Setting Up A Business In China

At the China-Central and Eastern European Countries Economic and Trade Forum

BUDAPEST, June 25 (Xinhua) -- The following is the full text of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's speech at the China-Central and Eastern European Countries Economic and Trade Forum, held in the Hungarian capital city of Budapest on Saturday:

Strengthen Traditional Friendship and Promote Common Development

Address by His Excellency Wen Jiabao, Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China

At the China-Central and Eastern European Countries Economic and Trade Forum

Budapest, June 25, 2011

Prime Minister Viktor Orban,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am delighted to come to the beautiful city of Budapest and attend the China-Central and Eastern European Countries Economic and Trade Forum. Let me begin by extending warm congratulations on the opening of the forum. I would also like to express sincere appreciation to the Hungarian government for its thoughtful arrangements, and pay high tribute to friends who have long been devoted to the economic cooperation and trade between China and the central and east European countries.

Exchanges between our two sides date back to ancient times in spite of the long geographical distance. As early as over 2,000 years ago, the Silk Road closely linked us together. Most countries in central and eastern Europe established diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China immediately after its founding, opening a new page in the annals of our friendly relations. Over the past several decades, although the international situation and the domestic situations of both sides have undergone big changes, we have always enjoyed mutual respect, mutual trust, mutual understanding and mutual support. Our traditional friendship has constantly deepened and cooperation in various fields has made tremendous progress.

Two-way trade has grown rapidly. In 2000, China's trade with central and east European countries was only 3 billion U.S. dollars. In 2010, it surpassed 40 billion, representing an annual average growth of 32 percent. China's imports from the central and east European countries had grown even faster, registering an average annual rate of 38.7 percent. Our trade mix has improved. The proportion of trade in electric, mechanic and high-tech products has exceeded 60 percent. Today, the rose oil, amber, crystal, beer and cars from central and east European countries have entered numerous households in China. And the quality yet inexpensive consumer goods from China have been warmly received by the local people here.

Ni Hao Ya'll – A Country Boy View of Studying Business in China ...

Five years ago, I would have never thought that I would be hiking on the Great Wall of China but on May 18, I boarded a plane heading for Shanghai for one of the most enjoyable vacations (and adventures) in my life.

In early Fall, a faculty spot came open and I had the opportunity to Study in China for two weeks. The agenda that was sent to the faculty and students who would be participating and looked pretty full, so I decided to stay an extra five days to explore on my own. For the past 4 years, outside of my day job as a web technologist for Eastman Chemical, I’ve taught college night courses at local colleges on topics such as Internet Commerce, Web Technologies for Education and Global Human Resources. The trip was sponsored by the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center and was open to students and faculty from Virginia Intermont, Emory and Henry, UVA Wise, and other Tri-Cities schools to study business and culture in China, so I was eligible to go “free” excluding airfare.

As China seeks to be one of the largest capitalist economies in the world, it was an exciting time to go. Everyday I hear complaints about how fast China is growing and how everything we buy is made in China or how many jobs go overseas to China, so I felt a need to see what actually is happening. I was pleasantly surprised to see where a large percentage of our American money goes, but recognize we need to change our paradigm.

The biggest challenge that I faced as I planned for the trip was learning about the culture and trying to prepare for the unknown. George H, trip coordinator, and the staff at the Southwest VA Higher ED Center did a great job setting up two sessions to learn about culture and language. We were introduced to several different facets of China which helped us prepare for what we were to experience. Though I’ve travelled to countries such as Italy, Greece, Germany, Scotland, and several others – I was totally not ready for the major cultural difference and lifestyle in China.

After the 12-14 hour flight, we landed in Shanghai which is China’s largest city and is also known as the hub of economic development for China. My jaw dropped to the floor as we rode the tour bus to our hotel through Shanghai which is also home to the largest port city in the world. Shanghai literally means “above or out to the sea” and with a population that fluctuates from 20-30 million everyday due to so many surrounding villagers moving to the city during work hours with hopes of finding industrial work, it was easy to see why the Chinese are eager to see their economy grow. Shanghai is home to over 300 of the Global Fortune 500 companies and has over 6000 foreign funded businesses.

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