A candid C-Level breakfast with Ker Gibbs on the questions foreign companies in China are asking right now: Sino-American trade relations and geopolitics, how the disruption playbook from the automotive sector is translating to other industries and at what pace, and the opportunities and challenges of operating in China today.
Former Chairman and President of American Chamber of Commerce, Shanghai
Ker Gibbs came to China in the 1990s with the Boston Consulting Group; since then he has split his time between Asia and Silicon Valley, serving in executive positions with Apple, Disney, and high-growth Internet businesses. His career in tech led him to banking, where he became head of technology and media in Greater China for HSBC. He served as the chairman and later president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, which he has written about in his new book, The Fragile Dragon.
Ker Gibbs holds a BA in economics from UCLA and an MBA from UC Berkeley. He lives in San Francisco and Shanghai.
Sino-American trade relations and geopolitics. A grounded read on where US–China relations actually stand — unpacking the May summit, the issues still unresolved, and what a realistic outcome from the September negotiations might look like. Ker will also share what he's hearing on how US companies are currently viewing the China market.
China's macro picture. A candid take on nei juan (内卷) — the intense, diminishing-returns competition reshaping many sectors — alongside demographics and the other structural forces quietly redrawing the operating environment.
How the disruption playbook is spreading. The automotive sector has become the clearest case study in how fast China can move from follower to global disruptor. Ker will explore how that playbook is translating to other industries, at what pace, and what it means for incumbents watching the pattern repeat.
Structural and operational trends. A practical discussion of the models companies are using to navigate risk — the evolving role of joint ventures, franchise structures, risk management, and the organisational silos that either protect or hinder foreign operators.
Automotive as the frontline. How the US and China each frame the automotive opportunity — and threat — across jobs, intellectual property, and market access, and why this sector has become the sharpest test of the broader relationship.
Expect a frank, peer-level conversation on both the opportunities and the challenges of operating in China today.
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如果您要取消出席活动，请在活动开始前48小时写邮件给cherry.huang@swisscham.org。如未能及时取消,我们视同默认付款。若非瑞士商会主办的活动，取消规则请参照活动主办发布的条款。
In case you need to cancel your attendance to the event, please write an email to: cherry.huang@swisscham.org at least 48 hours prior to the event. Failure to cancel your RSVP timely will require the payment of a "no show bill" of the full amount stated in this invitation. For third-party events, the event terms and conditions of the event organizer apply.
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作为活动主（承）办方中国瑞士商会（上海）将在活动现场进行摄影和/或摄像，并可能在公共网页及社交媒体平台上公布以用于活动后期宣传及介绍。参加中国瑞士商会（上海）的活动，将视同您默认中国瑞士商会（上海）有权因上述原因及以上述方式使用具有您肖像的照片或视频。如有异议，请及时联系 cherry.huang@swisscham.org。
Please notice that Swiss Chinese Chamber of Commerce Shanghai (as the host of the event) will take photographs and/or videos from the event and might post these on its public webpage and or social media platforms in order to create awareness and introduction of its events. By attending this event you consent to the Swiss Chinese Chamber of Commerce Shanghai taking and using photographs or videos of you as described above. Please contact [cherry.huang@swisscham.org] immediately if you have any inquiries related to this matter.
