Between
Two Worlds:
Three Strategic Postures of
Chinese-American Entrepreneurs Toward China
Toshiaki SUGITA
Professor of Strategy and Global
Business, Emeritus, Konan Univ, Japan
The
Struggle and Strategy for AI and Semiconductor Supremacy
Today,
in global economic and security discourse, AI (artificial intelligence) and
semiconductors have become the "most critical strategic resources"
that determine a nation's fate. As the US-China power struggle intensifies and
geopolitical fault lines threaten to tear apart the high-tech industry,
examining the faces of those leading US companies reveals a telling fact: many
of the executives driving national competitiveness and standing at the
forefront of China's strategy are Chinese Americans.
In
this era of the new Cold War, Chinese American executives do not all have the
same distance from China, depending on their origins, generation, and business
model. This column unpacks the sophisticated geopolitical intelligence of three
visionary leaders—Alexandr Wang, Jensen Huang, and Morris Chang—to navigate the
precarious divide between roots and national interest. Moreover, these analyses
also reveal a multi-layered and resilient geopolitical strategy shaped by a
shared intellectual tradition of the Chinese diaspora.
Alexander
Wang: The Generation Z Hawk Taking on National Security
First,
we turn our attention to Alexander Wang, co-founder of Scale AI and the darling
of the AI world. At just 29 years old, he is a second-generation American
citizen.
Mr
Wang has built a platform that advances the labelling and processing of data
essential for AI model learning. He has been involved in laying the groundwork
for the use of AI in the military and intelligence fields. However, what is
particularly noteworthy here is his clear identity and political stance.
With
parents who emigrated from China and worked for US government agencies, he has
repeatedly emphasised in public that he is an "American" and makes no
secret of his stance as a defender of liberal democracy.
At a
2023 US Congressional committee hearing and in a 2025 open letter to President
Trump, he asserted that "America must win the AI war." His concrete
articulation of the threats posed by China's use of AI for social control and
military applications transcended the role of a corporate executive, projecting
the aura of a strategist.
For
someone without lived experience in China, it represents less a
"root" and more a "rival" threatening free competition. As
of 2026, he leads Meta's development of "Super Intelligence" as Chief
AI Officer, seemingly driven by a clear conviction that technological AI
supremacy serves as a "shield" to protect American liberalism.
Jensen
Huang: A "market-driven" figure trying to overcome regulatory
tensions
In
stark contrast to Wang's direct approach, Jensen Huang, who leads NVIDIA, must
navigate complex manoeuvres. As a Taiwanese-American and the dominant force in
GPUs – the 'heart' of the modern AI revolution – he wields influence over the
global power balance.
For
Huang, China is both a security "concern" and a "huge
market" for generating revenue. In response to repeated US export
restrictions on China, NVIDIA has persistently argued for maintaining its
influence in the Chinese market, developing China-specific products in rapid
succession – a response bordering on obsession.
Yet
the reality is harsh. While US authorities tighten restrictions, China demands
NVIDIA provide "proof of no backdoors" and promotes policies
encouraging domestic firms to use homegrown chips.
The
dilemma facing Mr Huang epitomises the process by which US-China decoupling is
eroding the rationality of mutual dependence. Even he, who prioritises market
principles, is inevitably buffeted by the tides of national policy and
geopolitics, precisely because he possesses cutting-edge technology.
Morris
Chang: The 'Strategic Architect' Transcending the Silicon Shield
Morris
Chang, founder of TSMC, has maintained an overview of this conflicting dynamic,
grasping it structurally. Born on the Chinese mainland, educated in the US, and
having built his career at a major American semiconductor firm, his influence
remains immense even after stepping back from the front lines of management.
The
concept of the "Silicon Shield" symbolising TSMC was inherently
security-conscious. Yet, while maintaining Taiwan as its base, Mr Chang
strategically advanced the decentralisation of operations across the US, Japan,
and Europe, elevating TSMC to an "indispensable presence" within a
broader global context.
While
avoiding direct political statements like Mr Wang and displaying an obsession
with the market like Mr Huang, Mr Chang grasped the essence of China and global
management more accurately. His skill in rapidly restructuring supply chains
crystallises the long-term, multifaceted perspective characteristic of
executives of the Chinese diaspora.
Roots
and Realism: Why Their Strategies Diverge
While
management strategy does reflect a leader's values and convictions, the
differences in their approaches to China become starkly apparent when viewed
through the lens of their respective backgrounds.
Mr
Huang's fixation on maintaining market share can be seen as an expression of an
optimistic frontier spirit, rooted in his purely cultivated success experience
in the United States. Precisely because he has not experienced the political
harshness of the mainland firsthand, his 'pragmatic intellect' functions,
believing economic rationality can override geopolitics.
In
stark contrast, Mr Chan's strategy, shaped by being born on the war-torn
Chinese mainland and possessing a profound understanding of the Communist
Party's governance, bears the imprint of cold historical lessons. His cunning
posture, using Taiwan as a 'shield' to make the world dependent on his company,
represents the pinnacle of 'structural intelligence' – a perspective only
possible for someone who has crossed geopolitical lines of death.
For
Mr Wang, a second-generation entrepreneur educated entirely in America, China
is no longer even an object of nostalgia. It is merely a systemic adversary
threatening the liberal democracy that defines his identity. His 'ideological
intellect' leads to the stark conclusion: victory in an uncompromising 'AI
war'.
Thus,
behind their strategic decisions lies a cold realism shaped by their individual
journeys, transcending mere business calculations.
Geopolitical
intelligence at the core of management
While
this article focuses on the three individuals mentioned above, numerous
executives of the Chinese diaspora are at the pinnacle of the US semiconductor
industry, including those at Intel, AMD, and Broadcom. Amid accelerating
US-China decoupling, what they share is a "highly developed geopolitical
intelligence" that derives optimal solutions amidst the conflicting
vectors of roots, nation, and the global market.
They
are not merely engineers or executives. They are solving a complex
political-economic equation: how to transform cutting-edge technology into
national power while simultaneously ensuring corporate sustainability.
The
world does not move solely by the logic of technology and capital. Now that
economic security has become a prerequisite for management, Japanese companies
too must redefine their positions and build resilient strategies.
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Resources
& Links
Original
Publication:
Part
of the content in this column was originally published in the January 19, 2026,
issue of World Economic Review Impact (Japanese edition).
http://www.world-economic-review.jp/impact/article4171.html
Published
edition pdf
(Japanese edition): [Click here to access]
This
English edition pdf:
[Click here to access]
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