Everyone knows Lei Jun's famous quote, "In this favorable wind, even a pig can fly." What he actually meant was, "You have to be good at predicting emerging trends." He's been remarkably accurate in identifying trends in the mobile phone, small appliance, and electric vehicle industries.
.@AaronBMacLean: Americans often make the mistake of believing our adversaries think like we do—and want the same things.
“When I served in Afghanistan…I was having tea with a Taliban commander…He had his 10-year-old kid standing next to him…
I remember saying to him, ‘Don't you want this all to be done? Don't you want your son to go to university like you did and be a professional—a doctor or a lawyer?’ And this guy looked right back at me with these impressive cold gray eyes and said, ‘Well, in a few years, my son will have died fighting in the jihad.’
That was my wake-up call.
And I think lot of Americans who work in international affairs eventually have to have some kind of version of this wake-up call…They may want different things.”
Valentin Debise, the French rider who drove Zhang Xue's motorcycle, is a top-level professional rider. China currently has no riders capable of competing in the WSBK with this motorcycle, but Europe and Japan have many such riders. Even though China has many talented children, they haven't been able to thrive in the environment of motorcycle bans and restrictions. However, given the right environment and atmosphere, China can produce world-class riders.
Zhang Xue's motorcycle victory is the result of a highly internationalized division of labor and cooperation. If one had to say who won, it would be Zhang Xue and his team. Because under the prevailing climate of motorcycle bans and restrictions, Zhang Xue and his team were actually doing something that didn't quite align with the mainstream narrative and public opinion. It's just that Zhang Xue is Chinese, and happened to become the vessel for their emotions.
In Profile: Zhang Xue turned his passion for motorcycles into a thriving business. From self-taught racer to founder of ZXMOTO, his journey serves as an inspiration for Chinese firms aiming to get a foothold in high-performance motorcycle manufacturing. https://t.co/OpJBfCFGrv