China

There's been a lot of debate online recently about China's rise and current economic malaise.

Whether that be population decline, the war in Ukraine, US-China tariffs, or the massive decline in expat numbers across the country.

I can tell you a little from experience; China is a complex place but has the potential to be the best country on earth.

Here's why:

Few foreigners moved to China to work before 2010 except for some embassy folks in Beijing, Multinational country heads in Shanghai, and schoolteachers in Guangzhou.

That all changed with the rise of Chinese brands from Alibaba to Huawei circa 2012-2015.

I arrived in China in 2015 and left in 2021, arguably the golden years of Chinese entrepreneurial dynamism.

Indeed, the few plucky 'white-collar' foreigners that made the leap as my friends and I did (below) did so as one giant step into the unknown.

We rode the dragon, experiencing the kind of growth in 5 years that would take 50 elsewhere.

Sadly, those days are gone, but if China wants to regain momentum, it must open up to new people and ideas.

They have the work ethic, the talent, and now the products, but arguably, they lack the openness to new ideas, whether cultural, business, or political.

When China is open, and other people are open to working with it, the world is better for everyone.

PS - We used to sit outside Arabica every day while our colleagues enjoyed 'nap-time' over lunch. Cultural differences are ok!