It has been an amazing month. Lots of big developments in US-China business. And, in a crazy bit of luck, I ended up talking with Warren Buffett for a couple of hours over lunch – which I have written up in the articles below.

Cheers, Jeff

– Articles –

Grocery Wars: Alibaba and JD.com Compete Against Supermarkets

Online-to-offline in Chinese retail is a big deal. I think supermarkets are going to be a really interesting part of this.

https://www.caixinglobal.com/2017-01-26/101003203.html

China’s Growth Breathes Life into Ghost Towns

China’s “ghost cities” were mostly a media creation (a catchy term + cool photos). Urbanization continues. Wait 5 years. Most were really just “too early to market” cities.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/chinas-growth-breathes-new-life-into-old-ghosttowns/article33421480/

6 Chinese Billionaires Spring Up with Delivery Fortunes Worth $47B

Chinese express delivery is as attractive a macro-story as I know of anywhere in the world.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-28/a-delivery-man-just-became-one-of-the-richest-people-in-china

Nike: Just Do It in China

Whenever I think of Chinese millennials, i think of this Nike ad. I really like the spirit of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2NPKFKsKp0

 

– Books and Reports –

Valuation

By McKinsey & Co.. I re-read this book every year or two. I really like how clean the logic is in each section. Great, clear thinking.

https://www.amazon.com/Valuation-Measuring-Managing-Companies-Finance-ebook/dp/B0138M3B3O/ref=mt_kindle?_encoding=UTF8&me=

No Ordinary Disruption

By Jonathan Woetzel, my sometimes co-author and co-professor. Just a ton of great detail on four big global trends (aging, tech, connectivity, urbanization).

https://www.amazon.com/No-Ordinary-Disruption-Global-Breaking/dp/1610395794/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

– My Recent Articles –

I Took 20 Chinese Students to Meet Warren Buffett. Here’s What Happened.

This is actually a 4 part article that details the whole trip, the Berkshire companies we visited and Warren’s Q&A and lunch with us. Sort of long. The below is a shorter article on this.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/i-took-20-chinese-students-meet-warren-buffett-heres-what-towson

7 Things I Learned from Lunch with Warren Buffett

For example, I didn’t know he has a gold McDonalds card that gets him free lunch for life.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/7-things-i-learned-from-lunch-warren-buffett-jeffrey-towson

My 5 Predictions for Chinese Consumers in 2017

#3 is that President Trump will discover Chinese consumers are listening very closely to him.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/my-5-predictions-chinese-consumers-2017-jeffrey-towson

– A Final Funny One –

Hubei Dude Builds His Own Helicopter

His homemade copter can go 200mph..

https://shanghaiist.com/2016/06/06/hebei_helicopter.php

——–

Thanks for reading. My writing (and speaking) are on how rising Chinese consumers are changing the world. (#ConsumerChina). This also includes work on:

• “China 2025″ – what a region transformed by Chinese consumers, companies and capital is going to look like. (#China2025)

If you would like to read my posts, please click ‘Follow’.

If you would like my recommended China reading list, you can get it at www.jeffreytowson.com. You can also get a free chapter of my One Hour China Book there as well.
Photo by Stefan Wagener on Unsplash