E:30 - TikTok Live Selling Deep Dive, Taiwan Elections Implications, Forgotten Ukraine & More
Week 2, 2024
This week’s episode Joon Chan join’s us. Unfortunately Joon’s mic cut half way through so we are stuck with the lower quality video this week.
Show Notes:
TikTok/E-commerce Deep Dive
the rise of live selling in e-commerce
The evolution of ecommerce across the globe
Assessing live selling's impact on traditional e-commerce and its likely adoption in the West.
Global Geo-politics
Analyzing the recent Taiwan elections, its potential effect on relations with China and US policies.
Discussion around the benefits of high-speed rails in economic growth, real estate pricing, and regional peace.
Spotlight on possible travel efficiency between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and the potential political hurdles and the implications of adopting high-speed train networks in Southeast Asia.
War War War
Ukraine the forgotten war. Joon opines on how the war will end very soon.
Infrastructure Development and the Impact
High speed trains are developing across Southeast Asia
The effects of these infrastructure projects will have a huge impact for mobility business and wealth growth
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The Rise of Live Selling on Social Media Platforms
Joon is very excited to start a live selling shop. He will soon be testing it and is expected to have much to share in a future episode. One interesting topic for future discussion is how well TikTok's "media moat" holds up, as well as the additional ways they might innovate and monetize their massive ecosystem. Moreover, it will be intriguing to test our thesis and observe how competitors compete and evolve their platforms. Currently, TikTok enjoys a significant first-mover advantage, but as we've seen in Web 2.0, this isn't always sustainable. However, past performance is not indicative of future success. We are in a different paradigm, and predicting the outcome is anyone’s guess.
Geopolitics: Focusing on Taiwan Elections Implications
Taiwan's recent election results have sparked a conversation about potential geopolitical ramifications. There are several important questions to consider. Does the leadership transition from the Kuomintang (KMT) to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) signal a shift in Taiwan's essence? What are the implications of this for China and the United States? Does the DPP's victory indicate a growing sentiment for Taiwan's independence, potentially transforming geopolitics in East Asia and Sino-US relations? As Jianggan states in this episode, it's not so much about what Taiwan wants, as it is essentially a pawn in US-China relations. Joon contends that the status quo will continue. Jianggan also astutely points out the long-term planning nature of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which likely already includes calculations regarding whoever ends up as US president. Geopolitical risk and tailwinds cannot be ignored as we venture into early 2024. As we have seen, the status quo can flip in an instant, as evidenced by the Gaza/Israel conflict and the escalation in one of the world's most important trade routes involving the Houthis and the US.
War Ukraine Update
The sentiment that "no one wants war" reflects a common desire for peace and stability. The perspective on the Biden administration's performance will largely depend on how future events unfold, especially if Joon's predictions come to pass. The world's attention, currently divided between the Middle East crisis, American politics, and US/China relations, are not helping the Ukrainian cause. Ukraine fading from the news cycles of Western civilizations, are already impacting the aid it receives. As we wait to see how these situations resolve, we can only hope for peaceful resolutions.
High Speed Trains
We need to be manifesting our future. Where in the world is infrastructure being built that is impactful, not wasteful, and will contribute to meaningful growth? This section was surprisingly invigorating. High-speed trains in Southeast Asia will really help boost productivity and growth for the countries that implement them. The downstream effects are huge and can't be understated. We will have to keep track of ongoing projects in the region and maybe test some out ourselves!
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