Partner & Chair, Digital Practice @TheAsiaGroup | Faculty @HKUniversity, Schwarzman @Tsinghua_Uni, @NCCU1927 | @Yale World Fellow, @Salzburg Global Fellow
HKG, TPE, SHA, or 35,000 ft
Joined August 2008
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Sharing my comments in The Straits Times today on the implications of U.S. midterm election results on U.S.-China relations, Taiwan, and AI related export controls:
US midterms: Will Trump take a tougher stance on China after his election setback?
Analysts said Taiwan and advanced technology restrictions are two areas where a Democrat-controlled Congress could create more friction between Washington and Beijing.
George Chen, partner and chair of digital practice at the Washington-based consultancy @TheAsiaGroup, said Taiwan enjoys strong support among many Democrats, particularly because of relationships built during the administration of former Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen.
“If Congress pushes Trump’s administration to accelerate or expand arms sales to Taiwan, the strategic stability that Trump and Xi have sought to maintain could come under strain, given Beijing’s strong opposition to any moves in Washington that it perceives as supporting Taiwan,” said Chen.
Democrats may also take a tougher stance on export controls, particularly in areas related to AI and advanced technologies, said Chen.
He cited previous calls by Democratic lawmakers for greater scrutiny of NVIDIA’s chief executive Jensen Huang and his company’s business activities involving China.
Nvidia’s advanced chips are widely used to develop AI models but Washington has restricted exports of some of its most powerful processors to China over concerns that the technology could strengthen Beijing’s capabilities.
Full story: straitstimes.com/asia/east-a…
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China is unlikely to agree to a slowdown at the behest of U.S. AI companies, said George Chen, a partner and chair of digital practice at @TheAsiaGroup, an American strategic advisory firm based in Washington.
“I don’t think what happens in the U.S. really matters to China,” he said Tuesday in a phone interview from Hong Kong. “They want to do AI at their own pace, and to a very large degree a lot of people in the industry, in the government, they have a very proud sense that this is finally the chance for China.”
Full story: nbcnews.com/world/asia/china…
My views shared with FT:
The case could deepen US-China tensions. “Huawei is central to . . . Beijing’s AI ambitions,” said George Chen, partner at consultancy @TheAsiaGroup .
“The Chinese government will see this as another politicised case, especially ahead of Xi’s visit to the US. Beijing will view this as another attempt by the US to contain China’s rise in tech.”
Was Huawei’s rise built on crime? A Brooklyn jury will decide ft.trib.al/tu9acMh
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Dr. Charles Kao (高希均), a publishing giant in the Chinese-language world, passed away in Taipei on August 6 at the age of 90. I wrote this tribute to reflect my memories of Dr. Kao, who encouraged me to write more about Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China.
Since early 2023, I have been a columnist for Taiwan’s leading business magazine Global Views Monthly《遠見》, founded by Dr. Kao, and I will continue writing.
Full story: georgechen.substack.com/p/re…
Welcome back to Hong Kong 🇭🇰
Thousands of “expats” are returning after the city’s foreign population was hollowed out by Covid and Beijing’s tightening control.
bloomberg.com/news/features/…
I spoke with Bloomberg TV today on the sideline of World AI Conference in Shanghai to share my thoughts on Kimi’s new model K3 why it has already made both Wall Street and Silicon Valley in panic. I also shared my views on President Xi Jinping’s AI strategy for China and the world, and why the AI race between U.S. and China is going to heat up rapidly.
Watch the full interview here: bloomberg.com/news/videos/20…
Glad to be quoted in the new @Reuters article for a preview of the World AI Conference to be held in Shanghai starting from tomorrow -- also ahead of President Xi Jinping's important keynote on China's vision on AI governance:
"Against this backdrop, WAIC has become more than a technology showcase; it is now a geopolitical stage where Beijing seeks to articulate its vision of AI as both a national priority and a diplomatic instrument," wrote George Chen, chair of digital practice at @TheAsiaGroup.
reuters.com/world/china/chin…
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Putin arrives in Beijing right after Trump — determined to stay relevant by pushing for a G3 world, not a G2.
Read and subscribe: georgechen.substack.com/p/th…
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So much mutual trust 😂
American staff took everything Chinese officials handed out - credentials, burner phones from WH staff, pins for delegation - collected them before we got on AF1 and threw them in a bin at bottom at stairs.
Nothing from China allowed on the plane. We’re taking off shortly for America
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Two photos tell the story of who matters more in Beijing’s diplomatic choreography. Today, President Xi Jinping personally accompanied U.S. President Donald Trump on a private tour of the Temple of Heaven, with the entire site cleared so the two leaders could appear alone in the frame — a deliberate signal of status and intimacy.
By contrast, when British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Beijing in January and took a brief sightseeing stop at the Forbidden City after his government meetings, the Chinese side provided only standard security. The person standing next to Starmer in his photo was a translator, not a senior Chinese leader, and the site remained open to the public. The difference in staging reflects the difference in political weight Beijing assigns to each relationship.
One night in Beijing…
A wide cross section of China experts and discourse, for a night in Beijing.
The eminent @KaiserKuo , the scholar that is @haugejostein , the insightful @pretentiouswhat, the developer @Jashsparrows , the tech master @george_chen , and the supply chain guy @Camrjohnson
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Beijing can wait. Taipei can’t. Trump’s postponed China visit adds more pressure across the Taiwan Strait.
My take: georgechen.substack.com/p/tr…
I recently wrote a Substack piece outlining three possible scenarios for Trump’s China trip, but as the old saying goes, one day is already too long in politics.
Over the past 48 hours, new signals from Beijing suggest that the likelihood of Trump proceeding with the visit may actually be much higher than the chance of him changing his mind and staying in the White House.
My new piece: georgechen.substack.com/p/to…
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Trump’s long-awaited China trip is suddenly uncertain after the latest Iran strike. Here are the three possible scenarios for Trump’s long awaited visit to China – or not?
Read my latest Substack post: georgechen.substack.com/p/th…
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Not a surprise at all!
NEW from @nytimes: The Trump administration has delayed arms sales to Taiwan valued at $13 billion that had been approved by lawmakers. US officials say Trump wants to ensure a smooth summit in April with Xi. The US war in Iran will also cut into military resources for Asia.
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Chinese social platforms have exploded with debate, as nationalist influencers, policy scholars, and ordinary users openly question whether the Chinese leadership should still welcome #Trump to visit #China, scheduled from March 31 to April 2 after the latest #Iran strikes.
My quick analysis: georgechen.substack.com/p/af…
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