the Chinese mythology's primal chaos.
Links
- Hongmeng, Huawei’s proprietary OS, incorporates next-generation technology
- Shanghai tech board to push semiconductor independence
- Why Huawei’s ‘wolf culture’ will help telecom titan fight off attacks and thrive
- Halt and Catch Fire (TV series about making an OS)
- Frontline: Trump's Trade War
- Become a member of TechNode Squared
- Get your tickets to the first annual Emerge
Hosts
Editor
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- Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3
77: Peer-to-peer lending in China—Tech-driven shadow banking with Andrew Polk
China’s online peer-to-peer lending industry has been in turmoil for the last three years as financial regulators have clamped down as part of “de-risking” efforts. Tuandai.com, a top P2P lender, collapsed in March due to turnover problems. As of February, the platform had more than 220,000 investors with RMB 14.5 billion ($2.15 billion) in outstanding loans. The company is under investigation for illegal fundraising, leading to the arrest of 41 people so far, including co-owners Tang Jun and Zhang Lin.
This week, Andrew Polk, partner at Trivium China, joins us to discuss what's happening with the P2P lending industry in China.
Key questions:
- What role has the government played in the growth and death of P2P lending?
- How is the crackdown on cryptocurrency different from the tightening regulations around P2P lending?
- Are P2P companies really tech companies, as many claim?
- Can we expect companies like Dianrong to survive this round of government scrutiny?
Links
- 22: P2P lending, retail banking, and the future of online services with Ling Kong
- The Trivium Tip Sheet
- Become a member of TechNode Squared
- Get your tickets to the first annual
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- Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3
76: US vs China—AI asymmetries with Jeffrey Ding
With the number of English speakers around the world, it's no surprise that Chinese AI experts and engineers are keeping up with developments across the Pacific. However, the same is not true when it comes to the Chinese language. Indeed, Andrew Ng, former Chief Scientist at Baidu and co-founder of Coursera, made this exact point years ago when interviewed about China's AI progress. Jeffrey Ding, China lead for the Center for the Governance of AI, is trying to change that information asymmetry with his ChinAI newsletter featuring translations of Chinese thought leadership in AI.
Links
- ChinAI newsletter
- How I learned to stop worrying and love surveillance capitalism
- 62: AI Superpowers with Kai-Fu Lee
- TechNode Podcast Network
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- Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3
75: Pinduoduo's free cash flow problem with James Hull
Free cash flow is cash a company can use for whatever they want. If Pinduoduo is free cash flow positive they’ll likely be able to continue their growth spend and get even larger. If its free cash flow negative, the growth plan will put too much strain on their cash position and, it will eventually fail. To say it simply: the stakes are high.
This week, we're joined by James Hull, professional investor and co-host of the China Tech Investor podcast, to take a look at Pinduoduo's actual financial health.
Links
- Pinduoduo’s free cash flow conundrum
- 43: The e-commerce platform becoming a threat to Alibaba with Thomas Graziani
- China Tech Investor podcast
- TechNode Podcast Network
Guest
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- Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3
74: Bitmain, Bitcoin Cash, and the future of crypto with Nishant Sharma
One of the earliest companies to get into bitcoin mining, Bitmain makes and sells mining equipment and manages one of the world's largest bitcoin mining pools. A controversial company in the space (as are most), Bitmain backed the Bitcoin Cash fork as well as the subsequent fork into Bitcoin Cash ABC.
This week we are joined by Nishant Sharma, International PR and Communications Director at Bitmain, to talk about the company, some of their tech, as well as their future plans.
This episode was recorded on January 31, 2019.
Links
- How the world’s largest bitcoin miner is taking on AI’s most powerful players
- Bitmain co-founder Wu Jihan may be departing from core business
- TechNode Podcast Network
Guest
- Nishant Sharma, @nishantsharma87, LinkedIn
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- Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3
73: Mobility's maturation and misery: One ofo doesn't ruin everything
All of China's most visible mobility players have undergone significant change over the last 12 months. Ofo is on the verge of collapse, Mobike is now Meituan Bike, and Didi is grappling with how to move past their existential safety problem.
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- Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3
72: Gaming regulation rectification with Daniel Ahmad
Early last year, the central government put a freeze on gaming approvals, shutting out many big titles from making money, including PUBG and Fortnite. However, in December, they reopened approvals only to find themselves with a 6-month backlog, leaving giants Tencent and Netease still unable to monetize their biggest hits.
Daniel Ahmad, analyst at Niko Partners, joins us again to talk gaming regulation in China, the role of mini games in the WeChat vs Douyin battle, and how Steam is faring in the Middle Kingdom.
Links
Guest
- Daniel Ahmad, @ZhuGEX
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- Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3
71: The Chinese takeover of the Indian app ecosystem with Shadma Shaikh
70: WeChat vs TikTok: China's Stories
69: Restrictions and restructurings — 2018 in review, part 2
68: The year that tech became political — 2018 in review, part 1
67: IPOs in a bear market with Shai Oster
This week, John and Matt talk with Shai Oster, Asia bureau chief for The Information, about the rash of Chinese IPOs in a down market, looking at Tencent Music, Xiaomi, Pinduoduo, Meituan Dianping. We also talk about the possibilities for Bytedance and Ant Financial IPOs in 2019.
Links
- China Tech Talk 49: The Xiaomi IPO with The Information’s Shai Oster
- What China’s history of overseas tech IPOs says about the current wave
- TechNode IPO coverage
- Sign up for TechNode newsletters
- Subscribe to The Information
- Shai Oster - The Information author page, @beijingscribe
- iTunes
- RSS feed
- China Tech Talk.com
- Music: "Theme from Penguins on Parade" by Lee Rosevere, Music for Podcasts 3
66: The next Facebook will be Chinese
Introducing China Tech Investors
This week they talk G20 and China-US tensions with Chris Balding. Search in iTunes or your favorite podcast app for "China Tech Investor" to subscribe.
65: Walmart China: Ted Hopkins live from TechCrunch Shenzhen
64: China's VR market: Alvin Wang Graylin live from TechCrunch Shenzhen
63: Mafengwo and fake numbers in China
Guest
Wang Boyuan – @thisboyuan
Hosts
John Artman, @knowsnothing
Matthew Brennan, @mbrennanchina
62: AI Superpowers with Kai-Fu Lee
61: How technology has changed music in China
60 (updated): How to make a billion dollar company in China with Fritz Demopoulos
59: China's cybersecurity law: GDPR for the Middle Kingdom with Samm Sacks
58: Is Bullet Messenger a WeChat killer?
57: The secret history of WeChat with Heatherm Huang
56: China coffee wars revisited: Luckin vs Starbaba
55: Huawei's wolf culture: Kill or be killed, part 2
This is the second of two parts.
54: Huawei's wolf culture: Kill or be killed, part 1
This is the first of two parts.
53: The China that can be understood is not the real China
52: The globalization of the Chinese traveler with Victor Tseng, CCO of Ctrip
51: The best of China Tech Talk's first year, part 2
50: The best of China Tech Talk's first year, part 1
49: The Xiaomi IPO with The Information's Shai Oster
48: Problems With Chinese & Western tech media with Wang Boyuan, of TechCrunch.cn
47: Shenzhen style innovation: IP protection, ZTE, and manufacturing standards with Benjamin Joffe of HAX
46: Internet business models disrupt China's coffee market: Luckin Coffee
45: Tencent vs Alibaba - The battle for China’s offline retail with WSJ’s Liza Lin
44: Short video and China’s hottest app
43: The e-commerce platform becoming a threat to Alibaba with Thomas Graziani
42: China's mobility and transport market gets all mixed up
41: New retail, new customer experiences with Stephane Monsallier
This week, John and Matt talk with Stephane Monsallier, founder of Shops of the Future, about new retail and Alibaba's strategy with Hema.
40: Unpacking China's "new retail"
39: PUBG and the future of Steam in China with Charlie Moseley
[This was recorded on 01 Feb 2018]
38: Trends in early-stage Chinese startups with Edith Yeung
Edith Yeung on WeChat: edithyeung