Part 2 - AHK Greater China

Transcrição

CHAMBER NEWS
CHAMBER NOTICES
ALL CHINA
Kong with more than 120 professionals. After
graduation in Business Administration at the
University of Tübingen and doctorate at RuhrUniversity Bochum, Germany, Dr. Ketterer has
gained practical and profound experience in
professional aspects for more than 16 years. His
main focus lies in assurance (external and internal audit); prevention and forensic services,
assets and inventory management; business
consulting services including tax planning strategies and M&A projects.
Young Professionals Membership
The AHK is now offering a new kind of membership at its Beijing
and Shanghai offices: Young Professionals under the age of 30, without company affiliation, can enjoy all the benefits as an AHK member at a special rate. For more information go to:
http://china.ahk.de/en/chamber/shanghai/membership/member-types
AHK Chief Representative gets Honourary Award
Mr. Manfred Rothgänger, Delegate & Chief
Representative Delegation of German Industry
& Commerce Shanghai, has been awarded as
Honourary Professor from the Chien-Shiung Institute of Technoloy in Taicang. In 2007 the AHK
partnered with this institute and established the
AHK-Chien-Shiung Vocational Training Centre,
the first of its kind in China, to offer practical
vocational education for skilled workers, in line
with Germany’s dual system. Mr. Rothgänger
has played a substantial part in the development of this AHK vocational
training course as well as the adjustment of the academic and technical
study courses in the past four years.
BEIJING&TIANJIN
Get Ready for the German Ball Beijing 2010!
After the ball is before the ball: Preparations for the 10th German Ball on 13th
November 2010 at the Kempinski Hotel Beijing have begun. Get involved
now and support the event as a sponsor or partner. For more information
please contact Magdalena Kempa at [email protected]
SHANGHAI
Two New Heads for Controlling Workshops
Jens Peter Otto is an Assurance Partner of
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) based in
Shanghai, seconded from PwC Germany
since 2007. He leads the German Business
Group in PwC China, comprised of professionals in Assurance, Tax and Advisory
services. His professional qualifications include Wirtschaftspruefer (German CPA) and
Steuerberater (German licensed Tax Advisor).
His clients currently are subsidiaries and joint
ventures of European, in particular German,
multinational companies. Jens Peter also heads the China Business
Group in PwC Germany, supporting the German member-firm of PwC
in servicing Chinese companies, as well as servicing outbound investment from Germany into China. On a regular basis he gives lectures to
post-graduate students at Tongji University, Shanghai.
Dr. Thilo Ketterer, Wirtschaftsprüfer (German Public Auditor), has been
with Rödl & Partner, a leading German-based international audit, tax
and legal advisory firm, for more than six years in China. As Partner and
one of the Managing Directors in China he is in charge of assurance, outsourcing, tax advisory and business consulting services provided by Rödl
& Partner offices located in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Hong-
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August - September 2010
Ralph Dreher was leading the workshop from 2007 to date with extraordinary engagement and commitment. He enriched the German
Chamber community with his energetic, outgoing and open-minded
character. The German Chamber of Commerce is thankful for his
contributions and wish him all the best for his endeavours in Japan.
German Ball 2010 - Save the Date!
The 13th German Ball will be held on 27th November 2010 at the Grand
Hyatt Shanghai. Come and dance with us on the Orient Express.
Ticket sale starts late September. For further information please contact
Sebastian Zettelmeier:
' 021 5081-2266 ext. 1605 | * [email protected]
Join our XING Group!
GCC l Shanghai is paying tribute to web-savvy members and social
networking trends. Become a member of the newly founded ‘German
Chamber of Commerce in China - Shanghai Group’ to stay tuned on
the latest news and happenings in and around Shanghai. Meet and
interact with other members and systematically expand your virtual
network. All just a click away at www.xing.com/net/gccshanghai/
Speakers Wanted
Would you be interested in sharing your expertise with the community?
Do you have a topic which you are passionate about and would like
to present to business leaders in Shanghai? If so, you are welcome to
contact our workshop leaders directly or send your topic suggestions to
Jan Höpper at GCC l Shanghai. We are looking forward receiving your
suggestions, enabling us to offer even more interesting workshops in the
future. For further information please contact Jan Höpper:
' 021 5081-2266 ext. 1656 | * [email protected]
SOUTH CHINA
Oktoberfest 2010 in South China
This years’ signature social event in South China, the Oktoberfest, will
be held for the 6th consecutive time in Guangzhou in cooperation with
China Hotel, A Marriott Hotel in front of Jinhan Exhibition Center from
8th-12th October. The Oktoberfest in Shenzhen established since 2006
in cooperation with the Crown Plaza Hotel will be held from 4th-7th
November. The German Chamber of Commerce in South China is proud
to provide its members with original German festival atmosphere and
food & drinks in both cities and is guaranteeing lots of fun, dance, music
and entertainment. Sponsorship opportunities are available now!
Don't miss your chance, become a part of this truly German tradition
and share it with colleagues, guests and friend. For sponsorship inquiries
or further information, please contact Heidrun Buss:
' 020-8755 8203 | * [email protected]
2010 August - September
43
CHAMBER NEWS
ALL CHINA PAGES
Tapping into the Business Potential of
Chengdu and Chongqing
West China Workshops in Shanghai and Beijing
After a successful kick-off event with German company
representatives in Chengdu in May 2010 and several company visits
and discussions in Chengdu and Chongqing, the AHK South China
strived to inform the Headquarters in Shanghai and Beijing about
business potentials and strategies for further market development in
this region. For this purpose, the Chamber recently updated its 2008
study on western China in cooperation with the Germany Trade and
Invest (GTAI) and was therefore able to present the latest news and
developments to its audience. About 30 participants joined the West
China Workshop in Shanghai and Beijing respectively.
(from left) Mr. Erik Oortwijn, Mr. Dr. Roland Rohde, Ms. Alexandra Voss,
Ms. Jutta Ludwig, Mr. Dirk Lange, Ms. Astrid Schröter
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Great Western
Development Strategy (GWDS) launch, China’s first comprehensive
funding programme to improve the situation of its hinterland.
After a decade of regional development strategies, foreign invested
companies still hesitate to make the move westward. The lack of
qualified staff, modern infrastructure and professional government
support presented a serious challenge for investors and, to a certain
extent, still prevail today.
However, when taking a closer look at the last two to three years,
development in China has changed dramatically, especially in
Sichuan Province with the main centre of activity in Chengdu and
the municipality of Chongqing. The industrial cluster is becoming
attractive as a location for more and more foreign companies. 25% of
the RMB 4trn spending package on infrastructure and social welfare
were earmarked for earthquake affected areas in Sichuan province
in 2008. A big portion of the stimulus package to counter the effect of
the global financial crisis in 2009 is distributed to West China as well.
Moreover, with the collapse of the global demand for the coastal belt’s
export products, the Chinese government have been forced to refocus
on developing the domestic market and boosting private demand.
Paying tribute to this development,
under the umbrella of the German
Chamber Networks (AHK) the
Delegations of German Industry
& Commerce and the German
Chambers of Commerce in China
are expanding its activities in West
China, focussing on Chengdu and
Chongqing. With the support of
the German Federal Ministry of
Economics, the office in South
China has taken over the patronage
of all related activities in this
area since it’s the geographically
closest office and has been present
in Chengdu through a Liaison
Manager since late-2008.
44
Astrid Schröter presenting
The Chamber ’s new Chengdu Liaison Manager Ms. Astrid
Schröter started her presentation by stating some general facts and
characteristics of the two provinces Sichuan and Chongqing. Dr.
Roland Rohde, the author of the AHK-GTAI Western China Study
then presented key findings of the study, explaining that salaries,
rental fees and prices for electricity and water are lower than coastal
regions on average. However, companies should keep in mind the
additional logistics cost and overall supply chain challenges due to a
lack of experience of local transportation companies.
Afterwards, Ms. Schröter presented the ambitious infrastructure
projects in Sichuan and Chongqing with massive investments in
railways, roads, logistic centres, ports and airports. The Chongqing
Free Port shall expand its capacity to 102 container and bulk cargo
berths and a maximum annual capacity of 146mn tons by 2013.
The port will then be able to cater to a greater capacity than any
other inland port in China. Besides doubling the cargo capacity of
Chengdu’s Shangliu Airport in 2009 to 400,000t, the fourth biggest
air hub in China will be established in Jianyang airport north of
Chengdu with planned 2mn tons of annual cargo capacity upon
completion in 2015. Moreover, the Railway Bulk Logistics Centre
in Chengdu will become the biggest hub in Asia with 26.3mn tons
annual capacity by 2015. Subway construction and expansion of the
high speed train to Chongqing is also under way. Additionally, the
local government increases the quality of the power grid in order to
Dr. Rohde presenting the new
AHK-GTAI Westchina Survey
www.china.ahk.de
provide a stable supply of electricity.
Despite overall improvement of infrastructure and investment climate,
the Chinese central and local government offer specific tax advantages
or abatement of rents for foreign invested companies operating in a
promoted industry like automotive, chemical, logistics, hospitality,
water treatment, and IT and electronics (Chongqing only).
Currently, there are about 70 German companies situated in
Chengdu and 30 in Chongqing. The AHK South China invited
one company representative from each city to share individual
experiences and provide hands-on advice on the living and working
situation in Chongqing and Chengdu. Mr. Dirk Lange from Duravit
(China) Sanitaryware Co. Ltd. explained the challenges for his
logistics operations since the companies products are big, bulky,
easy to break and need to be timely transported to the customers
that are mainly located in coastal areas. He also dismantled some of
the Shanghai and Beijing audience’s prejudices about Chongqing.
In Beijing, Mr. Erik Oortwijn of Balluff Sensors (Chengdu) Co.
Ltd. shared insights about his personal and professional decisions
to move to Chengdu, and the positive experience with local
government and employees. He could especially share facts about
the educational situation and living conditions for families, having
a wife and two kids of his own.
When asked for their evaluation of the region’s future development,
both Mr. Lange and Mr. Oortwijn agreed that Chengdu as well as
Chongqing will be dynamic markets and great locations for catering
to domestic demand. However, the region will certainly not overtake
the development level of coastal regions, but might come very close.
difficulties, differences and advantages of running a business in
West China. With experience at his factory in Chongqing, Mr. Lange
responded: “Its adventurous and you need China experience, but
then you could have great success in this ambitious region of China.”
We thank Mr. Lange and Mr. Oortwijn for their contribution to
our Western China Workshop and for discussing and sharing their
personal perspectives openly with the audience. HB
Event: Westchina Workshop – Business potentials and strategies for
market development in Sichuan and Chongqing
Dates: 22nd June 2010 in Shanghai and 24th June 2010 in Beijing
Venues: Sofitel Hyland Shanghai and Kempinski Hotel Lufthansa
Center Beijing
Speakers: Ms. Astrid Schröter | Chengdu Liaison Manager;
Dr. Roland Rohde | Delegate for Hong Kong, South and West
China, Germany Trade & Invest GmbH
West China Representatives: Mr. Dirk Lange | Managing Director,
Duravit (China) Sanitaryware Co. Ltd; Mr. Erik Oortwijn | General
Manager, Balluff Sensors (Chengdu) Co. Ltd.
Chair: Ms. Alexandra Voss | Delegate & Chief Representative |
Delegation of German Industry & Commerce Guangzhou
The AHK-GTAI West China Study 2010 will be available from
August 2010 via [email protected] or www.gtai.de
In closing remarks at the Shanghai event, Dr. Rohde inquired about
45
CHAMBER NEWS
BEIJING PAGES
GCC BOARD
Growing Fields
Market Research
Daimler AG
Executive Vice President
Daimler Northeast Asia Ltd.
Chairman & CEO
Mr. Ulrich Walker
German Chamber Beijing
Executive Director
Delegation of German Industry &
Commerce Beijing
Delegate & Chief Representative
Ms. Jutta Ludwig*
KPMG Huazhen Certified Public
Accountants
Partner Audit
Mr. Andreas Feege
Treasurer
Lufthansa German Airlines
General Manager Beijing, Chief
Representative
Ms. Martina Grönegres
Deutsche Bank (China) Co. Ltd.
Director, Head of Corporate Banking
Coverage, China
Mr. Eddy Henning
Volkswagen (China)
Investment Co. Ltd.
Executive Vice President,
Finance Department
Dr. Jörg Mull
Giesecke & Devrient (China)
Information Technologies Co. Ltd.
Managing Director
Dr. Roland Savoy
TUI China Travel Co. Ltd.
CEO
BEIJING
Mr. Marcel Schneider
GMH – Holding China
Chief Representative
Mr. Jöran F. Treppschuh
* All-China Board member
46
After a year of planning, Executive Chamber
Manager Katja Sassi-Bucsit was finally able
to welcome Prof. Dr. Schellhase to the German Chamber on his most recent visit to the
Middle Kingdom. Traveling from Germany
three to four times a year, this time he was accompanied by a group of 23 students from his
academic base, the University of Applied Sciences in Darmstadt, and on his way to Xi’an,
where he also teaches. A Marketing expert
and authority in his home country, he lectures,
publishes, consults and presides in numerous
academies, journals, businesses and marketing
societies – but conducting market research in
China, he said, was an entirely new territory.
Dr. Shellhase’s presentation detailed the research project and related study he had conducted between 2005 and 2008 among German companies in China. This initial research
was initiated by a worldwide customer satisfaction survey for a German machinery producer. His exploration of B2B market research
activities of German companies in China,
and how the intensity of market research
impacted their target achievements, took him
on a journey – including many taxi rides, he
pointed out – between North and East China
for personal interviews with 69 top level
managers and CEOs of German companies.
companies and offered recommendations for
a culturally and circumstancially sensitive approach of the Chinese consumer in customer
satisfaction surveys.
While on the German side, market research
companies failed to impress their German
clients exploring the Chinese market simply
because they tried to do their work from a distance without any local references whatsoever,
the participants agreed that on the Chinese
side, companies still greatly lacked awareness
of this effective tool and often moved around
blindly in a ’goldrush environment’. Although
market research was gradually establishing
itself in the B2C segments, the B2B field still
provided a large uncharted market in itself for
market research service providers in China
with plenty of growing ground to benefit from.
However, the professor had not come to lecture.
Encouraging a lively dialogue with the expert audience members, Dr. Shellhase’s qualitative and
quantitative study findings were complemented
and expanded by the participants’ experiences
and observations. The professional exchange
concluded that although the extent of market
research greatly depended on the market entry
strategy and there was a measurable positive
correlation between a high intensity of market
research activities and high target achievements,
China still provided challenging grounds.
The accessibility of market information, particularly in highly specialised fields, was still subject to countless barriers, and the problematics
of obtaining current and reliable figures from
quality sources were evident. Not available to
everyone and sometimes available for a fee,
statistics struggle to even remotely represent
the geographic, demographic, social and commercial vastness of the country. Industry and
trade associations or clubs were pointed out
as one promising contact point. One audience
member related from personal experience that
surveys conducted through foreign companies
must be officially registered. Further discussion lobbied for the need to register foreign
Prof. Dr. Schellhase
Event: Market Research in China – A
Challenge for German Companies
Date: 13th May 2010
S p e a k e r : P r o f . D r. S c h e l l h a s e |
Professor of Marketing at the Darmstadt
University of Applied Sciences,
Chairman of the academic advisor y
board of Prof. Schellhase Consulting Ltd.
www.china.ahk.de
People Programs
HR Roundtable
Mr. Adam Livermore (left) and Mr. Michael Maeder (right)
Following the successfull series of
workshops about mandatory benefits
and payroll processing held across China
by Dezan Shira & Associates, the Beijing
Chamber organised the same workshop
focusing on risk and efficiency management
of small and medium-sized enterprises
operating in China. Michael Maeder of
Direct HR presented the major challenges
in the recruitment process and provided
tools on how to involve compensation
in the four recruitment stages: profiling,
candidate identification, selection and onboarding. Adam Livermore of Dezan Shira
& Associates covered the management of
mandatory benefits and payroll processing.
ment to a candidate who requires mandatory
benefit contributions. Usually, the cap for
contributions is 300% of the city’s 'average
social salary,' though the system varies in
each city. Also, housing fund administration
is complex, so companies and employees
should agree on a precise method of payment
and proportions before employment.
Payroll management is a concern for all
companies, as ensuring that payrolls are
processed correctly and efficiently is critical.
Many have considered outsourcing their
payroll processing due to its many benefits,
including increased transparency and
control, increased confidentiality of payroll
information, as well as greater accuracy
and efficiency. China’s mandatory benefit
administration is complicated as it includes
pension, medical insurance, unemployment,
maternity, work injury and housing funds,
all of which are dependent on local and
national laws. Due to the complicated
nature of these laws, companies find that
outsourcing payroll management is a more
efficient and accurate solution.
Another important topic Mr. Livermore
c o v e re d w a s t h e u s e o f s e c o n d m e n t
contracts, which are contracts between
employers and human resources agents who
hire out employees. Compared to direct
employment, secondment contracts can be
worthwhile to the ultimate employer, but
only if the terms of the service contract are
appropriate. However, smaller companies
are usually unable to negotiate favorable
terms. It is important for companies in
China to understand the key aspects of
these contracts as some of the terms may
affect your business. For example, if an
employee is dismissed in the absence of
misconduct evidence, the employer may be
obligated to pay the employee’s salary until
the end of the term (minimum two years);
in cases with open-ended term agreements,
that may be until retirement. Furthermore,
secondment contracts should only be used
for 'non-core' staff—temporary, substitute
and auxiliary job positions. Lastly, the use
of secondment contracts leads to high staff
turnover, which can be inefficient and costly.
When considering mandatory benefits, employers should check before offering employ-
For SMEs it can be cheaper, more efficient
and less risky to enter into direct labour
contracts, while outsourcing mandatory
benefit management and payroll processing
to a specialist company.
Event: HR Roundtable: Manage Risk and
Improve Efficiency in your People Program
Date: 23rd June 2010
Speakers: Adam Livermore | Regional
Manager, Dalian Office - Dezan Shira &
Associates | Michael Maeder | Account
Manager – Direct HR
Event: HR Workshops: Mandatory Benefits,
Compensation and Payroll Processing
Date: 1st June 2010 in Shanghai, 2nd June
2010 in Hangzhou and 3rd June 2010 in
Suzhou
Speakers: Mr. Adam Livermore | Payroll
Department Manager, Dezan Shira &
Associates; Mr. Michael Maeder | Account
Manager, Direct HR
Chairs: Mr. Rolf Koehler | General
Manager, Freudenberg Management; Mr.
Sebastian Wegener | Regional Manager
Jiangsu & Zhejiang Province, German
Chamber of Commerce l Shanghai
47
CHAMBER NEWS
BEIJING PAGES
Sustaining Shores
Production and R&D Relocation
What happens in China does not always stay
in China – Dr. Steffen Kinkel from the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation
Research in Karlsruhe feared no repercussions for making a point out of that. After
all, his objective was to examine the underlying trends, patterns, motives and strategies
of German direct investments in China in
connection with production and R&D relocations, and to deliver a set of factors allowing
German companies to successfully stay in
China. Through economic periods of heavy
swells and ebbing tides on the offshoring
movement, the diametric phenomenon of
backshoring remains under rug swept – but
with every fourth or fifth relocation decision
being fully or partially reversed within two
to four years and one backshoring occuring
per every five relocating companies, it is for
the first time at a relevant level in connection
with offshoring to China.
On the map he outlined both production
and R&D sustainability for success in China,
Kinkel also pinpointed clear landing stages
on the way: a thorough definition and execution of the strategic role and goal of the new
site, the management of qualitative measures as quality standards, reliable processes,
the innovation ability and the flexibility in
the fulfillment of customer demands. Urging
companies to seize their local sourcing potential to the fullest, he advocated in-depth
knowledge of local supply chains and ongoing efforts towards the integration into local
value chains. He also emphasised the development of scenarios and monitoring of early
indicators in preparation for dynamic local
48
changes in combination with a Plan B and
Plan C if local dynamics did not turn out
as expected. As a further risk management
strategy, he recommended the continuous
supervision and coordination of innovation
and know-how protection measures.
Particularly the highly relevant case of integration into local supply chains stirred
the gathered expert audience representing
a variety of industries. An animated discussion touched on concerns and experiences
in this matter. With positive recounts of this
time and cost-consuming process involving
a great deal of justification, demonstration
and convincing of the company home base
and management in Germany, the consensus was that this path was one success factor that was essential to pursue. Old business and industry China hands perceived
the skepticism, hesitation and resistance
received from the German side as major
stumbling blocks to their personal localisation campaigns.
Dr. Ulrike Tagscherer, Associate Professor
at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, offered
her perspective: “The topic of production
and R&D relocation is of a particularly captivating political matter as it almost automatically raises concern about job losses in Germany. Relocations abroad and specifically to
China generate even more of an outcry; there
is an immense fear of innovation potential
and power loss in the home country. The
studies we have conducted in our Institute
in cooperation with the industries however
statistically refute any basis for these fears
– quite the contrary: the relocation of R&D
activities also contributes to and strengthens
home. Of course, there are always individual
cases of opposing examples, but the sum of
these location shifts clearly conveys an overall positive experience.”
Event: Success Factors for Sustaining
Production and R&D in China – Perspectives
for German Companies
Date: 8th June 2010
Speaker: Dr. rer. pol. Steffen Kinkel|
Head of Department Industry and Services
Innovations, Fraunhofer Institute for Systems
and Innovation Research (ISI), Karslruhe
Chair: Katja Sassi-Bucsit | Executive
Chamber Manager of * GCC Beijing
Hanna Böhme | Managing Director,
German Centre for Industry and Trade
Beijing
www.china.ahk.de
Hessen Meets Tianjin
A New Chapter of Regional Sino-German Business Cooperation
During his China visit at the end of June,
Hessen State Secretary Mr. Steffen Saebisch
also made a two-day stopover in Tianjin.
Accompanied by a delegation of the Hessen
State Ministry of Economy, Transportation
and Urban Development, members of the
Hessen State Parliament and a group of
entrepreneurs, the delegation’s focus of
attention was a trilateral agreement for the
extension of the ongoing Financial Sector
Development Programme between the two
countries.
The three parties involved were the Tianjin
municipality represented by Vice Mayor
Mr. Cui Jindu, the German Technical
Cooperation represented by Mr. Immanuel
Gebhardt, and the German Federal Ministry
for Economic Cooperation and Development
represented by Mr. Steffen Saebisch. The
Tianjin Assembly Hall serving as the
perfect backdrop for this indicatory signing
ceremony, a new chapter in the already
successful cooperation between Germany
and China was opened.
To reinforce the business relations on both
sides and proactively strengthen the fruitful
cooperation between Germany and China
in the financial sector, the delegation further
met and held talks with representatives
and officials of the Tianjin Property Rights
Exchange and Tianjin Innovative Finance
Investment Co. Ltd. At an excursion to the
Tianjin Yu Jia Pu Financial District and the
Tianjin Equity Exchange, the delegation was
visibly impressed by the sheer enormity of
the concept and Tianjin’s ambitions to secure
its spot as a major financial hub in northern
China.
Event: Hessen State Delegation in Tianjin
Date: 9th–10th June 2010
NEW MEMBERS
BEIJING & TIANJIN
Mr. Changyi Zhang
Schmitz GmbH Beijing Office
' 010 6788 - 9286
* [email protected]
Mr. Bernd Siegel
CFO&MD
Fuchs Lubricants (Yingkou), Ltd.
' 021 3912 - 2088
* [email protected]
Mr. Dong Liu
CEO
Toennies Food Trading (Beijing)
Co., Ltd.
' 010 1391 – 0155 - 808
* [email protected]
www.toennies.cn
Mr. Peijian Chen
President & CEO
Schenck Process (Tianjin)
Industrial Technology Co., Ltd.
' 010 6481 - 7880
* peijian.chen@
schenckprocess.com.cn
Ms. Dongmei Chen
Head of Controlling Asia
Continental Automotive
Corporation (LYG) CD.,
Ltd Changchun Branch
' 0431 8468 - 4836
* [email protected]
Mr. Johannes Mueller-Diesing
ChinaContact
' 010 6590 - 6912
* [email protected]
www.owc.de
Dr. Kirk Mildner
' 010 8527 - 5171
* [email protected]
TIANJIN
Mr. Thomas Nothdurft
Zollern (Tianjin) Machinery
Co., Ltd.
' 022 6623 - 1860
* thomas.nothdurft@
zollern.cn
For full contact information and company profiles of our new and existing members
please visit www.german-company-directory.com
49
CHAMBER NEWS
Focus On IP
TIANJIN PAGES
Intellectual Property Rights Seminar
With regard to China’s increasing competence
and relevance in R&D and Hi-Tech Industry,
the global management of intellectual
p ro p e r t y i s b e c o m i n g a n i n c re a s i n g
concern. By implementing a professional IP
management strategy, western companies
can considerably improve their competitive
position and reach a higher added value in
the Chinese markets.
also have the authority to protect the IPR
of European companies by confiscating
infringing goods and imposing fines on
infringers. Many China-based companies
are, however, not aware of this practice,
and decision makers do not know how
to cooperate with Chinese Customs or
appropriate authorities on the protection of
their IP rights.
Generally and technically speaking, China’s
customs regulations ban the import or export
from or to China of goods that infringe
Intellectual Property Rights. China Customs
To provide practical answers to European
SMEs the German Chamber of Commerce
in Tianjin, the EU-funded China IPR SME
Helpdesk and the Tianjin chapter of the
The German Connection
Event: How to protect your intellectual
property through China customs
Date: 20th May 2010
Speakers: Mr. David Pho | Events and
Communications Manager, China IPR SME
Helpdesk; Ms. Mai Lin | Associate, Rouse
LLP Shanghai
German Night at Drei Kronen 1308 Bierhaus
The General Managers of German companies,
business corporations and organisations in
Tianjin are already familiar with each other
– however the staff from one company are
typically unfamiliar with their counterparts
at other companies doing business in the
same industry sector. Therefore German
Chamber in Tianjin brought together HR,
Sales, Project Managers and Assistants from
all over the Beijing-Tianjin region to join in a
social evening with German food and beer.
50
European Union Chamber of Commerce
invited China Customs experts to meet and
discuss the topic based on real-life cases.
A programme including live music, lucky
draw and lots of giveaways and the tranquil
atmosphere of the Drei Kronen Biergarten
along the Haihe-River contributed to making
a truly great evening.
Event: German Night at Drei Kronen Tianjin
- Networking Abend im Biergarten
Date: 18th May 2010
www.china.ahk.de
51
CHAMBER NEWS
BEIJING AROUND TOWN
Networking
Two Inter-Chamber networking events provided a good reason to
connect before the summer holidays – while the weather did not
honour what was supposed to be a ‘Summer’ Networking Evening
and the event had to be relocated inside the Swissôtel Atrium,
the sky was the limit and a rolling green lawn set the stage at the
subsequent European Networking Night. The elegant Purple Jade
Country Club provided a charming atmosphere for a leisurely gettogether on a warm summer night that left most wondering, “Are
you sure this is Beijing and not New York or St. Tropez?”
52
TIANJIN AROUND TOWN
www.china.ahk.de
JOOP! Living
Prêt–à–habiter: JOOP! Living Store Opening at Easy Home Mall
on 21st May with Kristian Markus, CEO of JOOP! Living, and
Pierre Tsalkas of Hüpeden & Co. KG, Hamburg.
World Cup Excitement
This is a tribute to the loyal, hard-working AHK Football Fan Team
– no efforts or consequences deterred the loyal supporters of Jogi
Löw’s army, even at 2.30 am on a workday.
© J. Michel Byrne
53
CHAMBER NEWS
SHANGHAI PAGES
GCC BOARD
Lufthansa German Airlines
Managing Director Greater China
Post Crisis China Analysis
GC Roundtable
Mr. Arved von zur Mühlen*
Chairman
SGL Carbon Far East Ltd.
Managing Director
Dr. Günter Hermann
Vice Chairman
Deutsche Bank (China) Co., Ltd.
Director – Head of Corporate
Banking and Coverage, MNC
Mr. Andreas Odrian
Treasurer
German Chamber Shanghai
Executive Director
Commerce Shanghai
Mr. Manfred Rothgänger*
Ernst & Young (China) Advisory Ltd.
Partner and Head of GBC China
Mr. Titus Freiherr von dem Bongart
ProConTra Ltd.
Chairman & Managing Director
Mr. Thomas Dorn
Nokia Siemens Networks
(Shanghai) Ltd.
President & CEO
SHANGHAI
Dr. Fan Zhijian
POLYMAX (Shanghai)
Trading Co., Ltd.
Chairman of the Board
Mr. Ulrich Mäder
Management Engineers China Ltd.
Managing Director
Ms. Brigitte Wolff
54
From left: Mr. Frank Hollmann, Prof. Rolf Cremer, Mr. Ulrich Mäder, Mr. Jochen Homann and Mr. Manfred Rothgänger
On the occasion of the visit of former German
Prime Minister Horst Köhler to Shanghai,
his economic delegation joined the German
Chamber Roundtable in May to discuss recent
issues of economic policies. German managers
working in China exchanged their views with
the delegation, who are also involved in foreign
trade issues in Berlin.
Secretary of State Mr. Jochen Homann
provided insights into the delegation’s China
visit as well as hot topics in Berlin. Focusing
on consequences of the economic crisis,
Mr. Homann relayed some preventative
measures and elaborated on China’s role in
relation to Germany and the world. During
the crisis, China revealed itself as one of
the strongest nations that will undoubtedly
continue further growth in the future. In
the mean time, the German government has
enhanced talks on intensifying co-operations
with the Chinese economy.
Although recent developments, especially
regarding the unemployment rate, have
been quite positive, Mr. Homann still sees
a lot of macro-economic risks. For example,
there is a concern of increasing debt-burden
of European countries. However, further
analytical exploration of the situation is
inevitable and required to develop future
contingency plans. Mr. Homann sees a gap
between some managerial and company
risks and liabilities, which has lead to
extreme excesses in the markets.
Causes of the crisis, reactive measures and
the recent Euro-depreciation were also discussed, yet opportunities of the Chinese
markets were of central interest. The consensus was that there is great potential in the
Chinese market, but also tough competition
with local players. Chinese innovation, how-
ever, is a potential threat to Germany as an
innovation centre.
China’s development has two vital tendencies:
sustainable resources and energy management
in booming cities. There may be great
opportunities for German companies in these
fields since they are well known for high-tech
expertise, but the development of Chinese
companies and solutions is also accelerating.
Prof. Rolf Cremer contributes to the discussion
Speaker Mr. Jochen Homann
Event: GC Roundtable
Date: 20th May 2010
Speaker: Mr. Jochen Homann | State
Secretary, Federal Ministry of Economics and
Technology
Moderator: Mr. Frank Hollmann | China
Correspondent
Chair: Mr. Manfred Rothgänger | Delegate &
Chief Representative, Delegation of German
Industry and Commerce in Shanghai
www.china.ahk.de
Liability Risks for Decision
Hangzhou Special
Makers
The Hangzhou Special in May had a specific focus on similarities
and differences in management and supervision structures in
Wholly Foreign Owned Enterprises (WFOEs) and Joint Ventures
(JVs) in China. Attorney at Law, Mr. Philipp Senff of SJ Berwin LLP
Shanghai, came to speak to this occasion. His presentation began
by defining roles of key decision makers in a company such as the
General Manager and Board of Directors and then covered the terms
and situations in which each party may be held accountable.
Some organisational aspects of companies can have an impact on
the person’s liability for legal breaches. For example, a WFOE is
the sole type of organisation with a Board of Shareholders (BoS) as
the highest decision making body. Some examples of the power of
the BoS include the appointment of the Members of the Board of
Directors (BoD) and Board of Supervisors, the approval of reports of
the BoD, the approval of the company’s proposed annual financial
budgets and final accounts and the change of legal documentation.
Contrary to the WFOE structure, an Equity Joint Venture (EJV)/
Cooperative Joint Venture (CJV) has a BoD that is appointed by
its shareholders and acts as the highest decision making body of a
Research Joint Venture (RJV)/CJV. A main task of the BoD in this
structure is to issue resolutions, which are then executed by the
General Manager. Articles of Association may specify the power of
the BoD in both legal forms.
In the second part of his presentation, Mr. Senff focused on the
obligations of management and the Board of Directors, stating
that the main problem in China is that general obligations and
compliance with PRC laws are often situated in a grey area and
uphold a lack of transparency.
A difference between liability risks under company law,
administrative liability risks under civil law and liability risks under
criminal law must be distinguished. The legal basis for these risks
can be found under article 149, 150 and 153 of the PRC Company
Law, which states that all BoD members and Senior Officers are
liable in these cases. The main requirements for a liability case are
a breach of duty through the violation of PRC law, administrative
regulations, or Article of Association.
The main requirements for administrative liabilities are illegal
activities of the legal representative, such as the conduct of business
beyond business scope, fraud against authority or unauthorised
withdrawing of funds from the company. The legal consequences
depend on the form of liabilities and can be an admonition, fine,
confiscation of property or custody up to 15 days.
Event: Liability risks of the management and
the Board of Directors in China
Date: 11th May 2010
Speaker: Mr. Philipp Senff | German Attorney at Law, SJ Berwin LLP
Shanghai
Chair: Mr. Sebastian Wegener | Regional Manager Jiangsu &
Zhejiang Province, German Chamber of Commerce in China
l Shanghai
Enviro-Techno Trade Fair
econet china participates in IFAT CHINA +
EPTEE + CWS 2010
Dr. Fritz Holzwarth, Deputy Director General for the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety speaking at the ‘Energy Efficiency in Water
Supply and Wastewater Treatment’ workshop at the IFAT CHINA + EPTEE + CWS 2010
Germany was well represented at the International Trade Fair for
Water, Sewage, Refuse, Recycling and Natural Energy Resources
(IFAT CHINA + EPTEE + CWS 2010), as the only non-Asian
country of the top five visitor regions among 84 other nations.
Messe München International (MMI), the organiser of IFAT
CHINA, and Shanghai ZM International Exhibition Co. Ltd, the
organiser of China EPTEE + CWS, are credited for this astounding
collaboration that yielded the biggest environmental technology
trade fair in Shanghai.
IFAT CHINA’s prominent international profile and EPTEE +
CWS’ domestic importance complimented each other as 7,000
guests attended the event and took part in the many prestigious
workshops, conferences and exhibitions that were featured.
There was a strong demand for exhibition space at the event, yet
all 839 participating companies managed to comfortably establish
their presence in the Shanghai New International Expo Centre
(SNIEC) – including a booth from the German Chamber’s econet
department that attracted a steady flow of inquisitive visitors over
the three days.
The German Chamber’s econet also participated in a workshop
to elaborate on possible measures for realising higher energy
efficiency standards in China's water supply and waste water
sector, titled ‘Energy Efficiency in Water Supply and Wastewater
Treatment’. The workshop was organised by the German Federal
Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear
Safety and featured presentations by several influential company
representatives in the respective industry.
During the workshop experts from Germany and China offered
a firsthand look at state of the art energy-saving technologies in
waste water treatment and water supply, while giving practical
examples from Germany and China and drawing comparisons
between the two countries. Specific key technologies like cuttingedge aeration control systems were also introduced, and their
potentials and lifecycle costs were analysed.
Event: IFAT CHINA + EPTEE + CWS 2010
Date: 5th-7th May 2010
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CHAMBER NEWS
SHANGHAI PAGES
A Bridge to China
Dinner with the Delegation of Atlantik-Brücke
The Board of the German Chamber of Commerce
in Shanghai recently welcomed a delegation
of 20 members from Atlantik-Brücke (Atlantic
Bridge), a transatlantic institution established
from decision makers of various fields as well as
high ranking politicians. Former Finance Minister
of Lower Saxony, Dr. Walther Leisler Kiep, who
is also the Honorary Chairman and Chairman
Emeritus of Atlantik-Brücke, led the delegation on
its twelfth trip to China.
Due to the diversity of the participants the
evening brought forth a very lively discussion
between the Chamber Board and the delegation members. Focus was put on the further
development of German companies in China
as well as what China already means to the
world. Dr. Leisler Kiep remarked that each trip
of Atlantik-Brücke to China is different since
the country changes and develops so quickly.
Atlantik-Brücke is located in Germany and
mainly aims to promote a better cultural
understanding between Germany and the
USA. Next to the organisation of seminars,
conferences and others, Atlantik-Brücke also
conducts several study trips to other countries,
guided by its Executive Vice-Chairman Dr. Beate
Lindemann.
Delegation members and guests
Event: Dinner Reception
Date: 17th May 2010
Speaker: Dr. Walther Leisler Kiep | Honorary
Chairman and Chairman Emeritus, AtlantikBrücke e.V.
Dr. Leisler Kiep
Better Communication, More Sales
Kunshan Roundtable
During the latest Kunshan Roundtable
participants talked about the topic
‘Communication with Headquarters in
Germany’. The discussion concluded that in
most cases a company’s global sales strategy
lacks the integration of Chinese market
knowledge, which is a result of insufficient
and poor communication between colleagues
located at the headquarters and those based
in China. The participants pointed out that
an adaptation of global sales strategies to the
local demands would bring forth a profound
successful strategy, more achievable goals
and higher sale revenues.
Further conversation steered towards strategy
planning and it was noted that headquarters
are often more lenient when the results are
achieved. However, each experience deviates
from one another. Companies that are in hand
with Private Equity Societies require more
complex reporting and attendants deemed that
further alignment with headquarters must be
developed in this respect. This may assist with
comparative analysis of company figures to
help determine the strong points and areas of
improvement for each company.
56
Chair: Mr. Arved von zur Mühlen, Chairman
of the German Chamber of Commerce in
China l Shanghai
Joint Chamber
Trade Fair
The pursuit of one common goal enables
parties to be formed, therefore the highest
priority in this respect is to make the
problem transparent and assign tasks to
a group so it may be relieved. A candid
relationship with the German colleagues at
headquarters must serve as the foundation
for this consolidation.
Over 50 companies from different industries
seized the opportunity to present themselves
to spectators at the Joint Chamber Trade
Fair held at the Shanghai Centre on 24th May
2010. The German Chamber of Commerce
in Shanghai along with six other chambers
from different European countries organised
this special exhibition together.
Participants also mentioned that it is vital to
develop recognition of informal networks
within the principal firm, as important
decisions are often collectively made. Each
case is dependent on the persons involved,
but will progress through honest and direct
communication.
The idea behind it was that members of
each chamber and other participants had
the chance to meet each other during one
day. Hence personal conversations and
networking opportunities took place to
deepen existing relationships and create
new ties. The German Chamber is already
looking forward to the next Joint Chamber
Trade Fair with prospects of making it
even more exciting and rewarding for both
exhibitors and guests.
Event: Kunshan Roundtable
Date: 25th May 2010
Chair: Mr. Sebastian Wegener | Regional
Manager Jiangsu & Zhejiang Province,
German Chamber of Commerce in China
l Shanghai
Event: Joint Chamber Trade Fair
Date: 24th May 2010
Germany’s Image
Workshop Construction
The AHK had the honour to welcome renowned Professor Albert
Speer as the speaker of the construction workshop held in front of
a crowded audience in its premises in late May. The focus of his
presentation was Shanghai and the World Expo, both of which Prof.
Speer approached with familiarity and confidence. Being involved
in preparations of the 2000 World Expo in Hannover, he was able to
consult with the frequent Chinese visitors who sought his assistance
with planning the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.
Professor Speer informed the listeners that the Shanghai World Expo
was originally to be held in the outskirts of the city to prevent impact
on existing development, but further consultation determined that it
was much better to have the grounds in Pudong’s High Technology
Park. This resulted in its transformation from an old run-down part
of Shanghai into a dense and sustainable urban development that
will last for centuries. Prof. Speer observed during his recent visit to
the Expo that China’s great improvement in design is shown through
its gardens and trees, the new Bund and the auto tunnel, noting that
the quality of design in these areas are of world class.
Then speaking of the German side of construction, he said there are
chances and risks for companies in all fields, but Germans around the
world have a positive image in many aspects: they are reliable, technology savvy and relatively easy to work with. These aspects should
be used as a resource, but mostly Germans are not using them to their
advantage. They are not doing enough to concentrate their efforts and
political separations, which is a large contributor to the problem.
As a final Expo remark, Prof. Speer mentioned that the Urban Planet
was also German-made to a large extent and encouraged the participants to visit the site to see what has already been done and what
will be done. The project is a product of German firms, sponsors, and
knowledge and is truly something to be proud of.
He also spoke about two large scale multi-function sustainable construction initiatives that were not realised because of technical, legal,
and distribution differences. This lead to his concern of cooperation
between companies that are attempting to realise a multi-function
project, but fail to succeed due to an inability to work together.
The discussion then turned to a focus on the new DGNB (German
Sustainable Building Council), and Prof. Speer expressed that the
current US counterpart, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), is lacking the sophistication to cover all areas of
sustainable development. However, LEED has now been functioning worldwide for 20 years while Germany has been working for 20
years to develop a system too. It is now so complex that no one is
adopting it except for a few business buildings. Yet, even though it
is too complicated to be implemented in China, it should still have
long-term benefits.
Event: Germany’s Position for Sustainable Solutions in China
Date: 25th May 2010
Speaker: Prof. Albert Speer | Albert Speer & Partner GmbH (AS&P)
Chair: Ms. Magali Menant | Head of Department Building, Energy and
Environment, econet china
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CHAMBER NEWS
SHANGHAI PAGES
Germany and China – Moving ahead together
Chamber Meeting May
At the May Chamber Meeting Dr. Wolfgang
Roehr, Director of the task force ‘Germany and
China’ at the German Foreign Office, presented
the project ‘Germany and China – Moving ahead
together’, an initiative by the Foreign Office in
cooperation with the Goethe Institute, the AsiaPacific Committee of German Business and the
Marketing für Deutschland GmbH, along with
support from Allianz, BASF, Daimler, Deutsche
Bank, DHL and Siemens. The project was held
under the joint patronage of Germany’s former
Federal President Horst Köhler and China’s President Hu Jintao.
Dr. Roehr indulged the attendees with the
project's aspirations, accomplishments and future
implications of this three-year event series. With
the goal of using mutual understanding as a
tool for successful Sino-German cooperation,
Dr. Roehr explained how the extensive event
series has also helped to strengthen the image of
Germany as a future-oriented, innovative country.
His mesmerizing speech led to a very lively
discussion between Dr. Roehr and the audience.
The central theme of the three-year event was
sustainable urbanisation, especially for China considering its rapid development instigates major
social, economic, environmental and cultural challenges. Therefore the project required a broad time
frame to allow more than 600 events to take place
in various regions and cities across China.
Are You Covered?
Expatriates who plan to stay on a long-term
basis in China should think about being
adequately insured. Dipl.-Kfm. Werner John
of Expatriates Insurance Consulting came to
elaborate on Insurance for Expats during a
two-day event series in Shanghai and Suzhou
to the avail of a great number of participants.
Most expats have little or no knowledge of
insurance coverage in countries they are sent
to. The company’s headquarters in Germany
often dismisses to conduct or provide a necessary risk assessment to its employee prior to
his/her assignment abroad. This leaves room
for vulnerability due to negligence and helplessness.
During the seminar, Mr. John gave the
participants useful advice about social
insurance security, health insurance, longterm care insurance, employer ’s mutual
insurance associations, accident insurance
and disability coverage. One of the main
issues discussed was how to minimise the risk
of incurring medical expenses by carefully
58
Dr. Wolfgang Roehr
Event: Chamber Meeting
Date: 25th May 2010
Speaker: Dr. Wolfgang Roehr, Director of
the task force ‘Germany and China’ at the
German Foreign Office
Dr. Thomas Awe, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung
Chair: Mr. Arved von zur Mühlen
Lufthansa German Airlines, Chairman of
the Board German Chamber of Commerce
China l Shanghai
Insurance Seminar
reading policy information. Certain specifics
to watch for in a health insurance policy are
the coverage of return transport to Germany
in urgent cases, accident coverage for the
employee and family members. Furthermore
there are differences between an expatriate
contract, which requires the employee to
contribute to social insurance in Germany,
and a local contract where adequate private
insurance is needed.
In general, it is advisable for expats who
are working in China to have foreign health
insurance, a contingent right of the German
health insurance and nursing insurance, accident coverage and disability insurance. In
addition, Mr. John advises to have a good
retirement provision, casualty insurance and
good provision for dependants if necessary.
Legal protection insurance and household
insurance are less important in China.
Mr. John has been an insurance agent since
1975 and has over 20 years of China experience. He has profound experience in assisting
companies, individuals and other organisations such as the German Chamber of Commerce in China. Mr. John is willing to support
anyone in need of proper insurance and can
consult explicitly in regards to closing insurance contracts, risks, and specifics for your
livelihood in China.
Event: Special Seminar: Insurance Coverage
for Expats in China
Date: 9th June 2010 in Shanghai and
10th June 2010 in Suzhou
Speaker: Dipl.-Kfm. Werner John | Senior
Consultant, Expatriates Insurance Consulting
Chairs: Mr. Jan Hoepper | Regional Manager
Shanghai, German Chamber of Commerce
in China l Shanghai and Mr. Sebastian
Wegener | Regional Manager Jiangsu &
Zhejiang Province, German Chamber of
Commerce in China l Shanghai
www.china.ahk.de
Taicang-Germany
Gathering in Düsseldorf
Following Taicang Day 2008 in Stuttgart and Taicang Day 2009
in Munich, Düsseldorf, the capital of the State of North RhineWestphalia (NRW) graciously hosted the third visit from Germany’s
overseas thriving business partners in China.
Around 100 guests from political and economic backgrounds
participated in the event including Mr. Lu Liusheng, Vice Mayor
of Taicang City. At the seminar, Mr. Lu Liusheng made a brief
introduction concerning the up-to-date economic, social and
investment environment in Taicang. Mr. Manfred Rothgänger,
Chief Representative Delegation of German Industry & Commerce
Shanghai also delivered a speech regarding the stable and steady
development of German enterprises in Taicang and important
economic and training programmes taking place.
In November 2008, Taicang was designated as ‘Sino-German
Enterprises Cooperation hub’ by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce
and German Ministery of Economy and Technology. With numbers
continually rising, more than 140 German companies have already
settled down in Taicang.
The event was considered an overall success as many enterprises expressed interest in visiting Taicang and investigating the investment
conditions of the socalled hometown of
Event: Taicang-Tag 2010 in Düsseldorf
German Enterprises
in China next to
Date: 27th May 2010
Shanghai.
Breakfast Seminar
Workshop Automotive
Mr. Hans-Georg Härter, CEO of ZF Friedrichshafen AG, spoke about the
critical phases in the automotive industry during and after the economic
crisis. Providing in-depth insight into his company’s fortunes during the
critical times, the speaker identified an emergence of unforeseen challenges that the company has overcome.
Today, Europe and the U.S. have not fully recovered from the crisis, but
the Asia-Pacific region is heading to ward new peaks. China has especially shown immense growth in the past years and according to Mr.
Härter the nation’s automobile market is on its way to becoming the
greatest in the world.
Confidence remains in the eventual recovery of other macroeconomic
markets as well, but companies that have taken preventative measures
from the beginning, particularly in relation to liquidity and a flexible
employee structure, were equipped to cope with risks and challenges. As
one of such, Mr. Härter sees his company even stronger today and wellpositioned for future growth as the world economy recovers.
Event: Breakfast Seminar: Workshop Automotive
Date: 11th June 2010
Speaker: Mr. Hans-Georg Härter | CEO ZF Friedrichshafen AG
Chair: Dr. Marcus Hoffmann | Principal, Roland Berger Strategy
Consultants (Shanghai)
59
CHAMBER NEWS
SHANGHAI PAGES
China through the Lens of German Media
Chamber Meeting June
The guest speakers receive gifts from
Mr. Arved von zur Mühlen
Farewell to Dr. Albrecht von der Heyden and his wife
German reports are known to pessimistically
showcase economic and social activities in
China. Although it is debatable whether
good or bad news is more captivating for
viewers, some Chinese attribute singlesided arguments and an ‘Anti-ChineseAlliance’ to the German and other western
media channels. However, what they may
not realise is that such negative reports are
equally, if not more, harmful to German
businessmen in China whose hometown
stakeholders turn to local media for up-todate information.
To delve deeper into the topic, several
well-known journalists from German tier
media came to share insights from their
experiences. Furthermore, they elaborated
on issues regarding topics of interests to their
editorial offices in Germany, whether Chinese
allegations of negative media portrayal are
true or hypercritical and what the German
journalists think about these impressions. It
resulted in a lively discussion between the
speakers and the audience, which disclosed
that most assumptions of German reporting
are misleading and untrue.
During the Chamber Meeting the General
Consul of German Consulate in Shanghai
Dr. Albrecht von der Heyden and his wife
bid all a farewell as they soon plan to
leave Shanghai. Both thanked the German
Chamber of Commerce and its members for
the great times shared together.
Dr. Frédéric Jörgens, Consul at the German
Consulate Shanghai, then seized the
opportunity to present the running campaign
titled ‘A Piece of Germany’, targeted at
identifying Germany’s ubiquitous presence
at the 2010 World Expo as well as at various
companies and locations. The stickers are
distributed free of charge at the German
Consulate and the German Chamber of
Commerce in Shanghai.
Mr. Thomas Dorn holding the campaign sticker
for ‘A Piece of Germany’
Event: Chamber Meeting
Speakers: Ms. Johnny Erling | Die Welt,
Peking; Dr. Astrid Freyeisen | ARDHörfunk, Shanghai; Mr. Matthias Kamp
| Wirtschaftswoche, Peking; Mr. Janis
Vougioukas | Stern, Shanghai
Chair: Mr. Ar ved von zur Mühlen |
Lufthansa German Airlines, Chairman of
the Board German Chamber of Commerce
China l Shanghai; Mr. Frank Hollmann |
Mainpost, Shanghai
Sustaining Production and R&D in China –
German Company Perspectives Special Seminar
In cooperation with
the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and
Innovation Research
(ISI) the German
Chamber of Commerce held a special
seminar on China’s
potential as a R&D
location for German
companies. Professor Kinkel, Head of
Department Industry
and Service Innovations, presented a
survey recently conducted by his department.
Speaker Dr. rer. pol.
Steffen Kinkel
60
The survey interviewed various Ger-
man company headquarters regarding their activities and business plans in China. Its findings
highlighted that the number of German companies relocating to China has grown steadily,
but that there is also a noticeable amount of
companies doing backshoring. Labour costs
and market access are usually drivers for going
to China; however, lack of quality and qualified
personnel are often reasons for returning back
to Germany.
When looking at the production facilities of
German companies, R&D activities in China
are relatively low. According to the speaker, this
is due to several influences: high investments
are necessary, but risky; fear of insufficient IPprotection lingers; political disputes in the home
country are resource intensive; and more attractive R&D locations exist in eastern Europe.
Still, the speaker sees a potential increase of
R&D activities in the future for China once the
world economic crisis is overcome. In order to
succeed with these activities, companies must
make use of the local supply chain and impose
a rigid intellectual property protection plan.
Event: Special Seminar: Success factors for
sustaining production and R&D in China –
perspectives for German companies
Speaker: Dr. rer. pol. Steffen Kinkel
Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI), Head of Department,
Industry and Service Innovations
Chair: Mr. Kurt Fasser | Senior Advisor,
AHK Shanghai; General Manager, CON
MOTO Consulting Group Shanghai Office
www.china.ahk.de
Risk behind the Growth
Suzhou Special
In his presentation Mr. Benjamin Ganat, Deputy Regional Manager
Greater China at Coface Holding, a French company that provides
worldwide credit insurance and credit management services, focused on the fifth credit crisis in 2009. Most emerging countries were
able make it through the crisis and the BRIC States still show high
growth, however industrialised countries experienced many consequences such as economic stagnancy and unemployment.
In China, risk assessment is a central issue. Through statistics generated by Coface, Mr. Gan illustrated the major economic indicators in
China that allowed the company to deduct various risk assessments.
The first assessment showed resilience in 2009, thanks to the economic stimulus programme with a rebound expected in 2010. About
60% of respondents agreed that the government’s stimulus package
has effectively helped their businesses. The top five sectors reported
to have benefited from the government’s stimulus package include
household electrics, construction, steel & metal, transportation and
agriculture.
The second assessment states that there is a risk of overcapacity and
default within 2010. High-risk industries such as steel, construction,
textiles and toys show a persistent weakness. The third assessment
shows a strong financial position in China because of its current high
account surplus and foreign exchange reserve. However, the banking
risk remains high due to the expansion of credit that has accelerated
significantly in 2009. The fourth risk assessment indicates that there
are deficiencies in China’s business environment. The gap between
rural and urban areas is growing, environmental problems emerge
and there are quick and unexpected changes in regulations as well as
a weakness in the financial and legal environment.
contributing factors to this change. As a general view, more than 60%
of respondents believe that the default situation of payment will improve by the end of 2010.
Event: Suzhou Special: Corporate Payment Behaviour in China in 2009
Date: 26th May 2010
Speaker: Mr. Benjamin Gan | Deputy Regional Manager Greater
China, Coface
Chair: Mr. Sebastian Wegener | Regional Manager Jiangsu & Zhejiang Province, German Chamber of Commerce in China l Shanghai
A survey from 2009 containing information on the nature of interviewed companies’ business activities and their region as a whole
was then introduced to help explain the status of corporate credit
risk management in China. After that Mr. Gan mentioned the corporate credit management practices such as procedures, difficulties, high risk companies and responsible departments. He further
showed a general analysis of China, which highlighted the potentially strong sectors for 2010 and others that should be closely watched.
Potentially Strong Sectors in 2010:
l Chemicals
l Industrial machinery & electronics sector
l Household electric/electronic appliances sector
l Construction
l Telecommunications
l Pharmaceuticals
Potentially Weak Sectors in 2010:
Textile & Garment
l Paper & printing
l Steel & metals sector
l
The speaker’s main conclusion suggested that credit sales are becoming more and more popular in China and there is yet further
opportunity for growth. The crisis in 2009 pursued less aggressive
strategies in business; however, among offered credit sales, 56%
more companies offered credit terms that were longer than 90 days
in 2009, especially in comparison to 2008. Securing existing market
shares and enhancing existing customer relationships are the main
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CHAMBER NEWS
SHANGHAI PAGES
Hiring and Retaining the Right Employees
Taicang Workshop
Foreign companies also tend to attract jobhoppers and people who are looking to
build their resume. Therefore, an individual’s personality and loyalty must be a top
condition for hiring. It takes a lot of effort to
find the most suitable person, but this is the
stage that is most important for determining
whether the selected employees will remain
in the company or not.
Asia-Pacific Management Consulting, headquartered in Dusseldorf, has helped around
300 German companies (95% of their clientele, the other 5% being Austrian and Swiss)
to develop and carry out strategic plans for
staff retention in a work environment with
high turnover like in China.
Dr. Lin, President of the company, explained
that Asia-Pacific Management Consulting
currently generates around half of its revenue from China operations, where demands
for recruitment services seem relatively high.
He explained that recruiting quality staff is
difficult, but keeping them is even harder.
Companies often absorb heavy costs related
to flights and training, but after the first
year, around 14% of staff leave the company.
Three years down the road, the typical Chinese office has only retained 10% of its acquired staff.
Using a case study example, Dr. Lin explained how one company effectively
amended its staff retention rate from 40% to
0% for 8 years. This operation was undoubtedly expensive as it required the proper
incentives; therefore, he more often recommends altering the company’s staff retention
rate by about 3-5%.
According to current studies, one-third of
staff leave their company due to insufficient
pay. Not getting along with the supervisor or manager makes up another third of
unsatisfied staff, and a displeasing work
environment drives away the other third.
More specific reasons include lack of teambuilding, lack of training, non-transparent
company info/rules/policies, the location is
too far from home, there is a better chance
62
for career development elsewhere, insufficient contract renewals, not enough support
from Germany, or their skill sets are better
suited to another job. A lack of direct contact
with management, or not seeing eye-to-eye
with the CFO, HR manager, or GM assistant
(GM right-hand-man/administrative person) were also repeatedly stated reasons.
The hiring process is the next important step
to ensure the employee will be retained. A
company must compare with how competitors are handling bonuses, overtime and travel costs. This can make a big difference when
compared to a regular salary. Employees
should know exactly what they are making
so they never have to wonder or question. At
the end of the presentation, the speaker summarised his key messages and suggested a
possible generic retention program.
Most Chinese will not say why they are leaving a company because they do not want
disharmony or to hinder their chance of returning to the company if needed. Therefore
exit interviews are insufficient tools in determine the cause for their departure. Anonymous interviews with sincere interviewers
can get more information. It’s important to
talk to current and former employees. There
should not be any conflicts of interest to the
interviewee.
One issue with having a staffing agency hire
your employees is they will often find the
person with the best education and background for the job. However, Dr. Lin’s strategy is not to hire graduates of well-known
universities because the candidate will eventually want to move on to bigger companies.
The HR department or recruitment staff
must find a balance between skills, education and qualifications in order to retain the
employee. Also, unstable personal circumstances contribute to retention rates, especially for those who live far away. Although
the distance between one’s home and workplace may seem relatively close, factors such
as increasing traffic can dramatically affect
commute times and lead to dissatisfaction.
Any miss-match between the employee and
the company will never last and the best
candidate is always the one most suited to
the corporate culture.
Dr. rer. pol. K.-H. Lin
E v e n t : Ta i c a n g Wo r k s h o p : H u m a n
Resources – How to make sure your best
talents and employees will stay at your
company
Speaker: Dr. rer. pol. K.-H. Lin | President
of Asia-Pacific Management Consulting
GmbH in Dusseldorf, Germany
Chair: Mr. Sebastian Wegener | Regional
Manager Jiangsu & Zhejiang Province,
l Shanghai
www.china.ahk.de
Legal Entity Consolidation
Participants of the TFL workshop came
to witness a special presentation where
Dr. Matthias Hoehne, Director M&A Project
at Bayer MaterialScience in China, shared
his experience in merging four legal entities
into Bayer MaterialScience. The speaker
first provided background of Bayer ’s
development and production line in China,
from its market entrance in 2001 up to
the merger in 2010. He then examined the
planning and strategy of the merger, with
the goal of having Bayer MaterialScience as
a solitary legal entity.
To assist with the legal process, Bayer used
a strategy of absorption rather than asset
transfers. As a result, the merger became
effective when the business license was
issued to Bayer, at which point all assets,
liabilities, contractual obligations, etc. of
the ceding entities were assumed by Bayer
MaterialScience.
For the government approval – which
is always a hot topic – Dr. Hoehne saw
lobbying as a key driver to the merger ’s
success. Effective lobbying was dependent
on honest and consistent communication,
looking for win-win solutions and
persistence. Another success driver was the
on-going preparation of required documents.
When preparing for an official approval of
a merger, one should get as much input as
possible and continuously check that all
required documents are provided. Indirect
factors, such as the company reputation and
future development potential, also played a
role in the government approval process.
When cooperating with Chinese authorities,
the speaker identified compliance, integration
and long-term sustainable orientation as
key drivers. Due to the complexity of this
merger, it was essential to have an on-going
and trustworthy government relationship
Workshop Tax, Finance and Law
– meaning the company’s objectives and
priorities had to be openly discussed with
the respective authorities. Consequently,
Dr. Hoehne advises to differentiate between
objectives, priorities, critical factors and ‘niceto-haves’ internally, before speaking with the
government.
The practical concept behind Bayer’s merger
relied on the Project Management Office
(PMO) working full-time and reporting
directly to the steering committee. A core
team composed of all functional department
heads also met with the PMO on a bi-weekly
basis to discuss the project’s progress. Risk
management also proved to be one of the
most challenging and important steps in
the merger process. In Bayer ’s case, the
PMO identified potential risks, quantified
them and formulated suitable responses. It
is inevitable for risks to change; therefore
they must be constantly monitored and
accordingly adjusted. A solid risk analysis
enables the company to focus on the most
important risks and be more conscious of
potential costs and scheduling.
Following the preparation comes merger
execution. Having prepared every step
upfront, the involved team knew exactly
what to do when the government issued the
business license for the merger.
In the end Dr. Hoehne gives a summary
about the lessons learned, differentiating
between internal and external success
factors. A combination of project leadership
a n d e x p e r t i s e f ro m e a c h f u n c t i o n a l
department paved the way to internal
success during the merger.The question
and answer period yielded an elaborate
discussion regarding how to go about
working with government authorities and
other specifics of Dr. Hoehne’s experience
during the merger.
Dr. Matthias Hoehne
Event: Practical Aspects and Lessons learnt
from BayerMaterialScience Legal Entity
Consolidation Project
Date: 31st May 2010
Speaker: Dr. Matthias Hoehne | Bayer
MaterialScience Legal Entity Consolidation
Project, Director
Chair: Mr. Titus von dem Bongart | Ernst &
Young, Partner
63
CHAMBER NEWS
SHANGHAI NEW MEMBERS
NEW MEMBERS
For full contact information and company profiles of our new and existing
members please visit www.german-company-directory.com
SHANGHAI
Mr. Hartmut Ade
Global Director Asia
SAR Automation (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.
Shanghai
' 021 6448-0576
* [email protected]
www.sar.biz
Mr. Bao Runjie
General Manager
RENNER Electronic & Equipment Co. Ltd.
Shanghai
' 021 5289-6230
* [email protected]
www.renner.com.cn
Ms. Marianne Burghardt
General Manager
Schletter (Shanghai) Solar Technology Co. Ltd.
Shanghai
' 139 1617-7604
* [email protected]
www.schletter.cn
Mr. Gabriel Carrier-Walker
Business Development Manager /
Project Manager
Century 3 (Shanghai) Inc. | Shanghai
' 021 5216-2266
* [email protected]
www.century3inc.com
Ms. Wynonna Chen
General Manager
SAR Automation (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.
Shanghai
' 021 6448-0576
* [email protected]
www.sar.biz
Mr. Toni Egger
Executive vice President Asia
TRUMPF Medical Systems Ltd. Shanghai
Representative Office | Shanghai
' 021 6171-9172
* [email protected]
www.trumpf-med.com
Mr. Philipp Ewald
Shanghai
' 021 5050-4567
* [email protected]
www.stregis.com/shanghai
Dr. Anthony Fan
General Manager
MAHLE Industrial Filter Systems
(Shanghai) Co. Ltd. | Shanghai
' 021 5136-0623
* [email protected]
www.mahle-industriefiltration.com
Mr. Thomas Fuhrmann
General Manager
TUV Rheinland / CCIC (Qingdao) Co. Ltd.
Qingdao, Shangdong
' 0532 8870-6655 ext. 150
* [email protected]
Mr. Thomas Fulde
Shanghai
' 139 1818-2195
* [email protected]
Mr. Larry Gao
General Manager
Messer Cutting Systems (China) Ltd.
Kunshan, Jiangsu
' 0512 5731-4949
* [email protected]
www.messer-kunshan.com.cn
64
Ms. Marion Geray
Managing Director
Technical Talents Ltd. | Shanghai
' 021 6806-8460
* [email protected]
www.technicaltalents.de
Mr. GONG Jian
General Manager
Endress+Hauser (Suzhou)
Automation Instrumentation Co. Ltd.
Suzhou, Jiangsu
' 0512 6258-9638
* [email protected]
Dr. GOU Jianhui
Managing Director of
Schaeffler Group Greater China
Schaeffler Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.
Shanghai
' 021 3957-6500
Schaeffler (China) Co. Ltd.
Taicang
' 0512 5395-8000 / 7700
* [email protected]
www.schaeffler.cn
Mr. Peter Hoecklin
President
TRUMPF (China) Co. Ltd.
Shanghai Branch
Shanghai
' 021 6171-9000
* [email protected]
www.trumpf.com
Ms. HUANG Haibin
General Manager
Hohenstein Textile Consulting
(Shanghai) Ltd.
Shanghai
' 021 5237-1440 / 1442
* [email protected]
www.hohenstein.cn
Ms. Julia Kornacker
Dortmund, Germany
' 0049 172 463-3733
* [email protected]
Mr. Christian Lang
Head of Service China
Bombardier Railway Transportation
Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.
Shanghai
' 021 6160-1500
* christian.lang@
de.transport.bombardier.com
www.bombardier.com
Ms. Elena Lange
General Manager
SUN FORTUNE LIMITED
Suzhou Representative Office
Suzhou, Jiangsu
' 0512 6936-5969
* [email protected]
www.nkd.com
Mr. Matthias Lind
Chairman
Lind Food (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.
Shanghai
' 021 6377-3166
* [email protected]
www.lind.com.cn
Mr. LIU Bin
General Manager
Bosig GmbH (Shanghai)
Shanghai
' 021 5032-1536 / 1953
* [email protected]
www.bosig.cn
Mr. Andreas Loh
General Manager
DEKRA WIT (Hangzhou)
Certification Co. Ltd.
Hangzhou, Zhejiang
' 0571 8771-1500
* [email protected]
www.dekra-wit.com
Mr. Matthias Looks
Shanghai
' 021 5882-2282
* [email protected]
Mr. Michael Maeder
Key Account Manager
Direct HR Shanghai
Shanghai
' 021 5090-3649
* [email protected]
www.directhr.cn
Mr. Tom Meyer
General Manager
Suzhou Lauterbach
Technologies Co. Ltd.
Suzhou, Jiangsu
' 0512 6265-8030
* [email protected]
www.lauterbach.com
Ms. Stubbe Anja Noemi
Executive Director
Unite (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.
Shanghai
' 021 5133-0201
* [email protected]
www.unite-sh.com
Mr. Henry Pan
Director
Shanghai HangXin
Real Estate Co. Ltd. (Singapore)
Shanghai
' 021 5410-7077
* [email protected]
www.xuhuiyuan.com
Mr. Michael Qian
CEO
Tube Energy-saving Technology
(Shanghai) Co. Ltd.
Shanghai
' 021 3350-8666
* [email protected]
www.tube-clima.com
Mr. Jonathan Qu
General Manager
Leica Microsystems Ltd.
Shanghai
' 021 6387-6606
* [email protected]
www.leica-microsystems.com
Mr. Paul Anton Schittek
Shanghai
' 138 1814-2282
* [email protected]
Mr. Detlef Schneider
CEO
Dong-Ping Ltd.
Shanghai
' 021 6415-2588
* detlef.schneider@
sashas-shanghai.com
www.sashas-shanghai.com
Dr. Helmut Schoeneberger
General Manager
ebm-papst Electrics
(Shanghai) Co. Ltd.
Shanghai
' 021 5046-0183
* [email protected]
www.ebmpapst.com.cn
Mr. Jens Weidner
Managing Director
Jiashan Weide Construction
Equipment Co. Ltd.
Shanghai
' 021 5465-3699
* [email protected]
Mr. Stefan Weiskopf
Shanghai
' 021 2216-0300
 [email protected]
Mr. Andrew Parkin
Chief Representative Asia
Heller Machinery & Trading
(Shanghai) Co. Ltd.
Shanghai
' 021 5866-6188
* [email protected]
www.heller.biz
Mr. Berny Yang
Mast Jägermeister AG
Shanghai Representative Office
Shanghai
' 021 6137-7888
* [email protected]
www.jagemeister.com
Dr. Holger Pitsch
General Manager
Nanjing Huade Spark Plug Co. Ltd.
Nanjing, Jiangsu
' 025 8538-2601
* [email protected]
www.nhsp-ld.com
Prof. ZHAO Hai
General Manager
AUCOTEC Information Technology
(Shanghai) Co. Ltd.
Shanghai
' 021 6191-0761
www.aucotec.cn
Mr. David Garth Preston
CEO
Boehringer Ingelheim
International Trading
(Shanghai) Co. Ltd.
Shanghai
' 021 6863-9666
* david.preston@
boehringer-ingelheim.com
Prof. Kristian Ziegenbein
General Manager
FTE automotive (Taicang) Co. Ltd.
Taicang, Jiangsu
' 0512 5356-3358
* [email protected]
COMPETENT.
RELIABLE.
POWERFUL.
FAST.
open the door for you
But you still have to go inside...
We can
l
Shanghai
www.china.ahk.de/chamber/shanghai/
Yearly Sponsors 2010/11
65
CHAMBER NEWS
SHANGHAI AROUND TOWN
Asparagus Dinner
14th May 2010 | Binjiang One
True to the motto - spring time is asparagus time
- around 60 people savoured an exquisite fivecourse asparagus dinner set with white wine
and Paulaner Beer. Guests also found comfort
in good conversation and the amazing view of
the Bund.
John Rabe Event
5th June 2010 | German Centre
The German Centre hosted the screening of the film
John Rabe, followed by a presentation from the icon’s
grandson, Thomas Rabe. The event which was initiated by Thomas Dorn, former CEO of Vossloh Fastening
Systems, attracted over 150 guests – many of which
played extras in the film’s ballrooms scene that was
shot in Shanghai. During his presentation, the young
Rabe described his first visit to Nanjing in 2002 and
emotional meetings with survivors who, as children,
had been sheltered and protected by his grandfather.
66
www.china.ahk.de
Public Viewing
June-July 2010 | Hofbräuhaus Pudong
The 2010 Football World Cup was a great opportunity for all
Germans to unite, watch the games and just having a good time
together. The German Chamber in Shanghai was very pleased
to celebrate this exciting occasion with the many soccer fans who
sported their fashionable jerseys and flags.
DFB
18th May 2010 | AHK, Binjiang One
Former Players from the German football association ‘DFB’ visited
the AHK premises where they met German soccer fans. Later on
they chilled out at the Binjiang One snow bar where others had
the opportunity to mingle with the ex-stars and chat about match
highlights and experiences from ‘the good old days’.
67
CHAMBER NEWS
SOUTH CHINA PAGES
GCC BOARD
Berlin Delegation Visits
Shenzhen
MTU Maintenance Zhuhai Co., Ltd.
President & CEO
Mr. Holger Sindemann*
Chairman
Häfele GmbH & Co Kg, Rep. Office
Shenzhen
Managing Director
Mr. Stefan Rosenbohm
Treasurer
German Chamber of Commerce
• South China | Executive Director
Commerce Guangzhou
Ms. Alexandra Voss*
EWIKON Hotrunner Systems
(Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.
Managing Director
Mr. Rüdiger W. Kümmerle
Siemens Ltd., China
Senior Vice President and
General Manager Region South
China
Mr. Nong Keqiang
C. Melchers GmbH & Co. KG
Chief Representative Guangzhou &
Chongqing
SOUTH CHINA
Ms. Renate Tietjen
68
German-Chinese Classic-Hip Hop group “Stützpunkt”
On 2 nd June a business delegation from
Berlin, led by H.E. Harald Wolf, Mayor of
Berlin, Senator for Economics, Technology
a n d Wo m e n ’ s I s s u e s , p a i d a v i s i t t o
Shenzhen. Aims of the delegation’s stay
were to introduce the City of Berlin as an
ideal place for investment to Shenzhen’s
local business community, and strengthen
the ties between Berlin and Shenzhen
companies with backgrounds in sectors such
as energy, transport, mobility, water and
creative industries.
To promote Berlin’s strategic advantages
over other investment locations and exchange industry information between enterprises, a business conference with the theme
of ‘Business Know-How for Sustainable Urban Environments – Experiences from Berlin
and Shenzhen’ was held in the Hotel Intercontinental Shenzhen on 3rd June. Over 200
representatives from German and Chinese
companies, associations and institutes participated in this conference. Industry panel
workshops followed the conference and
matchmakings were arranged for the perfect
business fit between companies. To round up
the delegation trip, the participants enjoyed
a cultural highlight at night: ‘Berlin – the
place to be for music’, a show contributed by
Sino-German inspired young classic-meetship-hop group, Stützpunkt.
The delegation members also visited their
potential Chinese partners in Guangzhou
and Hong Kong on 4th June.
Participants exchanging names and details
Matchmaking and company introductions to establish
first contacts
Press conference held in Shenzhen
Event: Business Delegation from Berlin
Date: 4th-5th June 2010, Shenzhen and
Pearl River Delta
www.china.ahk.de
Factory Tour Zhuhai
Member companies gave insights into their factories
After last year’s great success in Zhongshan, the German Chamber in
Guangzhou decided to organise another factory tour for its members.
This time, the tour took place in Zhuhai, where participants had an opportunity to visit two member companies. After picking up the attendees from the Zhuhai ferry terminal, as most came from other cities in the
PRD, the first stop was at EPCOS (Zhuhai FTZ) Co. Ltd, a manufacturer
of varistors, sensors and film capacitors. Mr. Karsten Löwe, the Executive Vice President, and Dr. Klaus Mörtl, Executive Vice President and
responsible for ceramic components, gave a brief introduction of their
company and product range. Afterwards, all 18 participants split into
two groups headed by Mr. Löwe and Dr. Mörtl. The groups toured their
production areas and received detailed explanations of processes.
Participants then ventured to MTU Maintenance Zhuhai Co. Ltd, which
specialises in the repairing and installation of aircraft engines. At MTU,
Dr. Frank Bodenhage, the Director of Operations, went to great lengths
to present his company and take the participants on an interesting and
thorough tour of the premises. The Chamber would like to express its
sincere gratitude to both EPCOS and MTU for being such welcoming
hosts and sharing such interesting information.
Group photo outside of EPCOS (FTU Zhuhai) Co., Ltd.
One of the turbines produced at MTU Zhuhai
Co. Ltd.
Mr. Frank Bodenhage of MTU
Maintenance Zhuhai Co. Ltd., is
explaining participants the processes at his factory
Event: Zhuhai Factory Tour
Date: 25th May 2010
Chairs: Mr. Karsten Löwe & Dr. Klaus Mörtl | Executive Vice Presidents,
Epcos (Zhuhai FTZ) Co., Ltd.; Dr. Frank Bodenhage | Director of Operations, MTU Maintenance Zhuhai Co. Ltd.
German Company Manager Get-Together
A business casual morning of business talk and golf balls
The first GCC Event in western China was held in Chengdu on 22nd
May with over 25 participants from German companies and political
partner institutions. The Chamber team introduced upcoming activities
in Sichuan and Chongqing and presented the outcome of their recent
business confidence survey among German companies in Greater China.
One key finding of the survey states that roughly 60% of respondents
registered growth in 2009 and expanded their investments in spite of the
financial crisis.
Chengdu Liaison Manager Ms. Astrid Schröter officially introduced
herself to the German community in Chengdu and highlighted the
industry sectors and potential opportunities for German investment in
western China. She pointed out the strongest sectors in western China
in numbers – namely dominated by machinery, high-tech and industrial
instruments at the moment.
Participants networking and lounging on a beautiful day
After a formal morning, the participants joined a professional golf trainer
for a lesson on the perfect golf swing that was contested in a small
tournament on the driving range. Afterwards participants refreshed
during a western buffet and had the chance to socialise. The GCC thanks
all who attended and is looking forward to more events and seminars
soon in Chengdu and Chongqing.
The champions of GCC • South China’s small golf tournament
Event: German Company Manager Get-Together Chengdu
Date: 22nd May 2010 | Swanlake Driving Range, Chengdu
A professional golf trainer is showing how to master the perfect 1st swing
Chair: Ms. Astrid Schröter | Liaison Manager Chengdu, GCC •
South China
69
CHAMBER NEWS
SOUTH CHINA PAGES
Focus on your Best Employees
HR Roundtable Guangzhou
Mr. Wolfgang Echtler of Dongguan Seibel Mold in
discussion with the speaker
As China has continued to grow in 2009
and many businesses
are expanding their
capacities, companies
rely on their key employees for thriving
and shaping its future
successfully. Identifying, recruiting and
retaining key employees is the foundation
for successful business, and yet seems to
be one of the biggest
challenges for foreign
companies in South
China.
During the latest HR Roundtable in Guangzhou Ms. Lena Wu from IKA
Works Guangzhou and Mr. Tubbs Liang from Sirona Dental Systems
Foshan shared tips and hands-on advises from their daily practice on
how to successfully and efficiently manage the best and most important
employees in their companies.
They particularly highlighted the recruitment process and the need of
HR to know more about the positions searched, the jargon, the technol-
ogy and expectations of line managers for applicants. In this way, HR
can meet their role as service provider to the company and considerably
relieve workload of the management. Ms. Wu introduced tools and
practices that worked best in her company like candidate referrals as an
underestimated recruitment channel or group interviews in order to find
out more about the candidate’s attitude, communication styles and team
work capabilities.
Afterwards, Mr. Liang presented an interesting comparison of different
recruitment channels, how they are applied in his company and which
channels are the best and cost effective when recruiting white or blue
collar workers. The speaker also gave useful hints how best recruit in
Guangzhou and Dongguan area.
After a delicious dinner, participants used their chance to get into further
discussions with the speakers, exchanged their views and added more
useful advises from their personnel experience.
Event: HR Roundtable – Recruiting and Retaining Key Employees
Date: 30th June 2010 | Garden Hotel Guangzhou
Speakers: Ms. Lena Wu | HR Manager, IKA Works Guangzhou;
Mr. Tubbs Liang | HR & Admin Manager, Sirona Dental Systems
Foshan Co. Ltd.
Representative Offices – Still the right
way to go?
Legal & Tax Seminar Guangzhou & Shenzhen
Ms. Regina Wang, GIC South China Investment & Legal Consultant takes notes of
critical information
With new legal restrictions and taxation laws for the Foreign Representative Office, a hot debate regarding the right go about business activities
has emerged. In co-operation with Ernst&Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers and local law firm Wang Jing Co, the German Chamber Guangzhou
invited its members to two events in Guangzhou and Shenzhen to focus
on the major changes and impacts of these new laws.
Mr. Zach Wortham highlighted the legal aspects of Representative
Offices versus Wholly Owned Foreign Enterprises (WOFEs) and gave
practical advice on how to comply with the authorities. Furthermore, he
introduced case studies as practical examples of the diverse outcomes of
the latest Representative Office court cases.
Following up, Ms. Ingrid Qin highlighted the tax changes and legal
changes in Guangzhou. Ms. Joanne Chu did the same accordingly to
Shenzhen. They compared Representative Offices to WOFEs in regards
70
to taxation, and highlighted that decisions on the legal form of a company should be assessed based on its size and activities.
After the presentation the attendees had a chance to raise their questions
and consult with the speakers on individual situations.
Event: Legal Roundtable – Representative Office, still the right way to go?
Date: 12th May 2010 in Guangzhou and 18th May 2010 in Shenzhen
Speaker: Mr. Zach Wortham | Client Service Manager,
Wang Jing & Co. Law Firm; Ms. Ingrid Qin | Director Tax Services
PricewaterhouseCoopers; Ms. Joanne Chu | Tax Senior Manager,
Ernst& Young
www.china.ahk.de
Shenzhen goes Plastic First Business Forum
Held in Zhongshan
An industry’s issues on the agenda
Paying tributes to the fact that Shenzhen and parts of Dongguan have
established themselves as a German
cluster in the plastic industry, the first
plastic roundtable was launched in
the Pearl River Delta. A broad range of
industry representatives covering machine building to producers of plastic
parts joined to exchange ideas. Chaired by GCC board member Mr. Rüdiger Kümmerle at the newly opened Institute of Plastic Technology and
Application (IPTA), which already houses several German companies
related to the industry, participants discussed price developments for
resources as well as problems in recruiting skilled labour.
Companies pointed out the HR difficulties of this sector and used the
opportunities to share their experience in training and retaining skilled
labour. Problems in the resource market for vital goods such as POM
have been an issue in the industry and companies discussed their supply
chain management to see how they have been coping with the problem.
Overall the first plastic roundtable proved to be a great success. The
German Chamber in Guangzhou will continue to establish more events
within certain industries throughout the year.
Event: First Plastics Roundtable
Meeting with the city’s officials proved to be a success
Twelve representatives of German-owned companies in and around
Zhongshan used the opportunity to discuss challenges companies
are facing in the region with officials from the local government.
Held at the German-owned Bellavista Restaurant, the meeting took
place in a relaxed atmosphere. Key issues that companies expressed
were problems dealing with customs, the lack of international
schooling and environmental regulations that are not uniformly
enforced. Another key concern was training staff on issues such as
safety and health regulations. Companies shared their experiences
with these topics and had an open discussion on how to tackle the
challenges. Following the meeting company representatives enjoyed
drinks and food at the restaurant while continuing discussions in a
more informal setting. The German Chamber in Guangzhou plans to
organise similar future events in Zhongshan and contribute to a better exchange between companies and local authorities.
Event: Zhongshan Business Forum – Meeting with the local authorities
Date: 13th May 2010
Chair: Max Zenglein | Regional Manager, GCC • South China
Date: 27th May 2010
Chair: Mr. Rüdiger Kümmerle | Managing Director EWIKON Hotrunner Systems (Shenzhen) | GCC Board of Directors Member
NEW MEMBERS
SOUTH CHINA
Mr. Marcus Knopp
Managing Director
LeitOn GmbH | Hong Kong
' 00852 9685-9509
* [email protected]
Mr. Johannes Jaeger
Founding Partner | Principal Designer
Jaeger and Partner Architects Ltd.
Shenzhen
' 0755-2690 8620
* [email protected]
www.jaegerandpartner.com
Mr. Thomas Rieger
Operations Director
Key Services China Co., Ltd. | Guangzhou
' 020 2283-8220
* [email protected]
www.keygz.com
Mr. Peter Lutter
General Manager
Finepower GmbH | Shenzhen
' 0049 8930-9075-823
* [email protected]
www.finepower.com
Celebrate
South China’s
original
Oktoberfest
Mr. John Benito De Valle
General Manager 3PL Group.
Hercules Logistics Forwarding Ltd.
Shenzhen
' 0755 2380-7551
* [email protected]
www.hercules-logistics.com
Mr. Manfred Heidberg
Managing Director
Deguo Concept Co., Ltd. | Dongguan
' 0769 2318-9147
* [email protected]
www.deguoconcept.com
Mr. Michael Müller
General Manager
Vice-President China
Machinery Co., Ltd. | Shenzhen
' 0755 8831-6907
* [email protected]
www.kraussmaffei.com
For full contact information and company profiles of our new and existing members please
visit www.german-company-directory.com
German Beer, Food & music!
GUANGZHOU 8-12 Oc t | sHeNZHeN 4-7 NOV
For sponsorship enquiries or further details, please contact [email protected]
71
CHAMBER NEWS
SOUTH CHINA AROUND TOWN
Asparagus Dinner
3rd June 2010 | The Castle, German Restaurant and
Beer Garden
Celebrating the German Asparagus season the GCC • South
China invited its members to a delicious three course dinner with
authentic white asparagus from Germany, prepared by a German Chef. Participants enjoyed a warm summer night outside in
the lovely beer garden.
Foshan Interchamber
Networking Drinks
17th May 2010 | White House Hotel, Foshan
130 people from ten different nations joined the first Interchamber event in Foshan that took place on 17th May at 1506 Creative City. The event was jointly organised by the GCC • South
China, the French, Canadian and British Chamber, Deltabridges
and local media.
Family Pool Party
29th May 2010 | Sofitel Royal Lagoon, Dongguan
A day full of splashes and fun, the GCC • South China and the
French Chamber jointly held a family day & pool party at the
beautiful facilities of Sofitel Royal Lagoon. The families enjoyed a
day of water fun, treats, clowns, good food and good company.
Soccer World Cup Events
June 2010 | various locations, Pearl River Delta
Paying tributes to the soccer craziness of this year’s World Cup in
South Africa, the GCC • South China organised several soccer
viewings across the Pearl River Delta to cheer with its members
for ‘Schwarz-Rot-Gold’.
72
73
COMMUNITY
TRAINING & EDUCATION
Beijing Training Highlights
Training Calendar
Date Training
Beijing
1st September – 1st December
2nd September – 2nd December
Intensive Spoken Chinese – Beginners
Intensive Spoken Chinese –
Elementary Level
7th September
Six Thinking Hats
9th – 10th September
Basic Management Skills
14th September
Basic Leadership Training (Tianjin)
16th September
Delivering Winning Presentations
Shanghai
2nd– 3rd August
Working Smart with MS PowerPoint
4th August
Successful Design with MS PowerPoint
4th– 5th August
Customs Management of Commodity Classification
on Import and Export Cargo and the Analyze of
its Processing Skill Relating to Technique*
5th– 6th August
7th– 8th August
Effective Interview Skills for HR
Managers in German Companies*
Professional Receptionist Training
10th– 11th August
17th– 18th August
Key Account Management*
20th August
Supplier Quality
26th– 27th August
Working Smart with MS Project
26th– 27th Procurement Executives
1st September
Customs Formalities Planning and the Strategy of the
Customs’ Check for Import and Export Enterprises*
7th– 8th September
Customer Service Excellence
Business Presentation Skills
Working with MS Excel Macro & VBA
Controlling for Controllers*
14th September
Creative Problem Solving & Decision Making*
16th–17th September Finance Course for Non-Financial Managers
17th September
Inventory Control & Warehouse Management
South China
5th – 6th August 12th – 13th August
16th August
20th August
Effective Selling Skills (Guangzhou)
Facilitation Skills (Guangzhou)
Partnering with Co-workers (Shenzhen)
Solution Focused Coaching Skills For today›s Busy Managers (Guangzhou)
26th – 27th August Introduction to Leadership (for Emerging Leaders)(Zhuhai)
9th September
Stress & EQ Management (Shenzhen)
10th September Inventory Control and Warehouse Management (Shenzhen)
Presentation with Impact (Guangzhou)
14th September
Essential Marketing Skills (Shenzhen)
Build a Business that Works (Guangzhou)
Project Management (Zhuhai)
Intensive Spoken Chinese
These courses are designed for motivated foreigners wishing to
challenge themselves by learning a new language or improve their
Chinese language skills and master standard situations with grace.
The course covers everyday expressions and basic phrases.
This training course equips you with proven supervisory techniques
that you can put into action immediately. With the help of these
management skills, you will be able to meet your new challenges
with increased confidence, respect and power. You also will be
more efficient, leaving more time to perform creative and strategic
thinking.
Shanghai Training Highlights
Key Account Management
This strategic planning approach goes beyond traditional selling.
It reaches inside both seller and buyer organisations illustrating
that Key Account Management is undoubtedly more complex than
simple sales activities. Through this course you will learn the method
and strategy of key account business development, management
skills of key account sales groups, and explore key account concepts
such as how to protect and grow business with key clients.
Supplier Quality
Selecting a competitive supplier who offers quality, engineering,
service and price is an important part of any project. This seminar
will help you understand quality supplier activities by giving you
the necessary assessment skills based on QS9000, and by introducing
quality tools. You will learn how to minimise quality risks with
respect to suppliers and why it is so important to make continual
improvements. Case studies will help you understand how to reduce
quality risks and analyse and solve quality problems.
South China Training Highlights
Effective Selling Skills
This training program will help increase your self-confidence
and develop a positive attitude towards selling. It will assess and
improve your selling and communication techniques, help you learn
to convert objections into sales opportunities and achieve win-win
sales and customer relationships.
Build a Business that Works
This workshop will show you how to prevent your business from
making common mistakes. If your business is suffering from cash
flow, team challenges, or if you feel 'overworked and underpaid',
attending this seminar is a MUST.
* new courses
GCC members receive discounted rates on training courses. For further information please contact:
Beijing
Shanghai
South China
Ms. Jiang Ying
' 010 6539-6712
6 010 6539-6689
* [email protected]
Ms. Zhang Yihui
' 021 6875-8536 ext.1658
6 010 6875-8573 ext.5658
* [email protected]
Ms. Hu Lilian
' 020 8755-8209
6 020 8755-1889
* [email protected]
74
www.china.ahk.de
AHK Vocational Training
Educates Skilled Workers
China is booming and German companies
are grabbing the opportunity to get their
share. Over the past ten years many German
enterprises have set up their facilities in the
Yangtze Delta - with success. However, a
major bottleneck for their further growth in
China is a shortage of qualified staff. Especially
production companies are facing problems
of hiring qualified Mechanics, Electronic
Technicians, Mechatronic Technicians,
Toolmakers and Metal Cutters, amongst others.
are already placed in a job. Their certificates
were handed over in a graduation ceremony
attended by the German Minister President
of Lower Saxony David McAllister and his
delegation in the Chien-Shiung Institute in
Taicang end of June this year. Other high
ranking politicians such as General Consul of
German Consulate Shanghai Dr. Albrecht von
der Heyden, Mr. Pu, Communist Party Chief
Taicang or Mr. Wang, Mayor Taicang also
participated.
In an attempt to counteract this problem, the
Delegation of German Industry & Commerce in
China, Shanghai (AHK Shanghai), established
the AHK-Chien-Shiung Vocational Training
Centre in September 2007 in cooperation with
the Chien-Shiung Institute of Technology in
Taicang. The overall goal of the training centre
is to offer a practical vocational education
for skilled workers, in line with Germany’s
dual system that offers vocational training in
cooperation with German companies. The
course covers the fields of Mechatronics and
Industrial Mechanic and is thus practical
and hands-on. It also enjoys close links with
participating companies.
Certificates to the three best students were
handed over by Minister President McAllister
who congratulated all graduates in his speech.
This German project is the biggest of its kind
within the vocational training of Mechatronics
and Industrial Mechanic abroad. “The success
of this first project is reflected in the increasing
demand of other institutions to implement this
vocational training course,” stated Manfred
Rothgänger, Delegate and Chief Representative
AHK Shanghai. “Most of the Chinese cities
have realized that implementing vocational
trainings based on Germany’s dual system
provides them an additional advantage to
attract more German companies to invest in
their region. And on the other hand German
companies are only able to grow if we offer
them the educated skilled workers they
urgently need for their production processes.”
The AHK Shanghai, German Industry
and Commerce Hannover (IHK Hanover,
Germany), as well as a vocational school in
Hanover supply professional technology
support and training supervision. German
experts in the fields of vocational training are
also deployed on a long-term basis. Around
70 Mechatronics trainees and 30 Industrial
Mechanics trainees are being educated on a 2:1
ratio of practice to theory.
The first course of its kind in China has already
proven to be a success since all 93 examinees
passed the exam, got certified by the AHK and
All courses start in September each year, last
three years and have the AHK certification plus
a Chinese certificate. Anybody can attend the
course provided having achieved the Chinese
high school diploma. The time to apply for the
training programme starts now, and this is just
the beginning. To satisfy this urgent need of
qualified labor the AHK will establish another
training centre in Wuxi, as an addition to the
centre in Taicang.
Contact:
Wilhelm Dittrich,
Expert of AHK at the Chien-Shiung Institute,
* [email protected]
Britta Buschfeld,
Head of Department Recruitment&Training,
* [email protected]
75
COMMUNITY
ENVIRONMENT
Natural Energy
with Side Effects
Wind Energy & Smart Grids are
Bound to Set New Standards
In China the usage of wind energy is
increasing. Even current expectations
f o re s e e C h i n a t o o v e r t a k e a l l o t h e r
countries by 2010 in regards to wind energy
production and deployment. Currently
being the third global leader behind the U.S.
and Germany, China is already home to
major wind manufacturers like Goldwind,
Sinovel Wind or Dongfang. The estimated
worth of the manufacturing industry is
USD 8.59bn, and new regulations are
allowing foreign investors to set up their
own power plants and networks.
China has great potential for transferring
wind into energy, having a wind potential
of 250 bio gwh/year (giga watt hours) on
land and 750 bio gwh/year offshore. The
current energy demand of the People`s
Republic reaches around 950 GW and
could be entirely satisfied by wind energy
alone. This wind potential implies the
possible amount of wind being transferred
into energy. It is calculated based on the
humidity and temperature changes, taking
into account the earth’s rotation and total
surface. Especially offshore holds a huge
wind potential with strong winds over the
sea. The energy hunger is growing and
experts foresee a 5% increase in energy
demand per year. Using the enormous wind
potential could cover a large amount of this
energy need. However, only 5.9GW have
been efficiently used so far.
South China’s Guangdong province, known
for its trade and export, is a province with a
76
particularly humid and windy climate. It is
one of the provinces with the highest wind
potential all over China. One of the main
reasons for this is the frequent typhoons
that are crossing South China.
As a ploy to attract more investors in the
field, the provincial government has made
the tariffs in Guangdong particularly
friendly towards renewable energies,
especially in comparison to other provinces.
Ambitions of the local authorities are
striving to achieve 20% power coverage
by wind energy until 2020. This will only
be possible by huge investments and
restructuring of current wind parks – which
is the angle bringing German companies
into the game.
Known for cutting-edge technology in the
field of wind parks, German know-how is
highly sought after by Chinese corporations.
Being the leader in wind energy and
one of the first countries in the world to
thoroughly implement wind technology
as a source for energy generation, German
manufacturers have a solid background and
experience with the technology and market.
For example, Siemens set up a plant near
Shanghai in May last year, mainly catering
to the domestic market, marking the
importance of the local wind energy sector
for German manufacturers.
One of the biggest challenges is the lineentry of newly generated energy into the
power network. A lot of the old power
grids in China are simply not able to inline
the power generated from wind energy
properly into their network. Furthermore
about 7% of all energy delivered is simply
being lost during transmission because of
thousands of kilometres of electrical lines
being old and out of date, power grids
that are not fitted for the new standards
and only 72% of the installed wind energy
capacity is connected to grids. Therefore,
the new buzz word in this area and a
solution for the industry is the ‘Smart
grid technology’. A smart grid delivers
electricity from suppliers to consumers
using two-way digital technology to save
energy, reduce cost and increase reliability
and transparency. It overlays the electricity
distribution grid with an information and
net metring system. China is placing a lot
of efforts and dedication into the process of
updating the current standards of its power
grids to smart grid standards. This expertise
is based on information technology that
combines energy from different sources
into the power network, also improving its
efficiency.
Another obstacle for the development of
wind energy is the comparatively high
costs, which make government subsidies an
existential question for the entire industry
and thereby extremely dependent on
governmental policies.
Current plans of the government foresee
annual investments of USD 10bn into the
upgrading of different national power
grids. The National Grid Plan for 2010
expects to cover China with fewer power
grids, but therefore broader coverage
through transmission lines. The longterm objective is to ensure China’s energy
coverage with greener and more efficient
energy generation. SN
NEW BOOKS
www.china.ahk.de
China and the Credit Crisis:
The Emergence of a New World Order
John Wiley & Sons (Asia) Pte Ltd | Giles Chance 2010 | 228 pages
ISBN-10: 0470825073, ISBN-13: 978-0470825075
China and the Credit
Crisis analyses the
role China had in the
run-up of the global
crisis. The author
of the book, Giles
Chance, is a visiting
professor at the
Peking University
and a China veteran
with almost two
decades of experience in the country. In
his book he delivers profound information
about developments like China’s emergence
to the WTO in 2001 and the economic
boom that followed in the global economy.
Furthermore, he provides a deep look
into China’s progress as being the largest
financier of the developed world and third
largest economy globally. Its emergence
helped creating the conditions for the debt
excesses which caused the crash in 2008. The
crisis could have been avoided or its impact
at least limited if financial policymakers had
better understood the nature and effects of
China’s rapid ascendance. Throughout the
book, Chance analyses China’s new role with
respect to changes in global governance, the
future role of the dollar, and the country’s
relations with the United States, Asia and
the emerging world.
All in all China and the Credit Crisis examines
the larger role that China will play in the
recovery from the current credit crisis as
well as in the post-crisis world.
Between Fascination and Fear / Zwischen Faszination und Furcht
Peter Lang | Prof. Dr. Dr. Andreas Tank | 2010 | 219 pages, German | ISBN 978-3631602683
For our German
readership, author
A n d r e a s Ta n k
presents a practical
yet intriguing tale
that contests the
equivalence of
modernity and
westernisation in
China. Zwischen
Faszination und Furcht takes its readers on a
journey through the alluring, yet frightening,
market entry process for foreign China
investors and competitors.
First establishing the cultural, economical
and political background, the book ascends
to the strategic planning, branding,
advertising and sales processes of the
China market. Throughout this endeavour,
the author describes common mistakes of
foreign players and weighs these against
influences and business success factors from
imperial times up to the present. From this
comparison, the book deducts that certain
decisive characteristics have remained
unchanged over the years and that economic
success is possible in China.
Numerous illustrations accompany this
market analysis, including some rare
historical advertising motifs from the archives
of multinational companies. Zwischen
Faszination und Furcht is highly recommended
among China-trade practitioners and contains
statements from high-profile professionals
with credible Sino-German experience.
Before coming to China, author Dr. Andreas
Tank, Marketing Director of the German
heating technology company Viessmann
in China, worked for several international
companies among other positions in
Germany, the USA, Canada and France.
He also published a book in 2005 regarding
success factors for market development,
titled China-Marketing:Erfolgsfaktoren für die
Marktbearbeitung.
77
COMMUNITY
FOOD & RESTAURANTS
special concoction was well received by Wei Zheng’s mother, who was
pleased by its sweet and satisfying qualities. For the following 100 years,
the doctor used this candy within the Imperial household to cure people
of their chills or cough, until it leaked to the public.
Nowadays, this medicine is still being produced and its ingredients
have remained relatively unchanged since the Tang Dynasty; however
it is now said to relieve coughs, clear sinuses and even help work up an
appetite.
For the older generation, pear candy is also associated with its
colourful distributors from the streets of old Shanghai. It is said that
the Shanghainese first witnessed such hawkers in the early 1920s, who
mainly came from the Yangzhou area. The hawkers offered a great
variety of the pear candy, but were most famous for their improvised
jokes, ballads and tongue-twisters. Their improvisations spread from
mouth to mouth and became the primary source of comedic relief during
their time. One of the hawkers’ favourite skits involved poking fun at
local police officials and when the officers questioned them, they would
claim to be insane. As a result, the people of Shanghai called them ‘Xiao
Re Hun’, meaning ‘the person who gets crazy from time to time’ in a
Shanghainese dialect.
Since the liberation of Shanghai, the government
has attached great importance in developing
the pear syrup candy and there are now
around forty different sorts including
ginger, mint, olive, dried shrimp and
peanut. The previously mentioned
name for the hawkers has also
developed into a brand of modernday pear candy.
Medicine
in Disguise
Pear candy is not something that parents should worry about giving to
their children. It looks like candy. It tastes like candy. But apart from its
name, pear candy is really medicine in disguise. Dating back about 1300
years to the Tang Dynasty period from 618-907 A.D, pear candy comes
from a generation that was characterised by unprecedented strength and
brilliance, with unprecedented intellectual progress. Many great poets,
a rise of Confucianism and the use of paper money were brought forth and of course the beloved pear candy.
This unique treat is sweet, healthy and inexpensive, which is why it is
widely distributed and consumed as candy. But there is more than meets
the eye to these individually wrapped delicacies.
As the story goes, today’s infamous pear candy was invented in the
Shanghai region when the mother of Prime Minister Wei Zheng became
ill and was impartial to taking medicine. Her son asked one of the
emperor’s doctors for a special remedy, who took herbal medicine,
condensed it and mixed it with pear juice and sugar. The product of this
78
The first pear candy store was
established in 1855, during the reign
of Emperor Xianfeng in the Qing
Dynasty. But if you want to taste these
little cubes of medicinal candy that contain
just as many stories as ingredients, you can
now find them in several small shops near the
ancient Town God’s Temple. The Shanghai Pear
Candy Store is the exclusive retailer for the candy and is
located in the Yu Garden shopping centre, which is coincidentally only a
few steps away from the Pear Garden where visitors can enjoy medicinal
teas either inside the old theatre or atop an elegant roof terrace.
79
COMMUNITY
Health
A Universal C
Traditional Chinese Medicine
and its Healing Promises
You may know various Chinese therapeutic practices such as
zhongyao herbal medicine, zhenjiu acupuncture, tuina manual
therapies, qigong and taiji physical and mental health training, and
various meditative breathing exercises. All of these practices are
healing and have been derived from Traditional Chinese Medicine
(TCM). They are credited by many as medicinal treatments,
but others are still leery of the practice because it takes time to
understand. TCM is now considered a complementary or alternative
medical system in much of the western world, while remaining a
primary form of care throughout most of Asia.
The healing principles of TCM differ from the western anatomical
model as it is more concerned with function, rather than dividing
the physical body into parts. Much of the philosophy behind TCM is
derived from the same bases as Taoism and Buddhism, reflecting the
classical Chinese belief that the life and activity of individuals have
an intimate relationship with the environment on all levels. This also
coincides with the belief that the human body is a small universe
with a complete set of sophisticated and interconnected systems that
work in balance to maintain the healthy function of the human body.
There are significant regional and philosophical differences between
TCM practitioners and schools. However, the main concept is that of
qi, which remains relatively consistent throughout all practice. The
sources of the subtle life energy qi include prenatal and postnatal
components such as nourishment and air. The qi circulates along
certain pathways in the body, the so-called meridians, where the
acupuncture points are found. Each meridian is related to the
function of a specific organic system. Xue, the blood, jing, the sexual
essence, shen the mind and jinye, all further liquid substances, form
the five elementary substances. These have an effect on all inner
organs.
The two polar, yet interconnected forces in which the universal
energy is released are known as the yin and the yang. For optimal
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health, a well-balanced level of these forces must be maintained.
Each of these two principles can be either too weak or too strong at
a particular point in the system, resulting in different pathological
symptoms. Each yin contains yang in either a smaller or larger
proportion and vice versa. The vital connection of the functional
system forms a chain where each meridian with its acupuncture
points is linked to one another.
The interaction of this functional circuit of organs in relation to
its qi is regulated according to the teachings of wuxing, the five
element-dependent transformation phases. There are two different
physiological and two pathological relations. These are found
in the zang organs (yin character) with storage function, the fu
organs (yang character) with a processing function, the structural
and locomotor apparatus and the sensory organs, emotions and
psychophysiological conditions.
Five Elements
Wood
Wuxing
mu
Fire
Zang Organs
(Storing)
Liver
Heart
Spleen
Lungs
Kidneys
Fu Organs
(Processing)
Gall Bladder
Small Intestines
Stomach
Large Intestine
Urinary
Bladder
Tissues
Tendons
Vessels
Muscles
Skin/Hair
Bones/Marrow
木
huo
火
Earth
Metal
tu
jin
土
Water
金
shui
Face
Eyes
Tongue
Mouth
Nose
Ears
Emotion
Anger
Joy/Shock
Anxiety
Worry/
Depression
Fear
水
The meridian or pathway system called jingluo connects the circuit
of organs. Damage occurs within the circuit due to one-sided
influences, known as the six adverse external causes or liuxie:
wind, cold, burning heat, humidity, summer heat and drought. The
internal causes are qiqing, the seven emotions: joy, anger, sadness,
pensiveness, grief, fear and fright. Aside from the aforementioned
www.china.ahk.de
Connection
influences, there are situational disturbances such as dietary lapses,
excessive sexual activity, over exertion, injuries, parasites, poisoning
and congenital factors.
The bagang, the eight basic principles, confirm whether or not
an illness has outer or inner symptoms, is cold or hot, or shows
emptiness or fullness. This information can determine if a yin or
yang illness is present.
Traditional Chinese Medicine has been modernised to some degree
by transforming the plants and ingredients that correlate to the
inadequate function of the body into soluble granules and tablets.
Modern formulations in pills and sachets use 675 plant and fungi
ingredients and about 25 from non-plant sources such as minerals,
reptiles, bees, and earthworms.
Investigation of the active ingredients in TCM is continuous;
however some mainstream western-style drugs have already
incorporated TCM ingredients, for example Artemisinin that is now
widely used in the treatment of malaria. There is something to be
said about the body’s response to the active ingredients in proven
forms of effective Traditional Chinese Medicine. Maybe the universe
is more connected than we think?
About the Author: Prof. Dr. Dr. Thomas Heise
Prof. Dr. Dr. Thomas Heise became a Professor of Western
Medicine to learn the basic concepts of diagnosis and treatment of
internal medicine and psychotherapy. He then travelled to China
in 1985 as a Sinologist to study TCM for two years and practiced
nature medicine in Germany for many years to follow. As the Chief
Doctor of a hospital first in Germany and now in Shanghai, he
continued his research and combined the results and technology
from Russian space medicine with his own TCM practice, creating
the ‘elektrobio Transcultural Nature Healing®’. Now he is
cooperating with top level doctors in China to treat the body, mind
and soul and invigorate the self-healing power to overcome health
issues and strengthen the body for a vivacious future.
About his Modernised TCM Practice
In a space-medicine programme, the Russians developed a way
to measure the skin resistance at acupuncture points. This has
been purchased by Germans and connected to other nature healing methods like homeopathy, Bach remedies, Schuessler salts,
cell therapies and bioresonance principles, but is now further
applied using knowledge of measuring specific biofunctions &
bioregulations via heart rate variability. This provides a basis
for preventive medicine, which can predetermine approximately
when a heart attack will occur or what kind of damage is taking
place due to daily stress.
81
COMMUNITY
SPORTS
Where
the Grass
is Greener
China on Horseback – A Beijinger’s Tale
On my first visit to the scruffy little horse club in a remote corner of
Chang’an, Dongguan, I took a class, my horse bucked, I fell – and the
teacher administered the animal a good beating as a consequence. On
my second visit to the stable, it had relocated, and the once grungy
Chang’an Horse Club had transformed into the upscale star-rated Camelot Country Club and Riding Resort. It was the masterpiece of owner
and head coach Li Zhen Qiang, a Dongguan native, Olympic equestrian
and China’s star showjumper.
At the posh resort, we were taken on a full tour of the expansive deluxe
premise – first to the Italian restaurant, then the gym, the spa, the entertainment area with a movie theatre, tennis courts, a pool, the conference centre and a lake with imported white swans. There was a look of
surprise and dismay on the face of the guide when we carefully implied
whether we could skip this part and just see the horses, for which we
had come in the first place. But we could have never afforded the allinclusive annual membership anyway.
A horse-lover in China exploring the local equestrian scene needs to be
prepared for a range of emotions; it is a country in which the idea of a
horse whisperer produces a healthy laugh and the animals are more often than not held under inappropriate conditions, but a one-hour riding
class can still cost more than in Europe or even Hong Kong, easily reaching RMB 500 and over in Beijing.
As other fields in China, modern horsemanship only looks back on a
short history. “The interest in horses is driven greatly by status rather
than the animal or sport itself,” a Dongguan friend and true horse lover,
Liu Wen Quan, describes. “A horse is first and foremost considered a
sophisticated sports tool for the exclusive upper class.”
Liu is most likely the only person in Guangdong province who can
ride a horse, smoke a cigarette and use a cell phone at the same time.
He belongs to a small group of genuine horsemen who are starting
from the hooves up in their mission to bring horses and the lifestyle
connected to them closer to the people.
82
Sometimes it is nice to have a place in the city that completely lets you forget
that you are in Beijing. The Garden Stable just south of the Sun He River is
one of those places. Friendly wandering puppies and kittens are playing in
the sun, and an ornery threesome of geese is honking in defense of their territory, the little pond. The roofed patio invites to linger in one of the wicker
chairs and enjoy a cup of tea while a horse whinnies from the stable and a
skewbald pony is enjoying a coltish time out in the open paddock.
Once you have made it here where the air is fresher and the grass is greener
somewhere between Chaoyang and Shunyi, the thought of returning to the
city results in a major internal conflict. A black Jeep Cherokee parked on the
gravel lot indicates that Li Wei is around somewhere, puffing his signature
pipe, checking up on things or discussing horse issues in fluent Hungarian
with the young Hungarian Bakaigy, another indispensable fixture at the
stable. Li is the soul of Garden Stable and a co-owner – unfortunately of
several who do not share his vision of casual summer BBQ or Goulash evenings on the patio with other horse and nature lovers but are rather eyeing a
second, more profitable ‘Camelot’.
Li was 14 years old when he rode his bike to a horse ring south of the
city, where one round on horseback cost five yuan. He bought three
rounds, and with the remaining five yuan a snack and a drink. But it
wasn’t until he arrived in the ‘hometown of horses’, as he dubs it, that
he developed a true love and appreciation of horsemanship. When he
turned 18, his father wanted him to see the world – and as far as his
father, a Professor of Hungarian History and Language at the Beijing
Foreign Language University, was concerned, the nicest spot in the
world was Hungary. So Li attended university there and later worked as
a translator for the Hungarian government – with every weekend spent
on horseback. When he returned to China, his job prospects were bleak;
he struggled selling high-quality German mortar for a while until he finally decided to join forces with fellow horse enthusiasts and establish a
little club with 1.5ha of land, seven horses and five people.
The club quickly outgrew its original location and is now split up between
the Garden Stable with 25 horses, and the bigger sister club Yue He Wan a
bit further up the road towards Jingmi with about 55 horses. The two clubs
www.china.ahk.de
count a total of 800 members, the youngest being a five year-old girl who
is already a proud horse owner. Represented by Mercedes and Porsche
Cayennes in its parking lot, the busier Yue He Wan features a shop and a little
restaurant with a beer garden that bustles with parents, horse owners, kids,
purebred Tibetan Mastiffs and horse caretakers.
The Garden Club is the simpler, quieter, low-key place; a little sanctuary. Li
lovingly modeled it in the spirit of the riding stables he knew from Europe.
Though the majority of ‘hobby’ horses in China remain retired race horses
from Macao and Hong Kong, which come with their own set of physical
and mental handicaps (imagine a horse that will only go in one direction!),
domestic horse lineages are gradually producing better breeds to employ
in basic and beginner training. Still, those who can afford the purchase and
maintenance of an Equine in the first place can often easily skip the import
from the traditional nearby Russian or Mongolian horse sources and afford
pedigree animals from France, Germany, Holland or Belgium.
and education. We are
desperate for professional coaches, properly trained specialised
veterinarians, and the
knowledge and technologies that already
are long established in
the West.”
Yet, if it’s just about an expensive horse, then the point – the heart of it all –
is missed, Li laments. When the owners arrive at the stable, they expect the
horse to be readily prepared for riding; they will not do the grooming, bridling or saddling themselves. After class, they will dismount, and the horse
is led back to the stable by a caretaker. However true horsemanship extends
beyond the presentation in the ring, and Li sees his mission in passing that
lifestyle on to the kids who come to his stable. In the future, he sees himself
training a fresh new generation of riders who are not only technical talents
in the saddle but know how to clean out the hooves, or can detect when the
horse is in a bad mood.
Although there is an
on-site horse doc who
treats the animals with
acupuncture when
needed, his experience
was largely self-taught
on military horses.
Veterinaries are mainly
trained for the meat
processing industry,
agriculture or food
labs – from these backgrounds, they often also operate the myriads of small animal clinics around
the country. Consequently Li’s big vision is the first big national horse hospital and accredited professional equestrian college and training centre based in
Beijing…if the recently announced ambitious plan by a Dubai developer for
a USD 4bn Horse City in Tianjin does not beat him to his dream.
“With the short history of the sport in our country, the skills of Chinese riders are still far from noteworthy,” Li explains. “European equestrianism is to
China what Chinese ping-pong is to the world, we are still at the very beginning and have a lot of catching up to do with a considerable need for training
There is one last thing on his mind missing even in the little Garden of Eden
that he created with the stable – that one special woman who takes him as he
comes, pipe and foreign influence and all…and is willing to compete with
the love of his life, ‘his’ horses. JNS
83
COMMUNITY
GIVING BACK
Recipe prepares
better Future
For most people Shangri-La is the epitome for
Tibetan culture - yaks and highlands. Located
in the heart of Yunnan at an altitude of 4,000m,
it holds a very special climate and atmosphere.
However it is also one of the poorest regions
in China’s south-western province of Yunnan.
Many inhabitants still rely on old-fashioned
farm work and have hardly any access to
modern amenities, yet the Tibetan culture still
has a large impact on people’s daily life and
beliefs. Despite the economic situation, one
might be surprised how well Shangri-La caters
to its tourists. This historic old town is filled
with bars, cafes, hostels and travel agencies.
One of the many bars in Shangri-La belongs to
Sunny, a friendly outgoing Swiss-Tibetan. His
restaurant humbly serves the best Yak burger
in town, yet there is more that meets the taste
buds of every meat lover to this restaurant.
Being raised in Switzerland, Sunny speaks fluent German and holds a degree from a university in Zurich. His mother always wanted him
to stick to his roots and remember his Tibetan
culture even though he was raised abroad.
She longed to go back to her mother country
for years and finally returned to Shangri-La
in the ‘90s. When she returned, she found the
community was lacking many things - most
notably were the orphans without any homes
or caretakers. Thus his mother decided to open
an orphanage. Since then, she has managed to
run a home for the parentless children, though
often struggling at times. Financing has always
been the biggest concern, though she has thus
forth managed with little donations, her own
savings from Switzerland and some government support.
Part of the Tibetan culture is the parental responsibility concerning their children’s future.
Usually parents ensure their children have an
income and job, or will help them to find such
stability once they reach the age of consent.
Therefore being an orphan means possibly
returning to the streets at a later age without
proper support for further education or associations to get a job.
This problem was striking for Sunny. He
thought of ways to enable his brothers and
sisters, as he amicably calls them, to provide
themselves with a secure future. The solution
was simple: With the increasing amount of
tourists coming to visit Shangri-La every year
the hospitality industry held big opportunities for new business and investments. Furthermore, it takes staff to run such a business.
Combining both thoughts brought the conclusion – why not run a business that allows the
orphans to gain proper work experience while
making his own ends meet at the same time.
Having no business background in China, or
experience running a restaurant and bar, Sunny
struggled with this concept in the beginning,
but soon learned that this was a great way to
help the children, his mother, and himself. The
basic principle of social entrepreneurship transferred into practical experience.
Since then his business has been growing. He
now owns three restaurants and has plans for
more businesses underway. After noticing how
the restaurants gave the kids a chance to really
specialise their skills, Sunny began considering
applying the same concept to different business
sectors, such as a mechanics shop for vehicle
repairs. Another one of his latest projects is the
creation of a new Shangri-La beer, which is set
to be the new beer around bars in Yunnan and
hopefully across China. Sunny hopes that the
brewery will employ many more of his brothers
and sisters, and that it will offer another industry option for them to develop their career paths.
Spanish volunteer Nuria helping at the orphanage
Sunny (centre) with his ‘brothers and sister’
German quality control for the new Shangri-La beer
A German student has also lent a helping hand
to kick off the brewery with German quality control and to also instil the best possible
marketing concept. Sunny’s approach to social
entrepreneurship is a new way of giving back
to the community on a sustainable basis following the principle of ‘Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe’.
His projects will have long lasting benefits for
the individuals who are provided with jobs, the
communities in which they are servicing, the
German student who will derive lifelong value
from this experience and many more. Let’s
hope that this idea spreads to more communities in need, as there are many areas in China
that could benefit from such endeavours. SN
schanghai com
d e u t s c h s p r a c h i g e
"Beliebteste ChinaInformationsbörse" (ZEIT)
"Viele Deutsche nutzen die Job- und Wohnungsbörse
von schanghai.com" (ARD)
"Wichtigste deutschsprachige Austauschplattform"
(Deutscher
Shanghai)
84
August - Club
September
2010
c h i n a - p l a t t f o r m
Your direct channel to Germans in China
Efficient ad solutions from EUR 160/month
Request our media-kit at [email protected]
Monthly social night (Stammtisch): Aug. 28th and Sep. 25th
RSVP at http://www.schanghai.com/stammtisch
ART & CULTURE
www.china.ahk.de
With cooperation of the German TV channel
ZDF, the latest comprehensive solo exhibit
‘The Dynasty of Colours’ of Xiaobai Su was
featured in the elegant exhibition spaces
of the Langen Foundation, near Neuss,
Germany from 17th January – 24th May and
can now be seen in his Shanghai studio.
Through art, Xiaobai combines his ChineseGerman background, which he enhanced
during his studies and work in Germany
and China.
Born in the Chinese city of Wuhan, Xiaobai
journeyed to Beijing to study at the Central
Academy of Fine Arts, where he first
learned the craft of traditional Chinese
painting. With his highly individual works,
distinguished by their unusual conception
and artistic perfection, Xiaobai made a name
for himself in the Chinese art scene early in
his artistic career.
“Painting is a labour of physical effort and
needs a fixed place to hold groups of painting tools,” said Xiaobai in regards to his
workspace. In an artistic developmental
stage of his life, Xiaobai spent over ten years
nearly isolated at a former village school
close to the west border of Germany to discover an artistic inspiration. “I resolutely left
my familiar environment and a comfortable
life for an entirely alien space,” said Xiaobai.
“Fortunately, the place I went happened to
Unravelling the
Layers of
Xiaobai Su
A Chinese-German Artist
be the best modern art academy in Europe.”
The place he speaks of is the Düsseldorf
Art Academy, which Xiaobai describes as a
serene place where “the surroundings, light,
quality of air, combination of colours and
even the different smell of the turpentine in
painting material, or the aisle of a teaching
building form a particular shape or format.”
colour. Xiaobai brushes layers of saturated,
intensely coloured lacquers on canvas,
hemp or wood. The colour protrudes threedimensionally, forming lines, patterns and
a unique surface structure. This structure is
intentionally deployed as an independent,
artistic shaping element that enlightens his
works with unusually tactile character.
Before the Düsseldorf Art Academy, Xiaobai
attended the prestigious Beijing Central
Academy of Fine Arts, where he acquired
knowledge of culture and possibility. After
his transition to the academy in Düsseldorf,
he then eliminated the possibilities and
refined his individual abstract language of
signs out of simple yet unmistakable forms.
This school also introduced Xiaobai to
various inspirational figures, whom enriched
his artistic development.
With his abstract non-representational
paintings, Xiaobai strives for a universality
that suspends cultural borders. The resulting
paintings always hover between order,
passion, harmony and dissonance. Despite
utmost painterly precision, Xiaobai’s works
elude definition. The viewer becomes
aware of infinite possibilities for seeing and
understanding.
Although Xiaobai’s works are created on
canvas and hung on walls, they are clearly
set apart from the conventional sense of
paintings. “Painting is to find the way of
handling colours. The most direct route to
soul vision,” explains Xiaobai of his unique
perception. “What I want is just handling
colours in the imaginable surface layer, no
symbolisation or concept.”
In his large works, a strict, formal structure
joins with an expressive application of
His works are displayed in art galleries,
halls of parliament, banks and in private
collection. However, the location of Xiaobai’s
works is of lesser importance to him than
the manner in which they are displayed. “I
like to see my art presented in an open area
where people can observe and discuss its
qualities. I admit though that they are yet
to be hung on my own walls,” tells Xiaobai.
His artwork can be publicly viewed in his
Shanghai gallery as well as at Galerie Renate
Kammer in Hamburg, Germany or Lin &
Keng Gallery in Taipei, Taiwan. ATD
85
COMMUNITY
TRAVEL
Desert
Days
A Weekend in the Tengger
Greater Inner Mongolia offers a landscape
to suit any personality – from desert
ranges to mountains and rocky roads over
grasslands. It makes for a perfect adventure
destination without having to venture
too far from Beijing. And while there are
numerous destinations exerting cultural and
geographic wonders in China, these places
often draw crowds that question whether
you have even left the city. So let us venture
to an area that stimulates visions of endless
desolate landscape, the desert - or more
specifically, the Inner Mongolian desert.
Only two hours west of Beijing by plane
rests the city of Yinchuan, the capital of the
Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, roughly
mid-way between Xi’an and Mongolia.
Planning an expedition before arrival is the
best way to explore the desert landscape.
Trip organisers will arrange for a local
86
English-speaking guide and driver to deliver
you from airport to hotel and then off into
the abyss. Although travelling by tour group
is not ideal for adrenaline craving adventure
seekers, trekking through a desert can be
challenging without relevant experience and
knowledge. Then again, each trip is always
as unique as the beholder.
A hearty Chinese breakfast is the best
foundation for any sort of excursion,
including a venture to the Alashan (Alxa)
plateau. Traversing the Yellow River and
following a scant industrial backdrop,
a fascinating mountainscape seemingly
appears from nowhere. White flocks of
sheep become visible at the foot of a severely
weathered section of the Great Wall as you
cross the border to Inner Mongolia, making
your bumpy way to the edge of the Tengger
desert where the daze begins.
Daredevil Jeeps catapult their passengers
in all directions as they ride through the
transitioning sand dunes. Climbing up the
dunes on foot is necessary to digg your
toes into the sand, follow the busy scarabs
around without going anywhere specific,
make sand angels and then take pictures
showcasing the collection of sand in every
crevice of your being.
When not galloping through the dunes
try racing around on listless desert horses,
kicking up some sand in a dune buggy,
letting your legs dangle in a cool desert
lake, conversing with animated camels, or
www.china.ahk.de
unravelling the mysteries of the desert, like
learning the painful way why the nearby
Mosquito Lake was named Mosquito Lake.
Of course it is crucial to bring along your
essential life supply for desert survival –
water, water and more water. Your body
demands hydration in such dry heat.
Although the temperatures can be quite
tolerable on an overcast weekend, you
should also beware of sandstorms that
can whip up entire walls of sand and lash
against our cheeks with painful force.
A stunning oasis amidst a sea of sand can
be booked for accommodation at a tasteful
‘eco’ resort on the banks of Moon Lake. The
resort features large bungalow homes as
well as a little settlement of individual ghers
that can be rented out for the night. The
standard hotel package includes a two-man
band in Mongolian costumes that magically
materialises each time a new guest arrives.
Yet aside from the occasional ensuing
welcome ritual, the silence of the resort
resembles a serene paradise.
For those watching the pocketbook or
wanting to be closer to nature, camping out
in tents is another option. Campers can still
take full advantage of the hotel facilities,
such as equipment storage in the hotel lobby,
without having to check in. This comes in
handy when returning from excursions to
change the sweaty desert attire, freshen up,
or gather provisions for the next course of
action. A table at the lovingly constructed
wooden terrace area portrays a blue lake
with waterbirds soaring above the thick
green rows of reeds and a line of camels
striding by on the yellow desert horizon,
transporting you into a world far away from
the China you thought you knew.
The hotel makes a great vantage point for
several activity and excursion options,
whether you are travelling with friends,
family, adrenaline-seeking extremists,
eager trekkers or simply looking for a
scheherazadian backdrop to kick back to
with a good book. There are numerous
tourist attractions to venture out to from
here such as the well-known Swan Lake, or
sacred Helan Mountain.
No desert vacation is a real desert experience
without a camel trek. While soaking in
the beguiling landscape in the windstill
moments, it becomes easier to gradually
adapt to the rolling gait of the Bactrian
digitigrades and acquire an appreciation for
their large dark eyes, long eyelashes and
wide cushion feet that carry souls amid the
volatile dunes with amazing steadfastness
and poise. Most find it difficult not to
connect with the peculiar but admirable
creatures that never complain, as they are so
perfectly fit to the misanthropic environment
– true desert hovercrafts and indeed quite
endearing characters.
A weekend in the desert can undoubtedly
leave you exhausted, but none the less
brimming with all the excitement and
adventure you could have dreamed of for
just a few days.
Leaving you with one piece of advice for the
flight back home – lean all the way back into
the seat, whether it be first class or economy,
and hold out a plastic bag to collect all the
sand that will pour from every crevice of
your body.
The tour organizer was Winser Zhao
of China Travel 2.0 (http://www.
chinatravel20.com). You can reach him
at [email protected]
Avid Jeep driver and German Chamber
member Peter Küsters regularly
organizes his personal Jeep treks to
China deserts that can be joined either
by individual hardcore 4WD enthusiast
from the community or the entire family
depending on the destination, terrain
and routes. You can contact him at
[email protected]
87
COMMUNITY
THIS & THAT
How well do you know China?
In which province was this scenic shot taken and
what crop is grown in such terraces?
Check out our next issue for the answer and send us a photo
from your own pool of China travel pictures, indicating the name
and place of the motive. The best entry will be published with
credits of the photographer in our next issue. Email your entry to
[email protected]
Solution 3/2010: The Old Bell Tower in the centre of the Ancient Town of Pingyao is known
for its loud chime at 7.00 pm each night that can be heard from over 20km away.
THE GREAT PEOPLE
Sudoku
masquerade
Hard
7
3
1
5
8 5
6
4
2
7 3
3
5
3
7
3
8
6
1
2
3
4
2
4 1
2
5
9 1
6
1
7
8
5
SudokuShack.com
http://www.flickr.com/puyecomic
German Speaking Christian Community
Beijing
Date
5th September
Time
10.00 am
Place
Service
Huairou
Ecumenical
Pudong
different places
different places
St. Peters Church
St. Peters Church
Ecumenical
Protestant
Protestant
Catholic
Catholic
Summer Break: 4th July – 4th September
An ecumenical service resumes church activities in Beijing on 5th September
Shanghai
29th August
5th September
12th September
19th September
26th September
10.30 am
10.30 am
10.30 am
3.00 pm
3.00 pm
Summer Break: 4th July – 28th August
Contact:
88
by: PUYE
Beijing:
Dr. Karl-Heinz Schell – Protestant Pastor | ' 136 9363-1857
* [email protected] | www.egpeking.de
Catholic Services | * [email protected]
Shanghai + Suzhou:
Peter Kruse – Protestant Pastor | ' 139 1765-4475
Michael Bauer – Catholic Priest | ' 137 7431-0216
* [email protected] | www.dcgs.net
89
COMMUNITY
CHAMBER EVENTS CALENDAR
Regular Events
Chamber Calendar
Date Event/Topic
North China
23th August
10th September
German Chamber Breakfast
Welcome Back Party with German Embassy School Beijing
East China
19th August
25th August
26th August
1th September
7th September
8th September
9th September
14th September
16th September
18th September
20th September
GC Roundtable
Begin Kunshan Beerfestival
Chamber Meeting
Members Day @ Kunshan
Expo Roundtable
Workshop Construction
Junior Chamber Kickoff Panel Discussion
Workshop Automotive
Chamber Meeting
Welcome Back Party
Germany and China Day
South China
25th August
26th August
tbc August
14th September
15th September
tbc tbc
Legal Roundtable (Guangzhou)
HR Roundtable (Shenzhen)
Legal Roundtable (Shenzhen)
GM Roundtable (Shenzhen)
HR Roundtable (Guangzhou)
Business Forum (Zhongshan)
West China Workshop (Shenzhen)
North China
South China
Praktikantenstammtisch
every second Tuesday of
the month at changing
locations, 7.00pm
German Stammtisch
Shenzhen – every third Thursday of the month at Galleon
Bar, InterContinental Shenzhen
Tianjin Kammerstammtisch
every last Wednesday of
the month at two changing
locations - Euro Place and
Drei Kronen
Young Professionals
Stammtisch Shenzhen
every last Thursday
of the month
Beijing Kammerstammtisch
every third Monday of
the month at Paulaner
Bräuhaus, 7.00pm
German Happy Hour
Guangzhou – every last
Tuesday of the month
Young Professionals
Stammtisch Guangzhou
every second Thursday
of the month
East China
Deutscher Stammtisch
every second Tuesday of the
month at Paulaner Bräuhaus
Fenyang Road, 7.00pm
Praktikantenstammtisch
every third Wednesday of
the month at Mural Bar,
7.30pm
Event Highlights
North China
Throw a Ball on 13th November 2010
What will it be? A Ball in black or a Vaudeville night? A winter’s tale
or a starlit night? Whatever the theme, this much shall be said: Again
this year, much fun will be had! Save the date, save a Yuan, support
our Ball and dance till dawn! For sponsorship opportunities please
contact Ms. Magdalena Kempa at [email protected]
South China
West China Workshop in Shenzhen
Due to the success of the West China Workshop series in Shanghai
and Beijing in June 2010, GCC · South China in cooperation with
GCC l Hong Kong are bringing this comprehensive information
session to South China. The workshop on business potentials and
market development in Sichuan and Chongqing will be held on
Sept/Oct 2010 in Shenzhen. Our speakers are going to share the
results of the brand new AHK-GTAI West China Survey and provide
hands-on information on business and living conditions. Company
representatives from Sichuan and Chongqing will add their
individual perspective and are looking forward to exchange their
experience and to lively discussions with the audience.
East China
Bräugaudi - The German tent at Kunshan International Beer
Festival with Members Day on 3rd September
Greater Shanghai’s biggest beer festival is back from 25th August - 5th
September 2010 in Kunshan. As an established institution for many
years now, the German tent ‘Bräugaudi’ offers a typical German
beer tent atmosphere: authentic decoration, imported German food,
a German band and freshly drafted German beer. Whether you’re
hosting an office dinner, customer event, or employee day, take
advantage of Bräugaudi’s relaxed atmosphere with fun, games and
unparalleled entertainment. The German Chamber’s Members Day
takes place on 3rd September at Bräugaudi with a limited amount of
free tickets for our members! Contact Mr. Jan Höpper for tickets at
[email protected]
90
91
COMMUNITY
92

Part 2 - AHK Greater China

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