Witnessing the Obama Effect in China

I was in China when the election was held. I live in a state that allowed early voting, so I voted a week earlier and took off to visit our Shanghai studio and Chinese clients.

It was amazing to watch the election returns in a country with such a vastly different system of government. The people who I spoke with were fascinated by some elements of the election process that we now take for granted: online fundraising, candidate websites, blogs, emails, debates, electronic voting. As our new president was announced, there was a palpable level of excitement the Chinese shared with America, clearly helped by the unprecedented coverage of the election and record numbers of people following the process. Obama is immensely popular, with polls showing that the Chinese would have elected him by a healthy majority. As in many parts of the world, Obama represents a positive change for the Chinese, a new opportunity to build on US-China relations and a chance to help turn around a sinking global economy.

For Chinese and American companies investing in China and beyond, innovation is key to maintaining this enthusiasm and optimism moving forward. Innovation drives new opportunities and enables the creation of jobs, ultimately spurring economic growth. Since we opened our doors in Shanghai 18 months ago, we’ve seen amazing shifts in thinking about innovation in China, and my hope is that the new leadership in the US will only continue to build on this momentum. The reaction I had from a prospective Chinese client the day after the election only made me feel more optimistic. Walking into our meeting, our host and prospective client held up his fist triumphantly and said “Obama!” Enough said.