Date Tuesday 26 May 2009
Time 1600-1830
Venue Albert Hall, Nottingham, NG1 5AA

Come to this FREE event and hear how your business can build on the opportunity posed by China in this difficult economic period.

We have all read, heard and seen the consequences of the current economic crisis and much interest has been shown in China’s performance during these challenging times.

It is interesting that the Chinese word for “crisis” is weiji, a word made up of two Chinese characters – one meaning “threat or danger”, the other meaning “opportunity”. The question as to whether China represents a threat or opportunity for British businesses is one that has often been posed. Surely now though, the opportunity is greater than the threat. CBBC is working with UKTI to highlight opportunities in some of China’s second tier cities, where there is currently less competition – a recent mission to Anhui province was told that GDP is growing by +10% so far this year.

When Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao came to the UK in early February, he made a number of keynote speeches in which he highlighted the importance of the role that China could play in the global economic downturn. He described his journey to Europe as a “journey of confidence”, with “confidence more important than gold or currency”. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said in his speech that he was looking for UK exports to double, from the current £5bn to £10bn, in the next 18 months. How can this be achieved?

East Midlands China Business Bureau (EMCBB) and China-Britain Business Council (CBBC) have brought together a panel of speakers to share their views on how East Midlands businesses can build on this opportunity. How important is the relationship with China to the East Midlands region? What is the level of engagement? How can companies build on existing links to achieve business success?

Each of the speakers will share a personal perspective on how China is performing in the current economic climate before opening the floor to questions and discussion, followed by a networking reception.

The event will be chaired by Peter Hogarth, International Trade Director for UKTI East Midlands. Peter will be joined by Stephen Phillips, Chief Executive of China-Britain Business Council, James Ng from Wragge & Co, a Midlands-based law firm and Richard Pascoe, Director of the China Policy Institute, the research institute for the School of Contemporary Chinese Studies in Nottingham and a China think tank.

Agenda
16:00 Registration
16:30 Chairman’s opening remarks
16:35 Panellist Introductions and China Market Observations

– Stephen Phillips, Chief Executive, China-Britain Business Council
– Richard Pascoe, China Policy Institute
– James Ng, Wragge & Co
– HSBC speaker
– Company case study

16.55 Open discussion
17:45 Refreshments and Networking
18:30 End

Registration
To register for this FREE event, or to request further information, please contact Cheryl Cranness.
Email: chinainfo@emd.org.uk
Tel: 0116 257 5611