China Direct

CBBC Great British Brands Festival in China 2015

 

The China-Britain Business Council (CBBC) Great British Brands Festival series of events focuses exclusively on selling U.K. products in China.

It provides an important opportunity for companies to showcase and sell their products to Chinese consumers in eight cities.

Following its success in Beijing, Chengdu, and Guangzhou in 2014, the festival is expanding across China, with eight events provisionally planned for 2015 in Chongqing (April), Changchun (May), Beijing (June), Changsha (July), Urumqi (August), Shenzhen (September), Chengdu (October), and Guangzhou (November).

There will also be opportunities to take part in associated events in Hangzhou, Qingdao, Shanghai, Wuhan, and other cities as part of CBBC’s retail-focused China Consumer programme.

Please read more here.

CBI Member Successes in China - Snapshot of Year of the The Horse

 

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.

Download CBI Beijing, Member Milestones in China, 2014

Foreign Office Minister Hugo Swire opens Wuhan British Consulate

 

U.K. Foreign Office Minister Hugo Swire launched the new British Consulate General in Wuhan, which will open there later this year as part of the U.K. government’s efforts to promote British business in China and to deepen the trading relationship between the two countries.

Speaking after the launch, Mr. Swire said, “I’m delighted to mark the opening of the first new British Consulate in China in 14 years. We have made a concerted effort to increase the number of staff we have in China, to increase the number of Mandarin speakers, and now to expand our network. This is important, long-term planning for the U.K.’s international future.

Wuhan itself currently has over 10,000 construction sites and will be opening a new underground line every year for the next five years. It is vital that Britain gives itself access to the major opportunities that are emerging in these rapidly growing cities and engages with the increasingly influential decision-makers who live within them.”

Please read more here.

CBI members KPMG & PwC open new offices across China

 

CBI member KPMG announced that China’s Ministry of Finance had approved the opening of three offices by KPMG Huazhen (Special General Partnership) in Chengdu, Xiamen, and Qingdao. Localisation has been one of the basic strategies of KPMG China’s operations. Please read more here.

 

CBI member PwC announced the opening of its Wuhan office, which will offer a total range of professional services to clients, not only financial reporting audit, internal controls audit, IPO audit, and other assurance services, but also tax consulting, risk management, M&A, and strategy consulting services. PwC has the clear goal of tapping Wuhan as a hub to accelerate the expansion of its business operations in central China. Please read more here.

GKN Driveline continues to expand in China

 

 

CBI member GKN recently announced that GKN Driveline is continuing to expand rapidly in China with the extension of a key manufacturing facility by Shanghai GKN Driveshaft Co. Ltd. (SDS).

With an investment of approximately £15 million, a new 11,000 square metre precision forge facility in Wuhan will produce high accuracy components for driveline systems, with an annual capacity of 11 million precision parts. The expansion, driven by customer demand, will mean more capacity and capability to support increasing demand from vehicle manufacturers.

Andy Reynolds Smith, CEO of GKN Automotive, said, "Vehicle manufacturers are continuing to expand across China, the world's largest vehicle market. The Wuhan plant is located close to customers in the centre of China. It will ensure we are ideally positioned to support the growth in the Chinese market with products produced locally, coupled with a high level of customer service, to further strengthen our customer support."

Please click here and here to read the full press release by GKN in English and Chinese, respectively.

 

 

Coming to a screen near you - Pinewood Studios announces major China expansion

CBI member Pinewood Shepperton recently announced that it has entered into a 50:50 joint venture agreement with Seven Stars Media Ltd., one of the largest and fastest growing media conglomerates in China.

The joint venture, to be called "Song Lin", initially will assess a number of business proposals in China's growing entertainment market. Under the terms of the joint venture, Pinewood will provide its expertise with limited capital investment.

The proposals include:

• Providing co-production opportunities for film and television producers

• The creation of film and television diploma courses to be delivered by U.K. educational institutions in Beijing, Tianjin, and four other cities

• Developing production financing and related services for Chinese film and television productions

• A series of film themed entertainment venues in Shanghai and regionally

• Creating film themed projects in Beijing, Shanghai, and Wuhan

U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron said, "It's great to see Pinewood Studios expanding its business with the announcement of its joint venture with Seven Stars Media. The creative industries are a rapidly growing area of China's economy and will increasingly provide huge opportunities for U.K. companies
competing in the global race.

Pinewood is leading the way, taking advantage of China's thriving entertainment and media sector and building on Britain and China's growing trade relationship."

Ivan Dunleavy, CEO of Pinewood, said, "The Chinese market for content is the fastest growing in the world and taking Pinewood's experience and skills to that market in partnership with such an established and successful local partner is a truly exciting prospect. The joint venture brings together two companies with significant experience and will provide a conduit for film and television productions to maximise their impact in China. The partnership with Seven Stars, under Bruno Wu's direction, represents a strategic step forward for Pinewood's international development. If successful, the joint venture could provide significant opportunities for U.K. film and television producers."

Bruno Wu, Chairman and CEO of Seven Stars, said, "Together with Pinewood, we have identified a significant number of business opportunities for the short, medium, and long term. The joint venture will aim to improve the standard of media production, create co-production opportunities for Chinese
producers, and export Chinese film and television content overseas.

Our local knowledge and scale combined with Pinewood's unique operational skills and
international reputation will enable our joint venture to participate in China's content explosion."

Please click here to read the full press release by Pinewood.

GKN breaks ground in Wuhan for new Driveshaft Facility

 

[Image courtesy of www.gkn.com]

In August, CBI member GKN broke ground on Shanghai GKN Driveshaft Co. Ltd. (SDS) Wuhan Plant II, marking another milestone in the strategy of SDS to expand its footprint across China.

Located in the Wuhan Economic and Technical Development Zone, Wuhan Plant II covers approximately 83,333 square metres, with a total investment of RMB 1 billion.

The facility is expected to launch production in June 2013, with an annual capacity of 11 million precision forging parts.

Please click here to read the full press release by GKN.

UK Company GKN performs strongly in China in Q3 of 2012

 

[Image courtesy of www.gkn.com]

CBI member GKN recently announced its results for 2011, reporting Group sales up £683 million to £6.1 billion, an underlying increase of 10%.

In China, GKN continued to perform strongly throughout the year, with GKN Driveline opening a new Constant Velocity Jointed (CVJ) Systems plant in Changchun and expanding production in Wuhan and GKN Driveline AWD Systems launching a power transfer unit (PTU) in the country.

In addition, GKN Sinter Metals achieved strong growth in China in 2011, and GKN Aerospace signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Commercial Aerospace of China (COMAC) to form a joint venture for the composite structures manufacture of the horizontal tailplane for the C919 aircraft.

Please click here to read GKN's full results for 2011.

2012 China Regional Cities Programme Q1

 

[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.

2012 UK Now - the UK's largest arts festival in China - dates for your diary

 

[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