Globalizing China

Citation

Foo, C.-T. (2009), "Globalizing China", Chinese Management Studies, Vol. 3 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/cms.2009.32303aaa.001

Globalizing China

Article Type: Foreword From: Chinese Management Studies, Volume 3, Issue 1

As founding editor-in-chief, I was so glad to have participated in the first “China Goes Global” Conference at Harvard University, in the John F. Kennedy School of Government. I must thank the Guest Editors, Ilan Alon, Julian Chang, Marc Fetscherin, Christoph Lattemann and John McIntyre for their joint efforts in selecting papers for a special issue of Chinese Management Studies. Here I shall put a more personal touch to the theme of China globalizing.

When co-chairing the “Chinese Firms at the Crossroads” track at the conference, I stressed that to truly grasp Chinese thinking, a scholar should look back at least, say, 500 years. If you do so you will discover China was once a manufacturing center for a thriving global market. So “China goes global” is not altogether a new phenomenon. Yes, the very word “China” is itself an instant giveaway.

Yet even then, “china” though manufactured in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province, often reflects cultural influences from major civilizations. For example, in the design of Ming blue and white Kendi (Foo and Teo, 2007), I found ancient Indian and Islamic influences. Similarly, future Chinese branded products in going global are likely to also reflect Western influences.

Is there any other country, whose very name in English is as symbolic of its major export to the world? When China in the near future finally establishes herself as a global player, issues involving centralization will emerge. The Chinese will then play a global role in standardization across industries.

Unlike the Bush administration (in contrast to Al Gore’s greening initiative), the Chinese Government will reinforce current efforts towards global sustainability. In a contrast to the West, it is in Eastern culture for the Chinese to be thinking within a much longer time frame.

The Chinese have since time immemorial been concerned about ensuring the continuing welfare of later generations. The salutation to the Emperor had been one of (in pinyin, huang shan wan shui) or translated as “Long live the Emperor, ten thousand years.”

It seems now to be unlikely with the highly damaging images of baby milk and toy scares (among others) for the Chinese to lead in setting global standards. Yet this is not altogether impossible. Since the 2008 Olympics, the Chinese are much more globally aware. Beijing is learning to have a much tighter grip over industrial processes. Eventually, quality, impossibly low pricing and better assurances of product safety will become key drivers behind Chinese globalization.

When that happens, the focus of attention of scholars may well be in how to cope with the challenges posed by the Chinese. In 2004, I was asked to lead a workshop in Sri Lanka for top Indian CEOs on countering the Chinese challenge. Uppermost in minds of CEOs (Foo et al., n.d.) was how to counteract the Chinese “invasion” of traditional Indian markets. What shocked the Indian CEOs was Chinese competiveness in textile, especially silk.

How will the story of Chinese globalization unfold? Also, interestingly, what will be the content of Chinese globalization? Will it be an amalgam of exports of products, along with Chinese techniques as well as ideas?

In the 1990s, besides the Toyotas sweeping the US automobile market, the Japanese or or Kanban system too became very popular with American management. So the flow of products also generated interest globally in Japanese techniques in managing.

Some Chinese corporations have already gone global. For example, on pricing and quality, the “white goods” of (in pinyin, Haier, www.haier.com/abouthaier/corporateprofile/leadership.asp (accessed December 8, 2008)) penetrated deep into Indian markets. Haier products had world-wide distribution. It is only natural to be asking: what is the strategy behind the success of Haier? According to Zhang Ruimin, it lies in his philosophy of management.

One he had described as:

[…] blend of international management principles and Chinese wisdom […]

For this reason, Chinese Management Studies as a research journal will continue to feature papers reflecting Chinese wisdom along with innovative, yet empirically-preferably statistically-grounded papers on managerial practices. Also over the next few years, the journal will become even more global. Where feasible, we will invite to our Editorial Advisory Board academics from other geographical regions: India, Russia, South America, Africa, and others.

In conclusion, I would like to share as what I see as an irony. Let me quote a phrase made more than half a century ago. Then back in the 1950s, the West (predominantly USA) and the East (China and Russia) were at loggerheads. A Chinese saying was then prevalent:

[dong feng ya dao xi feng] (He, 2001, p. 89).

At the 1957 October revolution celebration in Moscow, then the USSR, Mao Zedong confidently declared, “East wind will prevail over West wind.” Then he was using wind as a metaphor for socialism as a political ideology.

Now again in October, 2008, we saw the first ever “China Goes Global” Conference. Of all places, it was in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at Harvard University – probably the most American of US institutions – that we called attention to the rising East wind.

Yet if at all, Chinese globalization is driven by capitalist wind but with Chinese characteristics (Huang, 2008). Simultaneously, the USA, now buried under a mountain of debt, is likely to implement bottom-up Obamanomics – or socialism with American characteristics (Foo, n.d.).

What a topsy turvy age we are living in – a Russian Professor, Igor Panarin even predicted the US would come to an end in 2010. By the time you are reading this journal in print, 2010 will just be months away. I am sure USA will not disintegrate and may under the leadership of Obama rise like a phoenix from the ashes!

Check-Teck FooEditor-in-Chief