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SPEAKING
FREELY
What's really at stake with
IBM-Lenovo
By George Zhibin Gu
Speaking Freely is an Asia Times
Online feature that allows guest writers to have
their say. Please click here if you are
interested in contributing.
The
smart IBM boys want to dump their troubles on to,
and make better use of, the Chinese, but their
bright strategies seem very strange to some
politicians in Washington. Now, these politicians
raise the big weapon: the national interest.
What is the national interest, anyway? It
is related to yet another secret weapon called
national security. But overseas investors have
invested more than US$560 billion in China so far.
How can the Chinese stand this foreign "invasion"?
In fact, China is becoming a global theater. It
deeply wishes to share its progress with the
outside world. So far, it has gained enormous
progress in this new direction. As a result,
countless foreign businesses are established in
China. This new openness has immediately brought a
booming economy. Its benefits go well beyond
China. Both consumers and multinationals have
gained huge benefits. As China's economy expands
further, the world will gain more benefits.
Some people don't see it this way. They
intend to block a free flow of business, goods and
human potential in the old way. To them, free
trade could undermine their old domination.
Therefore, they must impose as many barriers as
possible. Now, despite all the obvious benefits
for the IBM-Lenovo deal, some of them see the
opportunity to create barriers. So closing the
door fits their mindset.
How can
businessmen understand all this? Politicians and
businessmen don't use the same language. Yet
behind all this mess, there are additional issues.
In particular, a fast-developing Chinese economy
worries some people deeply. They fear that their
old-style domination could fade away. So they want
to grasp every opportunity to turn the tide. Some
even wish to put sand in the engine. There is no
way for them to see that fast-developing economies
for India, China and other emerging nations are a
necessity for a global peace and development. That
is the essence of the real issue.
Business
issues are never only about business. Human
emotions are always behind business. What is more,
they can become a mess when national feelings are
involved. Breaking out of the Cold War mentality
takes tremendous effort for everyone. Some people
even feel that only they are entitled to progress
and prosperity. But the truth is that prosperity
belongs to the world - nobody has the intellectual
patent over it.
In this case, the smart
IBM boys wish to shoot down two birds with one
stone: dump an unwanted business as well as gain a
wider entrance to the exploding market of China.
It makes good business sense. But when the news
broke, Lenovo stock dropped some 30%. Why? Many
investors worry whether the Chinese can make sense
out of the IBM's troubled PC (personal computer)
unit.
Such concerns are realistic. So how
does Lenovo make a buck from this deal? So far, it
has employed this strategy: squeeze hard on the
towel and get some drops. Will it work for the
resulting company? That is a big question. Even
so, the Chinese love the challenge.
Nonetheless, if the deal does work, it
paves the way for a general movement. That is, the
developed markets will have China as a dumping
ground. By doing so, they can better concentrate
on high-value-added business. Well, not a bad
idea. The Chinese are terribly good at wringing
the towel. In this way, the best resources of both
worlds can be better utilized. Well, that is a
perfect picture. That is indeed one large way for
world economic development in the next stage. Its
benefits go to more and more people.
But
all business people must deal with those big
weapons - national interest and national security.
There are man-made barriers everywhere, not just
in Washington, DC. They show up in all sorts of
ways. They exist in all nations, cities and
streets. They can simply stop the people of the
world from sharing one another's progress at
large. Oh boy! When can we get out of the Cold War
mentality? When shall we start to share with one
another?
One old Chinese legend tells this
story: A gentleman has great love for dragons. He
paints them everywhere, on the doors, walls and
furniture. His vast interest has impressed the
real dragons. One day, they decide to visit him.
Guess what? He runs away.
Do you see such
a gentleman in real life? Let us hope that men
like him only exist in storybooks. Or is it so?
The world is deeply connected by economy and
business. An airplane is made in the US, but its
engine is made in Europe and its wheels made in
Asia - with metals and raw materials coming from
Africa, Latin America and Australia. It is widely
used by global consumers. Its benefits go beyond
any single nation. No single nation can dominate
in the old way. But the old-world mentality is
still going strong. The world has many obstacles
to overcome before a meaningful common wealth and
prosperity arrive.
It is time for us all
to share one another's progress. It is time to
focus on a common prosperity and joint
responsibilities. Agree or not, the world will
move on along this new direction, for its benefits
reach more people than ever before. So this common
benefit should become the core of globalization.
Otherwise, only a few people can get benefits at
the expense of the world.
George
Zhibin Gu is a veteran business consultant
based in China and is the author of a forthcoming
book, China's Global Reach: Markets,
Multinationals, and Globalization (Haworth
Press, Fall 2005).
(Copyright 2005
George Zhibin Gu.)
Speaking Freely
is an Asia Times Online feature that allows guest
writers to have their say. Please click here if you are
interested in
contributing. |
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