Robert Koepp – Big Idea Speakers

Robert Koepp says “I’m not bullish on China; I’m not bearish on China. What I strive to be is… balanced on China.” Having just returned in 2020 from some 15 years in-country, the last three of which were spent in Hong Kong—where he observed the protests, and speaks to them like few others can—Rob Koepp offers unique expertise and insights on China, its people, culture, politics, markets, and evolving role in the global economy.

What sets Rob apart from other keynote speakers on China and Asia is his unflinching perspectives on the forces propelling the dynamics of the Asia-Pacific region. In terms of his approach to understanding China, he stresses that to be truly balanced requires having a nuanced appreciation of what makes the country work. He recognizes that the Chinese government is officially Communist (in its own words, practicing “socialism with Chinese characteristics”) yet he also sees how when it comes to business, Chinese state and private enterprises can be as capitalistic—in some ways, more capitalistic—than the most competitive of Western businesses. Rob can explain the various ways that Chinese tech companies are protected by the notorious Great Firewall of China, yet also have legitimately succeeded in producing ground-breaking innovations that put the likes of some big American tech companies to shame.

He likewise can just as easily discuss China’s new “social credit system” which uses a vast, interconnected surveillance apparatus to track your every move—something so powerful as to do everything from prolonging the pain of a personal bankruptcy to shaming you publicly if you jaywalk! Frightening in its implications to those of us who value individual freedoms and privacy, Rob can also relate to the many ordinary Chinese who sing the system’s praises because of how it delivers safety and peace of mind for law-abiding citizens. As we say, his views on China are exceptionally… nuanced.

Robert Koepp is the founder and principal of Los Angeles-based Geoeconomix, an independent source for insights into the economics moving global markets, driving technology, and influencing government power. Prior to establishing Geoeconomix, Rob served as the director and the chief economist of the Corporate Network in Hong Kong and Beijing for The Economist Group, parent company of the weekly publication, The Economist. He is fluent in Mandarin as well as Japanese, and can deliver a keynote speech in either language.

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Biography

Robert Koepp is the founder and Principal of Los Angeles-based Geoeconomix, an independent source for insights into the economic forces moving global market, technology, and government power. A internationally active commentator, writer, and media producer, he also serves on the Advisory Council of the Center on AI Technology for Humankind at National University of Singapore, on the Advisory Board for the Hong Kong-based fintech company, FinFabrik, and is an Independent Non-Executive Director on the Board of Hong Kong-listed Beijing Enterprises Medical and Health Industry Group. Rob is further at work as the screenwriter and presenter for an in-production documentary series about the history and modern influence of innovation in China, Innovation Empire. Prior to establishing Geoeconomix, Rob served as the Director and the chief economist of the Corporate Network in Hong Kong for The Economist Group, parent company of the weekly publication, The Economist. He has previously authored two full-length books, Betting on China: Chinese Stocks, American Stock Markets, and the Wagers on a New Dynamic in Global Capitalism and Clusters of Creativity: Enduring Lessons on Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Silicon Valley and Europe’s Silicon Fen along with translating into English a best-selling Japanese manga biography on George Soros. Rob has written a wide range of in-depth reports covering such topics as disruptive technologies, digital economics, Big Data, China’s Sports Industry, the Belt-Road Initiative, Asian business trends, and comparative government technology industrial policies. Rob frequently appears on television and at public forums discussing trends in economics, geopolitics, media, and business. A graduate of Pomona College (where he was a Truman Scholar and Watson Fellow) with a degree in Asian Studies, he earned an MBA from the University of Cambridge and is fluent in Chinese (Mandarin) and Japanese.

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