Barry van Wyk
Barry van Wyk spent eight years in China studying Chinese in Tianjin and working as a consultant and project manager in Beijing. He holds a Master of Arts in economic history from the London School of Economics (2005).
Latest Posts
CATL’s new battery is a leap forward but also a precursor of something radical to come
The Qilin 3.0 represents the latest evolution of a lithium battery, but CATL’s chairperson has been teasing a revolutionary new battery that is coming soon.
More Posts
The rise of China’s biodegradable plastics industry
Like the rest of the world, China is plagued by plastic, but it is also active in the new industry of degradable plastic products.
China’s (surprising) bumper summer wheat harvest
Despite heavy rainfall and pandemic restrictions, China has produced a bumper wheat harvest and sidestepped a potential food crisis, for now.
Ecommerce is bursting out of China into Southeast Asia and the Middle East
Chinese cross-border ecommerce and supply chain service companies are expanding into the rest of the world and aiming to lead an ecommerce miracle similar to China’s.
‘Dare not, cannot, want not’: New regulations for dealing with the old problem of family corruption
With new regulations aimed at corruption that runs in the families of Party members, Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption drive has taken on an old and familiar foe.
Did this year’s 618 ecommerce festival pull China out of its consumer slump?
Overall growth rates this year are more muted than in the past, but underlying trends point to changes in consumption patterns in the near future.
GCL Group’s green tech transformation: From photovoltaic dead-end to granular silicon and battery swaps
With its five subsidiaries and a skillful boss, GCL Group has moved on from the dead-end of photovoltaic plants to new green tech, notably granular silicon and battery swaps.
NIO’s plans to become China’s Tesla
NIO is launching two new electric sedans this year as well as an SUV, and expects record high sales in June.
An NFT explosion is taking place in China, but how long will it last?
An NFT can be almost anything, cost any price, and be subject to few if any regulations, and everyone from Alibaba to Moutai is joining the wave.
Lifan’s remarkable journey from ‘motorcycle king’ to electric vehicles via bankruptcy
Lifan’s lack of innovation led it to bankruptcy and reorganization, but then Geely and its ambitious founder transformed it into a competitive electric vehicle brand.