“Think UK”, a large-scale campaign led by the British Government and the British Council was launched from April to October 2003 focusing on promoting exchange and strengthening cooperation between China and Britain in the fields of science, arts, business, the environment, education and other areas. Relevant activities have already successively begun in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chongqing. Recently Charles Haswell, commercial counselor and director of trade promotion and investment for China talked about the value and meaning of the initiative to the weekly publication Sanlian Shenghuo Zhoukan.
Sanlian: Most Chinese people think that among the EU countries, China and Germany have the closest trade and business relationship. Few know the fact that Britain is the biggest investment country in China among the EU countries. What is the reason for this?
Haswell: It is because most German investments in China are “visible”, such as cars and cell phones, while British investments are mostly concentrated in infrastructural fields like energy. For example, the energy company BP (British Petroleum) could well be the biggest transnational cooperation in China, however few people know this. Unilever Ltd is also a big investor, however people seldom think of it when they are eating ice cream made by its Chinese branch company. The Vodafone Group, ranking fifth in the foreign investment companies in China, mainly invests through buying shares of Chinese listed companies, for example, holding 3.7 percent of the share of the China Mobile Communications Corporation. So it’s hard to notice the presence of this British telecom tycoon apparently. Despite the importance of the relationship between China and big British companies, many Chinese people know little about these British companies. When they look for foreign cooperation and technical resources, they often overlook the British. We hope to make more Chinese people realize British business power through “Think UK”.
Sanlian: What will you do to achieve the goal of innovation in “Think UK”?
Haswell: We will carry on business practice as before. The creativity we focus on in the initiative maintains the British business spirit, explaining it in a simple term: earning good money. Actually the “British business spirit” is somewhere between American liberalism and European equality. For example, we believe in the power of competition and only by competing can we offer the best products and services to the pubic. In another example, we also keep a close eye on social interests here and undoubtedly British companies create excellent jobs in this regard. Some American company scandals show the defects of capitalism while European companies who give top priority to social responsibility are enduring hard times due to poor innovation. British companies have a more balanced view. For instance, BP adopted an international health standard in China and workers in Chongqing enjoy a health standard higher than the global average.
Sanlian: What can British investment companies in China get from “Think UK”?
Haswell: Personally speaking, I hope they won’t only treat China as an export market or a place for investment. They should put more effort into establishing a longer and more constructive relationship with Chinese business. “Think UK” will help British companies become more open-minded and establish long-term stable business relationships with the Chinese.
(China.org.cn, translated by Li Xiao, May 17, 2003)
