Tasmanian Business Reporter October 2018

4 Tasmanian Business Reporter - OCTOBER 2018
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
www.tcci.com.au
China mission forges future links
Michael
Bailey
TCCI Chief Executive
MY recent trip to China
as part of the Tasmanian
Trade Mission with Premier
Will Hodgman was
a huge success.
While I only visited
Beijing and Shanghai,
the immediate benefits
for TCCI members will
be realised now and into
coming years.
Two major, future
goals will now be finalised:
• a Tasmanian Chamber
of Commerce trade
mission to China in 2019,
working with AusCham
in Shanghai and Beijing:
and
• negotiating for TCCI
members to be able to
link with local Chinese
chambers of commerce.
One of the first things
that struck me on the
mission was the extent
of infrastructure in these
two major Chinese cities,
Beijing with 24 mil-
lion people and Shanghai
with 26.5 million.
They have far outstripped
Australia, in
terms of infrastructure in
their cities and factories.
As an observation,
Beijing struck me as the
Canberra of China, but
with much more industry,
obviously, as the
seat of government, with
Shanghai more like Sydney
in terms of its business
environment.
We visited the Goldwind
factory that is making
wind turbines for the
Central Highlands Cattle
Hill development among
others, where our tour
guide was a young woman
in her 20s.
I enquired as to how
she became a “guide” at
Goldwind; she had studied
a Masters in Business
Research at UCLA.
Everywhere we went,
the levels of educational
attainment were obvious.
But I also believe we
should not be afraid of
partnerships in China,
ones that can be of advantage
to Tasmanian
business and industry.
We need to realise we
can’t match the level of
“build” for their factories
and just don’t have
access to their extremely
cost-effective labour
market.
China, although still
with severe air pollution
in cities like Beijing, is
working hard to reduce
its emissions through renewable
energy.
The Chinese think
long-term, not the three
or four-year political cycles
of Australia, but forward
generational planning.
For example, petrol
mopeds, the transport
of choice for millions,
must now be electric in
The Tasmanian
Trade Mission
members visit
Goldwind in China
where turbines for
the $300 million
Cattle Hill
windfarm in the
Central Highlands
will be
manufactured.
the big cities. And while
there are millions of cars,
there are now significant
incentives for Chinese
drivers to change to electric
cars.
One of the other major
outcomes of the mission
was the understanding
of how we, little Tasmania,
need to connect with
Chinese markets.
To crack the local market,
we need to work
with the local provinces,
local government in other
words.
Which is why the TC-
CI’s relationship with
AusCham will provide
great benefits and advantages.
Our own AusTrade
and AusIndustry have to
be impartial, that’s their
remit.
But organisations like
Shanghai and Beijing
AusCham can give us insight
and direction now
and into the future about
with whom and how to
do business with.
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