Shawn Rein’s words are encouraging to foreigners who want to be on the ground in China. There are more needs for globalization and new perspectives. However, the managers need to start being more local. Great perspective.
One of other tidbit is that Shawn Rein has a background in Chinese studies, has been on the ground in China for a long time, and with those credentials, he recommends us to watch where we get our news from. I’m glad he mentioned the WSJ because I am also a fan and think they have great reporting by having people on the ground in China who want to be there. That being said, he also mentioned BLOGS, an underrated source of information. These are, as Mr. Rein mentioned, often by those who are living in China, who want to be there, and are not just out to throw around criticism. This is very important because even in our own country, there is still that seed of distrust and criticism that inhibits us from seeing who China really is. If we want to understand China, or any other country, we must stop “boycotting” what we don’t understand. We fear what we don’t know, and from Shawn Rein’s perspective, what we don’t know isn’t so bad.