PUBLICATIONS, INTERVIEWS & LINKEDIN

Want to know more about my perspective on Mandarin-speaking cultures, energy and technology? Check out these articles, interviews, and research projects. Some I wrote, some I worked on with others, and some feature me sharing my view.

PUBLICATIONS

Changing perspectives; towards conditions for sustainable EU-China collaboration, A study for China Knowledge Network (Mar, 2025)

Huawei in Transition Interview Richard Spaans in Vereniging Nederland China (May, 2024) (article in Dutch)

Nuclear energy in China: The key to a sustainable future, Vereniging Nederland China (Oct, 2024) (article in Dutch)

INTERVIEWS

‘Europe needs to adapt to a changing world’, Delta (Apr, 2024)

‘Whether you like it or not, you cannot avoid China’, Delta (Jun, 2024)

Peter’s view on China in 1995, Delta (Jan, 1995)

LINKEDIN West Meets East

Post on The Power of Wu Wei

Post on Car manufacturers

KEY RESOURCES

Each link below offers useful context for navigating cross-cultural trends in society, leadership, tech, and climate.These four themes—People & Culture, Leadership & Economy, Tech & Innovation, and Climate, Energy & Food—are the backbone of my book West Meets East and shape how I interpret China’s evolving role in the world. 

PEOPLE & CULTURE
Independent briefings / think tanks

1. Pekingnology — Zichen Wang: Quoted by The New York Times, The Guardian ranked among its “10 Essential China Newsletters”.
2. China Hands — Koen Smeets:  True bridge in US-China people-to-people relations.
3. China21 Journal — Gordon DuMoulin: China in the 21st century; cultural, social, economic and political perceptions.

Books

1. Under Red Skies — Karoline Kan (2019): A deeply personal and shocking look at how China is coming to terms with its conflicted past as it emerges into a modern, cutting-edge superpower.
2. This Is What Inequality Looks Like — Teo You Yenn (2018): Street-level sociology from Singapore that makes inequality—and the policy choices behind it—clear and relatable for younger readers.
3. China in Ten Words — Yu Hua (2010): Ten vivid essays that decode everyday China through lived concepts.
   

YouTube Channels

1. Goldthread (SCMP): High-production, snackable videos on food, craft, and identity that are highly shareable.
2. Our Grandfather Story (Singapore): Human-story documentaries across Southeast Asia spotlighting values, language, and daily life.
   

LEADERSHIP & ECONOMY
Independent briefings / think tanks

1. The East Is Read — Zichen Wang & team: Locates, summarizes, contextualizes, and translates Chinese articles, speeches, and policy documents from Chinese mainland sources.
2. Kishore’s Newsletter — Kishore Mahbubani: Big-picture geopolitics that reframes Western priors through an Asian lens.
3. China Knowledge Network (CKN): Dutch knowledge network offering practical China briefings, events, and expert connections.

Books

1. The New China Playbook: Beyond Socialism and Capitalism — Keyu Jin (2023): A myth-dispelling, comprehensive guide to the Chinese economy and its path to ascendancy. 
2. China Resurrected — Frans-Paul van der Putten (2025): A history of China’s geopolitical evolution from 1840 to the present, tracing its rise from the Opium Wars to an emerging world power.
3. The Chinese Economy: Adaptation & Growth (2018, 2nd ed.) — Barry Naughton: The definitive primer on how China’s economy is structured and evolving.
4. China’s Leaders: From Mao to Now — David Shambaugh (2023): Offers a refreshing account of China’s dramatic post-revolutionary history through the prism of those who ruled it.

YouTube Channels

1. Rise of Asia: Video’s that may catch you by surprise about Asia, including George Yeo, former minister of Foreign Affairs of Singapore
2. MERICS: Berlin-based, independent think tank and leading European provider of policy-oriented research on contemporary China.
3. EU Chamber of Commerce in China: “As the independent voice of European business in China, we seek greater market access and improved operating conditions for European companies”.

TECH & INNOVATION
Selected takeaways from: The 2024 EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard | IRI. (Dec, 2024)

1. US and China Lead R&D Growth: Over the past decade, R&D spending by EU firms has lagged behind faster-growing investments from the U.S. and China.
2. Top 100 Giants Dominate: Top 100 firms account for over half (52%) of all R&D spending by the world’s top 2,000 companies.
3. R&D Powerhouses by Country: The U.S. leads with 40 firms in Top 100 (Alphabet, Meta, Apple), followed by China with 18 (Huawei, Tencent, Alibaba), and Germany with 11 (VW, Mercedes, BMW).
   

CLIMATE, ENERGY & FOOD
Selected takeaways from: Prater, W.  (Mar, 2025,). Glossary: Decoding how China talks about energy and climate change. Carbon Brief.

1. China aims to peak CO₂ emissions by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2060.
2. Implementation varies by province—some prioritize renewables, others coal.
3. The policy has sparked a clean energy race and redefined China’s global climate image.

Selected takeaways from: Energy Institute. Home. Statistical Review of World Energy.

1. Top 5 emitters = China (32%), the U.S. (13%), India (8%), Russia (5%), and Japan (3%) together account for 61% of global carbon dioxide emissions.
2. Fastest growing energy consumers (2000–2024): Vietnam’s energy use grew nearly sixfold, Qatar’s almost quadrupled, and China’s tripled—highlighting rapid industrial and economic expansion.
3. Biggest declines in energy use (2000–2024): The UK (-27%), Germany (-20%), and France (-19%) cut energy consumption the most—driven by efficiency gains, deindustrialization, and energy transition policies.