Over 40 years ago, Ali vs. Foreman became the talk of the 20th century after fighting the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ in modern day Democratic Republic of the Congo. Now in the 21st century, technology reigns supreme and we are about to witness another rumble in the jungle, but this time around in Southeast Asia.
Chinese and American companies are planted their foot firm in Southeast Asia and are gearing up for a fight of global technological supremacy. China is supported by Tencent, a messaging service, Alibaba, the e-commerce leader of the country, and Didi Chuxing, China’s major transportation company. The US, on the hand, is backed by world-renowned super-businesses, Amazon and Uber. Both commonly known, they are e-commerce and super-taxi sites, respectively. With the increased mobile access, a series of strong middle classes, and a reach to over half a billion people, these companies are preparing for a war over this growing and prosperous market.
This is rather uncharted territory for Chinese companies, who expands typically in the local sense. In the past, big corporations have bought out smaller local companies to grow rather expanding their own brand globally. Examples of this are Alibaba’s billion dollar purchase of a Southeast Asian e-commerce site, Lazada.
American companies, on the hand, have constantly flexed their muscles all over the globe. From Apple to Amazon to Netflix to Uber, American companies have manufactured and expanded to countries all over the world to raise brand awareness, rather staying local. An example of this is Uber’s highly anticipated establishment in Indonesia, expanding their brand worldwide.
In a ‘fight’ for the success in globalization, China and the US are gearing up and using their corporations to propel them to great heights in this rather untapped market. This ‘rumble in the jungle,’ although not as exhilarating, will have a far bigger impact on history than a boxing match.