Chinese business executives see US-China rivalry as ‘biggest uncertainty’, stay upbeat on markets
- ‘Geopolitics is the biggest uncertainty,’ says Chen Dongsheng, chairman and CEO at Taikang Insurance Group
- Foreign interest in the Chinese market will depend on ‘the direction of next set of policies’ by Beijing, according to James Ding of GSR Ventures
Chinese business executives and investors are embracing a future fraught with geopolitical tensions and slowing economic growth, but also with opportunity emerging from the country’s burst real estate bubble.
That mix of anxiety and measured optimism was on display at a forum at Harvard University where tycoons, entrepreneurs and venture capitalist mingled with scholars and students over the weekend.
The participants said the ongoing housing slump depressed investor sentiment. But they also praised China’s economic resilience, supported by its vast pool of engineers and skilled workers, sophisticated infrastructure and innovation in areas such as renewable energy and electric vehicles.
Most of the discussion at the Harvard College China Forum, however, inevitably turned to the US-China relationship.