Talk at the Library: Why Is China Cracking Down on its Tech Industry?
VIEW EVENT DETAILSA Conversation with Duncan Clark
For years, Chinese regulators gave the country’s rapidly evolving tech industry a lot of room to grow and develop. But in recent times, there has been a sharp turn: Late last year, authorities prevented the IPO of Ant Financial at the last minute. This summer, they cracked down on ride-sharing giant Didi just as it prepared to go public. Several other companies, including Tencent and Baidu, were fined or are under review.
What is the reason for these developments? Is it really a “crackdown”, or simply regulators doing their job and ensuring healthy competition? What can we learn from the new 5-year plan to “strengthen regulation over strategic sectors”, including technology? And how can we expect the relationship between tech companies and the government in China to evolve? Join us for an in-depth discussion with Duncan Clark, one of the leading experts on China’s technology sector.
This event is for Asia Society Members only. How to become a member?
Participation at our office is limited to 20 people. Masks are mandatory. Contact details of all participants are collected during registration to allow contact tracing. If you have any symptoms, we kindly ask you to stay at home. Asia Society members can also join the event online on the Conference platform Zoom.
Attendance is free. In order to avoid no-shows for tickets at our office, a CHF 50 no-show fee will be charged if you do not cancel your registration until 24 hours before the event the latest.
Duncan Clark is a recognized expert on China’s technology sector. An early advisor to China Internet entrepreneurs, Duncan is the author of Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built. Published in over 35 languages, Alibaba was named Book of the Year by The Economist and shortlisted as Financial Times/McKinsey Business Book of the Year. Duncan is chairman of the investment advisory firm BDA China, employing over 150 mainland Chinese professionals in Beijing. Duncan founded BDA in 1994 after four years as an investment banker with Morgan Stanley in London and Hong Kong. A seed investor in technology ventures including AppAnnie and Radish Fiction, Duncan is a global trustee of the Asia Society, founding member of Asia Society Japan, independent director of Bangkok Bank (China), Vice-Chair of the China-Britain Business Council and serves on the advisory boards of the Pictet Digital thematic mutual fund and WildAid.org, working to end the trade of illegal wildlife products in our lifetime. A Visiting Senior Fellow at the London School of Economics, his alma mater, and previously a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University, Duncan was awarded an OBE for services to UK-China trade. Raised in the UK, US and France, Duncan is fluent in French, Chinese and is currently studying Japanese.
Event Details
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