Part 2 - AHK Greater China

Transcription

CHAMBER NEWS
CHAMBER NOTICES
BEIJING&TIANJIN
New Benefit Partners
Crowne Plaza Sun Palace Beijing
北京新云南皇冠假日酒店
2-4 Middle Qisheng Street, Yunnan Plaza (Northeast
Corner of Taiyanggong Bridge, Xibahe)
NE 3rd Ring Road, Chaoyang District
北京市朝阳区G45大广高速辅路
东北三环七圣中街12号云南大厦
Hilton Beijing Hotel 北京希尔顿酒店
1 Dongfang Rd, North Dongsanhuan Rd
北京东三环北路东方路1号
Raffles Beijing Hotel 北京饭店莱佛士
33 East Chang’An Avenue
北京东长安街33号
Hilton Beijing Wangfujing
北京王府井希尔顿酒店
No. 8 Wangfujing East Street
Speakers and Workshop Leaders Wanted
Would you be interested in sharing your expertise with the
community? Do you have a topic which you are passionate about
and would like to present to business leaders in and around
Shanghai? If so, we are looking forward receiving your suggestions,
enabling us to offer even more interesting workshops in 2011.
Contact via:
Mr. Jan Hoepper: ' 021 5081-2266 ext. 1656
* [email protected] for Shanghai
Mrs. Daniela Steinmetz: ' 021 5081-2266 ext. 1830
* [email protected] for Jiangsu & Zhejiang Province
北京市东城区王府井东街8号
New Benefit Partners
TailorMade Chinese Center
Grand Mercure Hongqiao Shanghai
No. 369 Xian Xia Road, 200336 Shanghai China
北京泰莱梅德文化交流有限公司
810 North Tower Shangdu SOHO
8 Dongdaqiao Road, Chaoyang District
北京市朝阳区东大桥路8号SOHO尚都北塔0810室
For the benefits our partners offer you as our member in Beijing and
Tianjin in detail, you can follow our newsletter or visit us online at
http://china.ahk.de/membership/benefit - partner/
SHANGHAI
Personnel Changes at the Chamber
As of July 2011 Mr. Sebastian Zettelmeier is
heading the German Chamber of Commerce
in China • Shanghai as Executive Chamber
Manager, succeeding Ms.
Michaela Beck. After her
six months maternity leave
Ms. Beck will continue
working for the Chamber on
a part time basis as Deputy
Executive Chamber Manager. The Chamber
is happy to welcome her back in the team and
wishes her a good start in her new position.
In June 2011 Ms. Daniela Steinmetz joined the
German Chamber of Commerce in China •
Shanghai and is the new Regional Manager for
the provinces Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Setting up
and leading a small consultancy company for the
past four years in China, Ms. Steinmetz gained a
profound knowledge in business development.
Furthermore, she experienced the challenges
58
and difficulties of working in a foreign invested company on a daily
basis. She is looking forward to supporting the Chamber and its
members in their business activities. In her role Ms. Steinmetz is the
first contact person for all inquiries from German companies that
are located in Jiangsu or Zhejiang Province. She is succeeding Mr.
Sebastian Wegener, who unfortunately has left the Chamber in mid
April this year.
For any inquiries please contact Ms. Steinmetz at:
' 021-5081-2266 ext. 1830 | * [email protected]
August - September 2011
上海市仙霞路369号 200336
Ms. Laurence Neumann, Market Development Executive
* [email protected]
' +86-21-5153 3300 | 6 +86-21-5172 7961
Benefit:
Rooms: 10% discount on our best available rate
Food and Beverage: 15% discount in our Atrium Restaurant and Le
98, excluding alcohol and promotion items
SOUTH & SOUTHWEST
CHINA
New Chief Representative for Guangzhou
The GCC • South & Southwest China is pleased
to announce the appointment of Mr. Oliver
Regner as new Executive Director and Chief
Representative of the Delegation of German
Industry & Commerce, Guangzhou. He will
assume his new position on 1st September 2011.
Prior to joining the Guangzhou team Mr. Regner
has been Deputy Chief Representative of GIC/
AHK Vietnam. Before, he worked as corporate
counsel and head of administration in the tourism industry,
subsequently as a head of legal services and business development
in a Chamber of Industry and Commerce. On behalf of GCC, as well
as our members and partners we wish him a successful start in his
new role.
2011 August - September
59
CHAMBER NEWS
BEIJING PAGES
GCC BOARD
Daimler AG
Executive Vice President
Daimler Northeast Asia Ltd.
Chairman & CEO
Mr. Ulrich Walker
KPMG Huazhen Certified Public
Accountants
Partner Audit
Mr. Andreas Feege
Treasurer
German Chamber Beijing
Executive Director
Delegation of German Industry &
The Yiwu Way to FIPs
Legal Working Group
Commerce Beijing
Delegate & Chief Representative
Ms. Alexandra Voss*
Lufthansa German Airlines
General Manager Beijing,
Chief Representative
Ms. Martina Grönegres
Deutsche Bank (China) Co. Ltd.
Director, Head of Corporate Banking
Coverage, China
Mr. Eddy Henning
Volkswagen (China)
Investment Co. Ltd.
Executive Vice President,
Finance Department
Dr. Jörg Mull
Giesecke & Devrient (China)
Information Technologies Co. Ltd.
Managing Director
Dr. Roland Savoy
TUI China Travel Co. Ltd.
CEO
BEIJING
Mr. Marcel Schneider
GMH – Holding China
Mr. Jöran F. Treppschuh
* All-China Board Member
60
Gathering law and industry representatives
at one table to discuss both of these
aspects of doing business in China makes
for a lively and insightful congregation.
This was the case at the Legal Working
Group session initiated by the GIC Legal
Department to take a closer look at points
of legal in a range of China business
domains. Mr. Richard Hoffmann of Dezan
Shira & Associates started the session
with a briefing on the state of the nation
at the FIP front, the Foreign Investment
Partnership that was established in 2010 to
offer a more flexible form of investment in
China. Many questions that this partnership
led to and the operational implications
initially raised have been clarified since
the introduction, but many open questions
remain along with regional and local
discrepancies. Mr. Hoffmann cleaned up
a prevalent misconception about the FIP
alternative: the fact that it does not require
a minimum capital does not mean that it‘s
cheap. Providing competent background
information and practical examples from
client cases, Mr. Hoffmann detailed the legal
framework of this “third road to China”
beside JV and WOFE, compared the possible
partnership and liability structures, and
zoomed in on the all-important application,
registration, capital and tax regulations.
days – compare that to the six months it took
for Tianjin’s first FIP, simply because no one
was quite sure how to go about the process.
Beijing so far has been keeping its skeptical
distance and is not considered fruitful
ground for this partnership and investment
vehicle – but it is only a matter of time until
the FIP rolls into the capital as well.
Mr. Hoffmann vividly exemplified the
considerable local disparities in the
development and promotion of FIPs with
the Yiwu phenomenon: of the over 130 FIPs
currently registered in China, 90% are based
in Zhejiang, and of those 70% are in Yiwu, an
inconspicuous “special economic zone” on
the East Coast which has made a name for
itself as the world’s largest small commodity
wholesale and export market. In Yiwu, you
can establish your FIP in as little as four
Date: 9th June 2011
Venue: German Chamber of Commerce
Beijing
In the second presentation, Mr. Axel
Kaspereit related a rather unpleasant China
business story that is still in the making –
his firsthand litigation case report now in
its fourth year over the construction of a
factory. When contractual clauses are not
stipulated absolutely watertight, it will not
only rain but pour, the audience learned.
Both law and industry colleagues pitched in
to offer their words of support, caution and
counsel with the mutual hope that this case
can soon be closed and filed away under
“Legal Lessons Learned”. To conclude the
roundtable, Mr. Hogan Lovell gave a cartel
law overview and update in light of the
recent stir caused by the Unilever China
price fixing case.
Event: Legal Working Group – “Rechtsfragen
China”
Speakers: Mr. Richard Hoffmann | Manager,
Dezan Shira & Associates Beijing
Mr. Axel Kaspereit | General Manager, Link
Orthopaedics China
Mr. Adrian Emch|Hogan Lovells International
Beijing
www.china.ahk.de
Taking Matters into Your Own Handbook SME Forum
by the employee. If they are late three times,
it is clearly documented and accepted, and
the penalty can be more easily dealt.
In continuation of the recently commenced
and already very well received SME Forum,
Mr. Chen Chunjie, Senior HR Advisor at The
JLJ Group, presented 'Six Things You Should
Know About HR'. The highly informative
presentation covered the six key areas of
employment: Mandatory Benefits, Working
Hours and Days, Annual Leave, Sick Leave
and Medical Period, Maternity leave, and
Termination and Severance Payment.
The crucial take-away from the presentation,
aside from the individual topics, was the
importance of the Employee Handbook for
managing HR in China overall. Since the
labour law in China is designed to protect
employees, in most cases of dispute judges
will issue judgment in favor of the employee
and rarely in favor of the employer. In order
In addition to the way a handbook is written,
there are a number of sections to be included.
These include an opening from the GM or
president of the company, an introduction of
the company, the HR policy on recruitment,
employment, working hours, leave,
compensation, promotions, rewards and
punishment, performance management and
dismissal, office administration and information
management, and safety information.
to better protect themselves, employers
must prepare a comprehensive Employee
Handbook, which an employee should agree
to and sign. The signed handbook provides
the employer backing if a dispute arises.
A good handbook must be legal, logical,
announced publicly to all employees, and
executed according to clear procedures.
Executed according to clear procedures is a
major point, and simply means documenting
actions and infringements in relation to the
handbook. For example: if the handbook
features a section on penalties for being
late to work more than three times, each
infraction should be documented and signed
Please also see the extended Business
Feature on China’s Work-Related Injury
Insurance Regulation provided by JLJ Group
on page 50.
Event: SME Forum – “Six things you should
know about HR in China”
Date: 26th May 2011
Beijing
Speakers: Mr. Chen Chunjie | Senior Advisor
HR, JLJ Group
Roots of High Potential
Because we all are human, Human
Resources matters to us all. Consequently,
Head of HR Ms. Nora Binder was
able to welcome a diverse audience to
the German Chamber for the first HR
Roundtable under her initiative. The
international range of participants was
not only made up of HR and Personnel
experts across the sectors but also
professionals across all function and
management levels. Dr. Konstantin
Schamber and Ms. Ana Ramos placed
the evening’s spotlight on China’s
High Potentials – Dr. Schamber from
the academic perspective of his Ph.D.
research on the subject, and Ms. Ramos
from her industry insights. Categorizing
any dynamic demographic is a daunting
t a s k , b u t D r. S c h a m b e r p r e s e n t e d
his proposal for the documentation,
definition and distinction of CHPs,
China’s High Potentials, to deduce
the challenges employers as well as
employees face – and last but not least
get to the heart of the immense potential
HR Roundtable
this talent holds. Ms. Ramos presented
further ways of understanding local
talent as well as oversees returnees and
their motivation in order to successfully
plan for this new generation poised
not only for their own success but,
with the right retention efforts, also for
contributing to the success of their future
employers.
Event: HR Roundtable – “China’s High
Potentials and Talent Management”
Date: 15th June 2011
Beijing
Speakers: Dr. Konstantin Schamber | Managing
Director, Center for Strategic Intercultural
Communication (StrategicInterCom) Munich
Ms. Ana Ramos | Managing Director, AIMS
International Shanghai
61
CHAMBER NEWS
BEIJING PAGES
A New Need for
Creativity
Communications Roundtable
In an interactive presentation melding theory
and practical exercises, Mr. Thomas Vogel
took the participants of the Communications
Roundtable on a journey to a vital but still
too often slumbering business management
aspect: creativity. Mr. Vogel, who has focused
extensively on creativity in business for
over a decade now, dubbed his exploration
of creativity in the academic and business
world ‘The next challenge for Managers’.
To invite the audience to confront their
own creativity, papers and scissors already
awaited the representatives from a broad
range of industries.
Juxtaposing the differences in perception
and valuation of creativity in China and
the West, Mr. Vogel addressed a common
preconception and illustrated that to China
as well, creativity is a growing topic –
but here it is important to work with an
adjusted, culture-specific interpretation
of creativity. One universal observation
was that from childhood to adulthood,
“something happens when we grow up in
terms of our creativity.” He addressed the
62
audience members with the challenging
query, “are you creative?”, and along with
the participants set out to analyze what
exactly causes the resource ‘creativity’
to gradually diminish as we age, how
this valuable resource can be retrieved,
developed and put to good use in business
toward a desirable outcome regardless of the
company, industry or field.
Mr. Vogel pointed out the practical needs
for creativity away from the one domain
it is traditionally exclusively attributed
to: the arts. Contemporary business needs
for creativity are rooted in aspects such as
sensory overload, changes in consumer
behavior, business problems and challenges,
business and job market competition,
and limitations of educational systems.
Creativity allows us to shift perspective,
explore information and problems from
various angles, be curious and inquisitive,
fluently connect the dots, combine rather
than separate divergent thinking and
convergent thinking, and devise flexible and
adaptable problem-solving strategies - all
highly sought-after skills by managers in
our globalized, digitalized and technologydriven world.
Seizing, training, fostering and sharing our
imagination is an indispensable component
to managing the demands of future jobs,
business challenges and markets that cannot
yet be imagined.
„Event: Communications Roundtable Burst Creativity for your Successful
Communication“
Beijing
Speaker: Mr. Thomas Vogel | Associate
Professor and Program Director, Global
Marketing Communication & Advertising,
Emerson College, Boston/ Founding Partner,
mediaman
beijing AROUND TOWN
www.china.ahk.de
On With The Show A Production of
Deutsche Kantorei Peking
28th May 2011 & 29th May 2011
German Embassy School Beijing
Deutsche Kantorei Peking is a recently established choir funded
by the German Speaking Protestant Congregation of Beijing and
conducted by concert and church musician Mr. Daniel Tappe. For
“On with the Show” - a Musical under the project lead of Mr. Gilles
Bordelais - the choir members dedicated themselves to a self-written
secular production containing famous German songs from the 1920s
and 1930s. Performed at the German Embassy School Beijing, the
Musical was a great sucess with two sold-out shows. The Deutsche
Kantorei Peking always welcomes anyone who enjoys singing in a
joyful and creative fellowship.
63
CHAMBER NEWS
TIANJIN PAGES
The Big Picture
Major HR Update Tianjin
Designed to provide General Managers,
Executives and leading professionals in
the human resource field the opportunity
to network and share industry
perspectives, the German Chamber of
Commerce in cooperation with Dezan
Shira & Associates as well as DirectHR
held a seminar and panel discussion for
first-hand insight and practical guidance
on how to effectively recruit, contract and
manage employees in China.
During the first seminar session Mr.
M i c h a e l M a e d e r, P r a c t i c e L e a d e r
Automotive & Industrial at DirectHR,
i n f o r m e d o n t h e l a t e s t t re n d s a n d
developments in the HR market with
a special focus on recruiting technical
professionals in China. Following a break
the second presenter, Ms. He Xin, Deputy
Head of Department Law & Business
at GIC Beijing, gave an update on the
Chinese Labor Law. The final topic of the
day was Tax Reporting Law with a focus
on Individual Income Tax, presented by
Mr. Adam Livermore, Regional Manager
Dalian Office, Dezan Shira & Associates.
After the speakers’ sessions, the attendees
were encouraged to actively provide their
input and suggestions in an open Q&A
which led to an intensive and productive
panel discussion.
To establish further connections with
members of the business community based
in and around Tianjin, seminar attendees
had the opportunity to network during a
networking drink at Westin Qbar. Having
received very positive feedback at the
end of the day, the organizers decided to
go one step further and will cooperate
with a similar concept and programme in
Changchun, Shenyang and Dalian.
Event: Major HR Update Tianjin
Date: 11th May 2011
Venue: The Westin Tianjin
Speakers: Mr. Michael Maeder | Practice
Leader Automotive & Industrial, DirectHR
Ms. He Xin | Deputy Head of Department
Law & Business, GIC Beijing
Mr. Adam Livermore | Regional Manager
Dalian Office, Dezan Shira & Associates
64
International
Connections
The 18th China Tianjin Trade Fair & Investment Talk
(CTFIT) and The 7th PECC International Trade and
Investment Expo (PECC)
The 18 th China Tianjin Trade Fair &
Investment Talk (CTFIT) & the 7th PECC
International Trade and Investment Fair
took place on 28th May to 1st June with an
opening ceremony and opening remarks
by Mr. Ren Xuefeng, Vice Mayor of Tianjin
Municipal People’s Government, Mr.
Dong Songgen, Vice Chairman of CCPIT,
and Mr. Li Rongcan, Assistant Minister of
the Ministry of Commerce.
Wi t h t h e m a i n g o a l o f a t t r a c t i n g
investment, promoting business exchange
and strengthening regional ties and
finding win-win developments, the CTFIT
& PECC function not only as a hub for
international trade, but also as a main
channel and distribution center. The fair
featured exhibits from Tianjin's biggest
companies and MNCs operating in the
area such as CSR, Bohai Oilfields, CASC,
Airbus, Wal-Mart and many more.
At an international forum, presentations
by leading foreign experts and
representatives were held on China’s
“Going Global Strategy and Policy”.
Especially noteworthy was one of the
invited speakers, Mr. Martin Miller,
General Manager of Commerzbank Tianjin
Branch and treasurer of the BOD of the
German Chamber of Commerce Tianjin.
Mr. Miller offered information on the topic
Risk Control for Overseas Development
Institutes (ODIs).
Event: The 18th China Tianjin Trade Fair
& Investment Talk (CTFIT) & The 7th PECC
International Trade and Investment Expo
(PECC)
Date: 28th May – June 1st 2011
Venue: Tianjin Meijiang Exhibition &
Convention Center
Organizers: Council for the Promotion of
International Trade Tianjin Sub-Council,
the China Chamber of International
Commerce, Tianjin Chamber of
Commerce, Tianjin World Trade Center
Association
Real-World Experience
Factory Visit
For young German language students
in town, the German Chamber Tianjin
in cooperation with the Goethe-Institute
examination and language learning centre
organized a factory visit to Turck (Tianjin)
Technology Co. Ltd. Received with a
warm welcome and company introduction
by Mr. Michael Tschoepel, Senior Manager
Logistics at Turck Technology, the visiting
group had the opportunity to get a better
understanding of a German SME that
has been successfully operating in China
for many years. During a tour through
the production facilities accompanied
by Mr. Tschoepel’s vast and profound
intercultural
experience, the
fascinated young
visitors could
not only learn
more about high-tech products made
in Germany, but gain insight into the
German-Chinese business mentality
and daily working routine from the
perspective of an SME manufacturer
in Tianjin. With an interactive session
prepared by the Goethe team, the students
had an inspiring and fun visit, and at the
end of this special day, everyone readily
agreed to take part in follow-up activities
by the organizers.
Event: Deutsches Eck Spezial: Factory Visit
to Turck (Tianjin) Technology Co, Ltd.
Venue: Turck (Tianjin) Technology Co. Ltd.
Participants: German language students,
interns and young professionals from
Foreign Language University, Nankai
University, and Goethe SLZ Tianjin
5th China International Private
Equity Forum (CIPEF)
10th-12th June 2011 |
Meijiang International Convention & Exhibition Centre
The 5th Scientific and Technological International Private Equity Forum CIPEF was held between June 10th and 12th. Sponsored by the
Tianjin Municipal Government, the All-China Federation of Industry
and Commerce, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the
Association for Corporate Growth, the event attracted about 500
equity investment funds, 300 intermediary institutions and 1,500
enterprises from all over the world.
German Night in Tianjin
28th May 2011 | Bavarian Beer Keller
Once again, we took off for the German Community’s biggest
festival in Tianjin, the second German Night in Tianjin, for an
enchanting evening with German karaoke, dancing, lucky
draws and more in the heart of Tianjin’s New I-style Town.
65
CHAMBER NEWS
66
67
CHAMBER NEWS
SHANGHAI PAGES
GCC BOARD
Ernst & Young (China) Advisory Ltd.
Partner and Head of GBC China
Mr. Titus Freiherr von dem Bongart
Chairman
Internationalisierung
des Deutschen
Mittelstands
Chamber Breakfast
SGL Carbon Far East Ltd.
Managing Director
Dr. Guenter Hermann
Vice Chairman
Deutsche Bank (China) Co., Ltd.
Director – Head of Corporate
Banking and Coverage, MNC
Mr. Andreas Odrian
Treasurer
German Chamber Shanghai
Managing Director
Commerce Shanghai
Mr. Jan Noether
ProConTra Ltd.
Chairman & Managing Director
Mr. Thomas Dorn
Nokia Siemens Networks
(Shanghai) Ltd.
President & CEO
Dr. Fan Zhijian
Freudenberg Management
(Shanghai) Co. Ltd.
General Manager
SHANGHAI
Mr. Rolf H. Köhler
POLYMAX (Shanghai)
Trading Co. Ltd.
Chairman of the Board
Mr. Ulrich Mäder
Management Engineers China Ltd.
Managing Director
Ms. Brigitte Wolff
68
As part of his visit in China, the CEO of
Commerzbank AG, Mr. Martin Blessing, made
a stop in Shanghai to join a breakfast meeting
on the 10th of May with the German Chamber
of Commerce. Close to 90 participants
showed up to listen to Mr. Blessing’s speech
on the topic “Internationalisierung des
Deutschen Mittelstandes” as well as the three
short presentations about the current situation
and tasks for medium-sized businesses of
Mr. Jürgen Schock, Koerber & Schleifring,
Mr. Georg Hofecker, PWO and Mr. Marcus
Malatitsch, Hubner Interface Systems.
The second speaker, Mr. Georg Hofaecker,
reiterated the experience of Mr. Schock
in terms of the difficulty in finding and
especially retaining qualified staff. As a result,
it is necessary to offer employees incentives
to earn their commitment to the company.
The main factor for success is to be respectful.
For this reason, he started to develop an
incentives programme in his company;
besides monetary stimuli, he says, it is
important to offer some additional incentives
such as public commendations or training
courses, for example English lessons.
In conjunction with the general assembly a few
days before, Mr. Blessing started his speech by
giving a short overview of the actual position
of the Commerzbank AG and the current
situation of the capital market in Germany
and the EU. The positive development of the
Commerzbank is predominantly led by the
intense growth of small and medium-sized
enterprises, especially in China. Mr. Blessing
mentioned that it is necessary to continue
the big success story of SMEs in China, but
the fact that China will be one of the biggest
competitors of Germany should be kept clearly
in mind. Yet the fast growth also has negative
effects; for example, on commodity prices.
Finally, Mr. Blessing gave an overview and
valuation of the real estate bubble in China as
well as the discussion on free conversion of the
RMB, which is as much a political debate as an
economic one.
The last of the three presentations was given
by Mr. Marcus Malatitsch. He shared his
experience in the high speed rail projects
of the Chinese government. The focus of
his speech was the problems the company
had after the corruption affair – in a split
second all projects were cancelled with the
consequence that a large part of the supply
chain broke down. He concluded that this is
still a very lucrative market but the challenge
remains that projects are often driven by
political winds.
The presentations on small and mediumsized enterprises were started by Mr. Jürgen
Schock. The manufacturing industry is
devoted to excellent quality - in his speech
Mr. Schock elaborated on the three main
challenges facing medium-sized companies
in China in their pursuit of quality. The
first is finding and keeping qualified staff.
The second problem arises in the industrial
environment because of cultural differences
influencing the supply chain. The third
issue he addressed is cooperation with
headquarters in Europe.
The speeches were followed by a vivid
Q&A session, and participants continued to
enjoy a delicious Western breakfast as they
networked.
Chamber Breakfast: Der Bankenchef
spricht ueber die Internationalisierung des
Deutschen Mittelstands
Date: 10th May 2011
Venue: Intercontinental Hotel
Speakers: Mr. Martin Blessing | CEO,
Commerzbank AG
Mr. Jürgen Schock | General Manager,
Körber Schleifring Machinery Co. Ltd.
Mr. Georg Hofäcker | General Manager,
PWO High Tech Metal Components Co. Ltd.
Mr. Marcus Malatitsch| General Manager,
Hubner Interface Systems Co. Ltd.
www.china.ahk.de
Corporate Culture
and Other HR
Aspects Chamber Meeting
The day of May 26th 2011 was marked with
the important topic of Human Resources.
The German Chamber organized an HR
Summit, which was met with enthusiastic
approval. Following this event, the May
Chamber Meeting was also dedicated to
Corporate Culture and other HR aspects.
Therefore, more than 188 participants met in
the premises of JW Marriot, Shanghai. The
evening agenda included a speech by Dr.
Christoph Stark, the President and CEO of
BMW China.
After a warm welcome by the new Deputy
Counsul General of the German Consulate
in Shanghai, Mr. Stefan Moebs, Mr. Rolf
Koehler gave a short introduction. The
guest speaker, Dr. Stark, then began his
speech to the attentive audience. After a
short briefing about the history of BMW in
China, Dr. Stark came to the main topic of
his speech. In his opinion, HR is one of the
most challenging aspects in business. Due to
differences in every company, every industry
and every market, it is impossible to find
a perfect solution for each HR issue. Two
decades ago, the situation in the Chinese
labour market was totally different from the
present. There was no open labour market.
Private employment and personal choice
were rare. Likewise, at that time there were
very few qualified and skilled personnel. Dr.
Stark then pointed out that today the labour
market shows a vastly different picture. The
labour market is open and there are more
and more qualified and better educated
personnel available to companies, but in
some branches there
is still a lack of skilled
l a b o u r. H o w e v e r,
the labour market is
both immature and
in a constant state of
flux, which presents
new challenges to
employers. The
Chinese market is the
largest developing
market in the world,
along with India
and Brazil. Due to
increasing foreign
investment in China,
the competition in the labour market will
intensify even further in the next few years.
Furthermore, state-owned enterprises are
also competing for more qualified personnel.
Therefore, foreign companies need to change
their labour management so as not to lose
connection with the Chinese labour market.
Foreign employers must recognize the
major issues in this market. In recent years,
Dr. Stark has witnessed the failure of many
foreign companies and managers, because
they underestimated this need. In most
companies, the Chinese employees constitute
over 90% of the firm’s personnel. In Dr.
Stark’s opinion these Chinese colleagues
can be very dedicated to the company. But
to acquire this dedication, companies must
establish bonds with the workers. Therefore,
it is imperative to address the expectations of
the Chinese employees and to connect them
to the products, the brands and the history
of the company. The
thinking in China is
totally different from
that of the foreign
c o mp a n y ’ s n a t i v e
c o u n t r y. To c ro s s
the cultural divide
between the foreign
company and their
Chinese employees
and to understand
their way of thinking,
companies must
m a k e a n e ff o r t t o
ask them about their
expectations and
their needs.
In ten years China will be the world’s major
economic power. Combined with Japan and
India, more than 40% of the world’s economy
stems from a completely different culture of
the West. Dr. Stark asked a simple question
to the audience: Can we change them? Or
do we need to change our approach in order
to not miss one of the largest and fastest
growing parts of the world? In his opinion,
foreign companies need to invest more time
in understanding the market that they are
operating in. It is truly important in his eyes
to establish an appropriate and consistent
corporate culture. Based on Dr. Stark’s own
experience, professional connections and
leadership in China are more personal than
in Europe. If foreign companies master
this cultural difference, they will acquire
an extremely solid bond with their people.
This solid bond is a fundamental facet of the
success of foreign companies in China.
Event: Chamber Meeting - Corporate Culture
and Other HR Aspects – Winning with People
Date: 26th May 2011
Venue: JW Marriott
Speakers: Dr. Christoph Stark | President &
CEO, BMW China
Chair: Mr. Rolf Koehler | General Manager,
Freudenberg Management (Shanghai) Co.
Ltd. Board Member, German Chamber of
Commerce China • Shanghai
69
CHAMBER NEWS
SHANGHAI PAGES
Management
Accounting Practices
and More Controlling Workshop
The Real Estate
Market in China
As part of his visit in China, Professor Utz Schaeffer of the WHU joined
the Controlling Workshop to share information on the benchmarking
about Controlling and Accounting practice in China. He started
his speech with an introduction of WHU Controller Panel China.
Controlling is an increasingly important topic in China; therefore
Professor Utz Schaefer and Professor Juergen Weber invited controllers,
management accountants and CFO's working in China to participate
in a panel on controlling and management accounting. In 2010 the
benchmarking study was mainly designed for the subsidiaries of
international companies in China. The study consists of three topics:
Management Accounting Practice (MAP), Performance Measurement
Systems (PMS) and organizational identification. The final part of the
2010 benchmarking study was devoted to organizational identification,
which deals with the topics of dual organizational identification and
subsidiary participants, as well as antecedents of dual organizational
identification and influences of dual organizational identification on the
perceived usefulness and actual use of PMS.
For the evaluation, 120 questionnaires from mainly manufacturing
companies were analyzed for the benchmarking study – Chinese
participants comprised the majority of the study with 58% of the
total, followed by German participants with 28%. The remaining
participants originated from various countries all over the world.
The origins of the parent companies were mostly in Germany.
The study covers five different groups of management accounting
practices, on which China has a strong impact due to its unique
business environment, culture and accounting regulations. At
present, budgeting is considered the most important practice of
MAP. Although in the future, the Institute expects qualitative and
strategic issues to become more important. Successful and less
successful companies see different benefits of MAP.
Successful companies use decision support systems more intensively
and therefore see a greater benefit in these systems. The design of
local PMS is independently developed by most of the subsidiaries. In
comparison between self-designed local PMS and sole-parent PMS,
the former is used more intensively for decision-making. In general,
local PMS are perceived to be more useful than the parent PMS.
The study concludes that if the identification with the subsidiary is
stronger than the identification with the parent company, the actual
use of local PMS is more intensive than the parent PMS.
Event: Management accounting practices, performance measurement
systems and organizational identification
Date: 5th May 2011
Venue: Le Meridien
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Utz Schaeffer | Director of the Institute of
Management Accounting and Control (IMC), WHU – Otto Beisheim
School of Management
Chair: Mr. Titus Freiherr von dem Bongart | Partner and Head of
GBC China, Ernst & Young (China) Advisory Ltd.
70
The development of Shanghai’s real estate market, the risks
and opportunities for foreign investors and the chances for
Green Building in China were the main topics of the Construction Workshop. Ms. Magali Menant, Head of econet china in
Shanghai, gave a brief introduction of the topic to the participants. Mr. Helmut Weih, Regional Director Global Corporate
Services China of CB Richard Ellis, began his speech by stating that the burst of a real estate bubble in China is unlikely to
happen. As for the private real estate market, even though the
rental costs are rising again, the growth rate is still moderate.
And the same holds true for commercial properties in Shanghai, where a healthy balance between demand and supply of
new properties exists.
Mr. Philipp Senff, German Attorney-at-Law at SJ Berwin LLP,
gave an overview of the legal framework and continued focusing on the risks when acquiring land-use rights for 40 to
70 years in China, which has implications for the acquisition
structure. Dr. Florian Hackelberg, Senior Manager Valuation
Advisory Services of PriceWaterhouseCoopers, explained that
property valuation is needed for financial reporting, tax, and
insurance purposes. He elaborated on the advantages and disadvantages of the three different valuation methods and said
that different theoretical and practical challenges occur when
applying the methods. Mr. Thomas Adaemmer, Managing Director and Chief Representative of Aareal Bank AG Shanghai,
addressed the topic of real estate financing and the requirements for foreign private investors. Currently, only Chinese
banks offer services for private investors, whereas in commercial financing some foreign banks are active.
The participants then listened to Dr. Ekkehard Rathgeber,
Managing Partner at Jilin Investment Group, who highlighted
that Shanghai is an interesting market for investment because
the growth prospects are positive due to the continuing development of Shanghai’s service sector and the steady urbaniza-
www.china.ahk.de
Construction Workshop
tion process which will increase the demand for more office
space.
The following discussion between the speakers and participants evolved around issues such as the different mindsets of
Chinese and Germans when addressing the real-estate topic
and the opportunities for green building in China.
Events: Panel about the China / Shanghai Real Estate Market
Date: 4th May 2011
Venue: LeMeridien
With 16 years experience in China and more
than 450 local SAP projects with over 250
customers so far, hartung:consult is truly the
expert for SAP implementations and roll-outs
in China.
As the first local SAP partner in China and
offices in Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu, we
have the knowledge, experience and coverage
to support you in your SAP project.
Speaker: Dr. Florian Hackelberg | Senior Manager Valuation
Advisory Services,
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Mr. Thomas Adaemmer | Managing Director and Chief
Representative, Aareal
Bank AG
Mr. Philipp Senff | Rechtsanwalt (German Attorney-at-Law),
SJ Berwin LLP
Dr. Ekkehard Rathgeber | Managing Partner, Jilin Investment
Group
Mr. Helmut Weih | Regional Director Global Corporate
Services China, CB
Richard Ellis
Chair: Ms. Magali Menant | Head of Department, econet
china
Germany • China • Singapore • Malaysia • India • USA
71
CHAMBER NEWS
SHANGHAI PAGES
Mr. Rolf Koehler
How German Companies Balance LongTerm Goals with Short-Term Needs
“China HR Tomorrow” – The Summit HR Summit
In a demanding and fast changing environment such as China, a competitive talent
market, rapid salary increases and high
employee turnover are among the top
HR concerns for German companies. The
German Chamber of Commerce and the
German Industry & Commerce organized
“China HR Tomorrow” - The Summit, in order to inform German companies on industry trends, the latest developments and to
bring them together with HR professionals.
More than 100 top managers and HR executives discussed and shared insights with
the most experienced practitioners. Mr. Rolf
Koehler, General Manager of Freudenberg
Mr. Sushant Upadhyay
Mr. Gerold Simbuerger
72
Management Shanghai and Board Member
of the German Chamber of Commerce,
acted as the moderator of the event. He led
the participants through all workshops and
speeches.
HR Effectiveness and Business Growth
Mr. Gerold Simbuerger, General Manager
of Siemens Signalling, opened the series of
speeches by outlining the HR challenges his
company faces, e.g. the aging population,
the rising competition from Chinese companies and the high turnover rate. Mr. Sushant
Upadhyay, Principal and Chief Commercial
Officer of Aon Hewitt Greater China, outlined what makes an employer a good one.
Furthermore, he confirmed Mr. Simbuerger’s statement that attracting and retaining
skilled talent is the biggest HR challenge for
foreign companies in China. That said, HR
needs to become highly effective in order to
address this issue. The survey also showed
that companies with an effective HR function not only have more engaged employees
but also benefit from higher growth. Mr.
Upadhyay pointed out that companies with
an effective HR system rely on a sound pol-
Mr. Michael Bott
icy framework first. Secondly, the HR services must be delivered in a consistent and
transparent manner based on a clear strategy
to ensure that HR programmes are skillfully
designed, aligned to business needs and that
the HR services are provided effectively.
Rise of Blue Collar Worker’s Salary
During this panel Mr. Michael Bott addressed the salary increase for blue collar
workers as the main topic. He first presented
the results of a survey on compensation systems for blue-collar workers which showed
the structure of a worker’s pay. Together
with Mr. Joachim Mueller, President of Heraeus Shanghai Management Consulting, and
Mr. Georg Hofaecker, CEO of PWO HighTech Metal Components, he further elaborated on the wage increase by asking what
the major reasons for the strong increases
are and discussed with the audience several
possibilities for coping with the rising labor
costs.
Career Development for Generation Y
In his speech, Mr. Michael Maeder, Practice
Leader Automotive & Industrial of Direct
Mr. Michael Maeder
www.china.ahk.de
HR, gave the audience an insight into strategies for employee engagement. According
to Mr. Maeder, a successful engagement
strategy requires a thorough analysis of the
labor market trends as well as consideration
of Generation Y, which already makes up
50% of the working population. Small and
medium-sized enterprizes (SMEs) in particular are ideal for attracting the members
of Generation Y, who feel more special and
ambitious than Generation X. Due to their
flexibility compared to bigger companies,
SMEs are able to provide young Chinese
people more opportunities to reach the top
level faster. In regards to compensation,
Mr. Maeder stated that it “motivates people
from Generation Y for only seven minutes,”
whereas a clear and well-communicated
career development system is most important for their engagement. In sum, balancing recruitment, compensation & benefits,
employee relationship management and
the development of a supportive company
culture is vital for companies if they want to
continuously engage their talents.
Lack of Soft Skills
Dr. Jari Grosse-Ruyken, Deputy Director
of CDHK, Tongji University, hosted this
workshop and invited Mr. Tony Cheng,
HR Component Executive of Volkswagen
Group China, Professor Dr. Han Zheng,
Haniel Chair for Entrepreneurship at CDHK
of Tongji-University, Mr. Georg Hofaecker,
CEO of PWO High Tech Metal Components
Suzhou and Mr. Yan Xu, student at CDHK
of Tongji-University, as panelists to discuss
skill deficits and retention strategies. All
panelists agreed that the reason why only
10% of the Chinese graduates are fit to work
for multinationals is caused by the lack of interpersonal skills due to the young people’s
limited exposure to environments other than
the family and university. A way to filter
out those possessing these soft skills would
be to deploy intensive assessment centres
or to conduct several rounds of intensive
interviews. For a good retention strategy
Mr. Cheng suggested measurements such as
offering a competitive benefit programme
nationwide or building up a positive corporate citizenship image. According to Mr. Hofaecker’s experience, increasing loyalty and
trust are the main reasons for a low turnover
Mr. Jari Grosse-Ruyken
rate. As a conclusion, all panelists agreed
that relying on compensation alone is hardly
enough and that each company has to find
its own way to attract and retain talent like
Yan Xu.
Social Insurance Law and Retention
Mr. Ralph Koppitz, German-Attorney-atLaw at Taylor Wessing, invited Mr. Daniel
Hein, Head of Human Resources Asia/
Pacific at Germanischer Lloyd, to make
a contribution during this workshop. He
outlined the latest regulations on the Social
Insurance Law, which will be effective on 1st
July 2011, and will have a tremendous effect
on China’s social development. This new
law combines five different insurances for all
employees consisting of basic pension, basic
medical, work-related injury, unemployment
and maternity. Each employee will have an
individual account which will remain, even
when he changes location. Through the new
law companies have the chance to better
attract foreign employees by offering an improved insurance package.
Coaching
During the third workshop Mr. Tony Dickel,
Chairman of the Institute of Executive
Coaching and Leadership Hong Kong, informed about coaching and its relevance for
leading people efficiently. Coaching involves
a relationship between the coach and the
‘coachee’ and helps the latter to reach their
full potential as well as their clearly defined
goals. While being coached, the ‘coachee’
learns how to use his talents, skills and experience in the most efficient way. In contrast
to a teacher or advisor, a coach facilitates the
personal development process and encourages the ‘coachee’ to define what he needs
and wants, set goals, take action and reflect
on them.
Top Ten HR Mistakes
Mr. Koehler ended the HR Summit and
gave an overall conclusion together with
Mr. Simbuerger, Mr. Dickel, Ms. Chunyan
Zhang and Mr. Brandel. The top ten HR
mistakes German companies make in China
were highlighted. While on the podium the
panelists discussed with the audience issues
such as the low internal relevance of HR
in German companies, the way companies
Mr. Ralph Koppitz
roll out HR systems, the assumption that
employees in China react the same as in Germany, the fast leadership change, the insufficient systematic exchange programmes, the
underestimation of the diversity of Chinese
people, the missionary attitude of German
companies, the lack of trust and the tendency to ignore local Chinese companies as
competitors in HR.
In sum, with a very positive feedback and
94% of the participants expressing the intention to take part in next year’s “China
HR Tomorrow”- The Summit, the event
can again be declared a big success. The
HR Summit was followed by the monthly
Chamber Meeting where 188 participants
listened to Dr. Christoph Stark, President
and CEO of BMW China, who discussed HR
being the most challenging topic in business.
Event: China HR Tomorrow – The Summit
Date: 26th May 2011
Venue: JW Marriott
Speakers: Mr. Rolf Koehler | General
Manager, Freudenberg Management
Shanghai
M r. G e r o l d S i m b u e r g e r | G e n e r a l
Manager, Siemens Signalling
Mr. Sushant Upadhyay | Principal and
Chief Commercial Officer, Greater China,
Aon Hewitt
Mr. Michael Bott | General Manager
of Sales & Marketing, ContiTech AG
Shanghai Office
Mr. Michael Maeder | Practice Leader
Automotive & Industrial, Direct HR
Mr. Jari Grosse-Ruyken | Deputy Director,
CDHK, Tongji University
Mr. Ralph Koppitz | German Attorney-atLaw, Taylor Wessing
Mr. Tony Dickel | Chairman, Institute of
Executive Coaching and Leadership Hong
Kong
Mr. Tony Dickel
73
CHAMBER NEWS
SHANGHAI PAGES
Stay or Go? The Future of China in
Sourcing and Manufacturing GC Roundtable
The relocation of sourcing and manufacturing to the low-cost
country of China has enabled the former closed-door economy
to flourish. However, with rising expenses and a diminishing
competitive edge, the question among corporations is whether or
not China will still be competitive after 2020. This controversial
issue was discussed at the latest GC Roundtable in May. Moderator
Mr. Kurt Fasser warmly welcomed Mr. Martin Lehnich, McKinsey
Shanghai Associate Principal, who delivered a systematic approach
on how to evaluate the existing strategies and trends in China.
Companies operating in China currently face a series of challenges
due to drastic shortages of qualified employees and labor cost
increases of over 15% in the last few years. In addition, many firms
struggle with an unreliable supplier base and, as a consequence,
fluctuating product quality. All these factors generate unpredictable
costs and operating uncertainties. Therefore, many executives are
considering shifting business functions and sourcing from China’s
coastal areas to either Inner China or even Vietnam and India. Mr.
Lehnich considered these scenarios and stated that China still offers
great opportunities for business, even if costs are rising. Vietnam,
for example, attracts foreign investors with low-wage levels, but
its entire area and the availability of resources could fit into one
province in China. Furthermore, many companies are already
reporting problems in terms of hiring skilled Vietnamese workers.
Finally India, though rich in many raw materials, suffers from a
fragile and still developing transportation infrastructure.
Mr. Lehnich emphasized the significance of self-reflection on one’s
own business and the overall goal of achieving manufacturing
excellence across the value chain. He acknowledged that China
remains favorable as an industry location with many competitive
advantages for sourcing and manufacturing already well established.
In addition, the close access to serving China’s potential markets
is also a critical factor when determining a sourcing location. Mr.
Lehnich also reminded the audience that regardless of the sourcing
location, it is essential in a competitive environment to maximize
productivity and efficiency by pursuing all available avenues, e.g.
implementing cost reduction programmes and finding incentives to
secure future human capital.
The subsequent discussion round agreed on his point of view, with
the debate and exchange of experiences continuing cheerfully at the
buffet.
Event: Stay or Go? The Future of China in Sourcing and
Manufacturing
Date: 30th May 2011
Venue: Sofitel Hyland
Moderator: Mr. Kurt Fasser | General Manager, ConMoto
WE MAKE YOUR BUSINESS WORK
We are one of the leading management consulting
and organisations have trusted in our expertise for three
companies in Germany and independent experts in
decades. Our knowledge, skill and intuition secure
the European and Asian markets. Innovative companies
outstanding mangers and specialists for our clients.
www.deininger.cn · www.deininger.de
Beijing · Berlin · Delhi · Dusseldorf · Frankfurt · Pune · Shanghai · Warsaw
DC_AZ_GC Ticker_178x58,7.indd 3
74
22.06.2011 12:33:00 Uhr
www.china.ahk.de
Insurance Coverage
for Expats in China
Special Event
Being properly insured is a great challenge in general, even in
Germany. How much more difficult must it be while working
and living abroad? Mr. Werner John, General Manager of E.I.C.
Expatriates Insurance Consulting GmbH, led this workshop and
went through all aspects of the topic. He has already worked for
more then twenty years in the insurance industry, especially for
expatriates, and has a deep unterstarding of this field. Next to
pension and compensation insurance, the core parts of the German
social system are unemployment insurance and health insurance
coverage – the latter usually includes nursing insurance. Due to the
Sino-German social insurance agreement made in 2002, expats are
spared from payment in the Chinese insurance system for the first
four years. With a valid international assignment, the employee
therefore remains in the German social insurance system – choice
exists only regarding health care insurance. *
The assignment is defined by special conditions and only valid if the
employee:
• is dispatched abroad upon direction of the domestic employer
• remains within the company of the domestic employer
• has payment claims that remain against the domestic employer
• is still under order direction of the domestic employer
Caution regarding the validity of a contract is advised, especially
if the contract states an indefinite length of assignment time or if
multiple limited extensions have already been made. Managing
insurance by oneself becomes necessary with a local contract.
Regarding healthcare insurance, further coverage by the state
system is not possible. A special overseas insurance is necessary,
although one may also seek coverage by local insurance companies.
Fortunately, according to a resolution made in 2007, under most
circumstances the previous German health insurance company is
obligated to resume coverage upon return from abroad. A deferred
benefits insurance is advised regarding nursing insurance. Accident
and liability insurance usually cover incidents overseas. However,
a written confirmation acknowledging your centre of vital interests
being in the respective country abroad is recommendable. The
same goes for contracting occupational disability insurance, whose
importance cannot be underestimated.
Mr. John concluded that health, accident and occupational disability
insurances as well as a deferred benefits insurance are the most
important coverages when going abroad. Pension and liability
insurance belong in every portfolio as well. Private nursing
insurance and household effects insurances are secondary. However,
as Mr. John finalized, insurances are the foundation for later life. If
the foundation fails, everything else can fall into pieces.
*Changes in Chinese local law as of July 2011 (see page 73).
Event: Insurance coverage for Expats in China
Date: 18th May 2011
Venue: Office of the AHK Shanghai
The same event took place in Tianjin as an after-work event
Date: 7th June 2011
Venue: 1208 Drei Kronen Brauhaus
Speaker: Mr. Werner John | General Manager, E.I.C. Expatriates
Insurance Consulting GmbH
75
CHAMBER NEWS
SHANGHAI PAGES
Der Stand der RenminbiFlexibilisierung Controlling Workshop
The flexibility of the Renminbi was the topic
of this month’s controlling workshop. Mr.
Marcus Wassmuth, Director at Landesbank
Baden-Wuerttemberg in Shanghai, gave an
overview of the deployment of the CNY in
international trade settlements. Cross-border
payments are allowed if the underlying
business is verified through the presentation of respective documents by the Chinese
counterpart. If it is an injection of registered
capital or a CNY loan from abroad, the
transactions need an individual approval
by the respective department of PBOC. Cur-
rently there are no fixed rules under which
circumstances these approvals would be
granted. All payments in CNY are possible
and allowed if the necessary conditions are
met. The second speech was given by Mr.
Andreas Odrian, Director at Deutsche Bank
in Shanghai, who talked about the internationalization of the Renminbi. To show
the development, he presented the pilot
programme of the year 2009, which was
first launched in Shanghai and four cities of
Guangdong province, for CNY cross-border
trade with Hong Kong, Macau, and ASEAN.
Mr. Odrian mentioned all milestones of this
project and delivered an overview on the
newest announcement which allows foreign
direct investment (FDI) in CNY. In his opinion, basic RMB convertibility will likely be
achieved within five years. Furthermore,
he showed the benefits for corporations of
CNY cross-border settlement for onshore
corporations and overseas corporations. At
the end, Mr. Odrian showed how companies
have to consider the opportunity to switch
their payment to CNY by comparing which
tasks the companies should pay attention
to and which questions arise from that. The
speeches led to a vivid discussion and an
interesting question and answer series.
Event: Der Stand der Renminbi-Flexibilisierung
Venue: Le Meridien
Speaker: Mr. Marcus Wassmuth | Director,
Representative Office Landesbank BadenWuerttemberg in Shanghai
Mr. Andreas Odrian | Director Corporate
Banking, Deutsche Bank, Shanghai
Chair: Mr. Jens-Peter Otto | Partner,
China’s Emergence as a Global Greentech
Leader Workshop Environmental Protection
When looking at China’s recent emergence
as the second world economic power, it
cannot go unnoticed that this development is
paralleled by its growth as a global greentech
leader. Mr. Alan Beebe, Managing Director,
China Greentech Initiative (CGTI), outlined
the main topics of the China Greentech
Report 2011 and delivered deeper insight
into China’s progress in that field. The report
focused on nine sectors where energy plays
a vital role and took a closer look at the
reasons for China’s greentech development,
highlighting market opportunities and
showing implications for foreign companies.
Currently, China’s main energy source is
coal – which is no surprise, seeing that China
harbors the third largest coal supply in the
world. A continued reliance on this energy
source is certain, although its negative effect
in terms of pollution has been acknowledged.
Thus, the Government decided to reduce
the share of coal in the energy mix by almost
10% within the next five years. In addition
to making coal a cleaner energy in general,
76
the Government aims to compensate the
“loss” by focusing on wind and hydro energy
and plans to increase their share in the total
energy mix significantly.
The nature of energy is one topic; its
distribution is another challenge. Investments
in the electric power infrastructure of RMB
384bn by State Grid from 2009 until 2020 will
ensure China is one of the biggest power
infrastructure markets in the world. With
this development, companies in this branch
will be provided with abundant business
opportunities. The size of the project can
be illustrated by the fact that the scheduled
investments and innovations are intended to
abate as much as 1.65bn mtce per year, which
would be the equivalent to Russia’s total 2009
emission.
In addition to cleaner energy, the greentech
market includes a variety of other industries,
reaching from green building to cleaner
transportation and water. In its twelth fiveyear plan, the Government continues focusing
on those markets. However, opportunities
in this case do not come without challenges.
According to Mr. Beebe, next to dealing with
current problems such as IP risks, findings
of the report suggest that capitalizing on the
greentech market might require a different
skill set – a need to be solution-oriented rather
than product-focused. He concluded that if
capable, foreign companies are provided with
a great test bed in China for developments
and innovation – and they have the unique
chance to create and shape markets from an
early stage.
Event: China’s Emergence as a Global
Greentech Leader
Venue: Le Meridien
Speaker: Mr. Alan S. Beebe | Managing
Director, China Greentech Initiative
Moderator: Mr. Daniel Tweer | Business
Development Manager, REMONDIS
Shanghai Rep. Office
CHAMBER NEWS
CHAMBER NEWS
SHANGHAI PAGES
Der Stand der RenminbiFlexibilisierung Controlling Workshop
The flexibility of the Renminbi was the topic
of this month’s controlling workshop. Mr.
Marcus Wassmuth, Director at Landesbank
Baden-Wuerttemberg in Shanghai, gave an
overview of the deployment of the CNY in
international trade settlements. Cross-border
payments are allowed if the underlying
business is verified through the presentation of respective documents by the Chinese
counterpart. If it is an injection of registered
capital or a CNY loan from abroad, the
transactions need an individual approval
by the respective department of PBOC. Cur-
rently there are no fixed rules under which
circumstances these approvals would be
granted. All payments in CNY are possible
and allowed if the necessary conditions are
met. The second speech was given by Mr.
Andreas Odrian, Director at Deutsche Bank
in Shanghai, who talked about the internationalization of the Renminbi. To show
the development, he presented the pilot
programme of the year 2009, which was
first launched in Shanghai and four cities of
Guangdong province, for CNY cross-border
trade with Hong Kong, Macau, and ASEAN.
Mr. Odrian mentioned all milestones of this
project and delivered an overview on the
newest announcement which allows foreign
direct investment (FDI) in CNY. In his opinion, basic RMB convertibility will likely be
achieved within five years. Furthermore,
he showed the benefits for corporations of
CNY cross-border settlement for onshore
corporations and overseas corporations. At
the end, Mr. Odrian showed how companies
have to consider the opportunity to switch
their payment to CNY by comparing which
tasks the companies should pay attention
to and which questions arise from that. The
speeches led to a vivid discussion and an
interesting question and answer series.
Currently, China’s main energy source is
coal – which is no surprise, seeing that China
harbors the third largest coal supply in the
world. A continued reliance on this energy
source is certain, although its negative effect
in terms of pollution has been acknowledged.
Thus, the Government decided to reduce
the share of coal in the energy mix by almost
10% within the next five years. In addition
to making coal a cleaner energy in general,
the Government aims to compensate the
“loss” by focusing on wind and hydro energy
and plans to increase their share in the total
energy mix significantly.
The nature of energy is one topic; its
distribution is another challenge. Investments
in the electric power infrastructure of RMB
384bn by State Grid from 2009 until 2020 will
ensure China is one of the biggest power
infrastructure markets in the world. With
this development, companies in this branch
will be provided with abundant business
opportunities. The size of the project can
be illustrated by the fact that the scheduled
investments and innovations are intended to
abate as much as 1.65bn mtce per year, which
would be the equivalent to Russia’s total 2009
emission.
In addition to cleaner energy, the greentech
market includes a variety of other industries,
reaching from green building to cleaner
transportation and water. In its twelth fiveyear plan, the Government continues focusing
on those markets. However, opportunities
Platinum Sponsors
Gold Sponsors
Event: Der Stand der Renminbi-Flexibilisierung
Venue: Le Meridien
Speaker: Mr. Marcus Wassmuth | Director,
Representative Office Landesbank BadenWuerttemberg in Shanghai
Mr. Andreas Odrian | Director Corporate
Banking, Deutsche Bank, Shanghai
Chair: Mr. Jens-Peter Otto | Partner,
China’s Emergence as a Global Greentech
Leader Workshop Environmental Protection
When looking at China’s recent emergence
as the second world economic power, it
cannot go unnoticed that this development is
paralleled by its growth as a global greentech
leader. Mr. Alan Beebe, Managing Director,
China Greentech Initiative (CGTI), outlined
the main topics of the China Greentech
Report 2011 and delivered deeper insight
into China’s progress in that field. The report
focused on nine sectors where energy plays
a vital role and took a closer look at the
reasons for China’s greentech development,
highlighting market opportunities and
showing implications for foreign companies.
Diamond Sponsor
14th German Ball
Carnevale di Venezia
Silver Sponsors
19th November 2011, 7pm
Grand Hyatt Hotel
Ticket sale starts in October
in this case do not come without challenges.
According to Mr. Beebe, next to dealing with
current problems such as IP risks, findings
of the report suggest that capitalizing on the
greentech market might require a different
skill set – a need to be solution-oriented rather
than product-focused. He concluded that if
capable, foreign companies are provided with
a great test bed in China for developments
and innovation – and they have the unique
chance to create and shape markets from an
early stage.
Event: China’s Emergence as a Global
Greentech Leader
Venue: Le Meridien
Speaker: Mr. Alan S. Beebe | Managing
Director, China Greentech Initiative
Beverage Sponsors
Media Partner
Moderator: Mr. Daniel Tweer | Business
Development Manager, REMONDIS
Shanghai Rep. Office
Sound Partners
Hosted by:
CHAMBER NEWS
CHAMBER NEWS
SHANGHAI AROUND TOWN
www.china.ahk.de
Käfer’s Grand Opening Party
Final Ceremony
24th June 2011, The Binjiang One
3th June 2011 | Piazza of the EuroCampus
With a big smile on their faces the 12th grade students received
their diplomas from Mr. Manfred Lauck, the headmaster of the
German School, and their class teachers during the graduation
ceremony at the EuroCampus. More than 200 parents, teachers
and friends attended the festive event and enjoyed the delightful
music programme prepared by students and teachers. Pictures: © DS Shanghai
Mr. Michael Käfer, Director of the Feinkost Käfer GmbH, and
Mr. Alfred Chen, Chairman of the Namchow Group as well as
BLN Restaurants & Caterings, celebrated the opening of the first
Käfer restaurant under the name “Käfer by The Binjiang One’’
in Shanghai, which is also the first in all of China. Around 250
guests enjoyed the evening and had a first taste of Käfer’s famous
European gourmet kitchen.
Father‘s Days
4th June 2011 | Throughout Shanghai
On that Sunday, 36 men and 60l of beer took to the
streets for Shanghai’s first German Father’s Day celebration, sponsored by Paulaner Bräuhaus Shanghai. In
the merry tradition of hiking on ‘Vater Tag’, Paulaner
arranged a 14km hike throughout Shanghai, beginning
at Paulaner @ Fen Yang Road, stopping by at Paulaner
@ Binjiang for a light lunch, and ending at Paulaner @
Expo where a 30kg roasted suckling pig awaited them.
Not even the rain could stop these men from enjoying a
Shanghai take on a German classic.
Summer celebration
18th June | EuroCampus; 25th June | PudongCampus
Parents hosted the annual summer parties at both campuses of the
German School with plenty of food and a diverting programme.
In the context of musical and theatrical perfomances, students,
parents and staff took the chance to bid farewell to those who
will not come back to Shanghai after the summer holidays. Pictures: © DS Shanghai
Graduation Prom
4th June 2011 | Le Royal Méridien Shanghai
Sponsored by Volkswagen Shanghai the 40 graduates celebrated
their university entrance diploma with a classy prom including dinner, entertainment and dancing.
78
78
78
www.china.ahk.de
Käfer’s Grand Opening Party
24th June 2011, The Binjiang One
Mr. Michael Käfer, Director of the Feinkost Käfer GmbH, and
Mr. Alfred Chen, Chairman of the Namchow Group as well as
BLN Restaurants & Caterings, celebrated the opening of the first
Käfer restaurant under the name “Käfer by The Binjiang One’’
in Shanghai, which is also the first in all of China. Around 250
guests enjoyed the evening and had a first taste of Käfer’s famous
European gourmet kitchen.
Summer celebration
18th June | EuroCampus; 25th June | PudongCampus
Parents hosted the annual summer parties at both campuses of the
German School with plenty of food and a diverting programme.
In the context of musical and theatrical perfomances, students,
parents and staff took the chance to bid farewell to those who
will not come back to Shanghai after the summer holidays. Pictures: © DS Shanghai
79
CHAMBER NEWS
SOUTH & SOUTHWEST CHINA PAGES
GCC BOARD
MTU Maintenance Zhuhai Co. Ltd.
President & CEO
Mr. Holger Sindemann*
Chinese Companies are
Resetting to CSR
Best Practice Forum
Chairman
Häfele GmbH & Co KG, Rep. Office
Shenzhen
Managing Director
Mr. Stefan Rosenbohm
Treasurer
The speakers shared their knowledge about the challenges of CSR implementation.
GCC • South & Southwest China
Executive Director
Commerce Guangzhou
Delegate and Chief Representative
Mr. Oliver Regner
SOUTH & SOUTHWEST CHINA
EWIKON Hotrunner Systems
(Shenzhen) Co. Ltd.
Managing Director
Mr. Rüdiger W. Kümmerle
Siemens Ltd. China
Senior Vice President and
General Manager Region South
China
Mr. Nong Keqiang
C. Melchers GmbH & Co. KG
Chief Representative Guangzhou &
Chongqing
Ms. Renate Tietjen
Herrenknecht (Chengdu) Tunnelling
Equipment Co. Ltd.
General Manager
Mr. Bai Kun
Honorary Board Member
Southwest China
80
Since the early 1970s, Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) has successfully
become a common business practice of
Western companies. The goal of CSR is to
embrace responsibility for the company's
actions and encourage a positive impact
through its activities on the environment,
consumers, employees, communities,
stockholders and all other members of the
public sphere.
conduct) were just a few topics that were
addressed and extensively discussed. At
the end of the forum the attendees had the
opportunity to ask questions directly to
the experienced Chinese companies and
were especially interested in the challenges
of implementation. This forum was cofinanced by the DEG KfW Bank and was
jointly implemented by TÜV Rheinland and
ASSIST.
TÜV Rheinland Greater China hosted a
best practice forum in cooperation with
GCC • South & Southwest China in order
to share expertise regarding CSR-reporting
standards. About 140 participants joined
the forum held at the Lingnan College,
t h e b u s i n e s s f a c u l t y o f S u n Ya t - S e n
University in Guangzhou. Climate change,
resource scarcity and compliance (code of
Event: Best Practices Forum – China
Reporting and Transparency Excellence
Date: 10th June in Guangzhou
Chair: Ms. Heidrun Bussr | Executive
Chamber Manager, GCC • South &
Southwest China
How to Get Your Taxes Right
in China Tax Seminar
Hosting the Individual Income Tax Seminar
in Shenzhen, the GCC • South & Southwest
China had the pleasure to welcome Mr. Jacky
Chu and Ms. Sophie Lu from Pricewaterhouse
Coopers to give an outstanding presentation on
the implications of the PRC Individual Income
Tax (IIT) for expatriate employees working in
China. Attending members from the British,
French and German Chambers of Commerce
could gain a detailed understanding of the
most relevant PRC IIT compliance requirements and were also informed on certain experiences concerning the PRC IIT administration
and practice in Guangzhou as well as on recent
tax audit cases. At the end of their presentation
the two PwC experts were open to discuss and
resolve individual cases.
Event: Individual Income Tax Seminar
Date: 12th May in Shenzhen
Speakers: Mr. Jacky Chu, Partner and
Ms. Sophie Lu, Senior Manager I PwC
International Assignment Services Practice
Southern China/Hong Kong
Chair: Mr. Max Zenglein | Regional
Manager, GCC • South & Southwest China
www.china.ahk.de
How long have you worked today?
As a GM, have you ever thought about
claiming overtime for your extended
working hours? This story was shared by
one Chief Representative at the 2nd General
Manager Roundtable in Guangzhou,
letting everyone reconsider their challenges
with overtime (OT) claimed by blue
collar workers and office staff. Eleven
GMs eagerly discussed all related topics
of OT Management, a subject that makes
it worthwhile to consider investing in
fingerprint and facial recognition technology.
Keeping track of the working hours of
employees can be a challenge, especially for
sales staff and if there is no special regulation
in the company handbook. The GMs
dedicated the second half of the Roundtable
to their concerns with customs and
importing from Europe. Several participants
experienced serious delays in manufacturing
when facing the rigorous procedure of
getting HS codes for all machine parts that
can take up to several weeks. Guanxi is still
deemed to be the best solution for many
Breaking Currency Boundaries
Ms. Grace Zhang is presenting the pros and
cons of RMB trade settlement.
On 28 April 2011, the GCC • South &
Southwest China hosted a seminar on the
th
new regulations concerning cross border
RMB trade settlement at the Harbour View
Hotel, Zhuhai. More than 20 participants
were eager to learn about the benefits and
limits of new options to settle foreign trade
balances. Thanks to the support of the HSBC
and the outstanding presentation of Ms.
Grace Zhang, the participants could gain
deeper insights regarding the development
and the strengths of cross boarder RMB
trade settlements, as well as discuss their
individual concerns and resolve their open
questions.
GM Roundtable GZ
challenges arising when dealing with local
customs authorities.
Event: General Manager Roundtable
Date: 31st May 2011 in Guangzhou
Chair: Mr. Jens Hildebrandt |General
Manager, GIC Guangzhou
Finance Seminar
Event: Finance Seminar - Cross Border
RMB Trade Settlement
Date: 28th April in Zhuhai
Speaker: Ms. Grace Zhang | Senior Trade
Consultant, HSBC
Creating Safeguards for Job Hopping by High
Level Employees Legal Roundtable
Chinese employees often change their job
to get a better position or a better payment.
About 17% of the whole Chinese workforce
practises job hopping every year. Many
employees stay an average of two years in
the same company and collect sufficient
Participants were able to address all their concerns
regarding the contracts of high-level employees.
Mr. Zach Wortham explains the difficulties of
enforcing the non-compete clause.
experience to move on. The affected
companies are usually SMEs, because they
do not have the same standing and financial
means of Fortune 500 enterprises. In times of
labour shortage, salaries have started a race
to almost unbelievable heights. However,
companies do not only fear high personnel
costs; they are increasingly worried about
confidentiality and company secrets that
might be stolen or even misused by former
managers. Therefore, the employment
contracts for high level employees have to
contain certain clauses and penalties. Also,
the employer should put in place certain
rules and precautions to be prepared if a
manager resigns or goes to arbitration.
During the seminars in Shenzhen and
Guangzhou the speaker, Mr. Zach Wortham,
Senior Manager of the PRC law firm Wang
Jing & Co, addressed the main difficulties
and risks regarding the structuring of
higher-level labour relationships. The
central aspects of his presentation were
concerned with the essentials of formulating
labour contracts, such as the Anti-Unfair
Competition Law, Confidentiality, NonCompete Clauses and the general terms of
termination of a contract. Due to his rich
experience as a PRC lawyer, Mr. Wortham
could illustrate the essentials of contractual
labour relationships, especially by referring
to certain case studies. In the end, the
speaker and his assistant took their time to
resolve individual concerns and questions.
Event: Legal Roundtable – What to Consider
When Hiring/Firing Management
Date: 15th June in Shenzhen & 16th June in
Guangzhou
Speaker: Mr. Zach Wortham | Senior
Manager, Wang Jing & Co. Law Firm
Mr. Max Zenglein | Regional Manager,
GCC • South & Southwest China
Chair: Ms. Heidrun Buss | Executive
Chamber Manager
81
CHAMBER NEWS
SOUTH & SOUTHWEST CHINA PAGES
Insights into One of China’s most
Advanced Automotive Companies
Almost 100 participants joined the BYD Headquarters tour.
Due to the joint efforts of the British, French
and German Chambers of Commerce,
an exclusive BYD Headquarters visit
in Pingshan, Shenzhen was organized.
Almost 100 participants, mostly member
companies, participated in a factory tour to
one of China's most advanced automotive
companies.
During the tour, BYD demonstrated its
research and development efforts regarding
Factory Tour
The attendees gained great insights into one of China’s most advanced automotive
company.
renewable energy by exhibiting the “Future
Village” – a zero-emissions model village
for independent solar and wind electricity
production and storage. Afterwards, it
introduced its Solar Farm and even offered
an exclusive Auto Factory Tour for the
first time. At the end of the tour, some
participants also had the opportunity to go
for a special BYD E6 test drive. Due to the
outstanding organization and supervision
on behalf of BYD, participants gained great
insights into BYD’s history and vision, as
well as their general business model.
Event: BYD Factory Tour Shenzhen
Date: 23rd May in Shenzhen
Hengqin Eyes International
Investments from PRD
Organized by the PRD regional publication
'Delta Bridges' and the business publication
'Macau Business', the fourth Delta Inter
Chamber Event (DICE) was held on
Friday, 17th June 2011 at the Sofitel Macau
at Ponte 16. The DICE event series aims at
providing members from various Chambers
of Commerce from Macau, Hong Kong
and Guangdong a platform for exclusive
business networking. The fourth DICE
Experts from China and overseas discussed urban
planning in the Pearl River Delta.
82
included a conference panel focused on
an environmental topic as well as the
development plans of the Hengqin New
Area, followed by a cocktail reception. The
Director General of the Administrative
Committee of the Hengqin New Area,
Zhuhai, Mr. Niu Jing, vowed that more
international investments would be
introduced in the area, including companies
from Guangdong Province, Hong Kong and
Macau.
Entitled "Urban Planning in the Pearl River
Delta", the conference speakers included:
Mr. Niu Jing, Director General of the
Administrative Committee of Hengqin New
Area, Zhuhai; Mr. Rui Leão, Vice-President
of the Macau Architect Association, Macau
and Mr. Beck Stefan, Managing Partner,
Baumschlager Eberle, Hong Kong.
Participants enjoyed the exclusive business networking
in Macau.
Event: 4 th Delta Inter Chamber Event Urban Planning in the Pearl River Delta
Date: 17th June 2011 in Macau
Chair: Mr. Peter Hourle | West PRD
Liaison Of ficer, GCC • South and
Southwest China
www.china.ahk.de
Design for Clicks
There are 457mn internet users in China,
98% of them with access to broadband.
303mn Chinese use their mobiles for browsing the internet and 57% are under 30. This
group includes 11.4% university graduates
and 6.6% who earn 5,000 RMB per month.
142mn Chinese shop online.
Marketing Seminar
ances and search functions. The speakers
shared key findings and solutions towards
creating a localized and target-specific approach and introduced related procedures
In order to provide some firsthand information, GCC • South & Southwest China
together with the Spanish and French Chambers of Commerce organized this seminar at
the Regus Business Center Guangzhou. Mr.
Marc Finsterlin, the Managing Director of
aquarius asia and Ms. Cheyenne Law, Senior
Account Manager, both demonstrated the
upcoming chances and opportunities awaiting the Chinese online market. Mr. Finsterlin
mentioned that a global approach does not
work in China. There is Baidu instead of
Google, Taobao instead of Ebay, and Renren
instead of Facebook, plus the ongoing firewall obstacle. Local clients buy on different
platforms with much more entertaining and
playful websites, displaying the necessary
information with just a couple of mouse
clicks - often a mystery to foreigners with
their organized and structured web appear-
and common practice issues. The 30 participants made full use of the seminar, asking
many questions and attaining a better idea
of their future successful online market entry.
Event: Online-Marketing and E-Commerce
Seminar
Date: 24th May in Guangzhou
Speakers: Mr. Marc Finsterlin | Managing
Partner and Ms. Cheyenne Law, Senior
Account Manager, aquarius asia limited
Southwest China
The Ups and Downs of Implementing an ERP
System Business Seminar
ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) is
essential for resource planning within a
company and may help to considerably
improve the overall performance of existing
business processes. The decision for an
ERP system depends on many aspects e.g.
the package, the implementation partner
and the scope. Every system needs to be
modified and adjusted to the special needs
of the business, the so-called total cost
of ownership highly depends on these
variables.
In order to provide a certain guideline
about the main considerations before
implementing an ERP system, GCC • South
& Southwest China organised an information
session in June 2011 in cooperation with Mr.
Richard Howard of Chief Choice Ltd. Mr.
Howard provided the audience an insight
into the functionality of an ERP and the
requirements for a smooth and frictionless
implementation.
Event: ERP Criteria Selection Seminar
Date: 21st June in Guangzhou
Speaker: Mr. Richard Howard | General
Manager, Chief Choice Ltd./ Kingdee
Consulting Partner
The audience gave full attention to the business visa application processThe participants were eager to hear the
best practices regarding the implementation of an ERP system.
Southwest China
83
CHAMBER NEWS
SOUTH & SOUTHWEST CHINA AROUND TOWN
www.china.ahk.de
“Explore Italy” Photo Show
Opening
7th June 2011 I Westin Guangzhou
Guests of the Photo Show Opening were able to explore Italy,
the inspiring country of originality and creativity through the
eyes of famous Photographer Ivy FENG on 7th June at the Westin
Guangzhou. Admission is free and the exhibition continues until
the beginning of August 2011.
InterChamber Networking
Drinks
18th May 2011 Le Jardin d‘Olive
Summer feelings spread out in Guangzhou in May! More than
80 guests participated in the InterChamber Networking event
at Le Jardin d’Olive which was hosted by the European, French,
German and Spanish Chamber of Commerce. The guests enjoyed
the soiree with free flow of French wine and delicious canapés.
Deutscher Abend and OBC
Comedy Club
21st May 2011 I Holiday Inn Shenzhen Donghua
More than 100 German-speaking guests attended the first OBC
COMEDY CLUB show at the Holiday Inn Shenzhen Donghua. The
German Evening was organized again by Mr. Schneider of OBC
Express Ltd. After the delicious white asparagus dinner, the guests
enjoyed a two hour comedy show with lots of fun and laughter.
84
Chengdu Social Events May
and June 2011
20th May European Day Party
25th June Interchamber Summer Mixer
250 participants joined the European Day Party on 20th May
jointly hosted by GCC • South and Southwest China and the
EUCCC at the Intercontinental Hotel Chengdu. One month later,
the international community in Chengdu met and mingled at the
Interchamber Summer Mixer which was hosted in cooperation
with the British and Belgian Chamber of Commerce.
85

Part 2 - AHK Greater China

Transcription

Similar documents

produc tc atalogue 5 produc tc atalogue

杜塞尔多夫德中友好协会 - GDCF Düsseldorf