4 Nov 2011: Mark Emmerson, Regional Head of Trade and Supply Chain, HSBC Continental Europe
When people talk of the opportunities to do business in China, it is easy to see why the country proves to be such a draw. For decades, it has been the workshop of the world, and trade has become second nature for this country of 1.2bn people.
However it is only once you experience China on the ground, that you begin to get a sense of how vast and dynamic this market is.
In July 2011, HSBC invited a range of Europe’s most successful large companies to Shanghai, to see for themselves what the Chinese market could mean to their business. Some had years of experience there; others keen to find out how to break into a market they could no longer ignore.
All had an opportunity to develop a solid understanding of how China is now changing to meet the demands of global trade.
The numbers are, by any standards, staggering. Ninety-three Chinese cities have a population of over one million. If China’s provinces were separate states, six of them would be on course for membership of the G20 within the next decade.
The Inside Track:China represents just a sample of the valuable insights and conclusions drawn by some of Europe’s most dynamic corporations when presented with the Chinese market as it is today. Doing business there is not without its complications – many of which are raised within these pages – but it is worth remembering that such challenges are faced by businesses every day wherever they are trading in the world.
Businesses have been left in little doubt that these are exciting times for China and the time is ripe to be a part of it.
I do hope you are inspired by the thoughts herein, and that you can use them to further your own successful business ventures in China.
Download: Inside Track:China.