n 2003, AAPN held our Annual Conference in Montreal. During the agenda, one speaker mentioned China. Kim Krummell, then of Timberland, asked a question about China. The late Keith Crisco, sitting in the audience, said, "you know, I just got back from 3 weeks in China. If you don't mind, I'd like to stand up and discuss what I saw".
Three hours later, AAPN had a new meeting format - go after current issues with existing members. That's why the following two kick-butt articles impact us so deeply here - we knew this was coming, we've been watching formally since 2003.
For what its worth, if this is the first time you've ever heard of China's BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE (BRI), I urge you to read up on it. Previous business articles have argued that many companies actually prefer Chinese discipline in that they plan their work and work their plan. Contrast China's global logistics vision with the infrastructure strategy of your own country!
It’s China’s World
Fortune, July 22, 2019
China has now reached parity with the U.S. on the 2019 Fortune Global 500—a signifier of the profound rivalries reshaping business today.
As the Chinese Century nears its third decade, Fortune’s Global 500 shows how profoundly the world’s balance of power is shifting. American companies account for 121 of the world’s largest corporations by revenue. Chinese companies account for 129 (including 10 Taiwanese companies). For the first time since the debut of the Global 500 in 1990, and arguably for the first time since World War II, a nation other than the U.S. is at the top of the ranks of global big business. Read More
Boxed In at the Docks: How a Lifeline From China Changed Greece
Fortune, July 22, 2019
When Chinese shipping giant Cosco snapped up the historic port of Piraeus, it threw Greece an economic lifeline. Now the port’s success is reshaping the Greek political landscape—and generating choppy waters for China in Europe.
On a steamy night earlier this summer, about a thousand people poured into a public square in Athens to cheer on Greece’s leading left-wing politician, Alexis Tsipras. Tsipras was in the waning weeks of his term as Prime Minister—and trailing in a race against a pro-business opponent.
Leaping onto a makeshift stage in front of a banner reading “We have the power,” Tsipras shouted over the crowd. “This is a battle between two worlds, the elites against the many!” Then he took aim at foreign companies eyeing investment prospects in Greece, one of the countries hardest hit by Europe’s long financial crisis. “We have managed to get back to growth after eight straight years of recession,” Tsipras said. “Electricity, health, education, water, energy—they are not for sale!”Read More