In 1989, I received a letter from GE’s Vice-Chairman International, Paolo Fresco, selecting me as part of the group’s annual Executive Development Program in China. It changed my life and my perception of the world forever.

Currently, I travel to China for the quarterly board of AXA TianPing. It is trly a unique experience working with and alongside Chinese companies, regulators and government.

As a Communist country, the freedoms are quite different of those in a democracy. Often, there is regular involvement of the central government or local authorities in business initiatives. While I find the combination of the rules, inspections, etc. to be quite complicated, my experience has also proven to be incredibly interesting, rich and diverse.

When President Xi Liping was elected, he satisfied the tradition to speak at the Boao Forum. To me, the message of his speech was unequivocal. Asia is our continent and we will not tolerate those who try to mess with its prosperity and peace.

I believe that China wants Europe to counterbalance the weight and power of the United States. Europe is responding through national initiatives and the European dialogue is formal and ineffective.

China’s financial services continue to represent a fragile and potentially explosive combination of state-owned and privately-owned Companies. The country’s financial markets, as proven by the 2015 equity crisis, needs to obtain financial stability.