Leading China Commentator to speak on “Authoritarian Capitalism” at Davies Lecture

Publication Date

15-1-2014

Document Type

News Article

Abstract

Leading China Commentator to speak on “Authoritarian Capitalism” at Davies Lecture

China’s outdated business model incompatible with global trading system, author warns

TORONTO, January 15, 2014 – American businessman, journalist and author James McGregor will deliver the sixth Davies Business Law Lecture on Tuesday, January 21, 2014 at 12.30 p.m. in the Robert R. McEwen Auditorium, Schulich School of Business, York University.

The lecture is presented by the Jay and Barbara Hennick Centre for Business and Law and Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP.

McGregor, who is Chairman of APCO Worldwide, Greater China, will discuss his most recent book, No Ancient Wisdom, No Followers: The Challenges of Chinese Authoritarian Capitalism. Based in Beijing, McGregor is one of a few Western authors to write about business in China.

In his book, McGregor warns of the perils of “authoritarian capitalism” through which massive Chinese state-owned companies, directed by the Communist Party, are diverting control of the domestic economy. The China model is incompatible with global trade, with multinationals reluctant to risk losing trade secrets and technology to state-owned firms that are not subject to the same standards of corporate governance, and so is threatening the continued prosperity of China, his book suggests.

From 1987 to 1990 McGregor served as The Wall Street Journal’s bureau chief in Taiwan, and from 1990 to 1994 as the paper’s bureau chief in Mainland China. From 1994 to 2000, he was chief executive of Dow Jones & Company in China. After leaving Dow Jones, he was China managing partner for GIV Venture Partners, a $140 million venture capital fund specializing in the Chinese Internet and technology outsourcing.

McGregor has served as chairman and as a governor of the American Chamber of Commerce in China. He is a member of the Atlantic Council, Council on Foreign Relations, National Committee on US-China Relations and International Council of the Asia Society. He serves on a variety of China-related advisory boards. He lives with his family in Beijing.

About the Hennick Centre Launched in 2009, the Jay and Barbara Hennick Centre for Business and Law – an initiative of Osgoode Hall Law School and the Schulich School of Business – is the first Canadian centre to promote and develop joint business and law scholarship and education. Made possible by a gift from Jay and Barbara Hennick, the Hennick Centre’s flagship is the joint JD/MBA program. The Hennick Centre also draws together the teaching and research strengths of the Davies Fund for Business Law and other endowed chairs, including the Jarislowsky Dimma Mooney Chair in Corporate Governance and the Osler Chair in Business Law.

About Davies and the Davies Lecture Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP is an integrated firm of approximately 240 lawyers with offices in Toronto, Montréal and New York. The firm is focused on business law and is consistently at the heart of the largest and most complex commercial and financial matters on behalf of its clients in Canada and Internationally. The Davies Business Law Lecture series allows the students to connect with the downtown legal and business community by providing the opportunity to hear from internationally recognized thought leaders and to discuss current issues around the world.

About York University York University is helping to shape the global thinkers and thinking that will define tomorrow. York U’s unwavering commitment to excellence reflects a rich diversity of perspectives and a strong sense of social responsibility that sets us apart. A York U degree empowers graduates to thrive in the world and achieve their life goals through a rigorous academic foundation balanced by real-world experiential education. As a globally recognized research centre, York U is fully engaged in the critical discussions that lead to innovative solutions to the most pressing local and global social challenges. York U’s 11 faculties and 27 research centres are thinking bigger, broader and more globally, partnering with 288 leading universities worldwide. York U's community is strong − 55,000 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, and more than 250,000 alumni.

Media Contact: Virginia Corner, Communications Manager, Osgoode Hall Law School of York University, 416-736-5820, vcorner@osgoode.yorku.ca

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