Ni Hao Beijing!

As you know this summer I am traveling to China as an ambassador on a Junior Team Canada (JTC) trade mission. My primary role is to promote more trade between China and Canada to further strengthen Canada’s global trade position. This trip would not have been possible without the generous support of my firm KPMG MSLP, the Rotary Club of Oakville-Trafalgar, and private sponsors.

 Well, the journey began on July 28th, 2014 with 28 excited ambassadors. After a grueling flight via multiple Canadian destinations (Vancouver for me), our group arrived in Beijing with a bang. We hit the ground running and went straight to the welcome reception hosted by the Embassy of Canada in Beijing. Guest of Honor? Minister John Baird of the Depart of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

After a rushed change at the airport, we received a great introduction to the close trade ties between China and Canada at the reception. Guests in attendance included prominent Chinese business players, former Chinese ambassadors to Canada and senior management of Canadian companies operating in China. I was also excited to meet with Minister Baird. His speech was really focused on the importance of Canada-China trade and the interest Canada has in strengthening trade ties with China. This was clear from the continuous attention the embassy and the consulates in China receive from both the federal and provincial levels of the government as these offices are frequently hosting Canadian representatives visiting.

 At the reception, through meeting with many Canadian and Chinese individuals, I learned that 'guanxi' (关系), forms the basis of building relationships in the Chinese culture. The idea is that through building relationships , or quanxi, an individual will be able to call upon those in their network to call in favours or be of use to another individual. Looking forward to tapping into Global Vision’s, the Embassy’s and the Consulates’ network when setting up meetings with individuals throughout our trip and building relationships that hopefully will extend beyond our trip.

 Like with anything however, the flip side of guanxi is that it takes an incredibly long time for relationships to strengthen. Chinese organizations want to get to know your personal character before engaging in any type of business with you. This means meeting with them multiple times over business and social visits. Often times this is a deterrent for Canadian small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) as many may not have the time needed to invest in relationship building due to limited human and financial resources.

 Suffice it to say, really excited to learn about China as we continue to meet with prominent business representatives in many sectors of the Chinese market.

ps: these blogs have been uploaded upon my return to Canada as Google is not a supported platform in China and often my internet connection was shoddy at best. Enjoy!