2008 Business Visit Programs in China

• April 21 - 23, 2008
• June 2 - 4, 2008

For more information and/or to make a preliminary registration to join either of these special programs please contact Andrew Gilkes: agilkes@chinaaccess2008.com.

To learn more about China Access 2008, its' founding members and testimonials, please read this overview.

China Access 2008 Case Studies

Since beginning operation in early 2005 China Access 2008 has been able to connect - by way of formal business forums and private introduction - with a wide variety of businesses in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Our business visit programs in China have attracted over 200 international participants - many of whom had never visited China before - and been the catalyst for new business partnerships and investments.

The following case studies are based around the personal experiences of people who have participated in China Access 2008 visit programs during the past two years and who have used the China Access 2008 process to help establish and/or extend their China presence. They involve companies large and small and are drawn from the technology-based industry sectors that have been the primary focus of our work to date.

The studies reveal numerous hard-won insights for doing business in China. Creating mechanisms for the sharing of these experiences is central to the China Access 2008 process.

The studies document:

• One of the biggest (if not already the biggest) pure bio-science ‘plays’ currently in China with now more than 400 people involved. (Gene Networks International (GNI)).
• A US$250m investment by Lone Star Technologies in gas and oil pipeline technologies and products for both China and world markets.
• An initial US$50m investment in an environmental remediation joint venture between Puralube of Germany and Sinopec in Beijing.
• Several interesting niche plays in the ICT sector (Kidzworld and Raincity Studios).
• Five Memorandums of Understanding signed between the Australian Stem Cell Centre in Melbourne and selected Chinese research institutes.
• US$130m of deals between Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and various Beijing/Tianjin pharmaceutical firms for establishing clinical development programs for testing the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine compounds for global markets (BioMelbourne Network).
• The roll-out of world leading medical diagnostics technology to hospitals in Beijing and across China (Optima Health Solutions).
• The establishment and expansion of a China presence for an international concrete engineering company (NovaTec Inc).

Relevant Articles

Global Business: a Business Review Weekly Survey

When explorer Marco Polo returned to Venice after spending a quarter of a century in China, the tales he told were considered to be lies. His book describing his travels, although popular, became known as Il Milione, The Million Lies, and he earned the nickname “Marco Milione”. Polo is reported to have said on his deathbed: I do not tell half of what I saw because no one would have believed me.

Until recently, the West has viewed stories about China’s economic rise with similar disbelief...

Download the full article.

Why Beijing is not Washington

By David James, Business Editor, Business Review Weekly

The global economy is typically considered to be a contest between nations. But the economic terrain is more complicated than that. Cities, regions and industry clusters are often just as important. It is often said that “companies trade, countries don’t” and much of that trade is focused in cities or regions.

One of those cities is Beijing, the site of the next Olympics in 2008 and the central hub in the world’s fastest emerging and most populous nation. Often considered to be a largely governmental city that, like Washington, Canberra or Brasilia, is more concerned with oversight than economic activity, Beijing is fast developing its own independent economic strength.

Download the full article.

Presentations

• a folder of condensed Powerpoint presentations (ZIP archive). These are examples of the kind of information that is presented during the course of the China Access program...