HKU EMBA

07/09/2026

𝐇𝐊𝐔 𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐀 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧

🏯 Recently, students of HKU EMBA International Stream 2024 Intake, set foot in Japan to begin their journey with the programme’s inaugural Overseas Module. Over five days, they explored themes about Going Global, Brand Building, Technological Innovation, Sustainability, and Collective Future of China and Japan. Prof. Junhong Chu, Assistant Dean (EMBA International Stream), delivered remarks at the opening dinner, expressing her hope that students would not only learn in the classroom, but also step beyond it — beyond Hong Kong and beyond China — to gain firsthand exposure to the cultures and businesses of other countries.

🗾 Students had the privilege of engaging with distinguished leaders from government, industry, academia, and research. Each session offered unique perspectives on the forces shaping today’s business landscape:

Mr. Makoto Yasui , former General Manager of 7-Eleven China, provided an insightful breakdown of the iconic 7-Eleven business model. Mr. Hao Yan, Chairman of EPS Holdings, shared his entrepreneurial journey of building a business from the ground up in Japan. Ms. Leilei Xiang, Manager of One Way Street Tokyo, shared the inspiring journeys of establishing and rooting Chinese cultural brands in the heart of Tokyo. Mr. Atsushi Miura, Founder and Director of Culture Studies Institute, offered deep insights into his research on consumer society. Mr. Atsushi Sugita, Chairman of M.A. Partners, discussed the successful management and operational model behind Uniqlo. Prof. Dongying Ju, Foreign Member of the Engineering Academy of Japan, provided a detailed analysis of Japan's competitive edge in technological innovation. Prof. Akio Takahara, Emeritus Professor at the Graduate School of Law and Politics, and Mr.Yoichi Masuzoe, former Governor of Tokyo, shared their expert perspectives on the complexities and future prospects of China-Japan relations.

Students also visited several leading Japanese enterprises, including the 150-year-old Shimadzu Corporation, the NTT e-City Labo (the research and exhibition hub of the global telecom giant NTT), and IIJ (Internet Initiative Japan, the country’s first commercial internet service provider). These visits offered students firsthand insights into the strategic thinking behind the long-term success of Japan’s leading corporations.

🎯 Join HKU EMBA to gain firsthand insights into going global, brand building, technological innovation, sustainability, and learn from overseas enterprises:
https://hku.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_doDVbhQvNOfvWJw

03/09/2026

𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐉𝐨𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬, 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 | 𝐇𝐊𝐔 𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐀 𝐈𝐧𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞

📍 On 29 August, HKU EMBA Inauguration Ceremony for 2026 Intake was held successfully. The Ceremony took place at HKU Beijing Centre, where entrepreneurs and executives from across the country and different industries gathered. The AI host E-Lion made a surprise appearance, bringing a sense of the future to the entire Ceremony.

📚 Academics As the Gown, Wisdom As the Armor
At the Ceremony, Prof. Haipeng Shen, HKU Associate Vice-President (Teaching & Learning – TPG), gave a warm welcome to all the new students. He delivered a speech under the theme “Share Joys and Hardships, Stand Together in Times of Adversity”.

Prof. Shen pointed out that in the age of open-source large models, analytical technology is no longer a company’s moat. What truly matters for decision-making is AI Trust.

Prof. Yanlong Zhang, Associate Dean, Guanghua School of Management, PKU, attended the Ceremony and delivered remarks.

Prof. Zhang indicated that, in terms of value of business education, efforts should be made to create identity value, relationship value, cognitive value and emotional value for entrepreneurs and students.

🌟 Companions As the Gown, Unity is the Formation
Prof. Xu Li, Assistant Dean (EMBA Collaboration Stream), welcomed the new students, and introduced the lineup of the 2026 Intake community. Amongst the 2026 Intake students, there are 40 listed companies, along with many other specialized and innovative firms, Fortune Global 500 Companies, as well as unicorn enterprises.

Upon onboarding of the 2026 Intake students, total number of HKU EMBA students and alumni exceeds 1300. The alumni network across cities is accelerating its expansion, helping students build a platform for post-EMBA era and their lifelong learning.

One Heart Forever, Mingde Goes Far
🥂 In the evening, all faculty and students attended the HKU EMBA 2026 Intake Welcome Dinner, celebrating “One Heart Forever, Mingde Goes Far”.

Prof. Hongbin Cai, Dean of HKU Business School, delivered Opening Remarks.

Prof. Cai emphasized that in the AI era, the needs for talent are thinking ability, judgment, leadership and creativity. In recent years, HKU Business School has continued to innovate in education, research and practice of the AI arena, thereby providing the best learning platform under the new era for entrepreneurs and senior executives.

Prof. Xuan Tian, Dean of Guanghua School of Management, PKU, also expressed three expectations to the new students: cultivate a deep sense of patriotism and commitment to the Country, maintain an Empty Cup mindset, and uphold principles in business.

🎯 Take your first step now and join the HKU EMBA community:
https://lnkd.in/gJnh5g_9

01/09/2026

As AI becomes more regulated and commoditized, trust is becoming the real differentiator. Prof. Haipeng Shen’s DELTA+T² framework shows why it matters for sustainable AI adoption.

When Trust Replaces Analytics as the Defining Bottleneck in the AI Era

On 2 Aug 2026, the core provisions of the EU AI Act officially took effect: Enterprises are required to label AI-generated content and the use of chatbots must be disclosed to users. Non-compliance can result in fines up to €15 million. AI trust has shifted from corporate ethical choices to mandatory compliance requirements. In the AI era, the most valuable assets are regulatory approval, customer trust, and proven governance processes.

In the latest research of Prof. Haipeng Shen at HKU Business School, he introduced the DELTA+T² framework, extending the traditional analytics capability model by incorporating Trust as a critical organizational capability. He argues that as AI technologies become rapidly commoditized, the real bottleneck for organizations is shifting from whether they can generate results to whether they are willing to trust and act on those results. He also contends in an FT Chinese article that AI trust can be systematically built across five dimensions:

🔹 Governance – Are ownership and accountability clearly defined?
🔹 Explainability – Can model decisions be explained to regulators and other stakeholders?
🔹 Auditability – Are data, model changes, and AI system access traceable?
🔹 Compliance posture – Is compliance treated as an ongoing baseline, rather than a one-off hurdle?
🔹 AI Sovereignty – Who controls data, infrastructure, and jurisdiction?

When technologies and algorithms are no longer a competitive moat, the winners will be those who convince the public that their systems are not only smart, but also reliable, controllable and trustworthy.

Read the article at FT Chinese (Chinese only): https://www.ftchinese.com/story/001110571



當信任取代分析能力，成為AI時代的真正瓶頸

2026年8月2日，歐盟《人工智能法》核心條款正式生效：企業必須標註AI生成內容、在使用聊天機器人時須告知用戶，違規者最高罰款1500萬歐元。AI信任，已經從企業內部的道德自律，變成外部強制的合規要求。在AI時代，真正具價值的是監管牌照、客戶信任及經過檢測的治理流程。

港大經管學院的沈海鵬教授在最新研究中進一步提出DELTA+T²框架，他將Trust（信任）納入企業分析能力體系，指出當AI技術快速商品化後，企業真正的瓶頸正從「能不能算出結果」轉向「敢不敢相信並使用這個結果」。他更在《金融時報中文網》的專欄中表示，AI信任是可以、也應該被系統性建設的能力，它可以拆解為五個彼此獨立的維度：

🔹 治理：決策的所有權和問責是否清晰？
🔹 可解釋性：能否向監管者等持份者說明模型為何得出某個結論？
🔹 可審計性：數據、變更、與誰接觸皆可追溯？
🔹 監管合規姿態：是否把合規當作持續維護的底線，而非一次性通關的障礙？
🔹 主權AI：誰控制數據存放的位置及運營基礎設施？受哪個司法管轄區的法律約束？

當技術及演算法不再構成壁壘時，真正把贏家和輸家分開的，會是誰能讓大家相信：這套系統不僅聰明，而且可靠、可控、可信。

詳情請見《金融時報中文網》的專欄文章：https://www.ftchinese.com/story/001110571

#港大經管學院 #人工智能 #歐盟人工智能法案 #思維領導

28/08/2026

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟. 𝐑𝐨𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐚𝐧: 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐈 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫, 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜? 𝟓 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬, 𝟔 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝟓 𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐨

Recently, after the HKU EMBA Sample Class “The Evolution of Organizations and Leaders in the AI Era”, Prof. Roy Liang Tan, Professor of Practice in Management and Strategy at HKU, further responded to the challenges leaders face when AI enters enterprises.

1️⃣ An Unsettling Statistic: 88% vs 5%
88% of organizations already use AI regularly, but only 5% of enterprises achieve scalable values. What enterprises truly lack is a “human-AI compatible” organizational operating system.

2️⃣ Why Do Enterprises Become “More Chaotic the More They Use It”? Five Major Mismatches
Five types of mismatches: 1) Task mismatch: giving AI tasks it shouldn’t handle. 2) Role mismatch: AI has tasks, but no job descriptions. 3) Authority and responsibility mismatch: AI can execute, but responsibility is not assigned. 4) Process mismatch: AI is inserted into old process without reducing steps. 5) Performance mismatch: after human-AI collaboration, only people are evaluated.

3️⃣ A Human-AI Compatible Organization: Six Design Principles
1) Task restructuring: what should be handed to AI, what should remain for human to judge? 2) Role restructuring: define AI’s duties, boundaries and service targets. 3) Authority and responsibility restructuring: AI executes, humans are responsible, and key decisions remain accountable. 4) Process restructuring: embed AI into closed-loop workflows, rather than stuffing it into old ones. 5) Performance restructuring: evaluate the human-AI system, not just the individual. 6) Risk governance: four red lines – data, permissions, decisions and compliance.

4️⃣ 90 Days Implementation: Starting with One Workflow
Prof. Tan recommended using 90 days to kickstart. Day 1-30: choose the scenario and define boundaries. Day 31-60: run the workflow and build mechanism. Day 61-90: review metrics and replicate.

5️⃣ Leaders Evolution: From Controllers to System Designers
Prof. Tan’s point of view was that AI won't replace leaders. Leaders who use AI will replace leaders who don't. More specifically, those who can harness, manage, and integrate AI into human-AI teams will outperform and replace those who cling to old ways of managing organizations.

6️⃣ From Classroom to Action
First, go back and ask your management team these three questions. 1) Which workflows have already been changed by employees using AI privately? 2) Which AI applied cases currently have no clear boundaries of authority and responsibility? 3) Which low-risk, high-frequency workflow allows a 90-day trial? Second, share your answers: “The first AI workflow I want to test out is: _______”.

🔍 Join HKU EMBA to explore how leaders can respond to AI by fixing organizational mismatches:
https://lnkd.in/gY_EzPcN

24/08/2026

💻 Supply chain management isn’t just about logistics. It’s about managing three key flows: Logistics Flow, Information Flow and Cashflow. Prof. Zhixi Wan explained that effective supply chain management combines these flows with a holistic evaluation to find the best solution and continuously improve, thereby aiming to achieving the four rights: Right Time, Right Place, Right SKU Mix and Right Quantity. ��🔍 Join HKU EMBA to gain the strategic toolkit for supply chain success:�https://hku.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_doDVbhQvNOfvWJw

18/08/2026

𝐇𝐊 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 | 𝐀 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐬 — 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐔𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐎𝐜𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧

This coming Friday on August 21st, more than 1,000 participants from HK’s business community, including entrepreneurs who go-global and elites in science and technology, will gather at “The Leap Fest 2026”, a business forum hosted by the HK renowned financial magazine “Economic Digest”. HKU EMBA, as a joint host, will present a keynote session.

Prof. Tan Liang, Professor of Practice (Management and Strategy) and Assistant Dean (Customized Executive Education Programmes), will deliver a keynote speech titled “China’s Enterprises Going Global 2.0 - Strategy, Risk, and Localization.” The talk will break down into areas including overseas expansion strategy, the real-world risks and challenges companies face, and how to achieve deeply localized operations.

🌟 Keynote Speaker Introduction
Prof. Tan focuses on leadership development. His core personal mission is to connect, nurture, and inspire leaders of today and the future.

Prior to joining the University of Hong Kong, Prof. Tan served in key management positions at several major global organizations including GE and Alibaba. His previous roles include Global Executive Dean of Alibaba's Corporate University, Dean of GE's Crotonville Greater China, Head of Human Resources for Alibaba Group's retailing e-commerce division, and General Manager of Organizational Transformation and Talent Development for Taobao and Tmall.

🎤 Featuring More Guest Speakers, For Example:

Ms. Lillian Cheong Man-lei, JP
Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry
Government of the HK Special Administrative Region

Mr. Michael Yue
Managing Director & General Manager
Google HK

Mr. Stephen Wong
Head of Region - HK | Macau | Taiwan, Global Business Solutions
Xiaohongshu

FHProductionHK
Renowned HK audio-visual creative team
YouTube channel has surpassed 750,000 subscribers, and its works have repeatedly made it onto the platform’s trending page

🗓️ Event Details
𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: Friday, August 21, 2026
“The Leap Fest 2026”：10:30-17:30
𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳. 𝗧𝗮𝗻’𝘀 𝗞𝗲𝘆𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗰𝗵: 15:00–15:20

𝗩𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲: HK Convention and Exhibition Centre, Room N201

📌 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 HKU EMBA 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗻𝗶:
http://p.nmg.com.hk/mqsy57

📣 Seats are limited - first come, first served.

13/08/2026

𝐇𝐊𝐔 𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐀 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 – 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐀𝐈 “𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞” 𝐱 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

Two HKU EMBA students shared their perspectives on “Integration of AI Intelligent Agents and Web3” and the “Top-Level Logic of a Family Office.” Though the two topics may seem parallel, at their core they are reviewing the same thing: How to utilize strong systems instead of relying on people.

💻 When AI Takes Over Ex*****on, How Will Web3 Reallocate Value?
Mr. Huangyong Shan, Senior Manager at SEA Ltd and HKU EMBA International Stream 2025 Intake Student, has firsthand experience of management dilemmas. Not that AI isn’t powerful, but it just can’t carry responsibility. Unlimited power with zero accountability is a real barrier to enterprise’s AI deployment.

Web3 may become part of the solution - not by trust, but by structure. A three-layer mechanism, with specific role handled by each layer: A public ledger makes every action traceable across the network; On-chain staking requires AI developers to put down a deposit before they can do the work; Once an agent makes an error, smart contracts precisely deduct funds for compensation. When all three are combined, these elements give an agent’s behaviour a quantifiable cost.

Web3 will shift from “hype and stories” to a new stage of making money based on “credit and order.” Many Web3 edge tools that were previously seen as secondary will rise to become core businesses, jointly building an AI credit loop network composed of “identity verification, re-staking collateral guarantees, real-time risk control, automatic penalties and forfeiture, and insurance backstops.”

💵 How Can Wealth Cross Generations?
Mr. Jin Ma, CEO of Hongji Family Office, HKU EMBA International Stream 2025 Intake Student, pointed out that a family office is not simply an asset management institution. Instead, it operates like a “Planning Headquarters” for the family - overseeing money, people, relationships, plus maintaining a firewall.

The key value of a family office lies in legacy, in which it should transform from relying on individuals to systems. To isolate family assets, business operating risks, along with marital and legal risks. Bring in professional teams; Establish internal governance rules through a family constitution; Passing down family’s values and entrepreneurial spirit.

Mr. Ma suggested: Starting with a family trust is enough - Complete the legal separation of real estate or financial assets to build the most fundamental firewall first. After that, the architecture, teams, and risk-control systems can be developed step by step.

🚀 Join HKU EMBA to build systems that make AI accountable and enable inter-generational wealth legacy:
https://lnkd.in/gY_EzPcN

10/08/2026

𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐚 | 𝐇𝐊𝐔 𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐀 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩: 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐁𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲

Recently, HKU EMBA Alumni visited Toread Holdings Group Co. Ltd. Led by Prof. Xu Li, Director of HKU EMBA Programme, the event specially invited Ms. Ye Han, HKU EMBA Alumna and Deputy Director of Toread Group, and Mr. Haohai Liu, Head of Project Technology Department, to engage in an in-depth exchange with HKU EMBA alumni around the theme of “Brand Evolution and Industrial Insights under a Dual-Core Business Model”.

📍 Real-Life Immersive Visit, Grasping the Authentic Link Between Industry and Hard Technology
The event began at Toread’s brand exhibition hall, which fully showcases the chip’s end-to-end industrial chain technology matrix, paired with an interactive experience zone featuring cutting-edge intelligent equipment. This allowed alumni to directly see how traditional consumer brands can achieve product intelligence upgrades by relying on chips.

🌟 Major Presentation, Decoding the Core Secrets Behinds 27 Years of Iteration and Dual-Engine Growth
Ms. Han delivered a speech titled “Strategy Leads the Future – Brand Evolution and Group Development Under a Dual-Core Business Model”, systematically reviewing Toread’s strategic thinking as it transformed from a standalone outdoor brand to a dual-engine business model driven by outdoor business and semiconductor business.

Mr. Liu then delivered a presentation titled “Foreseeing the Future – Building an Intelligent Equipment and Outdoor Strategic Ecosystem Through Industry Trend Insights”. He analyzed the logic behind Toread’s future planning, and indicated that new demands from Gen Z for stronger technological touch and environmental friendliness, are precisely the window of opportunity for enterprises to innovate and transform.

⛰️ Reaching New Heights, Mastering Excellence, TOREAD
Prof. Li summarized the two key learning takeaways from this visit: First is the strategic paradigm for technology-driven model in traditional consumer brands; Second is the methodology for achieving synergy when building a hard-tech footprint in real-world industries. He also encouraged alumni to continue strengthening cross-industry exchanges and promote collaboration across industry, academia and research. To read and keep on exploring.

🔍 Wondering how to drive your business transformation?
Discover more with HKU EMBA:
https://lnkd.in/gY_EzPcN

05/08/2026

𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐀𝐢𝐝, 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐀𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫? | 𝐇𝐊𝐔 𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐀 𝐄𝐧𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤

HKU EMBA Programme invited Prof. Austin Strange, HKU Associate Professor of International Relations, to deliver a talk titled “’Debt Trap’ and ‘Checkbook Diplomacy’? The Political-Economic Logic of China’s International Development Cooperation and Overseas Investment”, explaining the practice and logic behind China’s foreign aid.

💻 A Powerful Tool for Going Global: The AidData Database
Prof. Strange and his research team created a data collection method for “tracking underreported financial flows”. By consolidating from large-scale information systems, they built the AidData China Global Loans and Grants Database.

For each project, the database records hundreds of standardized variables, including precise geographic coordinates and funding amounts, it also comes with visualization Dashboard. This database is like a high-precision data map, providing references for entrepreneurs who go global to assess and plan.

💵 From “Donor” to “Banker”: The Political-Economic Logic of Foreign Aid
In the last century, China played a typical “donor” role. Entering the new century, loan and financing from banks has far exceeded traditional aid, thus becoming the absolute main source. China has shifted from “Donor” to “Banker”.

Prof. Strange explained the economic logic behind this transformation: Back then, China faced multiple demands – Absorbing overcapacity, operating foreign exchange reserves, internationalizing state-owned enterprises, and ensuring energy security. “Going Global” was therefore a natural choice. From the perspective of recipient countries, China’s development financing in the short term effectively promoted local economic growth, while the challenges derived from large-scale infrastructure were not exclusive to China.

🌎🤝 “The Belt and Road” Leads to a New Order?
Prof. Strange believed that the core economic logic driving enterprises to go global has not changed: When domestic growth faces pressure, going global becomes an even more important strategic option.

Meanwhile, the international development sector is undergoing a structural transformation. Many European countries are quietly moving toward the “China model”- Reducing donations, increasing aid led by loans, as well as increasing cooperation centered on infrastructure. Under this new order, China is having a very deep impact on international development cooperation.

🚀 Join HKU EMBA to explore China’s evolving foreign aid strategy:
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30/07/2026

𝐆𝐨-𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬, 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐖𝐮𝐤𝐨𝐧𝐠? | 𝐇𝐊𝐔 𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐀 𝐄𝐧𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤

📜 If we see today’s Chinese enterprises going global as the modern “Journey to the West”, what business competencies do the four master and disciples represent?

HKU EMBA Programme invited Prof. David A. Palmer, Professor of HKU Department of Sociology and the Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences, to use “Journey to the West” as a metaphorical framework, explaining how to win the trust battle in going global.

🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Who is Missing from Your Team on the Journey to Retrieve the Scriptures?
Tang Monk represents the ultimate meaning and vision of going global, which corresponds to corporate leaders. They have high horizons, but lack the ability to execute and adapt with flexibility. Sun Wukong is the flexible executor, representing the core advantages of Chinese enterprises: speed, cost and efficiency. Zhu Bajie resembles employees who are “passively dispatched” abroad. His initiative may not be strong, but he dares to calculate costs and speak up about risks. Sha Wujing symbolizes solid system and infrastructure, which is the foundation that allows the entire go-global journey to continue.

“Every go-global team is reenacting the division of labour among the four master and disciples. Prof. Palmer emphasized, “Identifying these roles and understanding which ones are missing from your team is the first step toward optimizing organizational structure.”

Which “Monsters” are the Most Troublesome?
Prof. Palmer analyzed two most typical categories of “monsters”. The first is the “false scripture demon”. It often takes advantage of an enterprise which goes global, with their mindset of “trying to execute quickly”, disguising itself as documents and agreements that appear thorough, yet ultimately fail to be fulfilled. The second is the “Spider Cave”, pointing to entangled local networks of interests.

🌟 A Go-Global Protection Charm: The Mountain God and Land God
Prof. Palmer believed that in “Journey to the West”, the thinking represented by these two roles is exactly the survival wisdom Chinese enterprises should learn for going global. The mountain god corresponds to deeply assessing social risks in local contexts. Prof. Palmer stressed the importance of cultural cognition. Only by going into the specifics of the situation, you could see the true risks.

The land god symbolizes the establishment of local intelligence and relationship networks. Every country has its “key god of lands”. These partners who are familiar with local connections, their networks are the key to entering local society.

🚀 Join HKU EMBA to strengthen your go-global strategies, and build local trust the right way:
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