Navigating China in the modern business environment

There obviously was much interest in the above topic that was presented at the May meeting of U.S.-China Business Connections (UCBC). The meeting was moved to a larger room at the Minneapolis Community and Technical College which attracted more than 90 participants, the largest crowd to attend a regular UCBC monthly meeting. There obviously was much interest in the above topic that was presented at the May meeting of U.S.-China Business Connections (UCBC). The meeting was moved to a larger room at the Minneapolis Community and Technical College which attracted more than 90 participants, the largest crowd to attend a regular UCBC monthly meeting.

The meeting started out with the president of UCBC, Mr. Warren Vollmer, introducing himself and saying a few things about the organization. There were many new attendees, and they were made to feel welcome in the very friendly atmosphere. At the beginning of every meeting all the attendees are asked to give a short introduction about themselves and their company or other associations.There were approximately 25 new attendees of the 90 people who were present. 
           
The two presenters from CIAC Travel, Ms. Melody Zhou and Mr. Gabriel Bazama were then introduced, and Melody started the presentation with a short introduction about China and a few interesting facts about the country. After that, Gabriel gave a brief history of trade between China and the United States, starting with the earliest trade shortly after the American Revolution when Mr. Robert Morris sailed the Empress of China to Canton in 1784.  He also spoke about many events that took place during the 20th century that affected trade between China and the United States both positively and negatively, including Sun-Yat Sen’s Nationalist ascension to power and the end of the Qing dynasty in 1911, and Chairman Mao’s communists cutting off virtually all trade with the west in the 1950’s.

After the short history lesson, Gabriel went on to give the delegation some basic advice on traveling to China. He acknowledged that there was a likely disparity in experience level among the crowd in their travel experience to China, so he wanted to give everyone a basic course on what to bring and a few things to expect when traveling.

Melody then returned to the podium to give her expert insight into a few important trade show opportunities that take place annually (and semi-annually) in China, as well as go over the sample CIAC business itinerary that was distributed to the audience. The Canton trade fair has successfully taken place every year since 1951, and it has become one of the most important sites to interact with Chinese manufacturers for U.S. businesses. She then discussed the Yiwu market expo, and gave the members some very impressive evidence on how businesses can improve their portfolio by attending the expo. In addition to the trade shows, a very detailed description of additional sites and destinations in Beijing and Xi’an that were included in the itinerary were given by Melody.  Her expertise in China travel clearly impressed the audience and many follow up questions were addressed to her, Gabriel, and fellow CIAC manager Kuang Ling at the end of the presentation.

China Import and Export Fair
The presentation concluded with a Question and Answer session. For both newcomers and long time members alike, CIAC’s presentation gave great insight into both the past and future of China business travel. Everyone took something positive away from the presentation, and CIAC further demonstrated their dedication and essential contribution to the China travel community. 

June UCBC Meeting
The topic for the June  3, 2009, UCBC meeting will be Alternatives to Building a Plant in China and will be presented by the following panel of speakers: Contract Manufacturing - Chris Berghoff, Control Products: Sheltered Manufacturing - Steve Oanes, Stuhr Associates and  Local Production plus China suppliers - Dale Peterson, Minncorp

UCBC meetings are held at Minneapolis Community & Technical College, 1501 Hennepin Avenue, Wheelock Whitney Hall, Room L3000 (3rd Floor), Minneapolis, MN 55403. 

The fee is US$20 per person. UCBC members and college students are free.  Everyone can bring a guest who can be admitted for half price (US$10). To register, e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call Jim Smith at 612-8656543.

For free parking at the MCTC Ramp, please mention your name for the UCBC meeting to the parking staff. The MCTC parking ramp is located at 1420 Hennepin Avenue (north side of Hennepin Ave). Additional information on parking: http://www.minneapolis.edu/parking.cfm