Journal

My Views and Observations on China

Question 1

The class trip to China was very enlightening , and I learnt many interesting things about International businesses and relations in China during my visit . Some of these surprised me , as they were issues that I hadn 't really considered before my visit . When I left for China , I knew that the Chinese market was one of the fastest growing economies in the world along with India , but I had no idea that it would be so difficult for International companies to get involved in

doing business in China This is something that I only learnt during my trip . However , despite the delays and possible problems that an International Company may have to face , I was still very impressed with the country and I believe that the potential for growth would still outweigh the issues involved Therefore I would be very interested in doing business in China , and in fact , I have already started looking into doing just that

The first thing that stood out the most in every talk and site visit we made , was just how much the Chinese Government influences businesses in Mainland China . As a communist government , they are very influential and have a say in almost every business practice that goes on , so much so that the economy is directly related to the government . Dr . Jian Yuan and Dr . Sun were both very outspoken on this matter during their presentations . They both mentioned that this much influence by the government could be the source of problems like labor laws , policy problems and an unfair distribution of wealth . Labor Laws in China are very strict and it is difficult to lay people off . However , the cheap cost of labor in China could also be seen as an advantage for foreigners , who can therefore lower their production costs much more than if they were using labor from their own country . These low labor costs are a direct result of the huge population and the sheer numbers on available unskilled workers . Another problem that can affect foreign businesses due to the influence of the government is that , as a communist government , they have complete control of information sources This means they control not only the media , but also the internet , and companies are unable to do business via websites etc . However , this is only a problem for some businesses , and your chosen business would have to take this into account before you made your decision . In Hong Kong however , there is complete transparency and therefore this is no longer a problem if you decide to work there . Dr . Sun said that he realized that the government was omnipresent and that Nationalism is the key to understanding the Chinese mentality , but hopes that in the future there will be a change to a multi party system as there is in Taiwan . He also said that since 1979 there have been radical changes in China , and that it is getting better every day...