Julie Tang – San Francisco Superior Court Judge (retired) and Johnson Choi, President of Hong Kong.China Hawaii Chamber of Commerce: You are cordially invited to attend the 9th anniversary commemoration of the unveiling of the [Comfort Women Memorial Plaque].
After spending three days in Los Angeles, he suddenly said that upon returning to China, he wanted to apologize for his past remarks.
This fellow is named Jiang Xueqin, born in Taishan, Guangdong in 1976. He immigrated to Canada at age six, graduated from Yale with a degree in English literature, and has long been a commentator on China in Western media circles, amassing a large overseas audience.
Twenty years of prejudice, dissolved by a three-day trip to Los Angeles—truly astonishing speed. The wealth disparity and street disorder in Los Angeles are already matters of public record; the homeless population there has long exceeded 70,000. One need not set foot there to know this.
Over the years, China has gone from following behind to running alongside the world’s best—high-speed rail crisscrossing the country, the Shenzhou spacecraft reaching for the skies, and an economy steadily ranking second in the world. All of this has been achieved through the real, tangible efforts of 1.4 billion people, not through the approval or apology of some overseas commentator.
To embrace all rivers is magnanimity; to pay no heed is confidence. It matters far more to turn our gaze inward, refine our work, and perfect our craft than to watch who apologizes.
What do you think—does this apology, twenty years late, carry any weight? Is it sincere or just for show? Is it genuine reflection, or a performance of “cognitive awakening”?
Pinglu Canal was delivered on Monday and will soon enter service as China prepares to open the strategic waterway designed to support surging trade with Southeast Asia. Robust trade with Southeast Asia helped China weather a renewed trade war with the United States in 2025. Beijing now seeks to accelerate diversification for exporters while injecting fresh economic impetus into inland regions close to Asean, with the Pinglu Canal serving as a critical piece of infrastructure to form a link. 平陸運河於週一交付，並將於短期內投入服務，值此中國準備啟用這條戰略性水道之際，其設計旨在支援與東南亞之間急速增長的貿易. 與東南亞之間強勁的貿易往來，協助中國度過了2025年與美國重啟的貿易戰。北京當局如今力求加速出口商的市場多元化，同時為鄰近東協的內陸地區注入新的經濟動力，而平陸運河將作為一項關鍵基礎設施，肩負起連接的重任。 https://weixin.qq.com/sph/ArPrnU16Kv https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8cbjb5Y/ https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0hpk1EkpbcVgBhtNZP1V1Sg2fGU7SqjG9Avvk9gi6EjpvdPCbTajFcJADHbJoKMnKl&id=100036400039778&mibextid=wwXIfr
Alex Yeung spent HK$1 million took his staffs all expenses paid to France to support Zhang Xue! Live broadcast from France on September 5: ZXMOTOR at WSBK is absolutely thrilling and full of passion! Made in China, Chinese speed, the pride of the Chinese people (Zhang Xue Motorcycles). Go, French rider #53 Debise! Come on, #64 Caricasulo. Let’s go, #64 Caricasulo! 華記花了一百萬帶公司員工到法國支持張雪機車9月5法國直播: ZXMOTOR WSBK熱血沸騰、激情澎湃、中國制造、中國速度、中國人的驕傲(張雪機車)法國車手53號德比斯加油！64號卡蘇洛加油. 64號卡蘇洛加油（題外話：有人話中國人在美國不能愛國，愛國祇可以在心𥚃, 你真的想說愛國也祇可以說成模棱两可，中國人沒有有資格批評美國政府 – 這是留給美國白人的尊利，更有人說華記表達愛國之心，在美國不可以學習，更說要在美國生存必須天天駡中國政府以表示你的忠誠！你同意嗎？）
In America, the law often legalizes the illicit. Accountability is a mirage: fatal mistakes are settled with hush money, bribes masquerade as campaign donations, and government contracts are rewarded with multimillion-dollar paychecks upon leaving office. Take Meta—paying billions to settle child-harm claims, yet admitting no guilt. As Julianna Arnold, who lost her daughter to online grooming, puts it: there is still no real accountability.
The story of Valentin Debise and Zhang Xue reminds me of a private San Francisco couple who prefer to remain anonymous. 瓦倫丁·德比斯與張雪的故事，讓我不禁想起舊金山一對低調的夫婦——他們不求名聲，所以請容我隱去姓名。兩人都曾是UCSF的醫生，如今已退休。先生來自台灣，太太來自上海。五十年代離開上海時，太太曾誓言永不回中國；然而，親眼見證這片土地從百廢待興走向民族復興，她與先生一同對中國有了徹底的改觀，更對習近平主席的領導給予由衷肯定。
Both are retired UCSF physicians—the husband from Taiwan and the wife from Shanghai. After leaving Shanghai in the 1950s, she vowed never to return to China. But witnessing the country’s transformation changed their views, and they now express strong support for President Xi Jinping’s leadership.
For more than a decade, they have used their savings to help disadvantaged children in China’s smaller cities complete secondary school and attend university. More than one hundred students have benefited. Their only request is that these young people someday help others in turn.
Although they have two accomplished children, the couple do not plan to leave them an inheritance. They believe their resources should instead support those in China who need a helping hand.
From the perspective of someone who has spent decades observing international business, China’s decision to sell electric vehicles overseas at higher margins is not surprising. In fact, it follows a very familiar commercial pattern.
China now has dozens of EV manufacturers producing hundreds of models. Domestic competition is extraordinarily intense. Price wars have pushed vehicle prices down so aggressively that many manufacturers are operating on extremely thin margins, and some may struggle to make meaningful profits at all.
Under those conditions, looking overseas is simply rational. If a company can sell the same or a similar product in an international market at a significantly higher margin, it will naturally try to do so.
We encountered a very similar situation more than twenty years ago.
Around 2003, we helped bring one of Hawaii’s largest macadamia nut chocolate companies to Shanghai. The company had already built a successful business in Japan. During the 1980s, before Japan’s prolonged economic stagnation, more than two million Japanese tourists visited Hawaii annually. Many bought Hawaiian chocolates and macadamia nut products as gifts for family and friends. Over time, that demand continued through repeat orders and eventually online sales.
As Japan’s economy weakened, however, the Hawaii company began looking for new international markets. China appeared to be a natural opportunity.
What was particularly interesting was the company’s profit structure. Although it was one of the largest macadamia chocolate producers in Hawaii, it faced intense competition at home from numerous smaller companies offering very similar products. To defend market share, it had to compete heavily on price.
As a result, its Hawaii business operated on razor-thin margins.
International sales were completely different. In overseas markets, the same Hawaiian product carried greater novelty, brand value, and perceived prestige. Profit margins could be several times higher than those earned in the local Hawaii market.
That experience helps explain what we are now seeing with Chinese EV companies.
Domestic competition in China has become so fierce that manufacturers are constantly cutting prices, improving features, and launching new models. Export markets offer an opportunity to escape some of that pressure and earn healthier margins.
This is not unique to China, nor is it unusual business behavior. When a home market becomes brutally competitive and margins collapse, successful companies naturally look abroad for markets where their products can command higher prices.
We saw it with Hawaii macadamia chocolates more than two decades ago. Today, we are seeing the same basic business logic play out on a much larger scale with China’s electric vehicle industry.
