Canadian took me inside a Chinese Factory... I Didn’t Expect This

Meet Maxime, a Canadian who started a manufacturing business in China 20 years ago, which now employs over 220 people. I reached out to him to learn about life in China, and his story was so fascinating that I ended up visiting his factory in Guangzhou. Maxime shared insights on the biggest misconceptions about China, whether he feels free as a Westerner there, and if most products made in China are really low quality. Enjoy!

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TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 INTRO
00:35 Misconceptions About China
01:07 Is Freedom Restricted in China?
03:04 Low-Quality Products in China
05:16 China vs. Canada
07:36 Inside a Chinese Factory
08:21 Working With Chinese People
09:20 No-No Things in China
11:42 Inside a Chinese Factory
13:40 Responsibility for the Team in China
16:29 Who Are the Customers?
17:10 How to Build a Successful Business in China
21:57 Competition With Other Countries
23:12 How to Start Working With Maxime
24:22 Inside a Chinese Factory
26:10 The Best Part of Maxime's Job
27:14 Best Way to Understand China

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Hey! This channel bridges the gap between locals and foreigners all over the world. Join Max as he interviews expats, unraveling their unique stories and providing valuable insights into their lives in the vibrant places of Asia. Through engaging conversations, Max fosters understanding and appreciation between locals and the global community, focusing on cultural exchange.

[thataxx]

You get what you pay for, I worked for a fashion production company and one of the biggest clients is Walmart. If Walmart is only willing to pay pennies per item and sell it to you for $20, that $20 item will feel like it's only worth pennies. Blame the companies profiting off of you instead of the countries the products are made from.

[angelbarraza]

I am from Mexico and have been traveling to China since the first time I went there in 1972 on a government official visit. I have lived in Spain since 2005 and have been doing business in China since 2012. They are far ahead of the West, where they only say the wrong things about China. China is great and clean, and people are friendly and serious in business. If I could, I would move there, but at my age, it would be difficult to learn Chinese, but I spend as much time there as I can. The food is the best. Visit China, and you will love it.

[cheungchingtong]

“To run a country of this size and this scale very well, you know, it is not easy.”
Just imagine you as a government need to provide more than 4.2 billion meals of all kinds of food, 16.6 million barrels of oil, 17.2 billion kWh of electricity, 6 billion cubic meters of water and so on, per day.

[martinleung]

I've heard comments like China made products were craps, broke down in no time, looked cheap... blah blah blah, but when I asked "how much have you paid?" The replies were invarably very low. So, if you want high-end products from China, be prepared to pay a reasonable price.

[miltonlai]

I want to make a point, China is not pure socialism or capitalism, it looks like a container, anyone who know computer science may heard about the concept of Docker. China is similiar to a Docker system, there is a kernel like socialism, but the actual containers running upon this kernel can be very different. In this way you can find a perfect complementary, you have both the vitality of capitalism, and the strength of collectivism. Which I think can explain the superiority of China.

[lavendereucalyptus]

In America, you can change party, you can’t change policy.

In China, you can’t change party, you can change policy.

[wikiwolfgramm]

The workers on the ground floor, treated well, are gold. Foreign owners in business in China certainly reap the benefits. Enjoyed the podcast. Very informative. Kudos to the owner.

[lijackson-xr]

Chinese local governments are very efficient in repairing public facilities. A few years ago, I called the traffic office to complain that one of the street lights was broken or not working, which made me afraid to drive home. 1 or 2 days later, the light was repaired. Also, a coastal road was damaged by waves in a storm once, which is nearby my home, I thought, my God, it will be difficult to repair and it may affect my commute for a month. However, it only took a few days for the road to be repaired.

[PetersPharmacy]

I am very impressed with the boss. He knows about Chinese people more than most oversea Chinese. It shows.

[laifamily]

China is the manufacturing hub and supply chain of the world, both high and low quality products are made there, it's done to customer specification at their desired pricepoint, it's more about getting the quality level you're willing to pay for

[christinecoghill]

I have great respect for the amazing achievements over the past 30 years. It's a huge population and a huge country.

[Linkedtours]

The whole society of China is now on the track of high and efficient development. Back in the nineties, the whole nation was encouraged to learn from Japan and many western countries because the pace of China was so slow. What now really imresses me is you can see many new highways, new bullet railways and new facilities putting into operation from nowhere you have never known, new scientific and technological gagets can be found everywhere and the whole society is getting digitalized. Many factories, run by Chinese OR foreign owners, are open for visitors to visit and many new products are being manufactured there, you know how these products are made either by human labor or robots. I am in Xi'an, welcome Max to this ancient city!

[JIARENGAN]

Most of China's leaders are from science and engineering backgrounds, while Western candidates are basically from law backgrounds. This is the difference.

[wuleo-bs]

As a Chinese person, I must say that just 20 years ago, China was quite poor and underdeveloped. The changes over time have been so fast and significant that it feels like living in a dream now

[Presso]

I started working in China in early 2000, I spent over 10 years in China and witness the progress of the country. Can you imagine, they build a 15km long elevated expressway, each direction has 4 lanes, meaning total of 8 lanes, it took them 10 months to complete. This happens in early 2000! Which country in the world can achieve such a speed?
I was in manufacturing industry, i can say what makes China becomes the world best manufactuirng house is their disciplines, and commitment, second to none. I have been working in many parts of Asia countries apart from China such as Vietnam, India, UK and US, none of these countries can compete with China. China success has a good reason behind.

[youtubetebie]

What I admire most about China is that the government has established a system that encourages people to provide feedback, helping to improve various aspects of society. In contrast, in many Western systems, even a reasonable suggestion or a minor complaint can lead to a harsh response, with internet police attacking and silencing those who speak up.

[jin_asap]

In 2023, China's power consumption rose by 140% of the amount that Germany consumes for the entire year. That's 1.4x of new Germany, the world's 3rd largest economy, each year.
In 2024, China's trade surplus hits almost $1 trillion. This is larger than Netherland's entire GDP.
Imagine that.
This is the greatest industrial power you will ever witness in history. Savor it!

[yaphonghor]

We find a Canadian who is a honest person, talking positively about China and appreciates his experience living there!!! Great tour of his factory...

[hanhantan]

The boss nailed it when asked about competition from india and vietnam. What a boss!

[leowtaimeng]

China most amazing is the people... most productive & sheer hard workers