Foreign investor: 'Come to respect and love China'
Updated: 2011-08-18 16:22
By Alex Kastrinakis (Greek) (China Daily Anhui Bureau)
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From my earliest youth I was deeply fascinated by the Chinese civilization, mainly due to its long history and achievements. In more than a millennium from the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), Chinese science and technology took the lead in the world, and contributed greatly to the progress of the human civilization with inventions such as of compass, gunpowder, printing and paper-making.
During my studies in the United Kingdom I had my first opportunity to cooperate with Chinese co-students and have learnt more about the Chinese culture and habits. I started to have business relations with Chinese companies in 2002 and began to exploit their way of thinking and negotiating.
However, it was not until I had the opportunity to live in Wuhu, Anhui province, and interact with Chinese people in different levels every day that I really began to understand their philosophy and the reason for China's consistently high economic growth and development.
During my involvement in the construction of Wuhu Heracles Energy Science & Technology Industrial Park as representative of the foreign investors I witnessed the determination, efficiency and capabilities of the local government.
My main impressions are being shortly presented in the following paragraphs.
1. Local government policy completely in line with the central government
Wuhu government, being completely in line with this plan, has developed numerous incentive policies in order to attract companies that have strong technical abilities, innovative ideas and want to invest in Smart Grid and hi-tech products.
2. Efficient and supportive government
At the initial stage of discussion with our Chinese partners we intended to create Heracles energy science & technology industrial park in Guangdong province where ROBUTEC SHENZHEN already had facilities and strong contacts. When it was proposed as a better solution to make the investment in Wuhu I had to admit that we were skeptical.
Factory relocation is a trend in Europe where companies move their facilities in Eastern Europe or Turkey in order to benefit from the reduced tax policies and running costs. Having already participated in such a task and faced serious problems I was really concerned about the result.
However，our partners ensured us of the government's strong will and capabilities and finally it was decided that the project would be realized in Wuhu.
3. Direct and constant access to top rank officials
For an investor, especially from a foreign country, it is of great importance to have access to top-rank government officials. This kind of communication reassures him of his investment and also creates different type of business ties between the two parties.
Personally, I had the opportunity to visit the county hall more than once and discuss with Wuhu mayor Yang Jingnong in English. I even had the privilege to have lunch with him and his colleagues. He was fully aware of our project status, a fact that really surprised me considering the number of projects that the city of Wuhu has.
After one simple and grand signing ceremony in Hefei, Chen Shulong, the secretary of Wuhu Municipal Committee, suddenly appeared before us in the hotel lobby, spent hours into the night in a pleasant conversation with us, and some practical and specific problems were solved days later. Mr Chen is the professor if the many enterprises like ours are students.
4. Enterprise culture
The relations between the personnel are excellent as great attention is paid in the effective building of teamwork.
During my stay in China I had the opportunity to witness this type of enterprise culture.
This kind of behavior accelerated my familiarization with Wuhu and helped me to concentrate on my job.
China in my eyes is like a wild horse galloping at full speed under the gentle touch of its rider.
The government is determined to successfully address all the problems that the Chinese population faces by increasing domestic consumption, improving the infrastructure and healthcare system, investing in education and environment protection and increasing the living standard.
The specific plan in combination with the government's invitation to every company, domestic or foreign, to join forces and participate in this effort, is creating an ideal business environment of endless opportunities.
I am honored to have the opportunity to do business in China and I believe that this experience will mark my years to come.
My advice for anyone who intends to do business in China is to understand the Chinese culture and actually come to respect and love China.