May 30 2007
Knowing your strength
Lou introduced me to John Wang who founded a biz development outfit in 1994 and is shuttling between China and USA, and his deputy Michael Liang. During more than a decade promoting biz on either side of the Pacific Ocean, he has his pics taken with presidents and ministers of Beijing and Washington. So as soon as I entered his 3-room office on Wall Street, Lou joked, “he’s met more than just First Lady and Greenspan ..” in reference to Woodie’s photo ops with the two. It wasn’t a joke and I went there for Woodie.
John has presence and is well spoken. Is he better looking than Bo Xilai is up to debate, lol. I came off with the impression that he’s very intelligent, particularly in knowing his strength: what you should or shouldn’t do, ego management. His non profit company survives on the annual dinner at the Waldorf (no more Chinatown dingy tacky watering holes), memberships, sponsorships from the corporations and grants from the NYS, etc. They’ve taken the senators to China and play host to scores of biz delegates and high profile entrepreneurs from China. Given the rapid ascent of the Middle Kingdom, and the line of work he’s doing, I’d think his office would be much grander and, heck, he might have started few ventures himself for the connections he’s cultivated and the opportunities or temptations he’s facing day in and day out.
I’m not sure it’s appropriated, but I thought about MPA, the trade group for the magazine industry, or the like. It is funded by the members with assessment or contribution of the % of their revenue. The office is large with a sizable staff, committees, etc. … My last question to John was, do Americans understand China, not just the executives? He laughed softly and shook his head, “No.” Do Chinese understand the Yankees, since they’re copying everything American, from the laws to stock market to business practice? “Oh ya, they do.”