Perspectives with Wenchi Yu

Host Wenchi Yu speaks with Jett Chen, founder of Semi Vision , a Taiwan-based semiconductor industry research institution providing comprehensive insights into the semiconductor ecosystem. With a family business specializing in semiconductor packaging, Jett observes how AI advancements are transforming the startup ecosystem in Taiwan. Jett discusses the complexities of semiconductor manufacturing,...

Host Wenchi Yu speaks with Bill Russo, an auto industry expert with a lifelong career in Detroit and China (Chrysler), about China's rapid rise to become the world leader in automobile manufacturing, sales, and exports, as well as the global leader in new energy vehicles, batteries, and the "internet of mobility."  Bill Russo contributed a chapter, CHINA’S AUTO INDUSTRY: The Race to...

Host Wenchi Yu speaks with Zak Dychtwald, author of Young China: How the Restless Generation Will Change Their Country and the World . Dychtwald, a leading expert on China's market and workforce, discusses the dangers of underestimating Chinese competition and how negative perceptions and a poor understanding of Chinese businesses and their innovations can lead to misguided global business st...

Host Wenchi Yu speaks with Yanzhong Huang of the Council on Foreign Relations about the impact of the second Trump term on American soft power and the possibility of China filling the resulting void. The conversation delves into the late Harvard Kennedy School Professor Joseph Nye's concept of soft power, the importance of education and foreign assistance, the U.S. pivot to hard power, and Ch...

Host Wenchi Yu speaks with Payhuan Shiao, founder & CEO of Immortal Studios . A Hollywood native, Payhuan has been at the center of the Hollywood-China filmmaking industry for the last three decades. Amid escalating trade tensions, including Trump's 100% tariffs on foreign films and China's import limits on American movies, is the decades-long, fluctuating Hollywood-China collaborati...

Host Wenchi Yu speaks with Andy Rothman, a veteran Chinese economy observer, about his recent trip to China amidst tariff escalations. Andy shares firsthand accounts from entrepreneurs in Xiamen, American businessmen in Shanghai, and policymakers in Beijing. His key observation: not anger, but bewilderment.  00:00 Trump 2.0 Tariffs and China’s Reactions So Far 01:11 Guest Introduction: Andy Rothma...

Host Wenchi Yu speaks with Yao Zhao, founder of 50 Hertz Tingly Foods and a former World Bank clean energy specialist, about the impact of tariffs on his Sichuan pepper-infused food and beverage import business. Yao discusses launching his company during the COVID-19 pandemic, preparing for potential Trump 2.0 tariffs, managing cash flow amid rising costs, and the significance of supplier relation...

Host Wenchi Yu speaks with Ken Wilcox, author of The China Business Conundrum: Ensuring Win Win Doesn’t Mean Lose Twice , CEO of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB, 2001-2011) and Vice Chairman of SVB’s joint venture in Shanghai (SSVB) until 2019. He is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Ken characterizes the complexities of the joint venture project as &...

Host Wenchi Yu speaks with Ker Gibbs, author of Selling to China and former Chairman and President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai about his decades of experience navigating the evolving U.S.-China economic relationship—including the pivotal shifts that began during the first Trump administration. He highlighted the shift that occurred during Trump’s first term: Many American compa...

Host Wenchi Yu speakers with Marc Hijink, author of The ASML Way and a Dutch business journalist. Marc compares ASML to the "oven of the bakery" in its pivotal role within the semiconductor industry. The company's unique position in manufacturing EUV machines creates an exceptionally high barrier to entry despite recent reports of EUV technology breakthroughs in China. Marc believes...

Host Wenchi Yu speaks to Konrad Young 楊光磊. Trained as an engineer in Taiwan and the US, Konrad’s life journey mirrors Taiwan’s semiconductor history. As one of the six “R&D knights,” Konrad retired from TSMC in 2018. He was an independent director of SMIC from 2019 to 2021 and an advisor to Intel. He started his career at MIT Lincoln Lab. After President Trump’s White House announcement of...

Host Wenchi Yu speaks with Jeremy Chih-Cheng Chang 張智程, a global semiconductor policy expert from the Taipei-headquartered think tank, DSET ( Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology ) 科技民主與社會研究中心. DSET recently published the report: Walking a Tightrope: Navigating Taiwan-U.S. Semiconductor Security Under Trump 2.0 .  [00:00:04] Background: Trump's TSMC...

Host Wenchi Yu speaks with TechNode Founder Lu Gang about China's startup ecosystem, the influence of government policies, and the impact of US-China rivalry on Chinese tech companies, including the 'go abroad' phenomenon and why the US remains the most desirable market despite the rising tensions. 00:00:04 - Introduction 00:01:57 - Lu Gang’s Journey into Tech Journalism 00:04:40 -...

Host Wenchi Yu speaks to Eric Wong of Stillpoint Investments about China’s equity markets, the current state of the Chinese economy, the three Ds of structural challenges (deflation, demographics, and debt), how geopolitics and Trump 2.0’s tariffs might impact China’s export-oriented economy, and what global investors should keep in mind when engaging with China’s capital markets. This episode is...

Host Wenchi Yu speaks to Benjamin Qiu, a partner of a New York-based law firm and co-chair of Asian Affairs at the New York City Bar Association, who has been advising technology clients on cross-border transactions for over two decades. This episode dives into the forces driving China’s tech sector and the challenges facing them today. 00:00 Introduction 02:45 Guest: Benjamin Qiu 裘伯纯 03:30 Chi...

Host Wenchi Yu interviews Kevin Xu of Interconnected Capital on the rise of DeepSeek, its founding philosophy, its impact on US's AI development, the future of chip wars, US-China chip export controls, energy demand of AI, open vs closed source, and the future of AI competition and policy. Perspectives with Wenchi Yu YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkK1a7U8kP0TgXhvI5Bj70H4cPPlapCd...

Host Wenchi Yu interviews Charles Mok, an Internet entrepreneur, a former Hong Kong legislator, and a scholar at Stanford University’s Cyber Policy Center, about TikTok, DeepSeek, and the US-China technology competition under Trump 2.0. Perspectives with Wenchi Yu YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkK1a7U8kP0TgXhvI5Bj70H4cPPlapCdQ&si=RuA_jZROR2ynRbxH Spotify: https://open.spotify.com...