Introducing Calling the Shots

A newsletter on bridging the U.S.-China Communication Gap

Welcome to Calling the Shots, musings from a recovering PR person to writer or “China tech analyst,” according to the Wall Street Journal and The Guardian.

The serendipitous pivot began last August when I shared my thoughts about the CHIPS Act in an op-ed for the Financial Times Chinese (FT). After the CHIPS Act passed, the Chinese and English media stories I read had prevailing narratives without offering a broader context for inquiry. It’s a recurring theme in US-China storytelling, with many underlying reasons. My rookie attempt at op-ed writing was well-received in China, and it was picked up by think tanks and media outlets.

Fast forward a year, I now write a column for FT and have written for The China Project and Pingwest. My work appeared in some of my favorite substacks Pekingnology, GGR, and Following the Yuan, and looking at the list of op-eds I have written, I give myself an A for effort! Here you can find everything I’ve written about in one place.

But you might ask: do we need another substack about U.S. and China? Probably not, and I will leave the international relations and geopolitical discussions to those much more knowledgeable than me. My background is in media, culture, and communications (yes, it’s an actual major), so I will focus on just that.

Here’s my mini-manifesto: Media's influence on public discourse shapes our perceptions and stances on various issues, creating a ripple effect that leads to our collective, socially constructed understanding of reality. Effective communication, achieved through the proper channels and mediums to engage target audiences and stakeholders, resembles an art more than a formulaic process. We need to have an open discussion about how to communicate better in order to get along better.

U.S. and EU communication norms and PR strategies stand in stark contrast to those in China. But the communication challenges companies face are universal: who ultimately determines the narrative, and from what perspective stories are told? Where does soft power in the form of the right to speak #话语权 come from? And in the current U.S.-China dynamic, how do we define and approach corporate reputation management?

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I want to explore these ideas more in-depth in the U.S.-China communications context. Here's a glimpse of what to expect from Calling the Shots:

• Stories of Chinese companies making it (or not) and how they act, self-govern, and communicate on the global stage.

  • TikTok is the best example of this. A company with Chinese DNA and finding success in the U.S. and EU markets faces an uphill battle to prove its compatibility with “American values.” Read more about TikTok’s hopeless quest to prove it’s American enough

• Contrast Chinese companies’ way of doing business compared to their peers and Western counterparts.

  • For a deep dive into how TikTok tackles government relations and how its lobbying stack up to its Chinese peers like Alibaba and Huawei, here’s my take: TikTok is hiring lobbyists on Capitol Hill, but it’s still not answering the questions that count

• Unpacking spectacular PR wins and fails. From a cultural analysis lens, I will analyze case studies and how companies navigate the narrative shifts in a de-risking world.

  • Read about Temu’s cringe-worthy Super Bowl ad “Shop like a Billionaire” and my analysis on Temu’s overseas ambition, its customer acquisition strategy and whether the ROI is worth the effort. Op-Ed: “Billionaire” Splurge: Temu’s Super Bowl Debut

For a sampling of op-eds I’ve written about on TikTok, Alibaba, Shein, Temu, Lark, and more, you can start with the articles below:

Will Alibaba's international business take off after restructuring?

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Alibaba, TikTok, and the changing landscape of Chinese tech in the US – views from Ivy Yang

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Lastly, don’t be a stranger, and let’s connect! My email is ivyyangxi@gmail.com and you can find me on Twitter and Linkedin.