Opening Doors to China : New Zealand's 2015 Vision - Te Puni Kokiri

36 Opening Doors to ChinaOpening Doors to China 37"As Chinese consumers become more demanding aboutfood safety, the competitive advantage of internationalmanufacturers, and their ability to charge higherprices can only increase." EuromonitorPOPULATION & GDPPopulation figures are for 2010.GDP (Gross domestic product) is per capita.LiaoningPopulation 43,746GDP 6,578If China is ambivalent about your product, you’llbe hard pressed to make the market profitable.A business visa is recommended for travel toChina and in most cases you will need a letterof invitation from a China-based company toget one.If you are going to be a regular visitor to China,it will pay to get an APEC Business TravelCard which provides accredited businesspeople with streamlined access toparticipating APEC countries (includingChina). Go to www.dol.govt.nz to apply.Although China spans five time zones, thereis only one standard time – Beijing Time.New Zealand is four hours ahead of Beijingtime, or five hours ahead during New Zealanddaylight saving. There is no daylight savingin China.Make sure as many of your meetings as possibleare prearranged, you have addresses for themeetings and you have information on the peopleyou are meeting with. Reconfirm meetings a dayin advance, get a map to the company or officeyou are visiting and have the address writtenin Chinese characters for the driver.While Chinese generally prefer to be formallyintroduced to someone new, cold calling(self-introduction) is becoming more common.If you decide to make a cold call, it’s useful tofirst contact the company in writing – both inChinese and English – outlining the reasonyou would like to meet. Be flexible and don’t besurprised if last-minute changes take place ormeetings are cancelled.On the groundWhile the use of English in business and tradecircles is increasingly common, you shouldhave a Mandarin-speaker or paid MainlandChinese interpreter on your team. You mustunderstand exactly what is being said, andmeant, particularly in negotiations.A qualified interpreter will cost $100-$200a day. They are more expensive (and usuallybetter) in the main cities. In Beijing or Shanghaia good simultaneous interpreter (one whointerprets at the same time as you or yourChinese counterpart speaks) can cost about$2,000 a day.Take the time to learn a little Mandarin beforeyou go – it will go a long way towards impressingyour hosts.You may be met on arrival at the airport or atthe first meeting by the main participant on theChinese side, with other participants followingin descending order of seniority.Greeting ceremonies may also take place atmeeting venues or restaurants. Sometimespeople will stand up when being introduced.When meeting your Chinese hosts, the mostsenior person in your delegation should befirst in the reception line. Others shouldfollow in order of seniority. Sort this outbefore the meeting.Your interpreter should stay close to the headof the line to introduce your most senior person.Those greeted should move down the lineInner MongoliaPopulation 24,706GDP 7,427JiangsuPopulation 78,660GDP 8,187ZhejiangPopulation 54,427GDP 7,876GuangdongPopulation 104,303GDP 6,864Hong KongPopulation 7,097GDP 11,540Source: Chinese National Bureau of Statistics 2010, currency in US dollars (map is of China customs territory)New Zealand Central, ShanghaiNew Zealand Central is a world-classbusiness centre in Shanghai that offersa range of services to New Zealandcompanies wishing to explore or expandon opportunities in China.The facility was set up by NZTE as ashowcase for New Zealand and as a facilityfor doing business in the world’s fastestgrowing market.The venue has a range of rooms to suitdifferent business needs, whether it isa wine tasting, exhibition, seminar, galadinner or product launch. Attendance atNew Zealand Central events and functionsShandongPopulation 95,793GDP 6,478is by invitation only to guests of thehost organisation.Businesses can take advantage of informaland formal meeting rooms, seminar,conference and short-term office space,and enjoy silver service dining for up to60 people.Client packages are available to suit bothfrequent and casual visitors. Applicantsmust be New Zealand registeredcompanies, sponsored by New Zealandregistered companies or be allies of NZTE,and agree to terms and conditions of use.www.nzte.govt.nzBeijingPopulation 19,612GDP 11,060TianjinPopulation 12,938GDP 11,084ShanghaiPopulation 23,019GDP 11,540FujianPopulation 36,894GDP 6,127