China & Innovation: what the West gets wrong
Inside China’s Tech Rise: Innovation, Scale, and Strategic Lessons for the West
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Drawing on his latest book Terug naar China, Tom Van de Weghe takes you with this keynote inside the engines of China’s innovation surge—beyond clichés of copycat or surveillance state.
We’ll travel from chip design labs and battery gigafactories to livestream studios and gaming hubs to show how policy, capital, and culture intertwine.
Why do products scale from prototype to 10 million units so fast?
How do super-apps, supply chains, and “good-enough” pragmatism beat perfectionism?
And where do the pressure points lie—IP, export controls, data rules, and a cooling property market?
Expect on-the-ground stories along the new silk road, from Taiwan to Africa) that reveal how China sets trends (EVs, fintech, AI-at-the-edge) and where it still lags (foundational models, trust, global brands).
Tom closes with a practical playbook for Europe and corporates: partner where it pays, decouple where it matters, and build resilience without losing speed.
by
Tom Van de Weghe is a leading geopolitical and tech expert at VRT NWS (Belgian public broadcaster) with years of experience as a correspondent in China and the U.S. and Stanford Research Fellow on AI.
He deciphers global power shifts, from the rise of China to the impact of artificial intelligence on society. With firsthand insights from conflict zones and top-level interviews with world leaders such as Donald Trump, Tom delivers gripping, well-researched talks that connect complex topics to real-world impact.
His award-winning, engaging storytelling, deep knowledge, and clear analysis make him a must-book speaker for business leaders, policymakers, and anyone who wants to stay ahead in a rapidly changing world.
His expertise is remarkable and spans a broad spectrum of geopolitical, economic, and tech-related topics, including:
Geopolitics & Global Power: U.S.-China--Russia-India power struggle
Technopolar world
Economic warfare & sanctions
Taiwan & Ukraine conflict analysis
Supply chain geopolitics
Global trade & semiconductors
BRICS & emerging economies
Technology & AI AI as a geopolitical weapon
Cybersecurity & digital warfare
Surveillance capitalism
AI-driven disinformation campaigns
Quantum computing & global security
Big tech’s influence on democracy
China’s AI dominance & India’s rise
Media & Information Warfare : Disinformation & deepfakes
AI in journalism & media ethics
The future of investigative reporting
Social media as a geopolitical tool
Censorship vs. digital freedom
Influence operations & propaganda
Defense & national security : Military AI & autonomous weapons
Space warfare & satellite geopolitics
Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure
Defense strategies in an AI-driven world
Hybrid warfare tactics
Book Tom now for a talk that informs, inspires, and challenges perspectives on geopolitics and technology.
Geopolitical & Tech expert for VRT NWS, former China- and USA correspondent, Stanford Research Fellow on Artificial Intelligence
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