30 | OPP CHINA WORDS | Hilary Li
BUSINESS
www.opp.org.uk | FEBRUARY 2012
Letter from Beijing
This month we are starting a new column from the editor of OPP China, Hilary Li, looking at the key trends in China. Working out of OPP’s offi ces in Beijing, Hilary will summarise what is happening in the world’s fastest growing economy and talk to key players in the market. She starts by interviewing Helen Guo, a successful Chinese entrepreneur who works in the fi eld of RFID compliance.
n recent years, Helen Guo has been busy investing her wealth in a portfolio of apartments in the greater Beijing area, and doing well. But, today she is looking to expand that portfolio overseas. Where does she want to start? And what are the driving forces behind her move into the overseas property sector? Easy, she says. “I want to buy a
I
house in America.” She even has a few key cities in mind. “It’s more than likely that I’ll go for the Seattle, Washington area,” she says when we start talking.
“I stayed there for almost a year working for an American company, and I still have some business dealings there ... as well as several American friends
and colleagues. America is my ideal destination.” Of course, she is well aware that “America is a huge place with many different regions and cities,” so she is going to stick to what she knows and what she feels comfortable with, like many other Chinese investors. And Guo is only going to work with people that she trusts. “There are very few resources for me to make informed decisions,” she says.
“I tend not to trust Chinese website information.” Working with reliable and professional information sources like OPP China will be essential. Does she plan to buy for investment, or for lifestyle purposes ... or both? “My motivation is defi nitely not investment. I just want a vacation
home or a short- term residence. Given American visa issues for the Chinese, I don’t see staying there for more than a few months at a time.” “Long term, however, I’d love to use it as accommodation for my child when
“I tend not to trust Chinese website information, so the OPP site will be an essential tool”
she goes to school in America - if she can get in!”
What does she plan to do when she is not there? “I would like to rent it out part-time, if possible. Of course, I can imagine what a headache it is to be an
overseas landlord, especially for short- term tenants. So I’m prepared to have the house vacant for a good portion of the year. In reality, my only return would be long-term as the price goes up.”
America would not be the only place Guo would consider though. She says that she would also look into going “a bit further north, to Vancouver, as my second choice city. My friends who are interested in overseas property all talk about Canada … as well as Australia and the UK.”
She suspects that other parts of the world lose out at the moment because the average Chinese overseas property buyer suffers from “a lack of information. I can speak for all of us
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72