CEO of Antal International Tony Goodwin noted that the SMEs should do so before the MNCs realize the potential of Chinese economy and start to rehire next year. In an exclusive interview by China Daily, he said hiring people will offer greater long-term benefits than firing. Corporate executives should consider formulating “long-term” human resources strategy during these uncertain times.

In China, US companies tend to react a little more aggressively to the effect of global economic downturn in reducing their workforce, according to Goodwin. In contrast, domestic and European multinational enterprises keep more restrained attitudes toward the unfolded crisis. And such kind of conservative approach is a wise one because of the underlying strength of the lager developing economies, especially China.

The fact that some MNCs are now firing people would probably cause problems for themselves in coping with the growth of business next year. However, they have provided great opportunities for small and medium-sized companies to recruit many talents they never found before. “If the financial crisis had not had happened, the smaller companies would never have stood a chance of competing with the big corporations for top managers,” said Goodwin. With so many talents, SMEs like BPOVIA in Nanjing is becoming much stronger and more effective.

He also noted that foreign companies can accelerate their localization instead of firing people to save costs. That is to hire more Chinese managers rather than bring people from their own countries.

Liew Mun Leong, CEO of Singapore-based MNC CapitaLand said the firm will have a 100 percent Chinese management in 2009.

Are you interested in the business opportunities in China?

China is one of the world’s great growth markets and is likely to be for many years to come. Foreign companies often face difficulties in assessing Chinese market demand and enacting effective strategies because of the language barriers, culture differences, and high expense.

BPOVIA is the leading virtual assistant and Knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) service provider in China. BPOVIA is the only virtual assistant company ever been nominated for the prestigious “Red Herring 100 Asia” Awards 2008. Combines international perspective with local know-how, BPOVIA can provide our clients China business development service and help our clients doing successful business in China.

Please visit http://www.BPOVIA.com/ for details about our service.

As leader of the Finnish delegation, visiting President Halonen met President Hu Jintao on 23rd October for bilateral discussions on Sino-Finnish relations and international issues.

He said, “Finland attaches great importance to the ASEM process in all its aspects, including the political, economic and people-to-people dimensions.”

“The relations between Finland and China are excellent, and that fact was proved also by the presidents the moment they met. The political dialogue between us is varied and refers to all issues. We cooperate in many fields, such as the building of rule of law in China,” Kuosmanen said.

Finland, with Norway, Denmark and Sweden, was among the first Western countries to recognize the People’s Republic of China when it did so on January 13, 1950.

“Since China started the policy of reform and opening up to the world, it has been expanding relations particular in the field of economy. That is still going on today.” Kuosmanen said.

Extensive economic ties
He noted the economic ties between the two countries have become very extensive both in the fields of trade, investment and technology.

“Apart from being our largest trading partner in Asia, China is among the largest in the world. Finnish enterprises have largely invested in China.” He said, adding that almost 300 Finnish-owned companies investing in China.

Moreover, Finnish companies have set up factories in China producing goods both for the Chinese and international markets. He said he hoped that there will also be more Chinese investment in Finland, making use of the strengths that Finland can provide.

Touching on the current international financial crisis, which affects the EU and the US, he said he was sure that China’s fast development, also affected by the crisis would last and that there would be more Finnish enterprises in China.

“The financial crisis, started in the US, is proof of the inter-independence among different countries and regions of the world. Our own financial institutions are on a sound footing and no government intervention has been needed to sustain them.” Kuosmanen said.

Finnish companies in China have set up operations mainly to supply their overseas customers, but also increasingly to service their Chinese clients.

He said, “However, it is obvious that as the financial crisis in other nations spreads to the ‘real’ economy, our companies, in Finland, in China or in other nations, will also be affected.”

Trade ties flash back almost as far as diplomatic connections. Early in 1952, in order to promote trade relations between the two countries, a commercial section was opened by the Embassy of Finland, and in 1953 the first trade and payment agreements between the People’s Republic of China and a Western country was concluded.

Environmental efforts
Finnish companies can offer products, services and technology that can help China tackle its environmental challenges. The environment is a particular bright area for further economic cooperation.

“For solving China’s environmental challenges, environmental technology is crucial. And we want to promote that for technological cooperation between us.” he said.

Examples of cooperation consist of future network technologies, living lab concepts and environmentally sound digital cooperation concepts, known as EcoDigiCity and EcoCity.

Cooperation on the China-Finland Nanotechnology Strategic Mutual Cooperation Initiative that was signed in January 2007 has started between the two countries, and over 30 project proposals and expressions of interest have been gathered so far.

He said, “Finland is already China’s largest trade partner among the Nordic countries. Promoting cooperation to find more energy-efficient and more environmentally friendly solutions has mutual benefit for both sides.”

“Looking back on the impacts of China’s reforms and opening-up policies,” he added, “for Finland, China’s emergence as a major economic power has been a great bonus, as the two countries’ trade and investment relations testify.” The potential to further expand and intensify those relations grows as China grows, so China’s success is in Finland’s interest as well.

The ascent of China and other emerging powers naturally entails adjustment on the parts of all countries. The ambassador said, “Our aim is to make that adjustment peacefully, by strengthening the rules-based multilateral system in a mutually beneficial way.”

Policies welcomed
“We welcome China’s reform and opening-up policies which has pursued for 30 years. It is those policies that have put peaceful development and the patient building up of better lives for your citizens at the top of your national priorities that are the cause for China’s rise. We hope that China will continue on this path, and we are glad that this is indeed the declared intention of your leaders.”

Finland was still placed high among European countries in terms of economic growth and employment, although it suffered for many years from a severe economic recession in the early 1990s, according to a survey.

Education is an outstanding element among the indicators measured. Therefore, more cultural exchanges and academic contacts between the two countries are expected from both sides in the future.

He said that ASEM’s strength is its wide and ongoing process. It is not limited to state leaders. The dialog between and among experts, business representatives, and non-governmental organizations is of importance as well.

Are you interested in the business opportunities in China?

China is one of the world’s great growth markets and is likely to be for many years to come. Foreign companies often face difficulties in assessing Chinese market demand and enacting effective strategies because of the language barriers, culture differences, and high expense.

BPOVIA is the leading virtual assistant and Knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) service provider in China. BPOVIA is the only virtual assistant company ever been nominated for the prestigious “Red Herring 100 Asia” Awards 2008. Combines international perspective with local know-how, BPOVIA can provide our clients China business development service and help our clients doing successful business in China.

Please visit http://www.BPOVIA.com/ for details about our service.

Karl Zavitkovsky, director of the Dallas Office of Economic Development, said the city has got trade opportunities in 21 Chinese cities in the past three years.

The city has focused on smaller cities with populations of 7 to 10 million people. “There are unlimited trade opportunities between cities that aren’t being tapped right now,” Zavitkovsky said.

Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert had a trade with China in April. He said trade with China is essential to his city’s survival. “We can no longer afford to think of business on just a national scale, or even limit our efforts to this hemisphere,” Leppert said. “For Dallas to prosper, we must all compete on a global scale for a global economy.”

I believe that Dallas must have done detailed surveys about Chinese market as BPOVIA usually do for clients who want to do business with China.

Leppert wants to bring more Chinese tourists to Dallas, to turn it into a place for Chinese goods and to encourage Chinese companies to move their US headquarters to the city.

One of the companies that has taken his advice and shifted its US office to the Texan capital is ZTE Telecom. The Chinese telecommunications operator has revenue of $8 billion a year in the US. Leppert expects that to triple in the next year.

Dallas is offering generous tax incentives for Chinese companies to establish warehouses and distribution centre here expecting to create 60,000 jobs in the Dallas area over the next 20 years.

Texas has a fast developing tech sector that’s fighting hard to compete with China. It is still a long way to get China to spend more money in Dallas to decrease the US trade deficit.

Last November, the US students learnt Chinese culture and language in the first Confucius Institute of the University in Texas. According to Gu Mingdong, the institute’s director, the demand for the classes has more than doubled in the past few months.

Are you interested in the business opportunities in China?

China is one of the world’s great growth markets and is likely to be for many years to come. Foreign companies often face difficulties in assessing Chinese market demand and enacting effective strategies because of the language barriers, culture differences, and high expense.

BPOVIA is the leading virtual assistant and Knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) service provider in China. BPOVIA is the only virtual assistant company ever been nominated for the prestigious “Red Herring 100 Asia” Awards 2008. Combines international perspective with local know-how, BPOVIA can provide our clients China business development service and help our clients doing successful business in China.

Please visit http://www.BPOVIA.com/ for details about our service.