China Diaries: Respect, Ritual, and the Medtech Mindset 🇨🇳 Part 2 of 3
Last night’s China Immersion Series—thoughtfully led by Dickie Currer and ACASE, —prompted me to revisit my time in Shanghai earlier this year.
What lingered most was the understated choreography of connection that defines how business unfolds in China and Australia. The quiet gestures, layered meanings, and unspoken trust—it’s a rhythm you feel before you understand it. 🇦🇺
Thank you @henry Tick J. Shuyun Zhang Eddie Zhao Sarah Gasper for sharing such honest reflections. I only wish I’d heard this sooner.
Here’s a glimpse into what I’ve learned from the field.
Before deals are discussed, relationships are built. And that begins long before the first handshake.
🪑 It starts with where you’re seated at the table—there’s meaning in every placement.
🧘🏽 It flows through conversation —deliberate, unhurried, and rooted in shared context. Friendship first.
🫖 And it’s sealed over tea (moving quickly to stronger beverages) - but each moment builds trust, and the smallest gestures of respect.
At one dinner, I was seated to the left of the host—a subtle but significant cue that I was the VIP. I didn't realise this at the time. That humbling moment stayed with me. 🙏
Because in China, business isn’t transactional—it’s relational, intentional, and built with the long view in mind. 🌏
And Medtech is no exception.
Having immersed myself in Shanghai’s Medtech pulse, one thing is clear:
1 to 100 - when it comes to scale, speed, and execution, China doesn’t follow—it leads 🚀
The very hard 0 to 1 - There are so many shared values across the Australian ecosystem which makes it more wonderful when new connections are built. 🇦🇺
From Class III device manufacturing 🏭 to end-to-end regulatory readiness 📋, every facility we visited set a global bar for precision and pace. I left each meeting inspired by the possibility of world-class innovation rooted in deep cultural awareness.
Once more, to our extraordinary mentors and sponsors on the ground 🙏—thank you for your generosity and insight. And to the brilliant Misti team (Paul Carboon MAICD, Dr. Bangyan Xu) and our supporters Mr. Linkui. Mr. Henry, Mr. Yang, Mr. Wang and others), thank you for bringing humility and wisdom to every conversation 🤝.
Part 3 is coming soon: how these insights shape Misti’s global roadmap, and how we’re weaving innovation across borders ✨
#MistiInChina #MedtechInContext #RespectMatters #GlobalInnovation #ChinaBusiness #PartnershipsWithPurpose #LeadershipAbroad
