China Trade Mission Blog

by Jim Bradbury, Partner, Jackson Walker LLP.

Jim is the chairman of the Fort Worth Chamber’s International Business Development Committee and is currently traveling with a delegation of 20 business representatives from the Dallas- Fort Worth to Beijing and Shanghai May 19-27.

Follow the delegation’s journey as Jim submits daily entries about doing business in China, including business customs, cultural and architectural observations, travel and food commentary, and more.

Entries:

• Day 8 - Post-script
• Day 8
• Day 7
• Day 6
• Day 5
• Day 4
• Day 3 - Evening
• Day 3
• Day 2
• Day 1

Day 8 - Post-script - Friday, May 26, 2006

Jim D. Bradbury, Jackson Walker LLP

One last post script because I cannot resist. Last night, our entire entourage was taken by bus to an elegant restaurant for a dinner with Chase. After a short wait in the foyer, we were ushered by staff into a glorious room with tables set for dinner. There were about 20 people already there waiting and as we entered the room they stood and came to greet us.

Everyone began saying hello exchanging cards and engaging in the small talk that is the custom at these things. All was going well until the third guy that shook my hand said, "I am Klaus from the Dutch." Sensing something amiss, I asked him if he was working with Chase. He said "No.Why?"

Wrong room, wrong party, which is too bad becase both groups were getting along just fine.

Day 8- Friday, May 26, 2006

Jim D. Bradbury, Jackson Walker LLP

It was a week ago that we left the ground in Dallas. It's been an extremely succesful trip. Some members of the group have discovered business opportunities they never even contemplated.  Half of the group traveled south to Baoding to visit the wind turbine blade manufacturing facility owned by Tang Energy, which is based in Dallas. At lunch they had snake and chicken feet.  The rest finished their appointments here in Beijing. I spent the morning with Petrochina and all that I can say is the US major companies are going to have to move quickly to keep up.

We spent the last evening here at dinner hosted by Chase, one of our partners in putting this trip together. Using their extensive list of contacts in China, Chase was able to assit in identifying the potential partners for all of us on the trip.

A couple of other words of credit. This trip was planned, put together and carried out by The Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce and particularly Mary Weaver who did exemplary work. She deserves recognition for her ideas and her work, along with the rest of the Fort Worth and Dallas Chamber staffs that made this trip possible. In addition, the City of Fort Worth through the Fort Worth International Center provided extensive help, including the work of Sigi Frias and Carey Spence.

It has been an incredible journey and provoked outside-the-box thinking among the business persons on the trip.  We leave in a few hours and I'm ready for the wheels of that 777 to hit the ground back at DFW. And then on to the Northside for a double order of cheese enchiladas.

Day 7- Thursday, May 25, 2006

Jim D. Bradbury, Jackson Walker LLP

Knockout hotel in Beijing. We are staying at the Kerry Centre, part of the Shangri-La chain of hotels. http://www.shangrila.com/beijing/kerrycentre/en.

It is brand new and extremely modern. Sort of a blend of LA and Tokyo. The bar, which I investigated for official purposes only, was perfect. Great drinks, good cheeseburgers and a jazz combo that was very Sambuca. We listened to a good version of "All of Me" while a couple that looked like they were from Kansas danced to celebrate their 48th anniversary.

In case your image of Beijing is of a dull, controlled place that lacks freedom of expression, I offer the following: On the way to my morning appointment, the car pulled to a stop at an intersection. As I looked up to my right I saw a 60-foot panel of advertisements that had a model using a record (in case you are under 40, this is the forerunner to CDs) as a fig leaf, shall we say. Being a person of high moral character, I averted my eyes and noted it only for purposes of cultural exchange... This being just a long two iron away from the seat of governmental authority.

Tonight was a showstopper. We were hosted for dinner by CCPIT, the Chinese Govt's Ministry for International Trade. CCPIT has been a longtime friend of Fort Worth businesses and the Chamber. There are some things in China that you cannot get without State help: we stood and looked over the Forbidden City from above, a view that 1.4 billion people have never seen.

Oh, and one last dispatch before I succumb to the blues band in the bar... Mayor Moncrief, should you read this. Fort Worth is in high esteem tonight in Beijing and Carey Spence, marketing coordinator for the Fort Worth International Center, deserves a raise. She worked herself for the betterment of all of us.

Gone and out in Beijing.

Day 6- Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Jim D. Bradbury, Jackson Walker LLP

Today we broke camp in Shanghai and took a short one-hour flight to Beijing. The wake up call came at 4:45 a.m., so we were able to beg Starbucks into opening early and selling us twenty Venti coffees to go.

Totally different feel in Beijing. Shanghai is a fast-moving financial engine with little evidence of official government. Beijing is very official and has large governmental buildings much like Washington DC. It also has more evident history, including the Great Wall and gates from the ancient interior walls.

We tackled the impressive Great Wall in the afternoon. The climb is ambitious and separates the Fort Worthians from the Dallasites, if you know what I mean.

Byron Harris from Channel 8 and his cameraman made the trek up the Wall and interviewed several of the delegates, including the legendary Greg Upp (University of North Texas Health Science Center) and Wil Garland (American IronHorse).

China is a country full of paradox. Right next to a wall that is thousands of years old, is an enormous neon sign advertising the Olympics bearing the phrase "One world, one dream." I know it's the same world but I hope it's the same dream.

I would give my eye teeth for a cold Dr Pepper and a brisket sandwich.

Day 5- Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Jim D. Bradbury, Jackson Walker LLP

We are in day two of appointments for the businesses that have come along. Everyone has been floored at how the tremendous amount of advance work is paying off. Every appointment has been hand-picked, some of which carry the introduction of government officials in Beijing.

DFW Airport stands to gain a great deal here. Bill Frainey, asst. VP with DFW Airport, has been been meeting with cargo and passenger companies since we hit the ground. Almost everyone he's met has been extremely impressed at the size and capability of DFW Airport. Shanghai, a major Chinese hub, has only three runways while DFW has seven. Bill says the new Chinese customers immediately recognize the distribution potential of DFW. The airport is a perfect fit for the growing list of Chinese carriers and shippers looking to join the US marketplace. Like most places in the world, Bill says once you tell them you're from Texas, they just smile and it's easy from there.

Wenji Zhao of American Airlines joined us for dinner last night on the Bund. She has been in Shanghai leading American's effort to establish the now- direct service here. Based on her familiarity with the Shanghai business community she has been able to effectively market the new service to Chicago and DFW. She started working on this particular trip for the Chamber almost two years ago. Now that things have progressed so quickly for American, Wendy says that she will be headed back to Texas.

Troy Daniels of Ellipsis Consulting has had two good days already. His firm has several interests he is pursuing related to the sourcing of goods for distribution and sale in the US. By the end of yesterday, he had obtained perfect samples and begun the negotiotiation on price with the Chinese entity... all without leaving the hotel.

I am at the moment hurtling down a three-lane freeway in the back of a new Audi sedan bound for Jiaxing, a growing city just south of Shanghai. I wish that we could just keep going until we got to Tibet.

Day 4- Monday, May 22, 2006

Jim D. Bradbury, Jackson Walker LLP

Just think about this math. Sell one tortilla each to 1.3 billion people per day and pretty soon you start making some real money. Mission Foods from Mexico is making a strong effort to get there. At a breakfast(great eggs Benedict) this morning, two executives explained how Mission Foods has established itself in China, including the construction of a manufacturing plant here in Shanghai.

Right now they are selling tortillas through food service outlets including KFC, but they have their eye on developing the retail consumer market for tortillas, chips and hot sauce. They say the door is wide open here in China for foodsellers and now is the time to get established.

This Monday morning, sidewalks and lobbies of buildings are full of people on their way to appointments. Almost all of the streets here are lined on both sides with trees, which is a welcome difference from most large cities. Most street signs are in Chinese and English.

In fact, all of the major hotels and most of the upper end restarants have english speaking staff. While certainly not all, many businesses have leaders that are fluent in English as well as Mandarin. If a translator is needed they are easy to find. If you are coming, I recommend getting your business card translated into Mandarin on the reverse side. It is inexpensive and worthwhile. When you present a card in Chinese it says a great deal about how serious that you are about doing business here.

On my way back to the hotel from an appointment, just noticing the 70-story skyscraper in front of me is shaped at the top like a giant shark's fin... Oh also, there's a great deal of talk about Tom Cruise filming part of the new Mission Impossible movie here in Shanghai because of the fantastic skyline and presence of so many skyscrapers.

Local tip- if you develop a deep need for the flavors of home, the "Long Bar" is it. I had a great cheeseburger(not as good as Fred's, however), perfect fries, cold beer while I watched the Yankees and Mets listening to Willie. It really is a small world after all.

A highly fluid choreography exists between cars, bikes, busses and pedestrians. There is no regimented order. You must be confident, courageous and alert or you will be a hood ornament.

Day 3- Sunday Evening, May 21, 2006

Jim D. Bradbury, Jackson Walker LLP

Sunday evening

Just finished a sublime lunch at 3 on the Bund, one of the top restaurants in Shanghai.  The Bund, an old European section of the city,  features a long row of European style buildings along the Hangpu (whan poo) River.  It looks very much like the River Thames in London.  At night, unlike London, this area lights up like Times square.  Just across the river is the Pudong area, which was farm grounds just a few years ago.  Now it’s the new thriving area for skyscrapers, the Grand Hyatt and the Oriental Pearl TV Tower.

The food was fabulous. Oldham Lie & Nie law firm hosted us to a traditional Chinese style banquet.  This lasts two and a half hours and involves 14 different dishes served one at a time.  Squid was excellent--fried Texas style--and so were the two whole fish that arrived on a platter.  Chopsticks are the standard but forks are always right beside the plate in case the less-skilled eventually get hungry.

Shanghai has a wide variety of building styles.  Rows of skyscrapers are all modern and each one tries to outdo the next in terms of its unique features.  I would guess there are twenty buildings under construction at the moment that would dwarf the Pier One building in downtown Fort Worth.  The older section of Shanghai has the more traditional Chinese two-story tile roof construction.  All buildings big or small are constructed with bamboo scaffolding. Yes, bamboo.  And down on the Bund you have European style.  Dwellings are mostly 30- to 50-story apartment buildings, which are rather dull in their style--I suspect that they are cheap to build.

In terms of culture, Shanghai has a wonderful museum containing art and historical pieces dating back thousands of years.  One of the most interesting is a collection of old currency.  Some of the oldest are small tools such as shovels that were used as currency.  Just across from the museum is the home of the Shanghai Opera House, a large building that is almost all glass exterior.  Surrounding these areas are parks with limitless flowers in bloom and green grass, which are somewhat rare in the rest of the city.  Most of the City is roads, buildings and concrete.  And to those of you that think you have it bad driving on 35W, try Shanghai roads, which are normally gridlocked. Car sales are exploding in the large cities in China, which may be one of the reasons that gas is now 3 bucks at home. 

I have noticed far more westerners and western families on the streets here than I did three years ago.  The availability of direct flights and the increased presence of western businesses in Shanghai is no doubt increasing tourism and expatriates.

Shanghai is 13 hours ahead of Fort Worth time.  So look at your watch, add an hour and change am or pm to the reverse.  Right now it is Sunday night here but all of FW is just waking up on Sunday morning.

Day 3- Sunday, May 21, 2006

Jim D. Bradbury, Jackson Walker LLP

Today is a free day on the trip with not much on the agenda. I started the day with a run through the city early. Shanghai is a late-starting city so the traffic is light and the only people that are out are street vendors and bicycle riders- lots of bicycles. I passed through a farmers market area, which had all sorts of vegetables, fish and chickens- live. Just as I finished, I stopped in a park to catch my breath and an older man walked up, looked at me, said hi and proceeded to hand cut a profile of me out of a piece of paper. Not exactly my best time of day, but he made me look as good as he probably could.

Thank goodness that Starbucks is alive and well in Shanghai- two Venti's and I am ready for the day. We headed to an ancient temple, which is marvelous. Driving through the city, you cannot imagine how many skyscrapers are coming on line.

Volkswagens are the car of choice here. The streets are full of them and all cabs are VWs. German cars in China -- go figure. We are off to a lunch hosted by Oldham Li and Nie, a Hong Kong law firm that specializes in setting up operations in China.

Note to Bill Thornton: David Berzina either needs a vacation or a raise- he is reading the Zucker Study at 9 in the morning on Sunday.

Day 2- Saturday, May 20, 2006

Jim D. Bradbury, Jackson Walker LLP

The flight to Shanghai was very smooth, taking us over the Arctic Cap and across Siberia, which is well worth the price of the trip.  Airlines must be working on their food because all of it was good on the way across.

It was early afternoon Shanghai time when we landed.  The approach takes you right over Shanghai, giving you an overview of the massive downtown area and surrounding apartment highrises, which stretch on for as far as you can see. The airport is located outside of the downtown area. Cabs are very cheap here and that is an easy option but I HIGHLY recommend the Maglev train. This is a high speed train that leaves the airport and reaches 430 kilometers per hour. It is such a thrill that it could pass for a new ride at Six Flags. Would be nice to have one between Fort Worth and Houston, come to think of it.

We checked in to the Portman Ritz Carlton Hotel , which is one of many very comfortable hotels in the central area. Just outside the door is a Tony Roma's, Starbucks and Hagen Das ice cream. Plenty of good food and great service.

I can say that Budweiser tastes just the same in Shanghai as it does at Angelo's.   Time to get some sleep.

Day 1- Friday, May 19, 2006

Jim D. Bradbury, Jackson Walker LLP

As the sun rose on a bright blue Texas sky, we left Fort Worth bound for Shanghai. (Hey, that rhymes!) Our American flight left from "Cadillac" Terminal D with the entire Fort Worth/Dallas business entourage on board. Our group numbers twenty and contains a broad cross-section of businesses, many of whom have not yet been to China.

As a bit of an explanation, this trip differs from the customary group trips to China. The Fort Worth Chamber decided several years ago that businesses in FW needed an on-point resource to explore interests in China and other hot international markets. Rather than just getting you there, the Chamber wanted to develop a framework that would offer targeted and hand-selected appointments to businesses interested in exploring opportunities in China.

This became possible through the dedicated (and I mean dedicated) efforts of JP Morgan Chase. They agreed to work with their wide customer base in China to arrange business to business meetings for all of the participants on this trip. Everyone will be meeting with five to six potential partners in their specific industry. That kind of connection can take years to develop on your own.

After a brief touchdown in Chicago, we are boarding our 777 direct service to Shanghai. This is a brand new direct flight that will put us right into Shanghai (probably the most energetic city on the face of our humble planet). You may not believe me until you see it for yourself(and I hope that you do), but Shanghai, its people, nightlife and skyscrapers make NY,NY look a lot like a small West Texas town.

China's beckon has this flight full. We are wheels up at 11:13.