Peter Alexander is an entrepreneur who’s been living and doing business in Shanghai, China for nearly 30 years.


He reached out to me recently after hearing one of the ‘Macro Hang’ episodes, where we briefly touched on the subject of China, and in which I suggested that we should be careful not to oversimplify the differences between China and ‘The West’ / US, especially in terms of economic 'model'.


Peter agrees, and feels that the economic and social circumstance in China are, broadly speaking, being misrepresented, or at the very least lacking important nuance, by commentators in the bitcoin space (and beyond), and as a result contacted me to see if I’d be open to hearing a more informed and experienced perspective on it.


Of course I was interested, so we set up a chat.


Enjoy!

More from Peter:
WEBSITE: ⁠http://z-ben.com


More from me:
TWITTER: http://bit.ly/2P7PUjA
YOUTUBE: https://bit.ly/3aBbZxg
MEDIUM: http://bit.ly/2Zk0Dex
SUBSTACK: Money Messiah
VIDA: https://vida.page/johnkvallis
NOSTR: npub1cqm6dztalp4l6n04f9k20c333xftgangjla337736dr6faz9na0qf2hjec


To buy Bitcoin in the US with zero-fees, purchase hosted mining rigs, and access their Lightning Services platform for developers, visit partner.river.com/JohnVallis

If you're in Canada, use this link (https://t.co/npfGxWKO26) to buy bitcoin with Bull Bitcoin, and receive $20 free when you first fund your account with $50 or more (and buy bitcoin with it).

Once you buy bitcoin, taking custody of it is extremely important, if you want to maximize the benefit of this unique asset. The Coldcard hardware wallet is one of the most popular and trusted devices for doing just that. Buy one, and learn more about the great features of this wallet, as well as all their other awesome products, at https://bit.ly/3Zd60Ym & use the PROMO CODE 'VALLIS' for 5% off.

The Bitcoin 2023 Conference is going down May 18-20 in Miami. Use the promo code 'VALLIS' for 10% off the biggest bitcoin conference in history!

--

Timeline:

00:00 - Intro & Background
09:57 - Peter’s First Memory In China & Some Major Changes That Stand Out Since
18:13 - John’s Experience Of The ‘Vibe Shift’ In Shanghai From 2009 - 2018
23:44 - Xi’s Anti-Corruption Campaign & How It Changed The Experience Of Living In China
32:20 - The Unceremonious Removal of Hu Jintao Recently
37:33 - Xi’s ‘Quality Growth’ Plan & ‘Common Prosperity’
45:40 - The Misconceptions Of China & The ‘Pragmatism’ Of The Chinese System
51:50 - The Lack Of Nuance In The Discussion On China & ‘Capitalism’ vs ‘Communism’
1:02:05 - The Ethical Considerations Of Living / Investing In China
1:05:11 - The Impact Of Ideology In Economic Success In China vs ‘The West’
1:10:07 - The Cultural Consideration Of Doing Business In China & Difference In Approach To Foreign Policy
1:22:32 - The Guiding Ethic (Or Lack Thereof) In China vs The ‘Judea-Christian’ Ethic (Supposed) Of The West?
1:30:38 - China Current ‘Macro’ Situation
1:43:20 - Bitcoin, CBDC’s & Social Credit System In China
1:51:16 - Why Would Governments ‘Adopt’ Bitcoin?
1:57:34 - The Speed Of New Technology Adoption In China
2:02:40 - Closing Remarks