The emergence of China’s smart state

On December 11th, Datenna CEO Jaap van Etten joined the debate on China’s evolving role in global technology and geopolitics. The event, hosted by De Balie, featured prominent experts, including Rogier Creemers, Assistant Professor of Modern Chinese Studies at Leiden University and Guangyu Qiao-Franco,  Assistant Professor of International Relations at Radboud University.

During this insightful discussion, the speakers delved into Beijing’s intricate policies, the government’s dynamic relationship with the private sector, and the far-reaching implications embedded within China’s pioneering innovation strategies.

Courtesy of De Balie.

“For nationalistic, military and economic reasons, China does want to become a science and technology powerhouse. They’re very open about this. When I was working as a diplomat, they were clear about the technologies they wanted to incorporate into their military,” said Jaap van Etten, Datenna CEO.

“China is ruled as a big company… and we, in Europe, are not checking on China, or we do not have the tools to check them or just have privacy rules, but we do not enforce on foreign companies.” “For a long time, we had investment screening regulations, but people could not check who the true owner was in China. Actually, regulations are the same, people have no idea who they are exporting to or where data is being shipped to” concluded van Etten.

Datenna tracks the ownership and investment activities of millions of Chinese companies. This case study demonstrates the importance of a nuanced and granular understanding of Chinese company ownership to make informed decisions about investment and technology risks. If you are interested in the full range of services and capabilities Datenna has to offer, do not hesitate to reach out.