The Complexities & Challenges Facing Western Businesses in China with Ken Wilcox - Part 1
Part 1 of 2: Provocative China Podcast presents a conversation with Ken Wilcox, former CEO of Silicon Valley Bank and the author of The China Business Conundrum: Ensure That "Win-Win" Doesn't Mean Western Companies Lose Twice. Listen to Ken's firsthand trials and tribulations trying to set up a joint venture in China between SVB and the CCP. His experience is fascinating—and sometimes maddening—filled with unexpected assertions from Chinese counterparts right out of the Art of War playbook, highlighting key cultural differences and, as Ken puts it, deeply convoluted negotiations that expose our Western naivety regarding doing business in China.
No one in China has read the book "Getting To Yes," so if you are armed with these tactics and strategies, YOU WILL FAIL IN CHINA!
In our conversation, Ken dives into the struggles Western businesses face in China, from the risks of technology transfer to navigating the morality and ethics of Chinese business negotiations. He also shares some lessons he learned from his missteps along the way. Whether you're in business or just curious about U.S.-China relations, this episode is packed with honest, down-to-earth advice from someone who's been through it all.
Part 1
00:00:08 Introduction
00:01:19 Perceptions of China in 2008 vs. Today
00:03:08 Lectures from Chinese Counterparts
00:10:24 Learning Chinese Language and Culture
00:23:16 Inadvertent Technology Transfer
Connect with Ken
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenwilcoxsvb/Buy Ken’s book:
https://www.amazon.com/China-Business-Conundrum-Win-Win-Companies/dp/1394294166Visit Gene’s author website:
https://www.provocativechina.com/Buy Gene’s books:
China Myth Podcast
China Myth Podcast is a self-produced immersion experience of my journey through the fascinating and misunderstood dilemmas of Chinese business culture - a reaction, a behavior, even a suggestion - and asks whether I could have achieved a better outcome with a different attitude, mindset, and approach. Because sometimes, learning how to listen is a lost art of communication.
- No. of episodes: 206
- Latest episode: 2025-06-19
- Business Entrepreneurship Management
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