Clay Chandler's guest appearances

Clay Chandler

Inside Asia Podcast

Bruce Lipton

Weijian Shan

Adam Schwarz

Parag Khanna

Rich Robinson

David Hoffman

Mark Clifford

James Barrat

Josh Tetrick

Hunter Lovins

Cindy Hook

Sam Tsui

David Goldstein

Frank Lavin

Andrew Hewitt

OwlTail

My guest this week is Clay Chandler, Executive Editor for Fortune here in Asia. Based out of Hong Kong, he’s a long-serving member of the region’s journalistic community, holding stints with The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Time Inc. At Fortune, he’s created a niche in delivering nuanced tales, offering up an Asia perspective to challenge more populist US-centric views. US and China, it seems, are caught in a downwardly spiralling political maelstrom and there is no end in sight. While the short-term implications appear rather petty, the longer-term issues could prove severe. Not just for the two countries, but for the world at large.  It speaks to the essential nature of the two Superpowers. They set the tone for what comes next economically. Diplomatic squabbling isn’t helping, particularly in a time of pandemic when greater inter-reliance, not less, could make all the difference. Which country comes out on top may have less to do with politics and more to do with which nation gets it’s economy back on track first. Through this lens, China would appear to have the upper hand. It’s economy is rebounding. And as my guest this week explains, it has much to do with China’s relative success in bringing Covid to heel.

My guest this week is Clay Chandler, Executive Editor for Fortune here in Asia. Based out of Hong Kong, he’s a long-serving member of the region’s journalistic community, holding stints with The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Time Inc. At Fortune, he’s created a niche in delivering nuanced tales, offering up an Asia perspective to challenge more populist US-centric views. US and China, it seems, are caught in a downwardly spiralling political maelstrom and there is no end in sight. While the short-term implications appear rather petty, the longer-term issues could prove severe. Not just for the two countries, but for the world at large.  It speaks to the essential nature of the two Superpowers. They set the tone for what comes next economically. Diplomatic squabbling isn’t helping, particularly in a time of pandemic when greater inter-reliance, not less, could make all the difference. Which country comes out on top may have less to do with politics and more to do with which nation gets it’s economy back on track first. Through this lens, China would appear to have the upper hand. It’s economy is rebounding. And as my guest this week explains, it has much to do with China’s relative success in bringing Covid to heel.

US vs. China: A Tale of Two Systems (w/ Clay Chandler)

My guest this episode is none other than Clay Chandler, Executive Editor, International for Time Inc, and Asia Editor for Fortune. He’s also the author of the special "Sino-Saturday" edition of Alan Murray's influential Fortune CEO Daily newsletter. If you haven’t subscribed to the newsletter, my advice to you is to do so immediately – exceptional weekly insights from news veterans. This is a wide-ranging, must listen to conversation that eventually alighted on the topic of Artificial Intelligence superpowers. It raises some interesting—and also pressing—geopolitical questions. For example, should efforts be made to restrict China’s access to overseas markets or are we in a brave new world where data access is fair game for anyone who can access it? As Chandler points out, contrary to what many imagined, the Great Firewall has proved effective. China has been successful in limiting market penetration of digital giants Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, and Google, otherwise known as FANG. In retrospect, the story we told ourselves about the globalizing power of the web was part of a bigger story about China opening up and engaging with the world. Digital had the power – or so we believed – to eat away at the edges of Communist ideology and make way for new modes of thinking. None of this happened. As Chandler points out, China moved to capitalize on its digital blockade, and in a two-decade frenzy of innovation and investment, created digital service alternatives that are not only better, but oftentimes superior to anything FANG has to offer. But is that the whole story. Chandler warns of a potential pivot away from China as multinationals reassess the role the country plays in their global portfolios. If, over the past quarter century Asia, generally, and China, specifically were seen as critical features of a global strategy, that may be about to change. The big question is whether we will still feel that way when more severe economic implications start to kick in and the cost of goods start their precarious climb. How will global consumers feel about China then? As always, thanks for listening.

My guest this episode is none other than Clay Chandler, Executive Editor, International for Time Inc, and Asia Editor for Fortune. He’s also the author of the special "Sino-Saturday" edition of Alan Murray's influential Fortune CEO Daily newsletter. If you haven’t subscribed to the newsletter, my advice to you is to do so immediately – exceptional weekly insights from news veterans. This is a wide-ranging, must listen to conversation that eventually alighted on the topic of Artificial Intelligence superpowers. It raises some interesting—and also pressing—geopolitical questions. For example, should efforts be made to restrict China’s access to overseas markets or are we in a brave new world where data access is fair game for anyone who can access it? As Chandler points out, contrary to what many imagined, the Great Firewall has proved effective. China has been successful in limiting market penetration of digital giants Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, and Google, otherwise known as FANG. In retrospect, the story we told ourselves about the globalizing power of the web was part of a bigger story about China opening up and engaging with the world. Digital had the power – or so we believed – to eat away at the edges of Communist ideology and make way for new modes of thinking. None of this happened. As Chandler points out, China moved to capitalize on its digital blockade, and in a two-decade frenzy of innovation and investment, created digital service alternatives that are not only better, but oftentimes superior to anything FANG has to offer. But is that the whole story. Chandler warns of a potential pivot away from China as multinationals reassess the role the country plays in their global portfolios. If, over the past quarter century Asia, generally, and China, specifically were seen as critical features of a global strategy, that may be about to change. The big question is whether we will still feel that way when more severe economic implications start to kick in and the cost of goods start their precarious climb. How will global consumers feel about China then? As always, thanks for listening.

Clay Chandler: China's Digital Discontinuity and the Efficacy of the Great Firewall