See here part of the FCCC Newsletter. Gilbert is one of the “18 Flemish companies”.
FCCC Newsletter No 202, 13 December 2010
The Flanders-China Chamber of Commerce (FCCC) and VOKA Antwerp Chamber of Commerce organized a conference on “Doing business with China” on December 2, 2010 at the VOKA Antwerp Chamber of Commerce. On this occasion, two publications were launched:
– A practical guide on doing business with China
– FCCC Members’ Portraits in China
In the book “FCCC Members’ Portraits in China”, the Chamber presents the activities of 18 Flemish companies which have already made it in China. The book contains valuable information on how they tackled the highly competitive and difficult Chinese market. The man or woman on the ground in China also reveals tips and tricks about doing business in China, based on his or her experience in China. The managers who pulled of the success story of their companies in China also list their favorite book about China, there favorite restaurant in China and their favorite place in China, presenting the reader a lot of tips on books, restaurants and places.
Managers of member companies of the Flanders-China Chamber of Commerce based in China are doing an excellent job. Unfortunately, not much of their achievements filters through in the mainstream press. Some are responsible for the business of tens of wholly-owned companies and joint ventures. Others founded their own consultancy and have barely a few employees. Some have been in China for more than 20 years, have married Chinese women and have made the Middle Kingdom there second home. Others have done stints of three or four years in the country, coming from another assignment abroad and moving on to the next stage in their expatriate career. Diverse as those managers are, do they have anything in common? The interviews show that they are all very dedicated and hard working. They make it a point of honor to listen to their Chinese colleagues and employees. They don’t come to China with a fixed and arrogant attitude. On the contrary, they are flexible and quickly adapt to the Chinese business world. That is one of the main reasons why they are successful. Read the book and find out the details. As many of the managers in this book explain, doing business in China is not that different from doing business elsewhere. To be successful and make a profit you have to do your homework. “FCCC Members’ Portraits in China” shows how they did it.
The price of the China Guide is €50, including a complementary copy of FCCC Members’ Portraits. FCCC members can also receive a free copy of FCCC Members’ Portraits separately. The guide to doing business in China and the FCCC Members’ Portraits can be ordered via www.flanders-china.be.
Gilbert and the Media
Letter to China Daily 31 August
Guess what…. China Daily did publish my letter, though modified. I just wonder why they made certain modifications.
I’m not complaining too much as the essence of the message was kept.
You can check with the original version posted earlier. See here what was published:
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/usa/2010-08/31/content_11233134.htm
Being:
Letters-Rethink over foreigners needed
Comment on “Foreigner communities” (China Daily, Aug 25)
I doubt that there were 20,000 “green cards” holders, that is, foreigners granted permanent residence permit in China, by 2004. Official figures for 2009 show a total of 311 “green card” holders in Beijing. Figures for Shanghai are most probably similar, but could be a bit higher. As a matter of fact, China has almost stopped issuing “green cards”. Applications are accepted but permission rarely granted.
A consequence of the near non-existence of such card holders is the weird experience of using it. Most airport security officers ignore its existence and ask people to produce their passports. The lack of training on the part of security officers and others makes “green card” holders a discriminated rather than a privileged lot.
Some Chinese people’s worry over the impact of foreigners on China and their call for a new “immigration law” to limit the influx of foreigners would only paint a bad image of China.
Reliable figures on foreigners in China are not available. Beijing is said to have more than 110,000 long-term foreign residents. Figures for Shanghai may be higher. The latest official figures (2007) show 538,892 foreigners have been living in China for more than six months. I believe the real figure is much higher, considering foreign students and many unaccounted for foreigners. Even if we assume a total of 1.5 million foreign residents in China, that is a drop in the ocean compared to the Chinese population of more than 1.3 billion.
If China wants to be an open and international society and part of the world community, some of our Chinese friends have to rethink their attitude toward foreigners.
Gilbert Van Kerckhove, via e-mail
Gilbert & Sun on CCTV9
On Chinese New Year day (14 February, if you didn’t know) we were 3 times on CCTV9.
It was a new format, like a spontaneous discussion. I was soso convinced about it, but the program turned out quite OK, and lasted nearly 20 minutes (double the time we were told before). The idea:
“On the eve of Chinese New Year, you are invited to a tea party at Ms. Jehanne De Biolley’s (a Jewelry Designer located in Beijing) house. And each of the guests brought a small gift (please choose one gift that has the characteristic of your home country).
Once everyone is inside the house, we will start with exchange of your gifts. This will be followed by talks on “made in China”. You could think about what does “made in China” mean to you, how has its image has changed in the past few years.”
I brought Belgian chocolate (Cote d’Or) and cookies…
Part of the pics are from the actual shooting (28 January), the others are TV screen shots.
Host: James Chau CCTV – World Insight (nice and friendly)
Location of the shooting: a Ming Dynasty Siheyuan in a hutong close to Qomolangma Hotel, Gulou Xi Dajie (Drum Tower area), atelier and home of Jehanne.
It was sad to see that part of the centuries old building had just burned down (probably due to bad electric wiring from Chinese neighbors), destroying a lot of Harrison’s personal belongings and work. I cannot imagine how firefighters could even come close to the building. The buildings are impressive, see the old beams. Impressive too is the interior done by Jehanne and Harrison.
The guests:
1. David Tool, a professor teaching at China International Studies University (USA);
2. Gilbert Van Kerckhove, “a businessman” (Belgium)
3. Sun Bin, Gilbert’s wife (Belgium/China);
4. Cem Aygun, a lecturer at China Foreign Studies University (Turkey);
5. Scott-H Olson, Emerson (Beijing) Instrument Co., Ltd. (USA)
6. Jehanne de Biolley, jewelry designer located in Beijing (Belgium);
7. Harrison Liu, husband of Jehanne (China)
8. Severine Perrennet – French assistant of Jehanne (France)
The top 60 foreign experts in China
One more. I am listed in the special book that features 60 experts (60 years PRC…) in China’s recent history. A bit surprised but happy to be listed among some very well known experts.
The book is called “60 Foreign Experts in China”, published in 2009 by the Foreign Languages Press and compiled by International Talent monthly. Forword by Zhang Jianguo, Deputy General Director of the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs.
Listed are of course the “usual suspects” such as Israel Epstein, Sidney Shapiro, David Dollar, William Lindesay, Norman Foster, Edwin Maher and even Henricus (Hein for the insiders) Verbruggen.
Download the pdf (I made a scan) of the book with my “story” in English and Chinese:
2009_60experts.pdf
For those who read Chinese, see also the article published in “International Talent” in October 2008:
081001talent.pdf
Gilbert on the Internet in Global Times
See here the link for the so-called “interview”:
http://opinion.globaltimes.cn/commentary/2010-01/501163.html
Oh well. I told them not to bother me anymore. Or am I too sensitive?
(see previous post with the full interview text)