_News Center_China International Fair for Investment & Trade (CIFIT)

Eddie Chen has taken part in the CIFIT for seven years in a row. Still, he senses something different is in store at the fair this year.
“We’ve seen many Chinese enterprises of great potential and with a long-term vision evolving from the early stage of learning into a competitive participant in global investment and trade,” said Chen, chief representative for Invest in Sweden Agency (ISA) China and chief investment advisor of the Embassy of Sweden in China.
ISA informs foreign investors about pertinent information, and assists them with business opportunities in Sweden and practical investment advice. The agency established its Chinese mainland headquarters in Shanghai in December 2002, and then attended the 7th CIFIT in 2003.
Over the past six years, ISA has helped complete nearly 190 Chinese investment projects in Sweden, of which 160 Chinese enterprises have established a business presence there.
According to Chen, his of?ce has assisted 18 Chinese-owned or partnership business programs so far this year, while they will help put another 15 to 20 projects into operation in Sweden by the end of this year.
“About two- fifths of the s e projects are industrial investments, and the remainder are business-oriented, for instance, investing in real estate and setting up operation centers,” Chen said.
Chen has witnessed the progress of Chinese investment going global. He defined the years from 2003 to 2006 as a preparatory phase, during which the investment behavior took on a rough and irregular approach. Now the investors have become more and more qualified, with a definite goal to secure a seat on the center stage of global business.
Among ISA’s list of Chinese partners are both state and private-owned business icons, such as the State Grid, Huawei and Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine, who invest extensively in information and communication technologies, clean energy, life sciences, automotive electronics and natural resources.
“I know a lot of mainland enterprises see the current ?nancial crisis as a rare opportunity for them to expand regionally and to play a bigger role in world trade,” Chen said.
“Many of them have a wealth of business experiences in the domestic market, but all these will not contribute to their exploring a foreign market. They know little about the international rules. And they need to start preparing for totally different policies and competitors,” he said.
Chen has visited a lot of State and privately run enterprises in China. He found that regardless of the size of those companies and sectors, they often lack talented management who are familiar with the laws and rules of the world trade.
“It requires time and patience for companies to cultivate their own international managing teams. But it is critical to the strategies of operation and raising competitiveness. There is no shortcut and entrepreneurs should be resolved about that process,” he said.
In the past, Chinese enterprises were often labeled as being short-sighted in international trade and merely content with making some profits. Chen suggested today’s entrepreneurs attain their own middle and long-term objectives, and in particular, establish their international operation bases to maintain a stable presence in global business, which should carry more strategic importance.
He also pinpointed the necessity for Chinese enterprises to shift the business focus from exporting products to exploring new industries. They should not limit themselves to selling products, but need to leverage onto investment possibilities abroad, he said.
“I think it must be a new trend for aspiring Chinese entrepreneurs to break free from the restrictions of the traditional business mindset and become more and more globalized,” he said.
He said that ISA will continue to provide customized, in-depth assistance to potential Chinese investors, in terms of laws, accounting and marketing services. And they will also help match Chinese enterprises with ideal local partners and intro-duce them into the mainstream business circles.
Since Sweden now holds the EU presidency and its prime minister will visit China next month, Chen said that ISA expects to get more involved in deepening the EU-Sino relationship from its own perspective. To complement a new round of cooperation between EU and China, they will hold a series of business events and talks on overcoming the global crisis together and creating new systems and models for the future economy.
Since Sweden now holds the EU presidency and its prime minister will visit China next month, Chen said that ISA expects to get more involved in deepening the EU-Sino relationship from its own perspective. To complement a new round of cooperation between EU and China, they will hold a series of business events and talks on bridging over the global crisis together and creating new systems and models for the future economy.
He revealed that they will hold a seminar on environmental conservation and a low-carbon economy between Finland in Beijing starting in mid-September. The forum will represent the overall strength of Northern Europe in developing clean-energy technologies.