McKinsey Greater China

China’s recent announcement that full-year economic growth hit 6.9%, the lowest rate of growth in 25 years, intensified the debate around the state of the Chinese economy.

While there continue to be a number of bright spots in the economy like robust consumer demand, several traditional, export-oriented sectors of the Chinese economy have been hit hard.

In this podcast, Nick Leung talks to Jonathan Woetzel and Yougang Chen about the areas of China’s economy that are performing well, as well as those that aren’t. Jonathan and Yougang are Partners who lead the McKinsey Global Institute in China. Nick is Managing Partner of McKinsey’s Greater China Practice.

Image: Shawn Clover / flickr

As the largest car market in the world, China should be well-positioned to become a leading player in electric vehicles. Yet so far, things haven’t worked out as planned. Despite billions spent on subsidies, tax breaks, and other incentives, electric vehicles have yet to take off.

In this podcast, Nick Leung talks to Paul Gao, Larry Wang and Mingyu Guan about a new report they’ve just published that takes a closer look at what China needs to do to kick-start its electric vehicle market. Paul is a senior partner who leads McKinsey’s auto practice in Asia. Larry and Mingyu are partners with McKinsey’s auto practice in China. Nick is managing partner of McKinsey’s Greater China Practice.

Image: Mike Lau / flickr

Until now, Chinese ecommerce has been a largely domestic affair. But with Alibaba’s much anticipated IPO, will we see China’s ecommerce players play a more active global role? In this podcast, Nick Leung addresses this question with Alan Lau and Jayson Chi. Alan is a senior partner who leads McKinsey’s High Tech, Media and Telecoms Practice in China. Jayson is a Partner who advises ecommerce companies. Nick is Managing Partner of McKinsey’s Greater China Practice.

Image credit: World Economic Forum / Flickr

Most Chinese consumers are happy enough if the products they buy do what they promise: keep their clothes clean or quench their thirst, for example. But there’s a new class of younger, wealthier, and more sophisticated mainstream consumers that are seeking more intangible, often emotional benefits from their purchases. These new mainstream consumers are spurring companies to rethink their strategies.

In this podcast, Nick Leung speaks with Max Magni and Yougang Chen about the results of a recent survey they conducted of Chinese consumers. Max and Yougang are Partners in Shanghai. Nick is Managing Partner of McKinsey’s Greater China practice.

Chinese consumers love the internet. In the past decade, they’ve driven the explosive growth of e-commerce and social media. Chinese businesses, on the other hand, have yet to plug into the full power of the internet. If and when they do, however, they could unleash a whole new wave of productivity, innovation and growth in the Chinese economy. And the impact of these changes could be felt worldwide.

In this podcast, Nick Leung discusses this topic with Jonathan Woetzel and Yougang Chen. They’re authors of a new report from The McKinsey Global Institute. Jonathan is a director in Shanghai who leads MGI in Asia. Yougang is a Partner who leads MGI in China. Nick is Managing Partner of McKinsey’s Greater China practice.