Download - EU-China Managers Exchange and Training Programme

10 

8 

Spring 2010 Issue 

CONNECT is the quarterly magazine of the 

EU-China Managers Exchange and Training 

Programme (METP) and the EU-China Managers 

Association (EUCMA). 

CONNECT is free of charge. Please contact us 

for subscription or additional copies. 

CONNECT is also available for free download 

at www.metp.net.cn. 

CONNECT is published with financial 

assistance from the European Commission. The 

views herein in no way reflect an official 

opinion of the Commission. 

Editors 

Xu Liang, Dr. Stefan Hell 

Rachel Zhao, Alessandro Celestino 

Contact 

EU-China Managers Exchange and Training 

Programme (METP) 

Suite 507, Towercrest Plaza 

No.3 Maizidian West Road, 

Chaoyang District 

Beijing 100016, P.R. China 

Tel.: +86-10-8458 0585 

Fax: +86-10-8468 0965 

Email: info@metp.net.cn 

Web : www.metp.net.cn 

中国 - 欧盟经理人交流培训项目 

中国北京市朝阳区麦子店西路 3 号 

北京新恒基国际大厦 507 室 

邮编 :100016 

电话 :+86-10-8458 0585 

传真 :+86-10-8468 0965 

电子邮箱 :info@metp.net.cn 

网站 :www.metp.net.cn 

Design & Layout by 

Yang Yanchao, Dr. Stefan Hell 

Rachel Zhao 

Printed in 1,500 copies by 

EUCMA 

29 

Editorial 3 

METP at a Glance: 

An exciting Opportunity for Business and Career 

Development in Europe and China 

项目简介 : 推动中欧商贸发展和人才培养 4 

Fourth EU-China Networking Day in Beijing 6 

Pre-selection and Selection of Applicants 

for METP 5 8 

China has performed exceptionally well- 

Interview with economist and METP expert 

Prof. M.S.S. El Namaki 10 

Letter from the President 12 

Photo Contest “Impressions” Award Ceremony 2009 12 

EUCMA Elections 2010 14 

EUCMA expands its activities throughout China 

“Doing Business in China - a Practical Approach” 

15 

16 

Making Energy Efficiency Pay Off 18 

Chinese Experiences in Europe 20 

METP In the Press 24 

METP News 26 

2

Editorial 

Dear Reader, 

W 

ith the extension of METP rapidly approaching, the past months have 

been particularly busy for the METP Team. Not only did we try to offer 

the best possible business programme – the series of study tours, lectures, 

workshops and company visits – to the METP 4 participants in China, but in parallel 

we organised the selection of new participants for METP 5. The application period 

ended at the start of the New Year and it took nearly all of the following three months 

to carefully pre-select and select the best 110 candidates in China and Europe from 

over 400 applicants. METP 5 is now on track to become the largest of all five intakes 

and will open its doors in May 2010. 

The adoption of the Lisbon Treaty in late 2009 also did not go unnoticed in China. 

At METP we were particularly pleased by the fact that Baroness Catherine Ashton’s 

appointment as High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy 

came only weeks after her visit of METP in Beijing. We naturally remembered a similar 

coincidence, which occurred in 2008 when then-Commissioner Dalia Grybauskaite 

was elected President of Lithuania shortly after she presented graduation diplomas to 

METP 2 participants in Beijing. 

In this issue of CONNECT we bring you an interview with one of the METP 

experts, Dr. Sam El Namaki, who is an authority on China’s economic development 

and who weighs in on how China is coping with the global economic downturn. We 

are very glad to also feature four Chinese METP 3 participants, who describe their 

experiences and impressions during their work placements in the European Union. 

Furthermore, this issue of CONNECT again assembles a host of other information on 

our activities in Europe and in China. The news section describes not only the wide 

range of events and study tours we organised, but also informs you on the capacity 

building activities under METP. And last but not least EUCMA, METP’s alumni association, 

is featured with an extended 8-page section on the association’s manifold 

activities and future plans. 

If you wish to become involved in METP’s activities as an individual, company 

or partner, we would be delighted to hear from you. The METP website with the most 

comprehensive and up-to-date information on our programme is only a click away, so 

do visit us at www.metp.net.cn and have a look around the site. 

Xu Liang 

METP Project Director 

Dr. Stefan Hell 

METP Team Leader 

3

项目简介 

推动中欧商贸发展和人才培养 

0 0 6 年 7 月启动的中国 - 欧盟经理人交流 

培训项目是中国和欧盟在国际贸易领 

域开展的政府间合作项目。在中欧关系 

日益紧密的今天 , 本项目致力于人力资源开 

发 , 以达到提高从事中欧商贸交流的人才数 

量和质量的目的。项目计划分别在中国和欧 

洲培训中欧经理人各 200 名并资助他们到中 

欧企业或机构实习。 

项目的中方执行机构是中国国际贸易促进 

委员会。中国商务部是项目执行的中方主管部 

门 ; 欧洲委员会驻华代表团是项目的欧方主管机 

构。项目执行期为四年 , 总预算为 23000000 欧元。 

项目培训分为五期进行 : 一期培训已于 2007 

年 8 月启动 , 二期培训于 2008 年 3 月启动 , 三期培 

训于 2008 年 10 月启动 , 四期培训于 2009 年 5 月启 

动 , 第五期培训计划于 2010 年 5 月启动。所有培 

训费用将由项目承担 , 并为每位参训经理人提 

供生活补贴和旅行补贴。 

参训中国经理人和欧洲经理人将首先在北 

京展开为期两周的跨文化交流培训。随后 , 中国 

经理人将赴欧洲三所知名商学院 ( 巴黎高等商 

学院 - 欧洲管理学院、曼彻斯特城市大学商学 

院、布鲁塞尔自由大学索尔韦商学院 ) 接受 7 周 

量身定制的管理培训。培训结束后 , 项目将支持 

中国经理人在欧盟企业或机构进行为期 7 到 21 

周的实习。 

同时 , 欧洲经理人将在北京的对外经济贸易 

大学接受为期 7 个月的全职汉语语言培训 , 期间 

还将参加文化及商业主题的研讨和访问活动。 

培训结束后 , 他们将在中国的企业或机构实习 

三个月。 

所有的项目参与者都可以加入中国欧盟经 

理协会。该协会是已顺利实施的中国 - 欧盟青 

年经理人培训项目的校友联谊会。管理协会的 

理事会由选举产生的志愿者组成。其宗旨是为 

参与项目的经理人提供更多后续支持 , 提供各 

类商务联谊活动机会 , 从而扩大 

会员的商务联系网络。 

4

METP at a Glance: 

An exciting Opportunity for Business and 

Career Development in Europe and China 

The EU-China Managers Exchange and Training 

Programme (METP), launched in July 2006, is a fiveyear 

intergovernmental cooperation project between 

the European Union and the Government of the People's 

Republic of China in the field of international trade. Located 

in the dynamic context of continuously developing relations 

between the EU and China, the programme aims to enhance 

business expertise by developing European and Chinese human 

resources. METP's main purpose is to organise training and 

financially support internships for 450 Chinese and European 

managers. 

METP is implemented by the China Council for the 

Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) in close consultation 

with the Ministry of Commerce on the Chinese side and the 

Delegation of the European Union to China and Mongolia on 

the European side. Over five years the total funding for METP is 

23,000,000 euros. 

METP Training is structured in five intakes: METP 1 started 

in August 2007, METP 2 in March 2008, METP 3 started in 

October 2008, METP 4 in May 2009 and METP 5 is scheduled to 

begin in May 2010. METP covers all tuition fees for participants, 

provides a generous living allowance and travel subsidies. 

Each of the five intakes starts with a joint two-week 

intercultural training for all selected Chinese and European 

managers in China. Following the intercultural training Chinese 

managers receive seven-weeks of tailor-made management 

training at three leading European business schools (ESCP 

European School of Management, Manchester Metropolitan 

University Business School and Solvay Business School at 

Université Libre de Bruxelles). After their training METP 

supports Chinese managers to take up internships of between 

seven and twenty one weeks with enterprises and organizations 

in the European Union. 

Following their intercultural training European managers 

begin an intensive, full-time seven-month Business Chinese 

language training at the University of International Business and 

Economics in Beijing; this is complemented by seminars and 

workshops on cultural and business issues. Afterwards they are 

also assisted to take up internships lasting at least twelve weeks 

with a company or organisation in China. 

E u r o p e a n a n d C h i n e s e participants of 

METP may join the EU-China M a n a g e r s 

Association (EUCMA), an alumni 

a s s o c i a t i o n 

originally set up for the JMTP 

( E U - C h i n a 

Junior Managers Training 

Programme). 

EUCMA offers its members 

f u r t h e r 

assistance and a wide variety 

of additional 

networking opportunities and 

promotional 

e v e n t s t o c o n t i n u e t h e 

development 

of useful business contacts after 

the training. 

5

Fourth EU-China 

Networking Day in Beijing 

On 5 February, the European METP 4 participants 

gathered at the Beijing Marriott Hotel for the fourth 

EU-China Networking Day. The purpose of the event 

was to discuss first experiences with the work placements that 

started in January, but also to meet their fellow Chinese METP 

4 participants who had just returned from their European programme 

legs, as well as with alumni from earlier intakes. All 

in all, more than 60 participants to the workshop joined in the 

discussions. 

An important focus of the workshop was to discuss work 

placement experiences. One month into the work placements, 

and with placement companies ranging from representative 

offices of EU companies to local CCPIT offices, this was a valuable 

opportunity to exchange the challenges and discoveries of 

working in a new environment. Perhaps as was to be expected, 

tackling the language barrier requires a lot of energy for those 

not yet fluent in Chinese. Treading carefully on the new ground 

of companies whose hierarchies and routines are yet unfamiliar 

proved to be a challenge for most: how to establish working and 

social relationships, how to become part of information flows, 

and how to use the limited time in the company for a meaningful 

working and learning experience – those were the topics 

discussed during breakout sessions. As a number of Chinese participants 

and alumni also joined these discussions, an interesting 

6

exchange emerged on the respective “newbie” experiences in a 

Chinese versus a European work placement. It was encouraging 

to learn that none of the issues observed were perceived as true 

obstacles – the participants rather took them as a regular part of 

being newcomer trying to work his/her way into a new working 

environment. 

While the networking day was timed so as to provide 

ample opportunity to learn the first lessons from the workplace 

experience, it was also designed to provide additional 

input for the next steps of the participants' career: life after 

METP. Whether as manager or entrepreneur, in the EU- 

China context the creation of cross-cultural workforces and 

the necessity of accommodating skill sets from very diverse 

cultural backgrounds will be something most METP participants 

face, whether as employer or as employee. To illustrate 

these challenges, and to provide some answers, the project 

invited practitioners from various fields to share their experience 

with working and doing business in China. Invited as 

keynote speaker for the morning session, Dominic Johnson- 

Hill introduced his strategy for becoming an entrepreneur in 

China. Not following textbook recommendations, but rather 

immersing himself fully into the Chinese environment and 

a specific neighbourhood, he managed to establish his now 

famous “Plastered T-Shirt” brand, becoming a celebrity on the 

way. The afternoon session brought about practical advice on 

how to approach international team building and staff selection, 

introduced from the practitioners' side by Susie Bates, 

Vice-President for Recruitment at United Family Healthcare, 

a family of hospitals operating all over China’s East and 

South. Offering the identification of appropriate and fitting 

candidates for a wide range of sectors, how to systematically 

eliminate sources of error in the recruiting process by 

developing intelligent checks and systems, was introduced by 

Michael Maeder of Direct HR, a recruitment company specialised 

on identifying experts to be placed in China. The session 

was concluded by Adam Livermore, representing Dezan Shira 

& Associates, a company offering a variety of professional 

services aimed specifically at newcomers to the Chinese 

market. He introduced the Chinese Labour Tax Law and the 

practical implications for both employers and employees. 

Adam also shed more light on the importance of understanding 

the relevant HR legal environment when developing a 

business and staffing plan. Moderated by Dr. Thomas Hart of 

the METP, the experts also discussed the findings of the group 

sessions and provided direct feedback to the typical problems 

and challenges encountered during the first month of work by 

the participants. 

By allowing networking time between European and Chinese 

participants, also across intakes, the Networking Day was 

an important element of METP’s efforts to create sustainable 

relationships that will continue after the participants leave the 

programme. This Networking Day built on a similar event in 

August 2009, when METP 4 participants drew on the expertise 

of METP 3 graduates, and will be followed by another chance 

to pick up the findings of the then completed work placements 

on the day of the METP4 graduation in March 2010 during a 

dedicated workshop on the same topic. 

A networking dinner concluded the day and brought 

together nearly 100 METP participants and alumni in a casual 

atmosphere. 

7

Pre-selection and Selection 

of Applicants 

for METP 5 

T 

he application period for METP 5 ended on 7 January 

2010 and over 400 applications from European and 

Chinese applicants were received by the METP Team, 

which marked an increase of twenty-five percent compared to 

the number of applications received for METP 4. 

All parts of each application were incorporated into METP's 

database: the personal data sheet, which contains all 'hard data' of 

each applicant, such as name, age, nationality, education, company 

contacts etc.; the curriculum vitae, a tool for the selection 

jurors to quickly have an overview of the person they meet; a 

letter of intent from a company agreeing to host the applicant as 

an intern in China or Europe respectively; and, most importantly, 

the description of the applicant's personal motivation for joining 

METP and the description of the project/business plan, which the 

applicant asks METP to support. METP's web-based application 

procedure has proven effective and convenient to use. That all 

8

326 408 

244 

56 

179 

68 

146 

87 

104 

110 

METP 1 METP 2 METP 3 

Total Applicants 

METP 4 METP 5 

Participants 

applications are submitted electronically and by using standardized 

forms, allows the METP Team in Beijing to process them 

within reasonable time in spite of the team's small size. 

The entire month of January was spent which the first of 

the two-tier selection process for METP, the pre-selection. 

During this pre-selection each application went through a 

standardized eligibility check and, if it passed, was thoroughly 

studied by at least two members of an independent jury of 

senior experts. By the end of January, just in time for the start 

of the Chinese New Year festivities, the pre-selection jury 

presented its conclusions: it recommended that 83 shortlisted 

Chinese candidates and 91 shortlisted European candidates 

should be invited to attend the second step of the selection, 

the interviews and assessment centre. 

All selection interviews were scheduled for February and 

March 2010. They kicked off with interviews of all Chinese 

candidates in Beijing over the course of three days. METP was 

able to financially support the travel and stay of the Chinese 

candidates and they came from all over China. Each candidate 

spent only a half day with the selection itself, which consisted 

of an individual interview and a group assessment and English 

language assessment. The individual interview provided 

the opportunity to discuss the candidate's business plan and 

motivation. The group assessment focused on the candidate's 

interpersonal skills and his/her command of spoken English. 

European candidates were interviewed in two locations: 

those already living in China were also interviewed in Beijing 

in the course of one specially arranged selection day, while 

all candidates residing in Europe were invited to Frankfurt for 

their interviews over the course of four days. Also in the case 

of European candidates, METP was able to financially support 

their travel and stay in Beijing or Frankfurt respectively, 

thereby guaranteeing that financial means of candidates are 

not de facto selection criteria. European candidates, as their 

Chinese colleagues, had the chance to present their motivation 

and their business plan in an individual interview and 

participated in a group exercise to assess their interpersonal 

skills. In addition, METP's Chinese language instructors from 

the University of International Business and Economics in 

Beijing spent a few minutes with each European candidate for 

a Chinese language aptitude test. 

An independent jury of seasoned experts conducted 

the selections in Europe and China. The team of ten jurors 

consisted of senior officials of the European Commission and 

the Government of China, as well as Chinese and European 

academics and experts. 

Finally, of the over 400 applications received, 50 Chinese 

and 60 European candidates were selected to join METP 5 on 

17 May 2010 in Beijing. 

9

China has performed exceptio 

Interview with economist and METP exp 

China’s economic policies during times 

Could you describe 

how China 

has attempted to deal 

with the impact of the 

credit crisis that has 

swept across the globe 

in recent months? 

The onset of the 

credit crisis has 

brought about a frantic 

search for solutions. 

The problem assumed 

massive proportions in 

the United States and induced waves of economic instability to 

other countries including China. The United States unleashed 

a massive set of policy instruments with the explicit aim of 

regaining economic balance. Those stretched all the way from 

monetary and fiscal policy to trade and capital market instruments. 

Other countries in Europe, notably Germany, pursued 

the same track. China followed suit. Interest rates were reduced, 

government spending increased and export promotion initiatives 

enhanced. The measures looked identical but the outcome 

differed. 

What role did monetary policy play in China’s approach 

to the crisis? 

China’s central bank had cut interest rates several times 

since the onset of the crisis and the current PBC (base 

rate) is 5.31 %. China's low interest rate did not result in 

a massive borrowing rush, though. An explanation could 

possibly be found in the Chinese attitude towards debt and 

the fact that they are less likely to resort to debt to finance 

durable purchases. Total household debt stood at only 35% of 

disposable income in 2009. This is especially manifest in the 

property sector. Chinese property developers are less likely 

to borrow from banks to finance residential and commercial 

construction than their American counterparts. Culture seems 

to play a key role in the debt behaviour of consumers and 

businesses in China. 

Fiscal policy instruments were also employed to combat 

the effects of the crisis in China. Were they effective? 

Both the United 

States and China 

resorted to government 

spending as a measure 

to combat the imminent 

threat posed by the 

credit crisis. The impact 

and achieved results 

contrasted sharply. The 

United States government 

effort was rescueoriented. 

Financial 

intermediaries, financial 

instruments and even finance-related executives malfunctioned. 

The Chinese government approach was different. It was 

growth-oriented. A $586 billion economic stimulus package, 

the largest in the country's history, was introduced in 2009. It 

included an easing of credit restrictions, an expansion of social 

welfare services and an enhanced infrastructure construction 

drive. Several measures in the new stimulus program 

also aimed at specific segments of the Chinese population, 

especially those in the countryside, which are facing economic 

strain. Affordable housing and health care featured here. 

The Chinese economy responded to those measures and 

released data shows that 2009 GDP growth amounted to 8.7%- 

10.7% in the last quarter of the year. The boost in government 

expenditure while instrumental in inducing growth will bring 

budget deficit to 4% of GDP. 

Did China’s trade policy stimulate exports in this situation? 

China’s trade policy measures were direct and clear 

in objectives. Exports had to maintain a “life saving” 

level in order to avoid a radical contraction of proceeds and 

an ominous rise in unemployment. The economic recovery 

programme contained, therefore, strong export promotion 

measures. Those included a stimulation of export of 

indigenous brands; a rise in export tax rebates, a degree 

of stability in RMB exchange rate and the introduction of 

experimental Yuan settlement measures. China's export 

volume grew by a near 15% in 2009 thanks to the measures 

10

nally well 

ert Prof. M.S.S. El Namaki on 

of crisis. 

low consumption and seemingly undervalued exchange rate 

to excessive bank lending and oscillating property and equity 

markets. And all of that during what is likely to be an economic 

stimulus withdrawal phase. A premature stimulus withdrawal 

could undermine the ongoing recovery while a renewed stimulus 

could trigger inflationary forces and asset price escalation. 

Therefore, critical decisions are undoubtedly awaiting the decision 

makers down the road. 

and despite the global economic downturn. In contrast, 

United States exports fell by 15% and imports declined by 

23% during same period. The external orientation of the 

Chinese economy drives economic policy even in times of 

crisis. 

To summarize, three forces have contributed to China’s 

exceptional performance: deeply rooted cultural forces that 

play a key role in debt behaviour of both consumer and businesses; 

the planning roots, both strategic and operational, 

of government functions in China seem to play a key role in 

government decision making; and finally, the external orientation 

of the Chinese economy continues to drive economic 

policy. 

Your assessment of China’s policies is quite positive. Will 

this positive development continue in the future? 

China has performed exceptionally well. However, for 

China’s economic growth to continue, China has to 

deal with numerous constraints ranging from high savings, 

Prof. El Namaki is retired dean 

of MSM (Netherlands), President 

of Drucker Gulf (UAE), Dean of 

Victoria University (Switzerland) 

and adjunct professor at several 

Chinese universities. He 

consults for the WB, the 

EU and several multinationals. 

His latest 

publications include 

“Cultural roots of the 

credit crisis” and 

“Credit Crisis: Leaders 

who failed the 

Drucker test”. 

11

UCMA 


EUCM 

Letter from the President 

Alessandro Celestino 

EUCMA President 

Dear EUCMA members and readers, 

I am much honored to have been confirmed EUCMA President 

2010. This gives me great encouragement to continue the work for 

a stronger EUCMA. 

First of all and on behalf of the newly elected EUCMA Board, 

I would like to thank all the members who took part in the recent 

elections for their enthusiastic participation, which is a clear sign 

that we all seek the best from our Association. 

2010 is a very important year for EUCMA since the EU 

grant will come to an end and we will have to reach the financial 

sustainability in order to keep our network running. Also this year 

new members will join our Association with fresh ideas and new 

energy, contributing to strengthen the success of our activities and 

events. 

Maintaining such a large network, spread in different provinces 

and countries is a continuous challenge. Major efforts will be 

devoted to strengthen the online community through a completely 

new website and updated members’ data base. To this aim, we 

are preparing the first EUCMA census: a survey of all the members, 

their professional profiles and interests, wishes and expectations for 

the Association. 

More networking occasions and business encounters are 

planned throughout the year, also aimed at building a high-profile 

image for the Association and attracting new sponsorships and 

partners. The 9th Charity Gala Dinner in Beijing next June, the 

Activities Program for the World Expo in Shanghai (June-July), the 

2nd European networking in July, the 2nd EUCMA Photo Contest 

and Exhibition in December are the main appointments, but further 

local events and informal get-together will take place all year 

round. 

The fruitful cooperation with the European Commission, the 

CCPIT and the METP Team remains a key factor for our development, 

as long as the newly established partnerships with the EU 

Chamber of Commerce and the CEIBS. I’m confident we will be able 

to further develop this enlarged network into new concrete business 

opportunities. 

Still, our main resources are EUCMA members. So if you 

see this might be a chance for you, join us with your ideas and 

skills! 

Photo Contest “Impressions” 

Award Ceremony 2009 

December 11th, 2009, Beijing. The EUCMA Photo Contest 

“Impressions” Award Ceremony gathered more than 100 members 

and friends in a 600 year-old temple under the name Contempio 

Temple Bar, hidden in one of the Beijing oldest hutongs. Through 

the years this temple served different purposes. During the Cultural 

Revolution it was used as a factory for machinery parts, later on 

it served as a dorm for 200 workers and nowadays, completely 

renovated, it is used as a theatre and exhibition venue, chosen also 

to host the 2009 EUCMA photo exhibition “City Life”. 

A large number of EUCMA members participated in the 

competition with their author works, however only the best 50 photos 

were selected by an independant jury. The first prize went to “Cross 

Generation Amazement” by Philippe Comolet-Tirmon, METP3, the 

second and third prizes for “The Only Way to Mona Lisa” by Han 

Qiang, METP2, and “Chinese siesta” by Aurelija Kvietkauskait, 

METP4, respectively. 

12

A 




The event featured several artists on stage who played 

music composed especially for the event: Fan Qi performed on 

xylophone, Edu Bertrand (METP4) with his boys staged a breakdance 

act and DJ Kraus played until late at night. As confessed 

by the invitees, it was the most culminate event of all for EUCMA 

for the last year. In the evening a few hundred postcard prints 

with the 50 selected photos were sold. 

For those who missed this spectacular event they will 

have another chance to have a look at the 2009 photo 

collection “City Life” at its next exhibition at the EU Pavilion 

during the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai. As earlier announced 

“City Life” is the first of series photo contests to 

be held under the general name “Impressions”. The second 

edition is planned to be launched in June 2010. For more 

info please check at www.eucma.org. 

13

UCMA 



EUCMA Elections 2010 

January 19th, 2010, Beijing. The Annual General Meeting took place at the EC Delegation premises in Beijing where 

the new EUCMA Board was elected. The participation of EUCMA members in the election activity 2010 was 48%! Mr. 

Alessandro Celestino was re-elected as the President of the Association for a second consecutive year, Mr. Lin Jun was also 

reconfirmed for a second time. The other Board members were newly elected: Mr. Ma Zhongqiang, Ms. Mira Lioleva and Mr. 

Filippo Leddi. 

New Board presentation 

Alessandro Celestino (METP1) 

President 

Majored in International Cultural 

Management, since 2008 till present Mr. 

Celestino holds the position of project 

supervisor of the Sino-Italian Cooperation 

Programme for Environmental Protection. 

He has many years experience in EU 

Funding Projects, research and demonstration 

projects in the field of environmental 

protection and sustainable development, 

with special focus on renewable energy 

and CDM projects under the Kyoto Protocol. 

His main efforts in 2010 will be focused 

on establishing EUCMA desk in Beijing and 

working on an exit strategy plan from EU 

grants. He will continue to work for the 

development of the internal communication, 

networking activities and the success of the 

2010 EUCMA Charity event. 

Mr. Ma Zhongqiang (METP4) 

Board Member 

Graduate in Foreign Affairs Management, 

Mr. Ma has many years experience in 

the field of foreign investment, international 

trade and Sino-foreign economic relations. 

His motivation for joining the Board is to 

boost the EU-China member communication 

and cooperation in the field of bilateral 

investment and trade, as well as cultural 

and educational exchange. 

Ms. Mira Lioleva (METP3) 

Board Member 

A professional with eight years experience 

in the International Shipping Industry 

Ms. Lioleva is well affiliated with the trade 

markets in China, Far East, South East 

Asia, and others. Her vision is to enhance 

the long term communication among the 

members through developing existing 

channels, such as website and newsletter, 

as well as through business networking and 

matchmaking events planning. She will also 

work for expanding the EUCMA membership 

with participants from other EU-funded 

Programmes. 

14

A 




EUCMA expands 

its activities 

throughout China 

Mr. Filippo Leddi (METP4) 

Board Member 

Presently completing its work exchange placement as 

part of METP, Mr. Leddi is majored in Science and Technology 

of Communications and has experience in Marketing 

and Export Management at Italian Companies. He will 

work for the strengthening of EUCMA business network 

platform and its expansion in other cities in China, apart 

from Beijing. 

Mr. Lin Jun (METP1) 

Board Member 

Master in Maritime Law, Lin Jun has many years 

experience in the international shipping industry and management. 

Since 1997 till now he is heading Freight Care 

Marine Service Co., Ltd. located in Shanghai. Re-elected 

for second consecutive year Mr. Lin is consistent in his vision 

to promote EUCMA in China on national and regional level 

by organizing events and provide assistance to members, 

who work or visit Shanghai and the area. 

December 12th, 2009, Shenzhen, Several EUCMA Chinese 

and European members got together at a friendly luncheon in 

Bense Bar at Overseas Chinese Town Square in Shenzhen to know 

each other in person, to exchange interesting ideas and to plan 

for the future development and expansion of EUCMA locally. Mr. 

Li Jun (METP1), Ms. Mira Lioleva (METP3) and Mr. Sun Shengwang 

(METP2) met in this informal frame and spent time discussing opportunities 

in Shenzhen and discuss the future development of the 

Association in the PRD area. Though few in number the people at 

the meeting representing different METP intakes was a clear expression 

of good will for future communication and common work 

in making the EUCMA business networking platform in Pearl River 

Delta stronger and more active. The idea is to spread the EUCMA 

meetings in other cities in China where there are EUCMA members 

and to encourage them to meet on a regular basis. 

January 22nd, 2010, Qingdao, The newly elected board 

member, the METP4 participant Ma Zhongqiang met his European 

colleagues in Qingdao. Mrs. Esther Janssen, the Managing Director of 

Culture-Inc, who is having her work exchange placement at Qingdao 

Tianrui Garments Making Co, Ltd and is in charge of preparing a 

strategic plan for the company to adapt to the challenges to be met 

going internationally. The meeting joined also Mr. Pere Torrens from 

Spain in charge of the financial department of Befesa CTA Qingdao 

S.L., the company that conveys the largest desalination project in 

China, as well as Mr. Michael Tunbjer from Sweden, who is a sales 

manager in one of the largest freight forwarding companies globally 

- DB Schenker. Mr. Xu Zhiqing, the president of Bank of Communication, 

Qingdao EDZ Branch was also invited to join the gathering. Mr. 

Xu introduced to the EUCMA members the current economic environment 

in China and the new policies taking place regarding finance 

and investment. All of them were very interested in meeting the other 

EUCMA members 

in the city and to 

build closer relationship, 

to share 

information about 

the business development 

between 

China and Europe 

and all expressed 

willingness to meet 

soon again. 

15

UCMA 



them. 

I would recommend to anyone willing to start a business in 

China to learn Chinese and I think that an exchange program like 

the METP (www.metp.net.cn) represents a great opportunity to get 

familiarized with the language, the business practices and to be 

part of a strong alumni network, organized under the name “EU- 

China Managers Association” (www.eucma.org ). 

How has the EU-China Junior Manager Training Programme 

helped you in your career progression? 

More than a technical background, what I gained from the 

EU-China Junior Manager Training Programme is definitely a 

mindset; it is the capacity to learn quickly and to adapt myself to 

fast changing environment. And this is essential for any manager in 

China! 

With China’s increasing prominence in global business, are 

companies from the west making more of an effort to acclimatise 

their operations there with the local culture? 

I think that most foreign companies approach China with analytical 

and management tools which have not been adapted 

to the local reality. It is not possible to do business in this country 

without trying to understand your interlocutor in his own context 

and adapting the way you approach problems and seek to resolve 

them (instead of hoping that the Chinese will adapt their own aplnterview 

with Beniot Ams about his new book 

“Doing Business in China – 

a Practical Approach” 

by Mira Lioleva 

Your book “Doing Business in China – A Practical Approach” 

has just been published at the end of 2009. What is it mainly 

about? 

The main subject of my book is the difficulty entering and 

dealing with a reality so different from our own. I am surprised 

today to see how badly prepared many western business 

people are for China and the problems they are likely to face in 

this market, particularly in the interpretation of information, in the 

field of negotiation, human resources management and the whole 

area of crisis management. The evidence is that poor preparation, 

the lack of resources and the absence of cultural sensitivity are 

the main causes of project failures in China. Once again, success in 

China depends above all on the ability to decode and to manage 

a business environment which is rapidly changing, and radically 

different from our own. 

What would you suggest to anyone who would like to start a 

business in China? Where to start? 

If everything is still possible in China today, nothing is simple 

and it is essential to be properly prepared for the “Chinese 

adventure”, in order to maximize its chances of success. I do not 

want to dissuade young people from starting a business in China, 

but it is not possible to do business in this part of the world without 

adapting the way you approach problems and seek to resolve 

16

A 



proach). 

If everything is possible in China, it is essential to be properly 

prepared for the “Chinese adventure”, in order to maximize its 

chances of success. 

It is naive to assume that “the professional world is governed 

by Anglo-Saxon management, and the Chinese will end up adapting”, 

as one of my European customers suggested to me during our 

first meeting. The development of his operations in China would 

later prove him wrong. It is thus important to put in place a true system 

of intercultural management in order to optimize the chances 

of success in this ancient country. 

Far be it from me to seek to discourage or dissuade western 

companies from entering China. On the contrary, I believe deeply 

in the development of China and, for this reason, I wish to make 

European companies aware of the need to approach this country 

armed with appropriate tools and thinking processes. As the 

Chinese saying goes: “victorious troops begin by conquering and 

seek later to engage in combat, whereas defeated troops start by 

engaging in combat, and then seek victory” 

What kind of questions are you asked when training and 

consulting leaders, both Chinese and Western? What are 

their biggest concerns and what are the most frequent mistakes 

they make? 

Most of the problems that my clients face in China are 

directly or indirectly related to a cross cultural management 

issue. The most frequently met are about: 

• The difficulty for western decision-makers to access (and 

decipher) market information. “If all the Chinese drank a bottle of 

wine per year...’ A lot of people who come to China plan this way,” 

an importer from the Shanghai region told me with a smile, before 

adding that “a large number of failures are due to the overestimation 

of the size of the market, but also an underestimation of the 


competition from local businesses in their own market.” 

• The difficulty of setting up and managing relations with a 

local partner. 

• The difficulty of optimizing operational structures, exacerbated 

by administrative complexities. 

• The difficulty of organizing and managing local teams. 

How can communicator best be sensitized to cross-cultural 

issues? 

Have you ever heard about the “three yes of communication 

in China”? Well, for Westerners, the 'yes' is an agreement, 

unequivocal adherence to what has been said, while in China, there 

are three forms of "yes" - "yes, I understand”, “yes, it is possible”, 

and “yes, I will do”… Everything comes to understand what your 

interlocutor wanted to say.... 

What role, positive or negative, can stereotypes play in 

understanding foreign colleagues? 

I like to start my seminars with stereotypes definition. How 

do we perceive ‘the other” and how do we think we are 

perceived by “the other”. Now, the whole idea is to be able to 

break the stereotypes and to adjust the way we interact with 

the others according to the way we are perceived by the others. 

For example, European managers are often considered by their 

Chinese colleagues to be vague in the instructions they give to 

their employees. So, as a European manager you will probably 

need to pay careful attention to this point and communicate 

using tools which enable strong and very clear messages to be 

conveyed. 

A must-read for business professionals you would like to 

recommend? 

The Art of War by Sun Tzu is one of the oldest (it has been written 

in the 6th century BC) and best ever written books on strategy and 

is still a must read for anyone interested in doing business in China. 

About the Author 

Benoit D.G. Ams is an alumnus of the EU-China Junior 

Manager Training Programme 4B intake held in 2001- 

2002. As an independent expert in international marketing 

helping SMEs in their export strategy he conducted numerous 

business development projects in Europe and Asia and 

was honoured with the title “Specialist in Foreign Trade” 

by the Wallon Export Agency. During his assignment in the 

Belgian Foreign Trade Board (OBCE) he was awarded with 

the title “Laureate of the Prize of the Ministry of Foreign 

Trade”. Mr. Ams is also the founder of New Step International 

Limited in Hong-Kong where he has over eight years 

of consulting, training and leadership experience in China 

and in Hong Kong. His book titled “Doing Business in 

China - a Practical Approach” (Management Books 2000, 

2009) has just been published. 

17

UCMA 



Making 

Energy 

Efficiency 

Pay Off 

By Tristan Edmondson 

Consider this: to produce one unit of GDP, China uses an 

amount of energy two-and-a-half times the world average. 

This places energy efficiency as a key priority for China, both 

in simple bottom-line and environmental terms. It also creates great 

opportunities for market-based solutions. 

Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) stand to benefit from 

China's increasing focus on the environment. ESCOs install energysaving 

technologies and methodologies primarily in factories for 

free and then share the resulting savings with the customer, thereby 

paying off the capital investment. China's ESCO market has been 

largely initiated by international development institutions, mainly 

the World Bank and its commercial arm, the International Finance 

Corporation. 

A clear example of an ESCO project was undertaken by 

Honeywell at Asahi's Shenzhen brewery. Energy saving methods, 

including upgrades to heat recovery, cooling and control systems, 

and the resulting energy savings, are shared between Honeywell 

and Asahi. After the energy performance contract expires Asahi 

will continue to enjoy reduced energy bills at no cost. 

Despite some successes, China's ESCO market is now at a 

critical moment. There are a tremendous number of energy inefficiencies 

and a large pool of waiting capital, but there are also 

serious challenges. 

Dr. Stephane Grand, managing partner at SJ Grand, a 

financial advisory firm, is a fan of the ESCO model. “China's growing 

ESCO sector is a fascinating industry, not just because of the 

commercial opportunities, but because of the many economic, legal, 

technology and policy issues that impact the industry's development. 

Every ESCO project is a real test of whether China's legal 

structures can stand up to such complex contracting. Whereas the 

market seems extremely promising, the structural issues can be 

daunting for a foreign player.” 

The key question is whether China's ESCO market can move 

beyond reliance on financial and technical assistance from development 

institutions and become a fully-functioning, organic and selfperpetuating 

industry. 

18

A 



The engineering technology firm ABB has an ESCO practice in 

Beijing which conducted a pilot ESCO project for a paper mill. “We 

focused on introducing a systematic energy strategy, carrying out 

on-site work flow and energy analysis, from which we produced a 

feasibility study and recommendations for reducing energy use,” 

says Jiang Haibo, country service manager and vice president for 

ABB China. 

ABB's project is a flagship installation to help build its ESCO 

practice in China. Yet, while international engineering firms such as 

Honeywell and ABB have been carrying out ESCO projects in China 

for some time, there is now a growing domestic industry. 

Dongying Shengdong EMC (DSE) is an ESCO that installs electricity-producing 

boilers that burn waste gases such as coal mine 

methane or waste gas from coking plants. Clients provide waste gas 

to act as a feedstock, and buy the on-site electricity from DSE at a 

lower cost than grid electricity. Revenue-sharing arrangements, usually 

lasting 10 years, enable DSE to recoup its capital in about two 

years, and then maintain a profitable operation and maintenance 

relationship for the remainder of the contract. 

The biggest problem for ESCOs doing business in China, 

however, is getting hold of the capital to carry out an energy efficiency 

project. The size of typical ESCO loans is often too small to 

be worthwhile to Chinese banks; loan amounts usually range from 

USD 1 million to 6 million, which is much smaller than the large 

infrastructure projects and production expansion loans that loan 

officers typically appraise. Instead, ESCOs must lend their own 

money, or find investment funds elsewhere, which is often difficult 

for smaller Chinese firms with limited financial expertise. 

Stephane Grand places an emphasis on international collaboration 

to stimulate China's ESCO market. “The potential in China's 

energy efficient market is large but in need of partnership from 

overseas firms who can introduce both technology and funding,” he 

says. Grand focuses on the industrial sector, “such as the overhaul 

of existing equipment like boilers and mechanical and electrical 

systems.” He warns, however, that projects must be “pooled together 

to make them attractive to investors.” 

Development institutions have sought to make the Chinese 

ESCO industry attractive to investors through loan guarantees, 

financial and technical assistance to banks and ESCO companies, 


as well as helping to bundle up ESCO projects to reduce loan 

transaction costs. A USD 200 million World Bank loan together 

with a USD 13 million Global Environment Facility grant is the 

basis for a program to train Chinese banks for ESCO lending and 

partly guarantee ESCO loans. In addition, a joint effort between 

the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Chinese State Environmental 

Protection Administration is helping Hong Kong-based 

ESCOs pursue opportunities in the Chinese mainland through loan 

guarantees from the Asian Development Bank. The International 

Finance Corporation manages a fund that guarantees non-stateowned 

Chinese banks that they will not lose more than 25% of their 

loans for the first ESCO projects. 

However, despite the considerable work done by these institutions, 

China's ESCO industry is still worth fewer than USD 1 billion 

dollars a year. 

One Chinese manager for an international company, who 

asked to remain anonymous, expressed doubt about whether the 

traditional ESCO model was the right one for China. “Chinese 

companies have had their expectations raised to the wrong level. 

They want an ESCO company to come along with the money and 

technology in hand, wave a magic wand and save energy. In any 

country, an ESCO project needs a serious investment of time and 

effort from the customer, but in China, with all the cultural and 

structural barriers in place, customers must work twice as hard.” His 

suggestion is that China needs a localized model. “Customers could 

offer to guarantee loans, or partially finance ESCO projects themselves,” 

he says. “ESCOs need to have worked with the company 

before to build understanding and strong trust before attempting a 

full-service ESCO project.” 

China's ESCO market is a useful proxy for China's economic 

development. Whether it will take off depends on the extent to 

which China can develop sophisticated market institutions and 

capabilities; whether Chinese companies can capture the fullservice 

capabilities of their American and European counterparts; 

and whether ESCOs can adjust their contracting methodologies for 

the Chinese market. To a large extent, the likelihood that China 

can develop from a low-cost manufacturing economy to a high 

technology and knowledge-based economy depends on many of 

these same factors. 

Tristan Edmondson graduated from London School of Economics 

and Political Science. He is an entrepreneur with a background 

in international business, especially in China. His work experience 

has leant towards project management, research and sales 

where he has developed his communication skills. Currently Mr. 

Edmondson is a partner at Mint Research, a Beijing-based clean 

technology consultancy and works on projects including a market 

report on China's Energy Service Company (ESCO) industry, a 

feasibility study for a solar farm and a CDM benchmark database 

project. (www.mintresearch.cn). 

Tristan Edmondson 

METP 3 

19

Chinese Experiences in Europe 

On the following pages we introduce three Chinese participants in METP 3. Deng Weihua, Sun Yang 

and Zhu Weiping have rather different backgrounds and utilized their participation in METP in different 

ways. The following are summaries of the reports these three participants on their internships in 

Europe. The full reports were selected for publication by METP’s consortium of European business 

schools and the EU Delegation in Beijing and can be found on the METP website. 

Deng Weihua 

D 

eng Weihua hails from Beijing 

and joined METP 3 at the age 

of 38. Her sending company 

is Beijing Hyde Communication & 

Technology Co. Ltd. (Hyde), an 

international training company with 

headquarters in Beijing, a branch in 

Shanxi province and a representative 

office in the United Kingdom. The 

company has designed and implemented 

training programmes for more than 

1,500 Chinese managers in the past ten 

years, offering professional training 

courses to senior officials of central 

and local governments and managers 

from state-owned enterprises in China. 

The training subjects cover a wide field 

including Human Resources Management, 

Public Finance, Reform in State 

Development and Investment, Statistics, 

Taxation Reform, Road Transport 

Management, Education, Healthcare, 

Insurance, and many others. 

Deng Weihua spent several weeks 

at Northumbria University in Newcastle 

Upon Tyne, United Kingdom, which 

is the British partner of her sending 

company. Northumbria University 

has strong links with industry and 

academia. The hosting department for 

her internship was Northumbria Commercial 

Enterprises (NCE), which is 

the commercial arm of Northumbria 

University. Relations between Hyde in 

China and Northumbria University include 

are such that Hyde determines the 

20


objectives of the training courses which 

are then delivered by the university; 

Northumbria University, in turn, carries 

out the training plan and provides the 

courses. When Chinese officials arrive 

in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Hyde provides 

services including accommodation, 

food, transport, communication, insurance, 

flight tickets, etc. 

According to Deng Weihua, the 

contribution of Northumbria University 

is quite an important one because it 

brings experience in providing practical, 

relevant and innovative solutions 

to industry, commerce and the public 

sector. It offers a wide range of problem 

solving and knowledge support 

tools for business, including consultancy, 

applied research and customized 

training and development, short course 

training and development for managers 

and staff. 

In her report, Deng Weihua writes 

that the main aim of her internship was 

to promote and further develop the 

relationship between her company and 

the university by helping to reach a longterm 

contract. This job proved to be 

challenging but she was able cope with 

the difficulties. 

In addition to the main objective 

of her internship, Deng Weihua soon 

understood that she could benefit from 

the everyday experience of seeing 

how similar problems were tackled in 

different ways, and of implementing 

the new ideas that she had learned in 

the courses provided by METP, in particular 

Human Resource 360 Degree 

evaluation structure, risk management 

and strategy analysis. According to 

Deng Weihua, “My experiences prove 

the ideas we were taught at METP 

were interesting and both my sending 

company and host company benefited 

from them.” 

S 

un Yang, 33, lives and works in 

Nanjing. After graduating from 

university, he began to work for 

the state tax bureau and later for a tax 

agent office, engaging in taxation and 

commercial service work. Among his 

duties he has to provide consultation 

for customers to help them comply with 

tax laws, offering the most appropriate 

taxation practices for each customer. Sun 

Yang joined METP and carried out his 

internship in Cologne, Germany from 

23 February to 9 April 2009 at IHDE 

& Partner, a medium-sized nationwide 

law firm in Germany that specializes 

in the provision of legal advice to high 

technology and media companies. The 

firm has nearly 30 employees in Berlin 

and Cologne, six of whom are partners. 

The internship was divided into two 

stages. In the first stage Sun Yang spent 

six weeks in the Cologne office, while the 

last week was spent at the Berlin office. 

Many of Sun Yang’s customers are foreign 

enterprises that invested in China. Most 

of them knew little about Chinese laws 

and regulations on taxation and finance 

issues. Normally they paid more attention 

to the markets, production, research and 

development, management and financing 

Sun Yang 

21

than to Chinese regulations on taxation and 

finance. This might have lead them to take 

greater risks or incur losses and caused 

the investment results to fall behind their 

strategic predictions. At the same time, 

more and more Chinese investors are 

confronted with similar issues in EU 

countries. Sun Yang was always asking 

himself how these confusions could be 

reduced. He says, “I think the internship 

played an extremely important role in the 

successful implementation of my plans. 

I learned the commerce and culture of 

EU countries more directly, and I had the 

opportunity to learn the tax system and 

relevant laws of Germany as well as the 

other EU counties.” In fact, Sun Yang had 

the opportunity to get to know the German 

Federal Chamber of Tax Advisers, which 

collaborates with multiple international 

tax advisers’ organizations around the 

world. 

In addition, Sun Yang advised in the 

matter of a grand plan in the transport 

and logistic industry, to “make a delivery 

airport-to-airport within 3 days or doorto-door 

within 7 days.” According to 

Mr. Sun, this service would be “the most 

effective solution from EU to China.” He 

writes in his report that “this internship 

will be very useful for my future career, 

indeed. I believe, taking part in the METP 

project is the best way to help achieve 

more convenient trade and communication 

between the EU and Chinese clients.” 

Zhu Weiping 

Z 

hu Weiping from the city of 

Wuxi in Jiangsu Province 

joined METP when she was 

39. She is a very active person. As she 

writes, “I have many roles in society, 

as director of the Research Institute for 

the Management and Development of 

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises 

(RIMD-SMES), as professor of 

Jiangnan University in business law, 

as a professional lawyer, and as one 

of the owners of a company.” For 

her seven-week internship she chose 

the Frankfurt School of Finance & 

Management (FS), which was founded 

in 1957 and is now one of the leading 

private German business schools. 

Headquartered in Frankfurt am Main 

the school has regional education 

centres across Germany and several 

joint ventures abroad. FS offers diverse 

range of doctoral programmes at an 

international level as well as executive 

training programmes, providing career 

starters and high potential employees 

with the means to greatly improve their 

professional prospects. All courses 

offered by FS have three aspects in 

common: high standards, diversity and 

practice-orientation. 

22


Zhu Weiping’s internship had 

three main goals: to get to know the 

organization of FS; to investigate the 

operation and management of education 

and research in FS; and to carry out her 

own research on SMEs. Specifically, Zhu 

Weiping intended to develop a strategy 

for the business school because, as she 

reports, “Without clear strategy of one 

organisation, how could it achieve, 

sustain and renew its competitive 

advantage in order to get into favourable 

positions?” In addition, she planned to 

set a series of measures to guarantee that 

the strategy was carried out properly and 

intended to introduce the above measures 

on international education at her home 

university. She also collected a great deal 

of information on other relevant research 

about SMEs. 

Zhu Weiping was asked to contribute 

to FS by giving some lectures to the 

postgraduate students in line with her 

professional background. She decided to 

concentrate her lectures on “Enterprise 

Law of China”, a topic of interest to the 

students. In the words of Zhu Weiping, “I 

am quite happy to have these experiences 

in Europe. My training, seeing and doing 

in Europe gave me more thoughts and 

ideas for my home university, for my 

research institute and for my law firm. I 

hope the collaboration between Europe 

and China will be more, and that more 

Chinese and European people can benefit 

from each other.” 

23

Bloomberg/Christophe Bosset 

APA/EPA/Lane 

Publication: Wirtschaftsblatt kompakt 

Date: 13.11.2009 

Kind of media: Economic Press 

METP in the Press 

MPublication: ETP Manager has received broad attention in the press both in China and across the European Union. On this page you 

Date: 03.12.2009 will find a small selection of newspaper and magazine articles about METP. We welcome inquiries from media 


representatives in China to Ms. Rachel Zhao (rachel.zhao@metp.net.cn) and in Europe to Ms. Steffi Fahjen (steffi. 

fahjen@publicis-consultants.de). 

Publication: Latvijas Avize 

Date: 05.12.2009 


8 MONTAG, 

INTERNATIONAL/OSTEUROPA 

2009 wirtschaftsblatt.at 

Publication: The Asia Pacific Times 

KONJUNKTURBAROMETER 

Date: 14.12.2009 


Konsum: Fürs Gegensteuern fehlt meist das Geld 

PRIVATER UND ÖFFENTLICHER KONSUM (Veränderung real in %) 

Tschechien Slowakei Ungarn 

Slowenien 

Polen 

10 

10 

10 

10 

10 

5 

5 

5 

5 

5 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

-5 

-10 

2007 2008 2009e 2010e 2011e 

-5 

-10 

2007 2008 2009e 2010e 2011e 

-5 

-10 

2007 2008 2009e 2010e 2011e 

-5 

-10 

2007 2008 2009e 2010e 2011e 

Bulgarien Rumänien 

Estland Lettland Litauen 

16 

16 

16 

16 

16 

8 

0 

-8 

-16 

-24 

2007 2008 2009e 2010e 2011e 

8 

0 

-8 

-16 

-24 

2007 2008 2009e 2010e 2011e 

8 

0 

-8 

-16 

-24 

2007 2008 2009e 2010e 2011e 

8 

0 

-8 

-16 

-24 

2007 2008 2009e 2010e 2011e 

-5 

-10 

2007 2008 2009e 2010e 2011e 

8 

0 

-8 

-16 

-24 

2007 2008 2009e 2010e 2011e 

Quelle: Eurostat, Quartalszahlen für Bulgarien noch nicht verfügbar 

Publication: Ziarul Financiar 

Date: 24.11.2009 


So steht’s im Lehrbuch: Wenn in Folge eines Konjunktur- Ungarn musste sich beim Internationalen Währungsfonds (IWF) Rumänien, wo es derzeit politisch drunter und drüber geht, 

Einbruchs die private Nachfrage nachlässt, muss der Staat um Hilfe anstellen, um Zahlungsunfähigkeit zu vermeiden. musste zumindest seine Ausgaben nicht zurückfahren. 

eingreifen und durch öffentliche Investitionen sowie durch In einer ähnlich unerfreulichen Situation befanden sich die 

Steigerung staatlicher Konsumausgaben den Nachfrage rückgang drei baltischen Länder Estland, Lettland und Litauen. Auch sie Der private Konsum ist die wichtigste Komponente des BIP. Er 

ausgleichen. Auch die Senkung von Massensteuern zwecks waren schon vor Ausbruch der Weltwirtschaftskrise in die Rezession 

gerutscht, auch sie haben budgetär keinerlei Spielraum, des BIP aus – sein Wachstum entscheidet daher über Steigen 

macht zwischen 48,1 (Tschechien) und 69,1 Prozent (Bulgarien) 

Stimulation der privaten Konsumnachfrage sind ein probates 

Mittel. In Österreich ist es vor allem der private Konsum, der um gegen die Krise zu intervenieren – allen voran Lettland, das oder Fallen des Wirtschaftswachstums ingesamt. In den meisten 

Oststaaten hängt der Konsum aber stark von der Verfüg- 

durch die Steuersenkung im April angekurbelt wurde, der im ja ebenfalls auf IWF-Hilfe angewiesen ist. Ganz im Gegenteil: 

dritten Quartal den Karren aus dem Dreck (sprich: die Wirtschaft Alle drei baltischen Staaten mussten heuer ihre Konsumausgaben 

massiv zurückfahren, um ihre Budgets zu retten. ausschließlich über Kredite finanziert werden. Und Kredite sind 

barkeit von Krediten ab, da größere Anschaffungen praktisch 

aus der Rezession) gezogen hat. 

Lehrbücher dieses Inhalts finden sich auch in osteuropäischen 

Bibliotheken. Und es mangelt sicher nicht daran, dass sie Wirklich unterstützen konnte seine Wirtschaft freilich keiner 2008 gerade in den stark von Kapitalzuflüssen aus dem Aus- 

bekanntlich seit dem Ausbruch der Liquiditätskrise im Frühjahr 

nicht gelesen würden. Das Problem ist vielmehr, dass die neuen 

EU-Mitgliedstaaten schlicht und einfach nicht das Geld ha- 

die Slowakei, ihre staatlichen Konsumausgaben ein wenig stär- 

Am leichtesten haben es noch Tschechien und die Slowakei, 

der neuen EU-Staaten. Immerhin schafften es Tschechien und land abhängigen Wachstumsregionen Mangelware geworden. 

ben, um die eigene Konjunktur mit öffentlichen Mitteln wieder ker auszuweiten als in den Jahren davor, und Slowenien gelang in denen die Spareinlagen mehr ausmachen als die aushaftenden 

Kredite. In Polen ist das Verhältnis annähernd ausgegli- 

in Fahrt zu bringen. 

es, nur den Zuwachs geringer ausfallen zu lassen. 

Am Beispiel Ungarn: Das Land befand sich bereits am Ende Polen steuerte bereits 2008 kräftig dagegen – wohl mit ein chen. Aber etwa im Baltikum ist doppelt soviel Geld ausgeliehen 

wie auf den Banken eingelegt. 

einer hausgemachten Rezession, als es mit voller Härte vom internationalen 

Konjunktureinbruch erwischt wurde. Der natiose 

ohne Rezession zu überstehen. Bulgarien, das zwar in den Die UniCredit Group, die in ihrer jüngsten Prognose ihre 

Grund, dass es dem Land als einzigem in Europa gelang, die Krinale 

Teil des Wirtschaftseinbruchs war dadurch entstanden, vergangenen Jahren stabile Budgetüberschüsse abgeliefert hat, Wachstumsaussichten für Osteuropa im Jahr 2010 leicht angehoben 

hat (von 1,1 auf 1,4 Prozent), rechnet allerdings damit, 

dass die Regierung nach Jahren des Schuldenmachens gezwungen 

war, eine scharfe Budgetkonsolidierung zu fahren. Als bleme geriet, wird erst ab kommendem Jahr durch verstärkte dass sich die Lage verbessern wird. Dann sollten Konsum – und 

durch die starke Auslandsabhängigkeit aber ebenfalls in Pro- 

dann die Weltwirtschaft kippte, herrschte im Staathaushalt Ebbe. Staatsausgaben etwas für seine Konjunktur tun können, und in der Folge Wirtschaftswachstum – wieder steigen. (hg) 

FLUCHTGELD 

Schweiz und Italien 

verschärfen Steuerkrieg 

Rom/Bern. Zwischen der 

Schweiz und Italien ist ein 

Steuerkrieg ausgebrochen. 

Die Behörden in Bern haben 

empört auf die Durchsuchung 

von 76 Filialen von 

Schweizer Banken durch die 

italienische Finanzpolizei 

reagiert. Die Polizeiaktion 

mit über 100 Beamten steht 

im Zusammenhang mit der 

Jagd auf Steuersünder. Von 

der Razzia betroffen waren 

Schweizer Geldinstitute in 

der Nähe von San Marino. 

Die italienische Finanzpolizei 

will abklären, ob die 

Banken ihrer Pflicht nachkamen, 

die Kundenbeziehungen 

dem Fiskus zu melden. 

Diese Meldepflicht sei 

im Kampf gegen die Steuerhinterziehung 

von elementarer 

Wichtigkeit. 

Der Schweizer Bankenverband 

kritisierte das Vorgehen: 

Es sei seltsam, dass 

nur Schweizer Institute 

durchsucht worden seien, 

sagte Verbandssprecher 

James Nason. Er persönlich 

habe das Gefühl, den italienischen 

Behörden gehe es 

um eine Art politisches Signal. 

Das Schweizer Außenminister 

ließ den italienischen 

Botschafter vorladen. 

Die Beziehungen zwischen 

der Schweiz und Italien 

sind derzeit wegen 

einer großzügigen italienischen 

Steueramnestie für 

repatriiertes Fluchtgeld angespannt. 

Die Schweiz und 

San Marino fürchten, dass 

das Gesetz zu einem massiven 

Abfluss von Anlegergeldern 

führt. Die Schweiz 

hat gegen die Umsetzung 

der Amnestie protestiert, 

weil die italienische Polizei 

hierzu die Kontrollen an den 

Grenzübergängen „übertrieben“ 

verstärkt hat. 

Italiens Außenminister 

Franco Frattini warnte die 

Schweizer vor Gegenmaßnahmen. 

„Ich glaube nicht, 

dass der Weg von Maß nahmen 

und Gegenmaßnahmen 

der korrekte Weg ist“, 

sagte Frattini. (mt) 

Italienische Filialen Schweizer Banken fühlen sich von 

der Polizei gemobbt – die Auseinandersetzung wird härter 

AUSBILDUNG Bis Jänner 2010 läuft Bewerbungsfrist für nächste Runde 

Publication: Ekonom 

Date: 19.11.2009 


EU-China-Programm 

vermisst Österreicher 

Die EU will Managern helfen, im Reich der Mitte Fuß zu 

fassen – und hat dafür 17 Millionen € lockergemacht 

Die EU schickt Manager 

für fast elf Monate 

nach China, primär um 

die Sprache zu lernen. 

Der Verband für KMU 

kritisiert die Initiative. 

Sie sei nicht für ihre 

Zielgruppe konzipiert. 

Brüssel. „Wir hoffen, dass wir 

diesmal einen Teilnehmer aus 

Österreich kriegen.“ Stefan 

Hell, Leiter eines EU-finanzierten 

Austauschprogramms 

mit China, will Österreicher 

für seine Sache begeistern. 

Manager, vorzugsweise aus 

KMU, erhalten die Chance 

eines knapp elfmonatigen 

Aufenthalts in China. 

Am Anfang steht interkulturelles 

Training und eine siebenmonatige 

Sprachausbildung. 

„Es soll ein Niveau erreicht 

werden, mit dem man 

einen Geschäftspartnern beeindrucken 

kann“, sagt Hell. 

Die Probe folgt aufs Exempel, 

in Form einer dreimonatigen 

Praxis in einem Betrieb. 

Die Teilnehmer erhalten einen 

Zuschuss von 1000 € pro 

Monat. Der nächste Austausch 

startet im Mai 2010, die 

Bewerbungsfrist dafür endet 

am 7. Jänner. Kandidaten sollten 

zwischen 26 und 40 Jahre 

alt sein, mindestens fünf Jahre 

Arbeitserfahrung (zwei davon 

im Management) und einen 

„starken akademischen 

Hintergrund“ haben. Hauptkriterium 

ist laut Hell aber ein 

überzeugender Geschäftsplan. 

Ziel der Initiative ist es, die 

Präsenz europäischer Manager 

in China zu erhöhen, erklärt 

Franz Jessen von der EU- 

Kommission. Die EU hat das 

Programm, das seit Anfang 

2007 läuft, mit 17 Millionen € 

unterstützt. China steuerte 

sechs Millionen € bei. Bis dato 

gab es rund 320 Teilnehmer 

aus dem Reich der Mitte und 

aus 23 EU-Staaten. 

Kritik an Kriterien 

Laut Luc Hendrickx vom EU- 

Verband für KMU (Ueapme), 

hat das Programm allerdings 

einige Schwachstellen: „Es ist 

nicht passend für KMU“, stellt 

er fest. Diese hätten nicht die 

personellen Kapazitäten, um 

einen Mitarbeiter für fast ein 

Jahr ziehen zu lassen. 

Außerdem liege der Fokus 

zu stark auf Sprachtraining. 

„Chinesisch kann man auch 

in einem Kurs in der EU lernen.“ 

Hendrickx hält einerseits 

eine Verkürzung der 

Laufzeit des Programms für 

sinnvoll. Andererseits kritisiert 

er die Selektionskriterien: 

„Die meisten Manager 

von Klein- und Mittelunternehmen 

haben keinen akademischen 

Hintergrund.“ 

SABINE BERGER 

sabine.berger@wirtschaftsblatt.at 

24

Publication: bizz 

Date: 23.11.2009 


Publication: Narodno Delo 

Date: 12.11.2009 


Publication: China Review 

Date: 08.12.2009 


6667&$%8*96:7;< 

L’Echo, 12/11/2009, page/bladzijde 10 

LA COMMISSION RECONDUIT SON PROGRAMME D’ÉCHANGE DE BUSINESSMEN AVEC PÉKIN 

L’UE casse sa tirelire pour 

offrir la Chine aux PME 

ix mois en Chine pour ap- 

le chinois des affai- 

Dprendre 

res et faire un stage en entreprise. 

Tous frais payés. Pour la cinquième 

année consécutive, la 

Commission européenne et le 

gouvernement chinois financent 

un programme d’échange d’entrepreneurs: 

le Managers Exchange 

and Training Program 

(METP). Il comprend quinze 

jours de «cours culturels» au fil 

desquels les participants européens 

se familiarisent à leur nouveau 

sujet d’étude tout en rencontrant 

les Chinois qui 

s’apprêtent à vivre la même expérience 

en Europe. Puis viennent 

les choses sérieuses: sept mois 

d’apprentissage intensif du chinois 

– parsemés de visites de terrain. 

Et enfin, trois mois de stage 

dans une entreprise au choix. Les 

candidats participants sont d’ailleurs 

sélectionnés en fonction de 

leur projet d’affaire et de la pertinence 

du stage qu’ils se proposent 

de faire. 

Non seulement les cours sont 

gratuits, mais les déplacements 

sont pris en charge par la Commission 

européenne, et les participants 

reçoivent chacun une indemnité 

de 1 000 euros par mois 

durant leur séjour. 

ON NE SE BOUSCULE PAS 

Pour les petites et moyennes entreprises 

européennes intéressées 

par la Chine, c’est une opportunité 

rare de s’offrir un 

Des rencontres avec des Chinois qui s’apprêtent à vivre la même expérience en Europe sont prévues. 

spécialiste du pays. Mais en Belgique, 

elles ne se bousculent pas 

pour participer. Depuis l’existence 

du programme, quatre Belges 

ont pris part au METP 

(contre onze Néerlandais). Francis 

du Bois est l’un d’eux. Avant 

d’aller en Chine, il menait une petite 

entreprise de consultance, il 

aidait des sociétés européennes à 

exporter vers l’Asie du Sud-Est. 

Vers des pays comme le Vietnam, 

le Népal, la Thaïlande… Mais pas 

la Chine: «L’environnement d’affaires 

y était trop différent, explique-t-il. 

Ne fût-ce que parce que 

© Reuters 

les Chinois parlent très peu l’anglais.» 

Le programme était l’occasion 

d’élargir son champ de 

compétence. Après avoir terminé 

la session de cours de chinois en 

mai dernier, il a fait son stage 

dans un think tank. Entre-temps, 

la crise l’a forcé à mettre la clé de 

son entreprise sous le paillasson. 

Mais rien n’est perdu: «Ce programme 

m’a permis de me 

construire un réseau, c’est précieux.» 

Reste à l’exploiter à bon 

escient. 

Le but du programme – lancé en 

juillet 2006 – est «d’élargir l’expertise 

d’affaires en développant 

des relations plus fortes» entre 

Europe et Chine. Au total, le 

METP devrait former 200 

«China Guys» européens et autant 

de «spécialistes» chinois du 

marché européen. Le programme 

représente un budget 

total de 23 millions d’euros, cofinancé 

par l’UE et la Chine. 

F.R. 

Les inscriptions se clôturent le 7 janvier 

2010, le cinquième groupe 

d’échange partira en chine en mai de 

la même année. www.metp.net.cn 

Copyright Mediafin 

25

Continuous Improvements to 

METP’s Chinese 

Language Training 

T 

he European Technical Assistance 

Team of METP organised a 

capacity building seminar for 

the trainers who teach Chinese to the 

European METP participants at the 

Beijing University of International Business 

and Economics (UIBE) from 18 

to 20 September 2009. 19 participants 

actively took part in this training. Prof. 

Wang Fuming, who is responsible for the 

Chinese language training under METP, 

took part as an observer and contributed 

with ideas and interesting comments. 

The objective of the training was 

to understand the principles of training 

management and to be able to set learning 

objectives for one’s own language 

training”. An evaluation at the end of the 

seminar verified that the training was a 

success: All participants confirmed that 

they had achieved this objective and that 

they will apply what they have learnt in 

their work. During the three days they 

learned how to set objectives using the 

SMART criteria and understood why this 

is so important for any type of training, 

including language training. 

The seminar took place at the 

famous Longmai Hot Spring in the 

northwest of Beijing. This popular location 

provided a pleasant framework for 

the training. New friends were made and 

many teachers expressed their wish to 

continue the training. 

26

Coaching of 

UIBE 

Language 

Trainers 

I 

n November and December 2009 the 

UIBE language trainers, who teach 

the European METP participants 

Chinese language, were coached by a 

team of three language training experts. 

In a first phase the experts observed 

the language training at UIBE and then 

discussed ways to make the training even 

more effective and enjoyable with the 

trainers. This approach can be compared 

with the function of a coach in sports, 

who observes his team during a competition 

and afterwards discusses with the 

athletes what has happened and how to 

learn from it. 

In a second phase the experts 

conducted a two-day workshop for the 

language trainers in Beijing. The experts 

presented successful methods used in European 

language training and discussed 

the theories behind them. At the end of 

the workshop the participants saw some 

photos of their own language training 

that illustrated crucial training situations 

as well as successful ways to deal with 

them. 

All phases of the coaching took 

place in a pleasant and constructive atmosphere. 

This was mainly thanks to the 

willingness to learn and the open-mindedness 

of the UIBE language trainers, 

who showed great enthusiasm and 

contributed actively to all discussions. In 

fact, one can say that the learning benefit 

was mutual, as the whole exercise was 

conducted in the form of a dialogue with 

the objective to improve the training – 

and not in the form of instructions from 

the experts. 

The experts therefore would like to 

thank all participating teachers for their 

cooperation and their valuable inputs. 

They would also like to thank Professor 

Wang Fuming, who personally supported 

the coaching and took part in many 

discussions as well as the final workshop. 

The experts sincerely hope that the 

outcomes of the coaching exercise will 

directly benefit the European participants 

of the forthcoming intake, METP 5. 

The coaching was one link in a 

longer process of capacity building activities 

for the UIBE language teachers, 

which had started earlier in 2009 with a 

series of seminars. A further seminar for 

this target group is currently planned for 

coming May, when the language teachers 

will learn how to select and design 

effective training methods on the basis of 

given learning objectives. 

27

METP welcomes new Team Members 

D 

r. Thomas Hart joined 

the European Technical 

Assistance Team (ETAT) 

of METP in late 2009 as HR 

D 

r. Michael Mechthold-Jin 

also joined ETAT in 2009 as 

Capacity Building Co-ordinator. 

Michael has been working as a training 

Development Expert. Thomas is expert with international organisations 

consultant for EU-China economic all over China for more than 10 years. 

and policy cooperation with a focus His main responsibility in METP is 

on communications and media policy organising capacity building activities 

and has worked with numerous EU for UIBE, the university that conducts 

and Chinese government and private stakeholders. For the the language training for all European METP participants. 

METP, he is primarily developing training modules, but also Michael also implements ETAT’s internal evaluation 

monitors participants’ work placements. 

programme. 

METP round table in the EU capital Brussels: 

Turning challenges into opportunities for 

EU companies in China 

O 

n 27 October 2009 a round table event in Brussels 

brought together EU policy-makers, METP managers 

and participants, as well as business associations and 

journalists to mark the extension of the programme and the 

launch of its fifth call for applications. 

METP team leader Stefan Hell was the key speaker at the 

event. He was joined on the 

panel by Franz Jessen, Head of 

Unit for China at the European 

Commission; Frédéric Poncin, 

a Belgian METP 3 graduate; 

Luc Hendrickx of the European 

SME association UEAPME; 

and Philippe Le Corre, EU- 

China expert with Publicis 

Consultants, who moderated 

the discussion. 

The speakers presented 

their insights into the needs of European companies for 

doing business with China with special reference to the role 

of the METP in bridging the gaps in language, culture and 

understanding of the local business environment. Mr. Jessen 

welcomed the extension of the programme for a fifth intake. 

“This programme creates a powerful example for others to 

follow. It is built on years of experience and the participants 

have been overwhelmingly satisfied – they feel like they 

have been put on a new and better career track.” 

Dr. Stefan Hell introduced the programme as a joint 

European-Chinese investment in human resources and 

explained how training is organised for both EU and Chinese 

participants. “The concept of METP is based on the conviction 

that a ten-month programme with language courses, 

intercultural training, internships and company visits creates 

the foundation for long-term 

success in one of the world’s 

most dynamic economies”, 

said Dr. Hell. “Perhaps best of 

all, METP is not limited to a 

specific industry, so managers 

from all sectors can apply and 

use METP as a springboard 

for their particular business 

plans.” 

Frédéric Poncin, who 

graduated from METP in 

August this year shared insights and images from his time in 

China with much enthusiasm. He emphasised the on-the-ground 

experience that METP provides. “There is a huge gap between 

theory and practice in an area like this – you really have to live 

it. METP is your survival kit.” 

During the discussion that followed it was revealed that 

good business plans and strong motivation for learning are 

key to succeed in the selection for METP as well as for doing 

business with China. 

28

Matchmaking – Real Business in Chengdu 

O 

n 17 and 18 October 2009, 35 METP 4 participants 

took part in the EU-China Business & Technology 

Cooperation Fair in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. 

The fair is in its fourth year and marked one of the largest 

trade events between the EU and China in 2009. The event 

provides an important platform of trade, investment and technological 

cooperation that commits to help SMEs from both 

EU and China. More than 200 European enterprises joined this 

matchmaking event together with 600 Chinese enterprises. 

European METP 4 participants found the event quite useful; 

for many it was their first participation in a matchmaking 

setting or their first time to do business with Chinese in China. 

While METP organises a wide range of business-related visits, 

lectures and study tours, the Chengdu fair provided many participants 

with tangible business opportunities through meeting 

potential Chinese partners from their respective industries. 

Jochen Schmidt 

METP 4 

The Chengdu matchmaking event was a very interesting 

opportunity for intercultural business activities. I had 14 

matchmaking meetings in 2 days with Chinese companies 

of various business fields. All meetings were worth the 

experience, some of them lead even to further contacts. The 

timing and scheduling of the program was very good, the 

meeting sessions of 40 minutes each could be realized in an 

appropriate meeting environment. Due to the short time and 

the high number of encounters the individual sessions had 

to be well structured, highly concentrated and intensively 

communicative. I met very competent and engaged session 

partners from the Chengdu region, willing to share their 

experiences on their home market and to know more about 

European business activities. With the help of an excellent 

English-Chinese translator I could enjoy this event as a truly 

intercultural experience platform. Although there were no 

direct matches with my concrete working field, I nevertheless 

could learn a lot about Chinese markets and business structures 

in general - what I consider being helpful for further 

business activities in China. 

29

Who are you really 

negotiating with? 

Lecture on negotiating 

with Chinese partners 

A 

ntony Dapiran, partner of international law firm 

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP and the chair 

of the European Chamber of Commerce in China’s 

legal working group, shared his knowledge and experience on 

negotiation skills in negotiations with Chinese partners with 

European METP 4 participants on 13 October 2009. 

As a lawyer specialized in securities offerings, private 

equity and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, Mr. 

Dapiran has lived and worked in Greater China for over 12 

years. He first introduced basic concepts in Confucianism and 

Taoism, the bureaucratic structure of decision-making process 

in State-owned Enterprises, and regional variations in China. 

Before entering detailed negotiation tactics, Mr. Dapiran 

quoted a well-known sentence from “The Art of War” by Sun 

Tzu -- “Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will 

be victorious”. It became clear from his presentation that 

Chinese business practices are changing rapidly, but also that 

influences from 5,000 years of Chinese culture and history 

should never be underestimated. The key to successfully 

negotiating with Chinese partners, according to Mr. Dapiran, 

was to understand their common values and how these values 

influence the Chinese legal framework and business decisions. 

In the end, he analyzed a few typical cases that on-theground 

foreign managers would face when negotiating with 

Chinese partners. Mr. Dapiran’s presentation triggered lively 

discussions among METP participants who found the 

lecture very useful for their preparations for their future 

business in China. 

Protect Your Intellectual 

Property Rights 

METP lecture on IPR 

and other legal aspects 

O 

n 27 October 2009, Mr. Edouard Schmitt zur 

Höhe gave a lecture on IPR and other legal 

aspects to the European METP 4 participants. 

Mr. Schmitt zur Höhe has been advising on intellectual 

property rights in Asia for over 15 years. He has worked 

on a wide range of cases throughout Asia and specializes 

in providing corporate clients with comprehensive 

IPR strategies throughout the region based on their 

needs and IPR issues. 

Before giving an overview of IPR registering in 

China, Mr. Schmitt zur Höhe reminded the audience 

of making sufficient preparations before entering the 

China market. Later on, he shared a number of real 

cases of IPR infringements in China and gave a number 

of practical suggestions and tips on dealing with 

such issues. The METP participants raised a number 

questions related to specific real cases that Mr. Schmitt 

zur Höhe mentioned in his presentation as IPR is one 

of their key concerns of doing business in China. 

The event was co-organized by the EU Chamber 

of Commerce in China and the EU-China Managers 

Exchange and Training Programme as a part of the 

business programme exclusive for the European METP 

4 participants. The business programme provides 

complementary information on the Chinese economy, 

culture society, improving the participants’ understanding 

of the local environment and their chances for 

doing business in and with China. 

30

METP 4 visits Daimler Automotive 

O 

n 20 November 2009 the European METP 4 participants 

visited Beijing Benz-DaimlerChrysler 

Automotive Co., Ltd. (BBDC) located in Yizhuang, 

Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area. 

Established on 8 August 2005, BBDC is joint venture 

founded by Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co., Ltd., 

Daimler AG and Daimler North East Asia Ltd. Mr. Holger 

Marquardt, the CFO of BBDC gave a comprehensive company 

presentation He introduced the history, the products, the 

advanced technologies, the quality controls, the team-building 

and the social responsibility of BBDC. From his presentation 

participants got the impression 

of BBDC as a positive 

example of a joint venture 

with a good mix of Chinese 

and Western culture. Joint 

venture partners are using 

their respective strengths for 

the development of the joint 

company. Although the economic 

crisis has hit the automobile industry seriously in Europe 

and the United States, in China the industry continues to grow. 

BBDC is confident that focusing on the booming mainland Chinese 

market will continue to pay off, and for this reason BBDC 

is investing in production facilities for a new model to be rolled 

out shortly. 

METP participants showed a strong interest in the company 

in particular and the automotive sector in general. They 

also had an opportunity to tour the production facilities of the 

Mercedes Benz C-Class, including stamping, painting, assembling 

and testing procedures. 

Roundtable Seminar 

on China's Legal and Judiciary System 

P 

rofessor Stéphanie Balme, senior research fellow at Sciences 

Po in Paris and permanent visiting Professor at the 

Tsinghua University School of Law in Beijing, gave a 

stimulating presentation on China’s Legal and Judiciary System 

at a roundtable seminar with European METP 4 participants on 

3 November 2009. The event was hosted by the EC Delegation 

in Beijing. 

Prof. Balme, who is also actively involved in the China- 

EU School of Law (CESL), corrected a common preconception 

held by many Europeans that China’s legal system is backward 

compared to European systems. She analysed on the historical 

evolution, current state and development trends of China’s 

legislative system and its judiciary and put particular emphasis 

on civil law. While recognizing 

that China’s 

legal system has been 

greatly improved and 

modernized since 

1978, she also pointed 

to a number of aspects 

which require further 

changes, in order to establish 

an efficient and modern 

system in China. The European 

audience was struck 

by revelations like the one 

that China, in stark contrast 

to European judicial systems, 

has significantly more 

judges than lawyers. 

In the following Q&A 

session, METP participants 

and the speaker discussed 

various questions like the 

regional disparity of legal 

awareness in China. Prof. 

Balme pointed out that most lawyers and lawsuits were concentrated 

in the large cities of eastern China while many judges in 

other parts of China were only working part-time due to a lack 

of cases. At the end of the session Prof. Balme shared some 

pieces of personal advice on living and doing business in China 

from a legal perspective. 

31

Airbus welcomes METP 

O 

n 27 November the European METP 4 participants 

visited Airbus Tianjin, which is a joint venture 

between Airbus and a Chinese consortium of Tianjin 

Free Trade Zone (TJFTZ) and China Aviation Industry 

Corporation (AVIC). The visit was organized in cooperation 

with the EU Chamber of Commerce in China. 

Airbus Tianjin is the first Airbus final assembly line to 

operate outside of Europe and was opened in September 2008. 

It complements the two existing assembly lines in France and 

Germany. In Tianjin the Airbus A320 is assembled, of which a total 

of 11 aircraft shall be delivered to costumers by the end of 2009. 

Ms. Nancy Fan, Communication & PR Manager of 

Airbus Tianjin, received the METP group and took them on a 

tour of the plant which lasted over two hours and took in the 

vast assembling line and the hangar. She also gave detailed 

presentation on regional advantages for the location in Tianjin, 

the firm's management, HR development policies as well as 

client and partner relations. 

En route to Tianjin the group stopped at Xianghe 

Economic and Technological Development Zone in Langfang, 

Hebei Province. Facilitated by CCPIT, they visited a production 

facility of the well-known Swedish firm SCA Packaging and 

were interested to learn that there was not a single non-Chinese 

person in the company's management in Xianghe. The group 

also toured the economic zone and visited Epoch City, the 

zone's splendid meeting centre. 

Photo: O.Geibel 

Photo: O.Geibel 

32

Supply Chain 

Management 

in China 

M 

r. Justin Barrow, Director 

for Business Development 

with Penske 

Logistics, gave an informative 

lecture on supply chain management 

to the European METP 

4 participants on Tuesday, 17 

November 2009. Mr. Barrow, who 

has been working in China for 

13 years, raised four intriguing 

questions at the beginning of his 

presentation: Have you ever lost 

business due to logistics costs being too high? Have you ever lost 

business due to logistics service failure? Have you ever lost business 

due to lack of inventory? Do you calculate the total landed 

cost when sourcing parts or developing pricing? 

He then analysed the trends and challenges of China's logistics 

market. Mr. Barrow pointed out that four major factors, 

namely poor legal/regulatory environment, lack of expertise 

and technology, problematic infrastructure and fragmented 

market, led to a high risk and low efficiency market with poor 

on-time delivery, high damage rate and poor visibility. When 

analysing the domestic transportation market structure, Mr. Barrow 

also pointed out that independent truck owners provided 

ninety percent of the trucking capacity in China and analysed 

the common problems in the industry, such as overloading and 

government-controlled fuel prices. 

In the realm of China's international logistics, Mr. Barrow 

pointed out that the industry was severely hit by the global 

economic crisis. He then shared some best practices in managing 

logistics and also a few useful suggestions in the context of 

global economic crisis. 

Online Marketing 


P 

rofessional marketing and advertising on 

the Chinese Internet are in great demand. 

Accordingly, and upon initiative by METP 

participant Esther Janssen, METP co-organised a lecture 

on online marketing in China on 24 November 

2009. 

In a three part presentation, Jurriaan Meyer and 

Tim Metz from online marketing company ‘Yourzine’ 

gave an overview of trends on the Internet in China, 

explained how online branding of Chinese corporations 

differs from that of their Western counterparts, 

and how online marketing can help enterprises to 

successfully generate leads and turn these into loyal 

customers. Also, they outlined the importance of 

connecting the online with the offline world and 

dealing with Chinese customers in particular. 

Mr. Meyer’s career focuses on Internet, e-business 

and software industries in Europe and China. Before 

joining ‘Yourzine’, he was responsible for sourcing the 

national travel and payment smartcard ‘OV-chipkaart’ 

from China to The Netherlands. Mr. Metz has been 

active in online media for more than a decade, running 

several companies and projects in Europe, Africa and 

Asia. His experience ranges from simple web design up 

to complex online concepts and digital video production. 

33

METP 4 Participants 

meet Chief Representative 

of Standard Chartered Bank 


O 

n 26 November 2009 European METP 4 

participants visited the Standard Chartered Bank 

at Oriental Plaza, Beijing. With over 150 years 

of experience in China, Standard Chartered has one of the 

largest foreign bank networks in China with 15 branches, 37 

sub-branches, a representative office and a village bank. 

The chief representative of Standard Chartered in China, 

Ms. Lyn Kok, who has been working in the financial industry for 

25 years, first introduced Standard Chartered 

in general and then went into details of the 

bank’s business in China, namely private 

banking, corporate banking and wholesale 

banking. She pointed out that although 

there was still much room to improve, 

the banking industry in China had been 

gradually opening since 2007. Participants 

inquired about banking in foreign trade, real 

estate banking and corporate lending. 

Chinese Media Markets 

O 

n 1 December 2009, the EU Delegation hosted the 

final METP round table for the participants of its 

fourth intake. Dr. Thomas Hart, who has been working 

in Beijing since 2005, spoke on the topic of Chinese media 

markets, with a special focus on the development of new media. 

Thomas gave an overview over the various market 

segments: the old mass media are still of utmost importance, 

CCTV is the premier Chinese media brand, and has set out 

to internationalise its offerings, engage in international coproductions, 

etc. In the realm of print media all newspapers are 

also state-owned. The new media, namely all services that come 

under the “Internet” label, break out of this picture, because 

state ownership to all opinion-forming gateways is not possible 

here. News and information services are, however, heavily 

regulated, with a wide range of license requirement depending 

on the specific service 

offered online (news, 

financial information, 

audiovisual content, etc.). 

Thomas Hart sought 

in his presentation not 

only to focus on the 

existing limitations and 

restrictions, but also on 

user behaviour and taste 

that may be very different 

when comparing the EU 

and China. China’s young 

native Internet users do 

not hesitate to take on new technology and services, but they are 

very averse to fee-based services. They spend more time online, 

less time using other mass media. Regulatory restrictions may 

not matter as much when seen from the inside perspective of a 

Chinese user as they do from the outside perspective, because 

many aspects that are being discussed internationally only 

affect a small number of users. 

As a result of the strong state intervention in the production 

and distribution of Chinese media, production and artistic 

quality remains poor in international comparison. The ensuing 

trade deficit for cultural products is something that is currently 

being realised by decision-makers in China. 

34

European METP 4 

Managers participate 

in the Canton Fair 

M 

ETP supported European participants in the 

programme to join the Canton Fair in Guangzhou 

in October and November 2009. The Canton Fair is 

China’s top annual event for buyers and sellers from a very 

wide range of industries. The Canton Fair has the longest 

history, the largest scale, the biggest buyer attendance, the 

broadest buyer distribution, the greatest business turnover, and 

the best credit standing of all trade fairs in China. 

A total of 20 METP 4 participants travelled to Guangzhou 

individually for the part related to their individual industry and 

received financial support from METP. They found the fair to 

be an excellent platform to meet possible business partners in 

very specified and targeted sectors. Most participants managed 

to find potential business partners relating directly to their 

business plans. They were able to establish new business 

relations by meeting with potential partners face to face, which 

is of great importance in Chinese business culture. 

Belgian participant Vincent Mottrie explains: “I found new 

suppliers and new products in the sector of natural stones, the 

traditional talks with existing suppliers were more then useful, 

and by going to the Canton Fair, I got the opportunity to see 

new trends and new applications in my sector.” 

35

(EUCMA). CONNECT is published quarterly as 

hardcopy and electronically. For inquiries please 

Managers Exchange and Training Programme 

(METP) and the EU-China Managers Association 

CONNECT is the magazine of the EU-China 

Managers Exchange and Training Programme 

(METP) and the EU-China Managers Association 

(EUCMA). CONNECT is published quarterly as 

hardcopy and electronically. For inquiries please 

contact Rachel Zhao at rachel.zhao@metp.net.cn 

contact Rachel Zhao at rachel.zhao@metp.net.cn

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