Driving with Dunne

Who Is Xi Jinping And What Does He Want? Joseph Torigian, Author, The Party's Interests Come First 

What do we really know about Xi Jinping, China's most powerful leader since Chairman Mao? Answer: Incredibly little.  Xi is the embodiment of inscrutability, the ultimate poker face.  And second, the Party he has led since 2012 is notoriously secretive and opaque. But, wait, there is a fresh glimmer of light. His name is Joseph Torigian, a highly respected scholar who has written an incredibly powerful book about Xi Jinping's father, Xi Zhongxun. Through it, we learn a lot about Xi Jinping himself, his unbelievably harsh formative years living in a cave in dirt poor rural China, his quiet rise to power and the principles that guide his extraordinary reign as the No. 1 in China. What does Xi Jinping want for China ? What does it mean for Americans, Europeans and the rest of the world? Joseph Torigian, author, The Party's Interests Come First, has answers, here on the Driving With Dunne podcast

Why It's So Hard to Fix China's Overcapacity and Brutal Price Wars. Lizzi Lee, Fellow, Asia Society Policy Institute

Our guest today, Lizzi Lee, is smart, daring and unconventional. After earning a PhD in economics from MIT, Lizzi Lee took a bold right turn and dove into research and writing. A few weeks ago, Lizzi wrote a very compelling piece in Foreign Affairs about the risks facing Chinese companies - price wars and vanishing margins at home. The stubborn underlying problem is that China cannot shake itself free from chronic overcapacity. Well, why not, we might wonder. Just shout down the extra plants and get supply in line with demand. It's more complicated than that, of course, especially in China where jobs and stability are number one. Too much capacity, too little profits making everyone a little bit tired, a phenomenon the Chinese call involution or neijuan in Chinese to roll up or coil up.  Born in China, formative years in Hong Kong and Singapore, and now in America, Lizzi gives us an insider's view of the realities oin the ground in the PRC as we get ready to head in to 2026. 

Chinese Automakers Are Pouring Into Mexico. Luis Lozano, Former CEO, Toyota de Mexico.

Earlier this year, I enjoyed a delicious lunch in Mexico City with Luis Lozano,  the former CEO of Toyota de Mexico. Luis immediately impressed me with his knowledge of the Mexican car market, the shock of hundreds of thousands of Chinese imports since 2020 and the possibilities that Chinese automakers will try to make Mexico a production base for exports to the United States. One of his goals, Luis told me, was to open American eyes to the current realities of Chinese cars. They are good value for money, they are coming our way. And they are not turning back. So, which companies are ones to watch? Are they going to build plants in Mexico as they have done in Brazil, Spain and Thailand? How soon? In today's conversation we get answers to those questions here on the Driving With Dunne podcast. 

Trade Truce: The Calm Before Bigger U.S-China Storms. Jorge Guajardo, former Ambassador of Mexico to China and partner at DGA Global

President Trump and President Xi,  the two most powerful men in the world, met last week in Korea to try to, basically, calm things down.  China had just flexed its muscles, threatening to limit the export of key inputs like rare earth magnets and other critical minerals without which auto assembly plants in America could, within weeks, come to a standstill. America could inflict its own damage, by widening the net of sanctions on Chinese companies and individuals. Looking at the images on the TV screen, I began to wonder: In what areas are America and China still in agreement? Taiwan? No. South China Sea? No. Russia? No. Chips? No. Trade. A big no. That got me thinking about what lies ahead. To bring clarity and wisdom, I welcome Jorge Guajardo, former ambassador of Mexico to China to the show to ask him some fundamental questions: Since the US and China seem to have different values, different priorities and different regulations, can they ever see eye to eye? Who is decoupling more quickly, the United States or China. And how will Mexico play its cards as it finds itself squeezed between China and the United States with the car industry, investments and jobs looming large.

How China Captured Apple. Patrick McGee, Author, Apple in China

Here's a question I get a lot. How did China get so good so fast. People with front line experience in the People's Republic  talk about something called the China arc. Chinese leaders identify your company as the global leader. They entice you to invest in China. Chinese companies gradually extract know-how from you. Then they begin to compete with you inside China. Pretty soon, they are present in global markets, giving you a run for the money everywhere. The clearest example of this is solar panels, where Chinese now control more than 90% of global production. There are more: Magnets, batteries, ship-building and drones. Starting 10 years ago, China began accelerating its arc in two high value industries: Smart phones and electric cars.  Today, it turns out that Apple finds itself n the mother of all Chinese arcs, one with huge implications for the company's long term competitiveness. That's the captivating message from Patrick McGee, author of a tremendous new book titled: Apple in China: The Capture of the World's Most Valuable Company. For over a decade Apple consistently invested more than $50 billion into training Chinese suppliers? How come. Well, Apple wanted to be absolutely  to make certain that hundreds of millions of iPhones  ChIna built were the highest quality in the world. Flawless.  Yes, that's $50 billion. a year, a number, which McGee points out makes America's post WWII Marshall Plan look like chicken feed. McGee is a terrific guest, lively and smart with lots of fun asides. What's catfishing? Not what you think. And is the what's this about 300 million roving employees? McGee has answers, on the Driving With Dunne podcast.