Dear CBI members and strategic partners,
China Direct would like to share with you a snapshot of CBI members' successes in China through 2014. We hope that you found our new format easy to use, visual and informative and wish you all every success for the forthcoming year of the sheep.
Please do keep sending us your updates and press releases so that your business can also be highlighted in 2015.
Thank you.
[Image courtesy of www.arup.com]
A team of engineers from CBI member Arup recently built an Arup-designed bridge in Mixia Village in Yunnan province with student volunteers from the Kunming University of Science and Technology, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
As part of Arup's ongoing collaboration with Wu Zhi Qiao Charitable Foundation, the new bridge provides safe journeys for the commuting villagers between Mixia and its surrounding villages and helps improve their livelihood. Prior to the Arup-Wu Zhi Qiao Bridge, locals often had their journeys interrupted by damages to a makeshift bamboo bridge caused by the river flooding.
To withstand the devastating floods, Arup designed a bridge with an impressive 20 metre clear span and a vertical clearance of six metres. To provide durability and longevity, the bridge is constructed out of galvanised steel with rocks and stones from around the site used as counterweights.
Commenting on the project, Freda Chu, Arup Wu Zhi Qiao's project manager, said, "To build a culturally sensitive and highly sustainable bridge, we held a company-wide design competition, and the winning scheme was adopted as the basis for detailed design.
After several site visits, the design was fine-tuned considering the on-site constructability. A small team of volunteers also travelled to steel fabrication and assembly sponsor S-couvrot's factory in Shanghai for a mock-up of the bridge assembly process to ensure smooth construction on site."
Mixia Village is located in the southern part of Yunnan province, close to the China-Vietnam border.
Please click here to read the full press release by Arup.
[Image courtesy of www.ukti.gov.uk]
Dear CBI members,
You may have read about the Regional Cities Trade Missions last month on our website however if not please find a summary of China-wide missions for Q1 below.
If you are interested in the Wuhan-Zhengzhou mission scheduled for 20-22 Feb please contact: Zheng.Weiwei@fco.gov.uk Tel: 0086 10 51924406
For your reference the CBI's China office will be attending the Zhengzhou section of the Mission.
UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) recently released the dates for the next phase of its Regional Cities Programme in China.
The schedule of the missions is as follows: Zhengzhou and Wuhan (20-22 February 2012), Nantong and Yancheng (27-29 February 2012), Kunming (23-24 February 2012), Chongqing (05-06 March 2012), Hangzhou and Ningbo (07-09 March 2012), and Foshan and Shunde (28-29 March 2012).
These missions will offer an excellent introduction to these cities and the opportunities that they offer.
Participants in the missions will enjoy:
• Access to high-level officials
• Business workshops
• Knowledge about specific opportunities
Please click here for full details on the mission to Nantong and Yancheng and here for the mission to Hangzhou and Ningbo.
[Image courtesy of www.ukti.gov.uk]
UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) recently released the dates for the next phase of its Regional Cities Programme in China.
The schedule of the missions is as follows: Zhengzhou and Wuhan (20-22 February 2012), Nantong and Yancheng (27-29 February 2012), Kunming (23-24 February 2012), Chongqing (05-06 March 2012), Hangzhou and Ningbo (07-09 March 2012), and Foshan and Shunde (28-29 March 2012).
These missions will offer an excellent introduction to these cities and the opportunities that they offer.
Participants in the missions will enjoy:
• Access to high-level officials
• Business workshops
• Knowledge about specific opportunities
Please click here for full details on the mission to Nantong and Yancheng and here for the mission to Hangzhou and Ningbo.
[Image courtesy of www.britishcouncil.org.cn]
Dear CBI members,
We are delighted to let you know that UK Now, the biggest British arts festival in China ever, will be held next year between April and November, featuring hundreds of world-class events in 15 cities across China.
Key goals of UK Now include showcasing the quality, diversity, breadth, and innovation of artistic Britain and celebrating China and the UK as consecutive hosts of the Olympic Games.
Please find attached below a bilingual overview of UK Now.
Download UK Now fast facts EN & CN
UK Now's events programme will be wide-ranging and inclusive, covering all the art forms. Events will include exhibitions, concerts, performances, talks, workshops, collaborative projects, online activities, competitions, etc.
UK Now is sponsored by CBI members including British Airways, Burberry, Diageo, HSBC, InterContinental Hotels Group, Norton Rose, Prudential, and Standard Chartered.
For more information about UK Now please contact either Ms. Hannah Douglas or Ms. Sam Christie.
hannah.douglas@britishcouncil.org.cn tel: 00 86 10 65906903 ext 362
sam.christie@britishcouncil.org.cn tel: 00 86 10 65906903 ext 266
The China-Britain Business Council and the Centre for International Business at CBI member The University of Leeds have prepared an updated research report on 'Opportunities for UK Businesses in China's Regional Cities' on behalf of UK Trade & Investment (UKTI).
The original report, published in September 2008, focused on the market expansion and development of China's regional cities and the relevance of this to British businesses.
However, the last three years have seen major changes to the international economic landscape, with the global financial crisis and UK recession having a deep impact on British businesses and their internationalisation prospects.
The new report presents the findings of research conducted this year.
Please click here to access the latest version of the 'Opportunities for UK Businesses in China's Regional Cities' report.
[Image courtesy of www.hsbc.com]
CBI member HSBC recently expanded its presence in southwestern China by opening a new branch in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province.
Commenting on the launch of the new branch, Helen Wong, President and Chief Executive Officer of HSBC China, said, "Yunnan's unique geographic location makes it China's important gateway to ASEAN. Leveraging our comprehensive network and cross-border capabilities, the new Kunming branch will support domestic enterprises looking to capture business opportunities in the region."
ASEAN is China's third-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade volumes reaching $171.1 billion in the first half of 2011, up 25% over the same period last year.
HSBC currently has offices in the seven following ASEAN countries: Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Please read more here.
