Note from Blog host — another example of East meets West through business and trade: China Daily.com says, “The world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart Stores Inc, says its inventory of stock produced in China is expected to hit US$18 billion this year…”
However, trade is global. Wal-Mart has stores in 26 countries outside the continental US—including China.
Walmart entered the Chinese market and opened its first Supercenter and Sam’s Club in Shenzhen in 1996. Currently, Walmart operates a number of store formats in China including Supercenters, Sam’s Clubs, and Neighborhood Markets. As of August 5, 2010, Walmart had 189 units in 101 cities, and created over 50,000 job opportunities across China. Source: Wal-Mart China.com
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Guest Post by Bob Grant — publisher/editor for Speak Without Interruption, an international online magazine.
The world is a global market – those businesses that don’t believe this, or embrace it, will go by the wayside.
In 2002, I was an independent manufacturer’s rep and one of my customers said that I should look at branching out – representing products “outside” of the U.S.
I thought this was good advice, so I first started looking in Europe. For many reasons – after trying many companies and products – I decided that Europe was not for me.
I then looked and visited Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, and China.
I settled on China because I felt that was a country that could best provide me with the products I needed to succeed.
Once I settled on a product category, I then knew that I needed one key person inside China to make it all come together and become successful.
It took me a year to find that person and his name is David. Without David, I would not be where I am today and I am forever indebted to this young man.
David and I had some very productive years together.
Then like most things that are successful – there was a down turn. This was due to the world economy and actions taken by both the Chinese and U.S. Governments.
Through no fault of our own our business died. However, David has stuck with me and I with him. We are now working on new projects that we both hope – and feel – will get us back some of the volume we have had in the past.
I never had a son and David became that son to me. He and his family have also adopted me as part of their own.
It saddens me when I read statements about China and its people that just are not true. I can only testify to my own experiences and connections inside China but I would not trade the relationships I have made for anything.
David and his family are a key part of my life and forever will be – regardless of what the governments of our respective countries might say and do.
Note from Blog host – If you plan to do business in China, I recommend visiting the China Law Blog first.
Continued March 6, 2012 in Americans doing Business in China – Part 15 or return to Part 13
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Lloyd Lofthouse is the award-winning author of The Concubine Saga. When you love a Chinese woman, you marry her family and culture too. This is the love story Sir Robert Hart did not want the world to discover.
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