International Trade
Business in China C
hina is a truly incredible place for Scots to do business – and there is no substitute for getting on a plane and going to witness
this vast nation with open eyes. This was the reaction from the delegation led by Glasgow Chamber of Commerce which made a successful exploratory visit to Shanghai and Hangzhou from 28 November to 3 December 2019. The mission included visits to Alibaba,
site trips to Peak Scientific, Deloitte and a Starbucks roastery, and an invitation to the British Chamber of Commerce Shanghai’s St Andrew’s Ball. Andrew Dobbie, a Director of the Chamber, and Founder and Managing Director of MadeBrave®, the Glasgow design and branding agency, was blown away by the Chinese people, the face- to-face meetings and the introductions which he thinks will help his business. He also encourages any other Chamber members considering doing business in China to sign up for the larger mission being planned for 24 November to 1 December 2020. “I was keen to hear about Alibaba and online payment platform Alipay and learn more about WeChat. It was my first time in China and when the Chamber suggested that we join the delegation as a branding agency, I jumped at the chance. We were very privileged to get
an inside view and a glimpse of the technology and services being offered and what is to come over the next 20 years. It is exciting and a bit scary too,” he said.
Alibaba was founded in 1999 by former English teacher Jack Ma from Hangzhou. Today it is a world-leading e-commerce company. WeChat, which was developed by
Tencent and was launched in 2011, has been a sensation in China. By the end of 2014, it had 470 million users and today is the world’s largest standalone app with more than one billion active users. “What struck me most about the trip
was the relationship with the people. There are great similarities between the Chinese and the Scots. People, after all, are just people. On a personal level, we got on extremely well with everyone we met,” said Mr Dobbie. The Chamber’s delegation was
diverse and included representatives from significant sporting institutions; Kieran Coyle, Founder of Premiership Experience, who won Entrepreneur of the Year at The Glasgow Business Awards 2019 and his colleague, Sam Elliot; Professor John Lennon, Dean for Glasgow School for Business and Society at Glasgow Caledonian University; Ranjith Sankaranarayanan of the City of Glasgow College; and Steven Marshall and Francois Bourienne of Glasgow Airport. “The diversity made it very interesting.
But being part of the Chamber group helped us all build our relationships together. There is no real substitute for being there on the ground and seeing and feeling what it is like, the different food, culture, and different experiences,” said Mr Dobbie.
Richard Muir, Glasgow Chamber Deputy Chief Executive, who led the delegation with Chief Executive Stuart Patrick and outgoing President Jim McHarg, said: “The visit to Shanghai and Hangzhou was hugely successful on many different levels. We have had extremely positive feedback both from our local organisations who came out with us from Glasgow, as well as our foreign partners and hosts in China. Overall, it is evident that the site visits and the business training sessions, as well as the face-to-face meetings between our Scottish companies and Chinese counterparts were invaluable, and that relationships like these cannot be formed over email or online.” Professor Lennon said: “China is a
critical higher and further education market for Scotland and the Chamber’s recognition of this during our mission was hugely valuable. It was an important mission statement from our party that we were visiting two primary urban destinations, firstly the major city of Shanghai but also a so-called second-tier city such as Hangzhou, with a population of 9.8 million. This was really valuable. “For Glasgow Caledonian University, which has a range of education partnerships across this important marketplace, this was about seeking further innovative partnership programmes in Shanghai and Hangzhou following on from the Chamber’s mission. Building relationships in China takes time as well as consistent effort and encouragement.” Xiang Li, Director of NCUK Hangzhou
Images here and bottom of page 25, courtesy of Andrew Dobbie, MadeBrave® 24
www.glasgowchamberofcommerce.com
Centre, believes there is huge potential in the Zhejiang Province for organisations in Glasgow and Scotland. Since the visit, Alibaba Taobao University has provided Glasgow Chamber with a Digital Talent Training proposal, which is its first significant project with an organisation in Europe. Contacts from Shenzhen and SDI
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