Learning Experience China 1 - 2

Date 24th March

My biggest problem of going to China with my Indian client is FOOD :) Hence in the many trips that I brought Indian to China, I always comes one day earlier to check out the eateries. In the first trip many years ago for an Indian client looking to startup the import of electronic medical goods to India, on the first day we stop at a Chinese vegetarian restaurant. It was a bad experience as all the food were cooked with garlic and also ginger and as you know some Indian vegetarian do not take these product. Big mistake on my part. Since then I always look for Pizza Hut or western restaurant that serve pizza. In KFC and Macdonald, safest food is French fries. For your info, there 300 over Indian restaurant in Shanghai and about 40 Indian restaurants in Beijing, this will there you where all the Indian companies are in China.

In any collaboration, it is 90% emotional and 10% technical. When you are looking for partners in M & A work, focused on the emotional. Focused on building relationship. Focused on building the bridges first. I went one day early to meet with the various parties who my Indian client is keen to meet. Meet with them, introduce yourself, make them comfortable with you.... even giving them a copy of my book. So when you meet up with them the next time with your client they are more comfortable to chat with your client. Indian and Chinese are the same. "Guan Xi" or relationship is very important.

The next day when my Indian client arrived, it was a packed program. On landing in Beijing, I take them to meet a contractor in the hotel, then a short break to check in and then a very famous Chinese architect for dinner. The next two days is visit after visit, including visits to hotel development and shopping mall. Why the packed program?........

It is not all work, in between we visited the Silk Market, Great Wall, Forbidden City etc. Reason is to understand where China is in their economy. I learn long time ago is that when a country starts focusing on their heritage, that country has reach a high status in their economic development..... someday the India government will do to the Red Fort in Delhi what the Chinese is doing to restore their Forbidden City......

We then proceed to Shanghai and we did the same thing with a packed program of visits and meetings. Beijing is to Delhi what Shanghai is to Mumbai. Shanghai is the commercial center of China. Surprising on this trip to Shanghai I noticed a lot more Indian tourist as well as professional working in Shanghai. A very good sign.

There are many lessons my Indian clients learned from this trip and it is typical of the lessons learn for an Indian coming to China......

To be continued.