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SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013 www.chinaconnections.com.au AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS THE BILATERAL BUSINESS BULLETIN ISSUE 4 VOLUME 13 ACBA:2013 FULL COVERAGE OF THE WESTPAC AUSTRALIA-CHINA BUSINESS AWARDS SIGNIFICANT INVESTOR VISA SPECIAL: AUSTRALIA TARGETS CHINA’S 5 MILLION DOLLAR ENTREPRENEURS 专题: 重大投资者签证 第42 - 49页

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Page 1: Sep oct 2013 issue

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013 www.chinaconnections.com.au

AUSTRALIA CHINACONNECTIONSTHE BILATERAL BUSINESS BULLETIN

ISSUE 4 VOLUME 13

ACBA:2013FULL COVERAGE OF THE WESTPAC AUSTRALIA-CHINA BUSINESS AWARDS

SIGNIFICANT INVESTOR VISA SPECIAL: AUSTRALIA TARGETS CHINA’S 5 MILLION DOLLAR ENTREPRENEURS

专题

: 重大

投资

者签

第42 - 49页

Page 2: Sep oct 2013 issue

CONTENTS n

AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS 1

COVER STORY: CELEBRATING AUSTRALIAN BUSINESS EXCELLENCE IN CHINA AT THE ACBA:2013 P.4.

AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS 1

China Eastern Airlines introduces brand new Airbus 330-200 between Shanghai--Melbourne with

Flat-bed seats in Business Class, AVOD (Audio Video on Demand) Entertainment System equipped

in every seat, which has 50 movies and 3D interactive games. We will provide you

with a more comfortable and enjoyable journey. Coming in March......

Sydney Office Tel: (02) 9290 1148 Email: [email protected]

Melbourne Office Tel: (03) 8635 1000 Email: [email protected]

FEATURESP. 4. COVER STORY: WESTPAC ACBA: 2013 Celebrating its 20th Anniversary, this year’s Westpac Australia-China Business Awards again demonstrated the diverse and wide ranging success stories of Australian business in China, writes Sophie Loras.

P. 18. ASIALINK: EDUCATION IN THE ASIAN CENTURY More Asian-based internships for Australian university graduates are needed if Australia is serious about making progress in the Asian Century, writes Asialink’s Huw Pohlner.

P. 28. THE SIV: INVESTING THE MONEY States and industry are clambering to secure the investment of China’s SIV five million dollar entrepreneurs, writes Sophie Loras.

P. 32. CHINA’S NEW VISA LAWS Tony Tang outlines the significant changes to China’s visa system which came into effect on July 1.

P. 34. ONLINE SALES TO CHINA Making your business China ready should at the very least include a bilingual website. Lisa Goodhand gives tips on making Australian websites more China friendly.

P. 36. AUSTRALIA-CHINA: 40 YEARS Kate Ritchie and Charles Qin reminisce their first meeting in China in the early 1980s and establishing their successful China consultancy as part of a special 40 year China-Australia celebration feature in conjunction with ACBC Victoria.

REGULARSP. 2. PUBLISHER’S LETTER

P. 10. PEOPLE WATCH

P. 12. BUILDING BULLETIN

P. 14. COLUMNS FROM THE AUSTRALIA CHINA BUSINESS COUNCIL, THE AUSTRALIA CHINA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION, AUSTCHAM SHANGHAI & AUSTCHAM BEIJING & AUSTCHAM HK AND MACAU, THE HONG KONG AUSTRALIA BUSINESS ASSOCIATION, and ASIALINK.

P. 22. WAN HUA TONG: GEOFF TINK More than 100 million Chinese are expected to travel outside of China by 2020, but with the rapid opening up of the country’s outbound international travel market many Chinese are worried about the types of impressions some Chinese travellers are giving overseas, writes Geoff Tink from Shanghai.

P. 24. MAINLAND MOMENTS: KAREN TYE Weddings in China follow their own rules of convention. Karen Tye shares her tips on overcoming cultural and social taboos for Westerners at Chinese weddings.

P. 26. NEWS ANALYSIS: WILLY LAM Willy Lam looks at the fiscal challenges being faced by China’s new leaders.

P. 27. COMMENT: ROWAN CALLICK Rowan Callick looks at how Australians view the China-Australia relationship.

P. 38. CHINESE SECTION

28 2414 22

CONTRIBUTORS

Tony Tang is a Shanghai-based lawyer specialising in Chinese human resources law and is the founder of Tony Tang Law Firm. Tony is an arbitrator within the Shanghai Municipal Disputes

Arbitration Committee and Vice Chairman of the Labour Committee of the Shanghai Bar Association. Tony holds an LLB from East China University of Politics and Law. Read his outline of the new foreigner visa laws on page 32.

Over the past decade, Karen Tye has held reporting and editing positions both in Australia and China and is a weekly contributor to the Sunday Herald Sun. Previously

she has contributed to China’s Global Times and held the position of Shanghai Bureau Chief of Russian news agency Interfax. Originally from Melbourne, Karen was a community pharmacist in Australia and is currently based in Shanghai where she works as a medical writer for a multinational pharmaceutical company.

Geoff Tink has been living, working and travelling in China for more than eight years. Originally from Sydney and with Bachelor degrees in Commerce and Arts, he

has previously worked with the Australia China Business Council in Sydney and now manages marketing communications for international brands in China. Geoff speaks fluent Mandarin and has a Weibo account with 200 followers. He is based in Shanghai.

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

Page 3: Sep oct 2013 issue

HERE WE GO AGAIN!

n PUBLISHER’S LETTER

At two recent events in Melbourne – one hosted by the Australian Business Forum and the other the Australia China Business Council – we listened to learned economists debating the current and future economic status of China and how it will affect Australia.

As you may expect, the majority of comments and arguments focussed on the downside of China’s current reduction in GDP growth and the negative effect on Australia’s economy.

This is echoed by most major media outlets – including the American press.

Comments such as ‘stagnation’ and potential ‘recession’ in China have been thrown around all because Chinese growth has fallen from an average of 8.5 percent to 7.3 percent.

Don’t we love to complain!I would like to see a discussion around a

more balanced view, including any benefits.Let’s start with the obvious – no Western

country can claim a GDP growth of 7.3 percent and wouldn’t they love to.

The still reasonably new current Chinese government has taken a strong and absolutely positive approach by cautiously and steadily reducing the GDP growth and in return securing a much more sustainable growth pattern. How can that be termed ‘negative’?

No medicine tastes good if it needs to be effective to assist better health for the country. And certainly, the reduction of reasonably easy finance from the Chinese banks to business and the property market is uncomfortable to many. The tightening up of SOE companies performances and scrutiny is not always welcome. Then you add the very public challenge by the new leadership to reduce corrupt practices at all levels across China – a very brave move in my view.

Obviously it has, and still does create many complaints, displeasure and concerns from within sectors of the Chinese community.

At the same time, China’s manufacturers are being affected by the stagnant economies

of Europe and beyond. This hurts, but China’s economy is not in trouble.

In my view the strong activities by the Chinese government is helping the Chinese business community to learn to adapt to a much more slower sustained growth, rather than the fast and somewhat easy growth China has experienced for the past 30 years.

Does that benefit Australia? Definitely! How can a sustained and healthy

Chinese economy not be of benefit? A more cautiously growing Chinese economy will further secure its path to becoming the world’s largest economy. If Australia continues to build on its broad based mutually successful relationship with China, we should applaud the country’s current reduction in GDP growth.

The concern to our industry is not the reduction of GDP growth in China, but the competition from the rest of the world doing business with China. We may be one of the preferred suppliers within certain industry sectors, but not the only one.

Instead we should focus more on our government’s ability to forge strong relations with China. ü

Carl Jetter,Publisher, Australia China Connections.

NEWS

Australia China Connections is published bi-monthly by:Australia China Connections Pty LtdPO Box 275, Flinders Lane, Melbourne, VIC, 8009 AustraliaPhone: +61 (0)3 9650 1598Fax: +61 (0)3 9650 6832Web: www.chinaconnections.com.auEmail: [email protected]

Publisher: Carl JetterGeneral Manager: Jennifer (Weijing) DingEditor: Sophie Loras Email: [email protected] Section Editor: Anqi WangEmail: [email protected] Columnists: Rowan Callick, Willy Lam, Geoff Tink, Karen Tye, Contributors: Peter Arkell, Ross Bundey, Lisa Goodhand, Randall Hall, Teresa Lee, Huw Pohlner, Charles Qin, Kate Ritchie, Edward Smith, Tony Tang, Frank Tudor.Design: Yeah Design GroupCover Image: Westpac ACBA:2013 (AustCham Beijing) TO ADVERTISE INAUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONSAUSTRALIA: Carl Jetter Tel: +61 3 9650 1598Email: [email protected]

SHANGHAI / BEIJING: Carl JetterTel: +61 3 9650 1598Email: [email protected]

TO SUBSCRIBE TOAUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONSIn Print:One year: A$75 / RMB485 Two years: A$115 / RMB745 Pay on line: www.chinaconnections.com.au

AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONSis proud to support members of :

The Australia China Business CouncilAustCham ChinaThe Australia China Alumni Association

Opinions published in this journal are not necessarily those of the Australia China Business Council or the joint China AustChams

Copyright. No part of this magazine may be reproduced, in English or any other language, without the written permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

www.chinaconnections.com.au

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013 www.chinaconnections.com.au

AUSTRALIA CHINACONNECTIONSTHE BILATERAL BUSINESS BULLETIN

ISSN 1838-0778

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

Page 4: Sep oct 2013 issue

AUSTRALIA CHINA BUSINESS AWARDS: 2013

n WESTPAC ACBA:2013 WESTPAC ACBA:2013 n

The Australia China Business Awards have a long history in Greater China as a signature event of the Australia-China calendar since their establishment in Hong Kong in 1993. For 20 years, the awards, which rotate annually between Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing have showcased the extraordinary achievements and successes of Australian businesses operating in greater China.

This year’s winners represented a diverse range of sectors – from a hotel management business, to a leading steel and engineering company, a resources business, a boutique ecological personal care products retailer, a specialist niche manufacturer of heavy duty machinery and a loyalty program for the Chinese banking sector.

Westpac Group Chief Executive Officer, Ms Gail Kelly, delivered the keynote address highlighting the dynamism of Australian business in China and the role Australian businesses play in the bilateral relationship.

“As Australian business leaders, we have a remarkable connection with Asia, and opportunity to be part of the Asian century,” Ms Kelly said.

Ms Kelly specifically referred to Westpac’s trade capability as a key part of Westpac’s strategy to support customers as they build their relationship and presence in China.

“At the heart of our strategy is the depth of our relationships with customers and that we want to be part of their journey in Asia,” Ms Kelly said.

She drew attention to a number of recent milestones in the Australia-China relationship, including the announcement in April, for the direct convertibility of the Renminbi and the Australian dollar. Westpac is one of two Australian banks to be awarded a market maker licence by the Bank of China for direct currency trading between the RMB and the Australian dollar.

Andrew Whitford, Westpac Head of Greater China, said the bank was immensely proud to support the awards. “The awards

absolutely align with our strategy in Asia, which is supporting the growing number of Australian companies that are looking to do more business in Asia,” Mr Whitford said.

WESTPAC ACBA: 2013 Winners

The Austrade Business Excellence Award for Small and Medium EnterprisesWinner: Mitchells Equipment (Hebei) Co., Ltd Engaging the right people and following a strong ethical work strategy has been at the core of Mitchells’ success in China, with the business more than quadrupling its sales to US$13 million since 2006.

Mic Mittasch has been working in China long enough to be certain of one thing – taking time to do things the right way in China has a long term pay off.

Since acquiring the heavy-duty equipment manufacturing business – Mitchells – from its Canadian owner in 2006, Mr Mittasch has expanded the business to grow from 75 employees to more than 100, and from exporting to six countries to more than 30. In that time, Mitchells has also seen sales revenue quadruple from US$3.2 million in 2006 to US$13 million today.

The range of equipment the business manufactures has also changed and expanded – mostly to being bigger equipment. Mitchells major customers include Cargill, Mars Petcare, Bunge, Noble Group, Yihai Group and Sinograins.

Before acquiring the company, Mr Mittasch worked with US company Cargill

as a project engineer and project manager, building soybean processing plants across China. It is this previous experience that has helped him include personal touches to many of the business’s products.

“Having worked in China before, I had a good idea of what was good equipment and what was bad. So when I bought Mitchells, I came with that experience from the other side, the user side, and I knew what I would want in good machinery,” says Mr Mittasch.

The Global Financial Crisis in 2008 created challenges for businesses worldwide, but Mitchells instigated a business strategy – not to lay off a single employee, which continues to reap rewards for the business to this day.

“We restructured our roster a little and dropped to a four-day week, but everyone stayed on the pay roll,” says Mr Mittasch.

Mitchells enjoyed two major benefits from having retained all staff throughout the difficult GFC period – the business retained its skilled workforce and didn’t have the problems associated with re-hiring and retaining people as the economy recovered, and, in the process, instilled a greater sense of company loyalty.

In addition to providing all required social benefits to employees, Mr Mittasch encourages his staff to demonstrate initiative and responsibility, but concedes this type of employment model doesn’t work for everyone – especially in a Chinese context where not all employees want to have responsibility and accountability when things go wrong. However, over time, he has built up a work force that shares in the team outlook of the business.

“When I bought the company, the previous owner had run the business using

old-style management techniques where the boss made all the decisions. Everyone knew what their role was and followed the rules. I came from a very different background and gave people accountability and responsibility and not everyone likes to work like that, so initially we did lose some people as this work

environment was outside their comfort zone,” says Mr Mittasch.

Staff retention in China is a major challenge for businesses across all sectors, but Mitchells’ strategies for an inclusive work force have paid off.

His recruitment policy is to employ young people who thrive on responsibility and enjoy a challenge. “In return they have the opportunity to work in a growing company, deal with our global customers, travel outside China and really contribute to the growth of the company,” says Mr Mittasch.

“They can see where this company is going and that gives them good job security and that’s also a great way to keep retention up.”

Mr Mittasch says the business’s strong values on integrity and accountability have also helped the business to grow exponentially in China as increased regulation and transparency creates problems for competitors who may not have always operated to international standards.

Mr Mittasch says being a recipient of an Australia-China Business Award has given the business recognition that “we are doing business in China the right way.”

“This award is great for our company and great for our customers. This award gives us credibility for our business – that our skills are up to international standards.”

The AustCham Greater China Business Excellence Award for Start Up EnterprisesWinner: Pinpoint China Securing its first bank in China was the biggest challenge for loyalty card business Pinpoint China in entering the Chinese market, but since then, the business has continued to grow exponentially.

Pinpoint is a leading marketing and loyalty company in the Asia Pacific with Australian-

based clients including Westpac, ANZ, Citibank, Macquarie Bank, Diners Club, Myer, MasterCard and Caltex. But despite successes in Australia, tapping into the Chinese market has not been without its challenges.

Starting its first foray into Asia through the Taiwan market in 2001, Pinpoint secured the Taishin Bank, Sinopac Bank, Citibank Taiwan, Shinkong Bank and Union Bank. It then began exploring the Chinese market in 2004, receiving approval for its first WFOE in China in early 2007.

Pinpoint China Chairman Bob Gilman soon discovered however, that the business’s single biggest challenge operating in China would be convincing Chinese banks to hand over their credit card data.

“In China we would come to learn that not only can the banks not ship data overseas – it cannot leave the banks’ firewalls,” says Mr Gilman.

This meant re-engineering how Pinpoint would operate its business if it were to remain in China. The process cost the business an extra 18 months, but as a result, it remains the sole provider of loyalty cards to the Chinese banking sector in China.

Another initial challenge for the company was that while many major credit card issuers in China indicated an interest in the loyalty programmes, almost all said it would be impossible to implement. Many indicated they would be interested, once an initial Chinese bank had signed on.

Undeterred, Mr Gilman remained confident about the Chinese market and in 2010 Pinpoint launched its first Chinese program with the Bank of Communications.

Securing that first Chinese bank created a domino effect. A year later Pinpoint signed on the Bank of Shanghai, followed by the China Minsheng Bank and Citibank in 2012.

Today, Pinpoint is in advanced discussions with another major Chinese bank to launch a loyalty card programme later this year. If the deal goes ahead, Pinpoint will lift its current membership base from 43 million members to over 65 million.

“The scrutiny, pain and frustration have been worth it as we now have a substantial business [in Greater China].”

4 AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS 5

Mic Mittasch, CEO and Owner, Mitchells Equipment, accepting the Austrade Business Excellence Award for Small and Medium Enterprises at the Westpac ACBA:2013 in Beijing surrounded by members of the Mitchells team. (AustCham Beijing)

Bob Gilman accepts Pinpoint China’s AustCham Greater China Business Excellence Award for Start Up Enterprises. (AustCham Beijing)

Mitchells produces heavy-duty equipment for clients in more than 30 countries including bulk flow conveyors and other equipment.

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

An overwhelming enthusiasm for operating businesses in China, despite the challenging environment, was the stand out commonality of this year’s winners of the Westpac ACBA:2013, writes Sophie Loras.

Page 5: Sep oct 2013 issue

n WESTPAC ACBA:2013 WESTPAC ACBA:2013 n

The Westpac Special Recognition AwardWinner: Argyle Hotel Group

Despite the challenging market for newcomers to the Chinese hotel sector, Argyle Hotel Group has steadfastly built up a stable of more than 40 hotels across China in less than a decade – and continues to expand.

Argyle Hotel Group is a uniquely Australian brand, operating across China since 2005. In that time, the group has grown rapidly to include 40 hotels and assets under management worth more than RMB 18 billion (US$2.8 billion).

The group offers resort management, hotel management, hotel pre-opening management and hotel consultancy services, as well as architectural and functional design services.

Its six distinct brands – Argyle Grand Hotel, Argyle Resort, Argyle Hotel, Ausotel, Argyle Boutique Hotel and Metro Hotels – cover every segment of the market ranging from three stars to five star ratings.

The group has shown great initiative in expanding its business frontier throughout greater China – with many of the developments in

second, third and fourth tier cities.“As a group of Australian businessmen we had

an ambitious idea and vision of what we wanted to do. Each of us already had extensive experience in business, hotels and education, which we saw as being imperative and fundamental to running a hotel management company,” says Argyle Hotel Group CEO Kevin Zhang.

“China, with its rate of growth and emerging middle class offered us an extraordinary business opportunity.”

Mr Zhang credits the group’s success to its very high standards in hotel and resort management services as well as its staff recruitment and retention records.

“The hotel industry has grown at such a rapid rate in China, that finding and retaining good talent can be challenging in such a tight job market, local training academies are also struggling to keep up with the demand hotels place on them for quality employees. We have found that there is a scarcity of experienced staff as a result,” says Mr Zhang.

To overcome this, AHG has its own in-house human resources department responsible for the hire and recruitment of staff and a special training department responsible for training.

Mr Zhang says other challenges associated with doing business in China include choosing the right cities for hotel developments and mitigating risk.

Despite the challenges, the opportunities remain boundless. Mr Zhang says that while the ratio of hotels to people in America is currently 1 hotel per 74 people and in Australia it is 1 hotel per 47 people, in China the ratio is 1 hotel per 700 people.

“Obviously with the emergence of the middle class in China, this offers massive opportunities, the likes of which we haven’t seen before in our life time. It will take China between 15 – 20 years to reach similar levels to Western countries and we certainly are ready to get a slice of the pie.”

The Green Resources Capital Business Excellence Award for Sustainable Development Winner: Eco&More

Building on the Chinese middle class’s growing awareness of the importance of environmental sustainability and strong CSR values, Jeni Saeyang, the founder of Eco&More has built a rapidly growing business in China in the personal care and cleaning products sector.

Growing up in Australia, Jeni Saeyang says she was always very conscious of how precious water was. Returning to Shanghai in 2010 however, and exposed to daily horror stories of China’s pollution problems, the environmental values she had experienced in Australia, suddenly seemed even more imperative for China.

“Having lived in Bondi Beach for many years, I was spoiled for choice when it came to finding fantastic green products. I then realized that if even a small percentage of the Chinese population could have access to green cleaning products, it would really make a big impact on the environment and I wanted to be a part of creating and supporting the green industry here in China,” says Ms Saeyang.

In just three years, Ms Saeyang, the Founder and Managing Director of Shanghai-based eco products retailer, Eco&More, has built up her ecological cleaning and personal care range of products using certified organic plant extracts from around the world.

“I felt that if I used my background in design and created a range of green products that didn’t say “buy me and pay more because I’m green” but instead said “buy me because I’m very stylish and I’m good for you,” this would appeal to the middle class Chinese and as it turns out, I’m right,” says Ms Saeyang.

Ms Saeyang’s business model is not just about the products themselves – but a holistic approach to environmental and ecological awareness.

This includes two refill stations in Shanghai where Eco&More customers can bring back empty dish wash bottles for a refill in store and a 50 percent discount. This is matched by the business’s strong CSR policy. Since its inception, Eco&More has had a close partnership with Shanghai Roots and Shoots and the Million Tree Project.

Eco&More runs monthly green movie nights and events at its retail stores to engage the local community with all proceeds going towards planting trees.

As of this year, Eco&More is working with the Shanghai Sunshine Homes – a local non-profit for intellectually disabled people, where Eco&More will help train, employ and empower Sunshine Homes’ members to produce

handmade soy candles, among other products.The business continues to make inroads,

with Eco&More recently launching on TMALL – the more professional arm of China’s largest online shopping platform, Taobao.

Quality control remains a key challenge for many manufacturers in China – especially for those whose brand depends on it – and so for this reason Ms Saeyang produces all her products in Shanghai, where Eco&More is based, allowing her to make regular personal visits to inspect the factories the company works with.

“I believe our success is believing that people everywhere, Chinese or otherwise, appreciate good value. It’s that simple. No tricks up our sleeves. No big advertising campaign. It’s just a fundamental belief that if we make the best green products we know how, and offer at the best price we can, then the rest will follow.”

The Cheung Kong Infrastructure Award for Greatest Impact on the Australia-China Bilateral Relationship Winner: Fortescue Metals Group Ltd

Fortescue Metals Group has cemented its long-term future in China through a diverse range of investments in China, which go well beyond the sale of iron ore.

In just 10 years, Fortescue has become the world’s fourth largest producer of iron ore and is nearing the completion of a US$9 billion expansion to 155 million tonnes per annum from its operations in the Pilbara.

Since 2008 Fortescue has shipped more than 200 million tonnes of iron-ore to China. It has also established long-term contracts with key customers to continue to supply China well

into the future. In the 2012 financial year alone, Fortescue’s more than 60 customers from China and the greater Asia region helped the company post a record 57.5 million tonnes shipped for the financial year 2012 and record revenue of US$6.7 billion. Profit for the financial year 2012 was US$1.6 billion – up 53 percent on 2011.

“Fortescue has achieved its extensive goals through engagement and support from key stakeholders including our people, local communities including traditional land owners, governments, suppliers, customers, non-government organisation and the financial markets,” says Fortescue CEO Nev Power.

“As its primary market, China will continue to play a significant role in Fortescue’s ongoing success.”

Fortescue has made several key steps to solidifying its already strong relations with China.

This includes partnering with Hunan Valin Iron and Steel Group, which became Fortescue’s largest Chinese stakeholder and second largest shareholder in 2009, when it took close to a 15 percent stake.

Another key milestone for Fortescue’s Australia-China bilateral relations was the signing of a key joint venture with Shanghai-based Baosteel for the development of the Iron Bridge magnetite project in June 2012. This agreement consolidates one of the world’s most prospective magnetite projects taking into account its massive scale and close proximity to both customers and rail and port infrastructure.

Fortescue’s growth is expected to continue with the opening of Solomon’s Kings mine at the end 2013.

Fortescue cemented its commitment to the Chinese market in 2007 when it opened its first off-shore office in Shanghai, but it is the business’s strong ties to China through the establishment of other strategic partnerships which have drawn praise for its successful China strategy.

These include Fortescue’s continued involvement with the annual Boao Forum as a major sponsor, and this year, initiating the first Boao Senior Business Leaders Forum.

“Fortescue believes the first Senior Business Leaders Forum held at the Boao Forum is a significant milestone for Australia‐China business relationship. Its key involvement in organising this forum and ongoing commitment to increasing engagement and business activities between Australia and China will assist its future expansion,” says Mr Power.

Fortescue senior executives also sit on the

6 AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS 7 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

Kevin Zhang, CEO of the Argyle Hotel Group, receives the Westpac Special Recognition Award from Westpac Group Chief Executive Officer, Ms Gail Kelly in Beijing in June 2013. (AustCham Beijing)

FMG’s Head of Sales and Marketing David Liu, accepts the ACBA:2013 Cheung Kong Infrastructure Award for Greatest Impact on the Australia China Bilateral Relationship, in Beijing in June.

Eco&More’s holistic approach to sustainable personal care and cleaning products business made it a clear winner at this year’s ACBA Awards.

An Artist’s Impression of the Argyle Grand Hotel, Nanping.

Jeni Saeyang, Founder and Managing Director of Eco&More receiving her Green Resources Capital Business Excel-lence Award for Sustainable Development at the Westpac ACBA:2013 Awards in Beijing. (AustCham Beijing)

Eco&More customers in Shanghai’s Ruijin Lu store can receive a 50 percent discount when reusing their existing containers.

Page 6: Sep oct 2013 issue

n WESTPAC ACBA:2013

advisory boards of a number of high profile Chinese universities, including Mr Power’s appointment as a member of the International Advisory Board for Lingnan College and Sun Yatsen University in Guangzhou and his seat on the board of the China Central South University.

Fortescue has also established a new five-year A$250,000 scholarship program at Central South University in Changsha, China. The scholarships will annually support 55 undergraduate and post-graduate students majoring in the metallurgy disciplines of beneficiation and sintering and pelletising.

Representatives from Hunan Valin joined Fortescue’s China team in accepting the award, which paralleled the Chinese company’s recent success in winning a Chinese industry award for its successful strategic investment in Fortescue.

“Fortescue’s belief in China and its commitment to the relationship has been vital to our success,” says Mr Power.

“We know there is a lot more we can do to build upon that relationship as we compete for attention with overseas suppliers.”

The Westpac Business Excellence Award for Large Enterprises:Winner: BlueScope Buildings Asia

By restructuring its China operations and making Shanghai its Asian headquarters, BlueScope Buildings Asia has reinforced itself as a global player in the building sector.

BlueScope Buildings first entered the China market as a pioneer in the metal building industry in 1992. But it is the business’s significant restructuring in the last 18 months, consolidating its worldwide building businesses

into a single business, BlueScope Buildings Asia, and headquartering in Shanghai, that has enhanced the business’s commitment to China and its ability for global expansion.

BlueScope Buildings Asia has six manufacturing facilities in Asia, but China is the largest and most mature of its buildings businesses in Asia, showing strong growth with a large potential for continued growth.

In China the business boasts four state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou and a new soon-to-be-completed facility in Xi’an. It has completed over 3,300 projects in China – with a total construction area of over 45 million m².

In addition, BlueScope Buildings Asia’s headquarters in Shanghai will act as the primary location for international export activity into other countries, including ASEAN, Japan, Korea and Taiwan and in the future, as a launch pad for other global markets including Russia, Africa and South America.

“The focus of this organization is for growth in particular to developing countries

through either local manufacturing or export, so having headquarters in China reflects this focus on our growth regions,” says Stewart Dellar, President, BlueScope Buildings Asia.

Having only been consolidated in 2012, the BlueScope Buildings Asia business is relatively young.

“We see great potential for growth in our established Asia footprint in Asia, as well as opportunities to expand into new markets such as Africa, Russia and South America. The future also looks very bright in terms of launching new products, services and engineering / operational improvements,” says Mr Dellar.

The move has seen BlueScope Buildings Asia rapidly increase its presence across China with reinvestment into its China operations for more sales networks and marketing centres. Part of that expansion includes a US$60 million investment into a new green facility in the central Chinese city of Xi’an.

“At BlueScope we take action and leadership within our business to continually improve, and we practice what we preach,” says Mr Dellar.

The new state-of-the art Xi’an facility will be one of the most environmentally sustainable industrial facilities of its kind in the Asian region, meeting stringent environmental design principles and industry standards, being certified as the first 3 Star Rated green industrial building in China.

“The building will act to help educate the industrial building industry as to how to practically implement green building concepts in a commercial environment. We are excited to be leading this Green revolution and help set up green standards in industrial building design,” he says.

Mr Dellar says receiving the ACBA 2013 Award recognizes BlueScope’s success as a pioneer and leader in the metal building industry.

“It also is a great recognition of our over 1800 valuable employees across Asia, who day-to-day deliver our promise to customers. We are humbled by this award and inspired to continue the hard work to improve further.” ü

*The 2014 Australia-China Business Awards will be held in Shanghai.

For more information visit: www.austchamshanghai.com

8 AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

With an expanding network across Asia, our 40-year presence in the region means that we are even better placed to work collaboratively and seamlessly across multiple geographies. Our Relationship Managers cover all industry sectors including specialists in Natural Resources and Agribusiness. They are supported by trade and foreign exchange product experts who can help you to unlock opportunity.

To discover how Westpac can partner with your business to grow in Asia, contact your Relationship Manager or email [email protected]

1. Euromoney FX poll 2013. Measure of market share from 16,298 FX industry votes. 2. GTR Asia Leaders in Trade poll 2013 3. Peter Lee Associates Large Corporate and Institutional Relationship Banking Survey Australia. Rank vs. top 4. Quantitative measures from 586 votes in 2013.

Westpac Institutional Bank is a division of Westpac Banking Corporation ABN 33 007 457 141 AFSL 233714 (“Westpac”).

Foundational AUD/CNY market-maker in China

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Fortescue’s Herb Elliott Port at Port Hedland in Western Australia.

Stewart Dellar, President BlueScope Buildings Asia, accepts the Westpac Business Excellence Award for Large Enterprises at the ACBA:2013.

Page 7: Sep oct 2013 issue

PEOPLE WATCHMOVEMENTS, PROMOTIONS AND NEW APPOINTMENTS IN THE AUSTRALIA CHINA BUSINESS COMMUNITY.

Consul General H.E Mr. Shi Weiqiang of the People’s Republic of China in Melbourne and Co-Patron of ACBC Victoria, will be

returning to China after a two-and-a-half year posting in Melbourne. Mr. Shi has been a career diplomat for almost three decades and has worked as a third secretary, second secretary and first secretary in the Permanent Mission of China to United Nations. Mr. Shi has also worked as the Deputy Director General of Foreign Affairs Office of Tibet Autonomous Region People’s Government. After that, Mr. Shi took his post as the Consul General of China in Cape Town in South Africa. He was a counsellor in the Department of International Organisations and Conferences of Ministry of Foreign Affairs prior to his posting in Melbourne.Pictured above: Victorian Premier Denis Napthine and Mr Shi Weiqiang Consul-General of the People’s Republic of China in Melbourne.

Ms Nancy Gordon has been appointed as Australia’s first Consul-General in Chengdu, the capital of China’s Sichuan Province. Ms Gordon is a career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She has previously served overseas as Counsellor at the Australian Embassy in Japan, Second Secretary at the Australian Embassy in China and Vice-Consul at the Australian Consulate-General in Shanghai. She was most recently the Department’s Director of the Trade Advocacy and Statistics Section. Ms Gordon holds a Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies (Honours) and a Master of Arts in Applied Japanese from the University of Sydney, as well as a Master of Arts in Foreign Affairs and Trade from Monash University. She speaks Mandarin and Japanese.

The Chengdu Consulate-General will cover Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan and Guizhou provinces.

International policy executive and non-profit leader, Martine Letts has been appointed the new CEO of the Australia China

Business Council’s national office and will be based in Sydney. Ms Letts is the former CEO of the Australian Red Cross and former Deputy CEO of Australia’s leading think tank, the Lowy Institute for International Policy. “My ambition is to strengthen and expand the ACBC’s membership base around Australia, and to work closely with all ACBC branches (and state and territory governments) to promote all opportunities for Australian business in China, no matter how small or large the business,” said Ms Letts.

Andrea Myles is the ACBC’s Manager of Marketing and Development, previously acting as General Manager of the Council. Andrea

was formerly an education development professional working with the University of Technology, Sydney and prior to that, worked at the Eastern Tibet Training Institute in a fundraising and development role. Andrea has a MA China Studies and MA International Studies and has studied Mandarin at the National Political University in Taipei and at Yunnan Normal University. Andrea is also the National Director of the Engaging China Project, a national youth-based mentor program inspiring high school students to engage with China.

Australian Chef Peter Gong recently opened La Poste in Shanghai. Born in Shanghai Peter was inspired to cook at a young age and started his formal training at

18 after arriving in Australia, starting his career as a kitchen hand. Peter has worked in a diversity of kitchens in Sydney learning the techniques of the great French masters and the freedom of Australian cuisine. For the past eight years Peter has worked in Shanghai at Kathleen’s 5 and La Fourchette. For La Poste, Peter has created a simple French-inspired menu that will evolve with the seasons. Peter is fluent in English and Mandarin.

Edwina Pickering has been appointed Argyle Hotel Group’s Project Manager where she is working in Branding, Social Media and assisting the CEO, Mr. Kevin Zhang. Edwina recently graduated from Bond University with a Masters of Business Administration. Prior to her return to studies, Edwina lived in Sydney, working for companies including Macquarie Group and Vodafone Australia. Throughout her Bachelors and MBA, Edwina specialised in the study of business and culture in China.

Michael Sullivan is a new Grade 5 teacher at the prestigious Western Academy of Beijing. Originally from New South Wales, Michael has lived and worked

extensively throughout the world, from London to Taipei, with a backpacking stint in Asia. Previously, Michael has taught at the British International School in Shanghai. He is a graduate of the University of Wollongong and enjoys playing rugby league, swimming and basketball. Michael also has interests in photography, scuba diving and travel.

n PEOPLE WATCH

*If you or your organisation have a human resources related announcement to make, or you know of people on the move, please send details to [email protected]

Connect with high-profile Chinese Investors

Attend two major business events to refine your China StrategyREGISTER AT: www.ABForum.com.au

Wednesday, 28 AugustSheraton on the Park Sydney

Develop your business to Greater China

ABF China Online Seminar Series

Melbourne: 12 November 2013Sydney: 20 November 2013

Presents

ACBW 2013 Sydney Breakfast• The China economy & Australia in focus

ACBW 2013 Sydney Forum• Two major forum sessions-refine your China Strategies

ACBW 2013 Sydney Luncheon • Keynote speakers: The Premier of NSW & Consul General PRC in

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ACBW 2013 Sydney Mix at Six• Expand Business Networks, Meet Potential Investors

ACBW 2013 Sydney Chinese Forum• Showcasing Investment & Business Opportunities, find your

Chinese investors & partners

ABF China Online Seminar Sessions• How to Optimise your Online Presence in China• The Power of Online Video & the China market• The Alignment between Chinese Online consumers & Government• The E-commerce platform in China & how to engage• The Emerging China Mobile-commerce opportunities• The Chinese Social Media Landscape

ABF China Online Cocktail Function

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H.E. CONSUL GENERAL

LI HUAXIN

Consul General of the

People’s Republic of China

in Sydney

HON. BARRY O’FARRELL MP

Premier of New South Wales

Page 8: Sep oct 2013 issue

n BUILDING BULLETIN NEWS

*If you have any news you would like included in Building Bulletin, please email the editor: [email protected] learn more about QA Software, visit: www.qa-software.com

BUILDING BULLETINDESIGN, ARCHITECTURE AND THE LATEST CONSTRUCTION NEWS

Westpac moves to bigger offices in HK and SH

Australian owned design firm iaction has completed the interior design for Westpac Bank’s new Shanghai office in the Lujiazui financial district’s new IFC Two building. Design incorporates a modern, technically efficient office which was selected for its larger scale, modern features and location in the heart of Shanghai’s financial and banking district. The new A-Grade building boasts a prestigious tenant mix giving Westpac a first class platform to service customers.

In June, the bank’s Hong Kong branch moved to a larger office in the prestigious

York House in The Landmark. The new fit out includes a large dealing room to deliver Westpac’s expanding financial and capital markets capabilities in the region.

“The relocations signify our focus on the continuous expansion and growth

of Greater China business as well as our commitment to Hong Kong and

Shanghai, where we have operated since 1971 and 2008 respectively,” said Westpac Head of Greater China, Andrew Whitford.

“Our objective is to put Westpac in a position to benefit from Asia growthand also to protect and strengthen our local position in these financialhubs as the focal points of our Greater China and Asian operations.

Marshall Day Acoustics wins Jiangsu Grand Theatre contractMarshall Day Acoustics has been appointed as acoustic consultant for the Jiangsu Grand Theatre project in Nanjing.

The project is one of the largest performing arts projects in China with a budget of RMB 2 Billion on a 200,000m² site. The completed theatre will include a 2,300-seat opera house, a 1,500-seat concert hall and a 1,000-seat drama theatre. A fourth building houses conference facilities. Marshall Day has started design work in collaboration with architect ECADI and theatre planner Kunkel. The brief includes room acoustic design, sound insulation and noise & vibration control.

JPW wins Suzhou News Group project

Johnson Pilton Walker has been appointed to design the new Suzhou News Group headquarters in Suzhou with a circular office tower, which appears as a rolled newspaper but also reflects the modern digital media age. The tower is combined with a commercial podium to form a 136,000m² project connected to a new subway system. The sloping podium roof forms a stepped landscaped garden providing access for the local community. Each tower office floor combines two double height winter gardens providing a physical connection between the interior

and exterior and vertical connectivity from floor to floor. Johnson Pilton Walker is also designing and developing the landscape and urban spaces for a new Lakeland park with a connecting water street linking urban spaces to the Tai Hu lake front promenade and civic plaza. The project was won through a competition process and will create a variety of urban spaces and ecological gardens within a new city plan. The water street is designed to be an active shopping street with a central canal as the key focal point and connecting device linking each precinct.

BHI Architects Winner: Changxing Urban design

BHI Architects has won an international WAN award for its urban design of the Changxing eco city project. The 60km² project uses urban agriculture and sustainability systems embedded into community growth – using a model of sustainable urbanism for the reorganisation of land into ecological corridors. The project allows for ongoing community use of valuable agricultural land and maintains a village lifestyle and social connections. The project includes food and water security systems and embedded agriculture

connecting source to local population demand with a focus on increased use of organic farming practices and pollution reduction as well as increased environmental awareness and healthier food consumption.

Aurecon’s Mapletree development in ShanghaiInternational engineering, management and specialist technical services firm, Aurecon, is developing and implementing sustainability strategies to improve the financial and environmental performance of a new mixed-use development in Shanghai’s Mapletree Minhang Development Project. Using smart engineering, the project hopes to achieve energy savings equivalent to powering 1875 homes, reduce CO² emissions equivalent to planting 200 trees as well as saving water to the equivalent of 15 Olympic size swimming pools over a year. Aurecon has provided electrical and mechanical engineering systems to deliver

best practice in sustainability so that the structures within the development “perform efficiently, economically, safely and sustainably.

Spaceframe secures Wirtgen contract

Spaceframe Construction & Engineering (China) has been awarded the opportunity to design and build a 32,000m² manufacturing facility for Wirtgen, the German multinational heavy equipment provider.

As an active Design & Construction provider, originating from Brisbane, Spaceframe have designed and built over 300 projects with a focus on safety, reliability and integrity.

This year the business also celebrates 30 years in China.

Recent important projects for Spaceframe include the expansion of the Boeing Tianjin factory in Binhai New Area in 2010. The investment of over US$20m raised production capacity by around 60 percent and involved sustainable design and construction principles to acquire LEED Gold accreditation. In 2009, Spaceframe was awarded the design and construction of the main structure, building envelope and cold storage works for Novo Nordisk’s US$400m insulin production plant in the Tianjin Economic Development Area – the world’s most modern insulin formulation and filling plant.

iaction’s interior design fitout of the new Westpac office in Shanghai’s IFC Two Building.

The Jiangsu Grand Theatre JPW’s Wuzhong project on Tai Hu Lake.SpaceFrame factory.

BHI’s winning Changxing urban design.

JPW’s Suzhou News Group Tower.

Known as the founding father of document control, co-founder and CEO of QA Software, Mr Russell Mortimer has shared his 20-year practical working knowledge of the engineering and construction industry with delegates at the Northern Territory Major Projects Conference held in Darwin at the end of last year.

Mr Mortimer described project documents as the life-blood of any project and stressed the importance of having a well-maintained central document management repository that is accessible to all project parties.

“A billion dollar project in 2013 will produce approximately 200,000 documents that will be accessed by around 50 different

organisations over the life of the project. The exchange and flow of documents between organisations is critical for work to commence and progress through to completion. The sheer volume of documents and the large number of people who need to start accessing them and any subsequent changes immediately, is a problem in logistics. Streamlining this flow brings about efficiency and increased profit margins,” he said.

“The ability to produce accurate and well formatted documents and transport them across the globe has grown exponentially in the last three decades. Project documents are now created, reviewed, filed, searched, revised and distributed around the world in minutes.

This is possible by safely storing the documents on a secure web-based project collaboration software program, like TeamBinder.”

Mr Mortimer’s passion for innovation and high-level service delivery to the engineering and construction industry has led to QA Software becoming one of the leading suppliers of software solutions to this sector with its new generation, TeamBinder solution receiving widespread acclaim around the globe.

“The building and construction industry is now witnessing new BIM (Building Information Modeling) technology. Start benefiting from this engineering and project management technology now, there’s simply no way back,” says the Australian-based CEO.

BUILDING BULLETIN NEWS n

ACCELERATE PROJECT DELIVERY WITH ELECTRONIC DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT

New BIM technology for the engineering and construction sector is the only way forward, Russell Mortimer has told delegates at a major construction and infrastructure conference in Australia.

Page 9: Sep oct 2013 issue

AUSTCHAM SHANGHAI ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – ONE TO REMEMBERAustCham Shanghai Chairman Peter Arkell, reflects on the organisation’s recent AGM.

n AUSTCHAM SHANGHAI AUSTCHAM BEIJING n

Annual General Meetings can be like brussels sprouts, you don’t necessarily have to like them but you should have them at least once a year. If the AustCham Shanghai AGM of 2013 is an indication, many will already be looking forward to next year’s event.

It must be said that the required reporting to members was conducted in the usual businesslike manner, and I would like to reflect on that a little later. But there had been a view expressed at the 2012 AGM that these do not have to be boring affairs. The task of getting a quorum and exciting members to participate in an AGM can be consuming for the organization. But the suggestion had been made that AGM’s can also be an event worth attending if there are associated drawcards. This was a point well worth consideration.

In the last edition of Australia China Connections there had been references to 2013 being the 40th anniversary of the first Australian Prime Ministerial visit to the People’s Republic. So, it made sense that, if we wanted AustCham Shanghai’s AGM to be a day to remember, we should link it to that significant milestone. As a result, the Chamber was honoured to have as its guest speaker at a lunch preceding the AGM the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard.

It was great to have a packed ballroom at the Langham Hotel in Xintiandi, not only celebrating that major milestone, but also the past year of AustCham Shanghai. It says

something about our business community here, I think, that a prominent Australian of John Howard’s standing would see it appropriate to speak at such an occasion.

His speech was memorable, but so too were the exchanges between Mr Howard and the members, including via WeChat. As he remarked later, “fancy coming all the way to Shanghai to be questioned about gay marriage.”

It was also great to see the former PM’s eyes light up when he saw the Pudong Cricket Club table, with the First Eleven resplendent in their club blazers. Rumor has it that he was approached to be their Club Patron and that they got an instant acceptance. Fancy that, on his way to Trent Bridge for the First Ashes’ Test, John Howard was appointed Patron of the Shanghai Cricket Club.

So the scene was set for an AGM to remember.

It was important to acknowledge the retiring Director, Tim Lyons, who had served on the Board for five years. Tim retired this year and was not seeking election. His contribution to the Chamber had been outstanding in so many ways. He held the Finance Director role at the time of retiring, but over the years had also been a driving force in strengthening of our CSR contribution and especially in the establishment of the Shanghai Enterprise Collective. Tim had also been a tireless Deputy Chairman from 2011/2012.

The AGM was also very pleased to acknowledge the presence of representatives from AustCham Beijing at the meeting. In fact their CEO, Ross Bundey, addressed the meeting to reinforce the collaboration between the Shanghai Chamber and the other AustChams in China. Ross reported to the meeting on the great progress that has been made on formalizing AustCham Greater China, AGC, and especially the discussions that have been ongoing with the Ministry of Civil Affairs that will bring long overdue legal status for Chambers such as ours in Shanghai. This is expected to be a reality by the end of this year and all four mainland Chambers are working as one to make this a reality.

This AGM marked another historic milestone. It set the clock ticking on our twentieth year. In 2014 we will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of AustCham Shanghai; a quite remarkable achievement. Not only is Shanghai the largest Australian business community in the mainland, with almost 420 corporate members representing many thousand people, it is a leader among the broader international community here in Shanghai. The AGM heard of significant exchanges with the Shanghai government, where we had been called upon to contribute to government policy deliberations, while also taking a leading role among the other international Chambers in Shanghai.

To be the Chairman, representing this business community, has been a great honour. The AGM elected a new Board for the coming year. All four retiring Directors who renominated were elected as well as Peter Langley, Managing Director of TNT Express, as a new Director. With the five Directors whose term has another year to run, we have a Board that is looking forward to delivering a terrific twentieth year for AustCham Shanghai.

Finally, it was acknowledged that we all owe much to our Secretariat. They are a tireless and dedicated professional team whose first priority is the needs of the membership. James O’Loughlin and all of the wonderful smiling team provide the engine room of the Chamber and deliver every day for the membership. We are very fortunate to have their contributions. I invite all members, current and prospective, to make a visit to the Chamber’s offices. You will be made most welcome. ü

14 AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS 15 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

The very successful visit to China last April by former Prime Minister Julia Gillard, senior Ministers and some of Australia’s leading business leaders delivered a clear message that our policy makers and business community are aligned in creating stronger bi-lateral links.

The results of that visit have already proven to be most beneficial to Australian business interests and we believe will continue to be so, particularly as a result of the agreement on the holding of formal annual government to government meetings. Australia being one of only five countries to receive this privileged access.

The convertibility of the RMB was another key move forward and AustCham was involved in the dialogue leading up to and following this announcement.

As a result of these developments we will continue to see an expanding breadth of commercial activity with Australian businesses across sectors and regions in both countries.

According to statistics from the Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce, there are conservatively estimated at the end of May 2013 to be over 220 Australian registered businesses (i.e. businesses with more than 50 percent Australian ownership) in Beijing alone.

In light of the significant developments that have occurred this year and given the large levels of investment already made by Australian businesses in China, it might be timely to re-look at the two concepts that we have written about on several past occasions.

These concepts namely, ‘co-operation’ and ‘collaboration’, have proven to be vital and necessary drivers of the relationship development between Australia and China.

However it may now be timely to add an additional concept of ‘contribution’ and to look at these concepts as a trio.

China’s current five year plan and recent pronouncements include many worthy projects and iniatives, particularly in the areas of energy, infrastructure, water efficiency and food integrity.

Australian business is extremely well placed, not only to co-operate and collaborate

with businesses in both China and Australia, but is also able to provide an enormously valuable contribution to the progression of these projects and plans.

Australia’s experiences, knowledge and expertise in just these four areas of energy, infrastructure, water efficiency and food integrity (let alone many other areas such as financial and professional services, education services, health services and tourism) can provide a deep and meaningful contribution to the development of China’s aims and to the increased strengthening of the relationship and friendship between Australia and China both in China and in Australia.

Through collaboration, co-operation and contribution, there will be many opportunities for Australian businesses to share ideas for innovative new products and services that will undoubtedly be of great value to Chinese clients and customers.

AustCham Beijing is uniquely placed to work with its members, government and other partners to provide information, networks and understanding of the constantly changing market so as to enable Australian businesses to strongly contribute to the growth of their own operations and to the development of the China market for Australian business interests.

AustCham ActivityThe first half of 2013 has been a full one

for AustCham Beijing.The major event, as mentioned, was the

visit to Beijing by the then Prime Minister Julia Gillard, and Ministers Carr, Emerson and Shorten. This was the largest ministerial delegation ever sent by Australia to China and we were delighted to be part of this. It was also fantastic to be joined at this event by many representatives from AustCham Chengdu, AustCham Hong Kong and AustCham Shanghai.

The big social event of the year was the AustCham Mad Hatter’s Ball. With fantastic decorations, outfits, food and music this must surely be the premier social event in Beijing! The AustCham team has already begun

planning an even bigger and better Ball for 2014. Watch this space!

We have also re-invigorated our Educational Services Industry Working Group which will be releasing a White Paper later this year. The Financial Services Industry Working Group will also continue its very active role.

As always we continue to look for new and innovative ways to support and enhance the interests of our Members. Through the advancement of AustCham Greater China and continuing strengthening of our Advocacy & Government Relations platform we are confident of achieving this goal. ü

For more information about AustCham Shanghai visit: www.austchamshanghai.com

For more information about AustCham Beijing, visit: www.austcham.org

As the economic, cultural and social ties between Australia and China continue their increasing and positive progress forward, it may now be timely to consider what more can be done to enhance and strengthen those relationships, writes AustCham Beijing Chief Executive Officer, Ross Bundey.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

AustCham Beijing announces its new Board of Directors for

Adam Baxter

Ross Bundey – Chief Executive Officer

Robert Campbell

Andrew Cole

Tracy Colgan - Chair

David Garnier

Adrian Gonzales

Peter Grogan – Vice Chair

Mina Guli – Deputy Chair

Tom Luckock

Brendan Mason – Treasurer

Alan Morrell

Edward Smith

Ian Tang

Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard addresses the Australian community at a lunch hosted by AustCham Shanghai in early July. (Chris Leo)

Page 10: Sep oct 2013 issue

n AUSTCHAM HONG KONG & MACAU HONG KONG AUSTRALIA BUSINESS ASSOCIATION n

In May, the HKABA celebrated the second National Business Awards in Melbourne. The event was attended by more than 230 guests, including Dominic Perret, the General Manager of South West Pacific, Cathay Pacific Airways and the Honourable Brendan O’Connor, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. The keynote speaker was the Hon. Gordon Rich-Phillips MLC representing the Government of Victoria.

Winners of the HKABA 2013 Business Awards are:QLD Export of the Year Award – Magic Millions,

SA Import Award – Great Solar Solutions Pty Ltd

VIC Business Excellence Award – Jmango

SA Business Development Award – Adelaide Festival Centre

Judges’ Recognition Award – Furniture Concept QLD

Other Australian states will celebrate their own Business Awards throughout the year. (See box for dates).

The South Australian Business Awards marked their Business Awards in July with South Australian Governor and HKABA Patron, Lt-Gov Hieu Van Le AO and the Hon.

Alexander Downer as keynote speaker. As a former Australian foreign minister, Mr Downer is well known for his knowledge of Hong Kong and China affairs. The South Australian awards were sponsored by Shingleback award-winning wines from McClaren Vale and Cathay Pacific Airways, which provided two return economy tickets as a raffle prize.

Victoria celebrated its awards in August. The NSW Business Awards will be held in October at the Hilton Sydney.

Meeting of Corporate Minds in Hong Kong

This year the 14th Hong Kong Forum will be held on December 4-5 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre. This annual event draws hundreds of participants from all over the world. Some of the speakers include Fred Lam, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Helen Wong, President and Chief Executive Officer, HSBC Bank (China) Company Ltd and Oscar Chow, Executive Director, Chevalier International Holdings Ltd.

The keynote speaker will be The Hon CY Leung, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

A very sought after part of the forum is the side trip to Mainland China to learn and understand more about the mechanisms of a Chinese enterprise. This year’s mission is to Nanjing in Jiangsu Province from December 5-7 and includes a visit to the Yurun Group which ranked 8th in 2012 among China’s top 500 private Chinese enterprises. Yurun’s business scope covers food, logistics, department stores, travel and real estate. The company’s pork products are well known domestically as well as globally. In 2005, Yurun Group was listed in Hong Kong. Yurun Group has long been sourcing Hong Kong service providers in the area of architecture, design, interior decoration, etc., and is a good example of how a Chinese company has successfully expanded its overseas markets via Hong Kong.

New to this year’s forum is a 50 percent discount on the participation fee for first time participants and a 30 percent discount for early bird registration before September 30.

The 14th Hong Kong Forum is exclusively for members of the Hong Kong

Business Associations. Registration can be completed online at the Forum website www.hkdefederation.org.hk/forum2014.

Australian participants can contact the National Office or the individual Chapters for group participation.

HKABA South AustraliaThe South Australian Chapter has an

exclusive professional service to facilitate substantial insight into HK markets. This service is specifically targeted for small to medium enterprises to learn how to trade successfully in Hong Kong and China. This service will include public transport familiarisation and shopping tours/markets and a visit to a design company specialising in logos and packaging.

It will also involve visiting Hong Kong-based specialists in the banking, legal, logistics and real estate sectors. For more information on the HKABA’s South Australian Hong Kong trade mission on December 2-5, to be led by Adelaide Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood, contact Mike Higgs on +61 (0)413 948 813. ü

The Australian economy has been facing mounting headwinds in recent months due to the marked slowdown in China and suppressed commodity exports. Interest rates have been decreased to stimulate weakened business and consumer confidence, meanwhile the Australian dollar has depreciated to its lowest level since 2010. After commodity prices and demand have slumped, and with mining investment nearing a peak, the government has extended efforts to shift growth to non-mining sectors including property and construction.

The Australian property market has seen burgeoning investment in recent years both in the residential and non-residential sectors. Chinese buyers snapping up residential property has spurred the entrance of Chinese developers constructing projects in most major cities. Chinese investor activity in the commercial sector pales in comparison but is quickly gaining traction. More than one-third of total investment volume in Australia involved foreign capital in both 2011 and 2012, making it one of the most active offshore markets in APAC. The proportion of Chinese capital increased from less than 3 percent in 2011 to around 5 percent in 2012.

Chinese homebuyers have long viewed Australia as a ‘safe haven’ with a more mature and transparent market. Residential property is generally freehold as compared to leasehold in China. Further, residential buyers see Australian purchases as a means to diversify their assets by shifting capital offshore. For residential property only those properties which increase the supply of new housing can be approved by the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB). Therefore, a Chinese developer can purchase and develop vacant land or purchase property for redevelopment. Individual investors are purchasing everything from one to two-bedroom apartments to let out or for their children studying in Australia to luxury waterfront homes.

The Australian government has welcomed these investments with open arms, and recently to further enhance foreign individual investment, they have introduced the Significant Investor Visa. The SIV allows high net worth individuals to obtain a four-year visa in exchange for a A$5 million investment into government

bonds, ASIC regulated managed funds or direct investment into Australian propriety companies, which can hold or invest into property.

Residential developers have simply followed buyer demand to Australia and are being met with few barriers to entry. Chinese developers are second only to their Singaporean counterparts in terms of residential construction. While Sydney and Melbourne remain a focus, major developments are underway in smaller markets like Adelaide, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. As property market tightening policies remain in place in China, domestic developers are demonstrating a growing interest to expand overseas not only to mitigate risk but to follow the current trend of strong overseas buyer demand. Developers can turn this investor appetite into easy cash with many projects directly marketed in China and units sold ‘off the plan’.

Recently Greenland Group, the Shanghai-based developer, committed to investing A$480 million to redevelop a residential project in Sydney’s CBD. The project is the developer’s first in Australia and at 240 metres tall, the project will become the tallest residential block in Sydney. Other developers with major projects include the Zhuhai Ridong Group, which is constructing a A$1 billion luxury hotel and residential complex in the Gold Coast. Ridong has also been shortlisted to construct the Gold Coast cruise ship terminal.

The foray into commercial property by Chinese developers and investors is smaller in scale. Regulations are slightly more stringent, whereas purchases of commercial properties above A$54 million require special approval by FIRB. Only several en bloc purchases of office blocks by Chinese investors have surpassed this threshold. The most prominent deal was the purchase of 1 York Street in Sydney CBD by HNA Group, which owns Hainan Airlines, for A$117 million in mid-2011. Later that year, China Southern Airlines purchased a small project on Clarence Street for A$10 million. In Melbourne, the Chinese developer Shandong Hengyi purchased an office block for A$45 million and is converting the property into serviced apartments.

Retail investments have been fewer in

number, but are also growing. Currently, Chinese investors typically target strip retail property or smaller-scale shopping centres in areas with larger Chinese populations. One recent purchase includes Kings Cross Centre, a 48,000 sf suburban shopping centre in Sydney, for A$24 million and with a yield of 7percent. Commercial property investors can benefit from fairly high yields in Australia as compared to those on offer in more mature APA markets. These attractive returns are giving way to growing competition among both offshore and domestic investors, including funds and A-REITS eager to deploy capital into commercial property.

Chinese property investment in Australia is likely to accelerate in the medium-term. The government has preferential policies in place which will continue to attract homebuyers, developers and commercial investment. Declining interest rates and a depreciating dollar will also spur more capital inflows. Residential prices will remain elevated despite emerging risks of a China slowdown and lower domestic consumption. Sustained demand for core commercial assets will buoy prices even as leasing demand remains soft, and limited supply of core assets will funnel demand into secondary and non-core areas. ü

*Randall Hall is a Director with AustCham Hong Kong and Macau and the Executive Managing Director - Greater China at Cushman & Wakefield in Hong Kong.

. ü

Winners of the 2013 Business Awards: L-R Eddie Yuen and Gordon Chalmers representing Queensland (for Furniture Concepts), Peter Sinn National HKABA President, David Chester from Magic Millions QLD, Shane Corben from Great Solar VIC, Allan Bennetto from JMango ADL, Jacinta Thompson from Adelaide Oz Festival SA and Dominic Perret General Manager SW Pacific of Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd.

16 AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS 17

Upcoming Events:

National Office 3-4 Dec Hong Kong Forum 5-7 Dec SME Expo

NSW 4 Oct Annual Business Awards

VIC 23 Aug Annual Business Awards

SA 19 Jul Annual Business Awards

QLD 20 Sept Annual Business Awards

WA 29 July Food & Wine Dinner

To join as a member of the Association, or for further information on any events, contact [email protected] or (02) 9267 3158

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

CHINESE PROPERTY INVESTMENT IN AUSTRALIA – THE WAVE WILL CONTINUEChinese developers and investors are slowly but surely increasing their interests in Australia, and with the introduction of the Significant Investor Visa and the depreciating Australian dollar, the trend is likely to increase, writes AustCham Hong Kong and Macau board director, Randall Hall.

For more information about AustCham Hong Kong and Macau, visit: www.austcham.com.hk

CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE AT THE NATIONAL BUSINESS AWARDS Now well into the second half of 2013, HKABA branches across Australia continue to welcome many new members and launch events.

Page 11: Sep oct 2013 issue

n ASIALINK

18 AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

Australia needs urgent, coordinated action to overcome our asymmetric engagement with Asia and improve our Asia capabilities and intercultural intelligence. This will require substantial new resources, including providing opportunities and incentives to gain Asian experience.

Our relationship with China provides an example of the asymmetries in Australia’s Asia engagement. Australia’s resources trade with China has grown exponentially for over two decades, and Chinese international students now far outnumber any other foreign national group in Australian schools and universities. But the number of Australian students from non-Chinese backgrounds who study Chinese at year 12 languishes at only 300 or so in any given year.

Only 6 percent of Australian year 12 students study any Asian language, a figure that has remained static for over a decade. And university exchange student and intern flows out of Australia are limited and continue to favour experience in developed Western economies.

Internships and other forms of work experience in Asia will be fundamental in addressing this imbalance, building greater understanding and connections with Asia and developing an Asia-capable Australian workforce. Business, governments and educational institutions must work together to build demand for – and increase the supply of – targeted internship opportunities for Australians across the Asian region.

Asialink’s 2012 report, Developing an Asia Capable Workforce, found that Australian businesses see capability issues as among the greatest impediments to planned expansion into Asia. Less than half of 380 businesses surveyed had any board members or senior executives with Asian experience or language ability.

Peer-reviewed research and global business experience highlight the benefits of spending time overseas to global-mindedness and, in this context, Asia capability. The Asia Capable Workforce report listed ‘extensive

experience operating in Asia’ as a key component of Asia capability. One of the most effective and lasting ways people can gain such experience is by working and/or studying in Asia, including through exchanges and internships.

But too few Australians are gaining such experience in Asia. International study experiences and internship opportunities for Australians remain weighted in favour of advanced English-speaking economies.

Internships contribute to the development of not just knowledge, but also practical skills and professional networks. They are accessible to workers and students alike, including through secondments arranged by Australian employers. Internships can also be undertaken before, during or after a period of educational exchange to an Asian country. Aside from being relatively short in duration and therefore broadly accessible, internships have the major added benefit of increasing employability.

Empirical studies support anecdotal evidence that university graduates with internship experience are perceived to be better prepared to enter the workforce and more marketable to employers. A 2013 survey of final-year undergraduates in the United Kingdom revealed that students with internship experience were three times more likely to get job offers before graduating than their peers without such experience.

But internships must be designed and implemented appropriately. Well-designed internships can contribute to Asia capability if three core internship components (experience, networks and knowledge) are explicitly incorporated into an Asia-focused program.

Australians need access to internships that are deliberately designed to build their Asia capabilities. For this to happen, business, government and the education sector will need to work together, and efforts to improve access to opportunities must be matched by efforts to increase demand.

Businesses should establish new or expand

existing internal programs – and partnerships with universities and internship providers – to open up their offices in Australia and across the region to interns. They must continue to communicate to government and the education sector the importance they place on Asia capability and the relevance of practical work experience.

Governments should further implement the recommendations relating to Asia-relevant capabilities made in the Australia in the Asian Century White Paper. State and federal governments should support further academic and industry research to assess the impact of internship programs on Asia capability and employability.

Universities should expand student mobility programs in Asia to allow more students to include time there as a credited component of their degree program. Student exchanges should be supplemented with practical professional internship opportunities where possible. The relevance and importance of practical experience in an Asia-focused organisation to students’ future careers should be promoted, moving away from an Anglo- and Eurocentric view of overseas opportunities.

Above all, internships must be designed and implemented according to best practice in program management and developing Asia capability. High-quality internships will generate further demand, especially if supported by the business sector through clear indications that Asian experience is highly valued. ü

INTERNSHIPS WILL HELP BUILD ASIA SKILLSIf Australia is serious about its position in the Asian century, more opportunities for Asian-based internships need to be available for Australian students and graduates, writes Asialink’s Huw Pohlner.

Geopolitical issues are almost always multifaceted. For example, the tyranny of success is an age old problem that pervades the endeavour of individuals, organisations and countries. At a political level successful leaders are faced with a paradox: factors that contribute to a country’s success in the first place create the resistance to change when altered economic circumstances necessitate adjustment.

The economic success of the Fourth generation of Chinese leaders is beyond question. Since 2002 they have overseen the most remarkable economic transformation in history, taking China from sixth to second on the GDP league table. Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao have alleviated poverty for millions, with per capita annual income growing from US$500 to more than US$5,000.

Despite this success it’s clear that Wen Jiabao recognized the need for change. At the height of economic success in 2007 he presciently warned that the PRC economy was increasingly, “unbalanced, unstable, uncoordinated, and unsustainable.” The “four uns”.

Recognising the problem is one thing but doing something about it in anticipation of key transition points in the development journey of a country is the challenge. The human condition dictates that risk aversion increases with success and it’s only when things go badly that people have less to lose and are forced to change. The fact that the legitimacy of the CCP is tied to economic growth only serves to increase the stakes in a Chinese context and make risk aversion more pronounced when things are going well.

China has sought to remedy the “four uns” in its 12th Five Year Plan which put into practice Hu Jintao’s Scientific Outlook on Development. The substantive task of doing this – reforming the economy – has however been left to the Fifth generation of leaders. I nevertheless think that China has been well served by its Fourth generation leaders and, as is so often the case with human endeavour, China’s economic success created the inertia which now needs to be overcome for the country to reform.

The case for change is now of course compelling as judged by depressed export markets, environmental degradation and income inequality. But its interpretation until recently was far more complicated than simply saying that Hu-Wen were “strong on growth but weak on reform.”

Another vexed issue pertains to Chinese OFDI, and as it is provocatively put by some to maximise emotional response - “is China buying the world?”

Some argue that Chinese SOE(s) are scouring the world at the behest of the PRC to secure resources, brand, technology and markets. It is clear that SOEs have attained a negative stigma abroad because of their state ownership, national-interest drivers and access to cheap finance. For example, in the 2012 Lowy Institute Poll some 56 percent of Australian respondents thought there was too much Chinese investment. These negative public attitudes to Chinese investment seem to be heavily influenced by the nature of China’s political and economic system, and a misunderstanding of the governance arrangements surrounding SOEs.

Notwithstanding the above, I side with the views espoused by Professor Peter Nolan of Cambridge University. He observes that important sectors of the global economy have witnessed massive industry restructuring leading to an unprecedented concentration of ownership. Take for example the consolidation in the energy sector:

• BP acquired Amoco and ARCO;• Chevron acquired Texaco; and• Conoco merged Phillips.

Chinese SOEs are joining the world economy at a time when the concentration of business power has never been higher.

Therefore, it is hardly surprising that China has developed and nurtured “national champions” through state led industrial policy, and “going out” trade policy. Nolan observes that in “different ways this is exactly what today’s high-income countries did in the past.”

The final geopolitical issue pertains to classical

economic theory, which suggests that every country is ultimately better off through free trade. Countries play to their comparative advantage – producing certain goods and trading for others to assure productive and allocative efficiencies.

An open economy may see the contraction/loss of some industries, such as automobile manufacturing, and experience sectoral dislocation. This localised hardship is thought to be offset by the greater gains to the common good.

Revered economist William Baumol has observed that such theories developed by David Ricardo in the late 18th century did not anticipate the fast-moving technology and options for building productive capability available today. Today comparative advantage can be predetermined by natural endowments as in Ricardo’s time but can also be shaped by the acquired advantages each country chooses to focus on.

Australia’s trade relationship with China is complementary – China has people and Australia minerals, and each is at a different stage of economic development. In this symbiotic partnership between a developed and developing nation the benefits of bilateral trade are likely to be mutually beneficial. But the possibility of inherent conflict increases as the industrialising country attains a level of capacity which enables it to enter/compete in a broader cross section of markets. As Baumol put it “free trade is not always and automatically benign.”

Simply put, Australia must continue to evolve its business relationship with China to ensure enduring complementarity through the three waves of growth. The first wave is the ongoing expansion of the mining sector. The second is the growing demand for our agricultural products. And the third is the rise of the middle class in the Asia-Pacific region.

Nothing in geopolitics is so clear as to be black or white, or if it is today it is unlikely to be tomorrow. I am reminded of the theme of the World Economic Forum 2013 “Resilient Dynamism” – which means that countries must restructure, and then restructure again, ad infinitum so they can compete in the world now, and into the future. ü

THE DUALITY OF GEOPOLITICS Australia China Business Council Chairman, Frank Tudor, discusses the challenges for modern day China in the context of geopolitics.

AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS 19 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

THE AUSTRALIA CHINA BUSINESS COUNCIL n

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n AUSTRALIA CHINA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION AUSTRALIA CHINA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION n

As the ACAA gears up for its annual awards, ACAA Founder, Mr Edward Smith, discusses the importance of these awards and why graduates of any Australian university now working in China should consider nomination.

Q: What are the ACAA / IELTS Australia China Alumni Awards and how did they come about?

Edward Smith: The Australia China Alumni Awards are the flagship annual event of the Australia China Alumni Association, a not-for-profit network of some 9,000+ alumni of Australian universities who are now living in China.

As the ACAA grew in size, we were blown away by some of the amazing things that Alumni are doing – from running major corporations in China to senior roles in government, to entrepreneurs, to top notch solar energy researchers – and we wanted to celebrate their achievements whilst recognizing them as alumni of Australian universities.

The Awards are made possible by a range of corporate sponsors – from IELTS, our title sponsor, to CPA Australia, Australia China Connections and Qantas amongst others.

The Awards were first held in Beijing in 2009, and this year marks its fifth anniversary. Last year’s Shanghai gala awards ceremony had some 300 people attend, so it has become quite a big event!

Q: Who can nominate?

Anyone who studied at an Australian University for 12 months or more, and who spends 50 percent or more of their time in Mainland China. Nominees can be from China, Australia or other countries.

We have awards for Alumni of the Year, young alumni of the year, for senior managers of large companies, women excelling in leadership roles, entrepreneurs, alumni in banking and finance, research and innovation, and ICT and new media.

Alumni can self nominate, or be nominated by a friend or even their university. Nomination forms can be downloaded from the ACAA

website. Nominations close at midnight on August 23.

Q: Why nominate?

Edward Smith: The Awards have become quite prestigious and are judged by a panel of fellow alumni, past winners and distinguished business and government leaders. Finalists are all profiled on the ACAA website and the lucky winners are profiled in the media and by their university. Winners accept their award at a gala dinner in front of fellow alumni, colleagues, friends and family. ü

With Summer nearly over, the ACAA is busily preparing for our biggest event of the year, the Australia China Alumni Awards. IELTS have signed on once again as the Title Sponsor, and we thank the IELTS team for their continued support of this great event, along with other ongoing sponsors including CPA Australia and Qantas. The gala awards ceremony will be held in Beijing on Saturday, November 2.

Event Highlights Some highlights from our active events

program over recent months include:

• A loud and passionate supporter group travelled to Tianjin in June to watch the Australian Boomers take on Team China for the Sino-Australia Basketball Challenge.

• An Emerging Leaders Focus Group event together with the First Murdoch Commission in Beijing. It was great to hear some of our best and brightest young alumni providing suggestions on how to strengthen ties between Australia and China (with a focus on W.A.)

• A combined Qld Universities alumni event in Guangzhou with the Queensland Minister for Education, Training and Employment.

• The University of Technology, Sydney also hosted celebrations in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai for its 25th Anniversary.

Growth and DevelopmentAt the halfway point of the year the

ACAA had organized or supported an amazing 72 events in eight cities across China and Australia, offering alumni an opportunity to reconnect with old friends while developing and broadening their personal and professional networks. The ACAA network also expanded to engage

more than 9,000 alumni members. We remain on track to reach our target of 10,000 members before year end, and at current growth rates, will expand to engage 20,000 alumni by the end of 2017.

Public Policy ContributionsIn the last 12 months the ACAA has

purposefully stepped up its contribution to public policy, including:

• Making a submission to the DFAT China Country Strategy

• Making a submission to the First Murdoch Commission

• Completing a survey of alumni job outcomes and employer attitudes (with AEI)

• Publishing a list of the Top 25 Employers of Alumni in China

• Conducting the first survey of alumni travel habits and publishing the results together with Victoria University

• Contributing to the Henry “Australia in the Asian Century” white paper (via discussions with Ken Henry and his team).

• Contributing to the drafting of the AustCham “2013 Australia-China Education White Paper” (forthcoming)

In coming years, we look forward to making further contributions regarding the many roles and contributions alumni play in two-way trade and investment, tourism, immigration, etc. ü

20 AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS 21 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

ACAA Gold Partners

ACAA Silver Partners

Queensland Alumni with The Hon John-Paul Langbroek Minister for Education, Training and Employment of the State of Queensland.

UTS Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Ross Milbourne & Deputy Vice-Chancellor International and Development, William Purcell.

Tianjin Basketball.

NEW PARTNERS, SOLID GROWTH,SENIOR LEVEL VISITS AND CAREERS!

For further information, or to get involved, please visit our website at: www.austchinaalumni.org or E: [email protected]

Winners of the ACAA 2012 Awards held in Shanghai.

CELEBRATING ALUMNI EXCELLENCE IN CHINA

For more information, visit: www.austchinaalumni.org/awards/

Page 13: Sep oct 2013 issue

WAN HUA TONG: KALEIDOSCOPE n n WAN HUA TONG: KALEIDOSCOPE

“Ding Jinhao was here.” It was a banal declaration etched by a Nanjing teenager into an artefact at a 3,500 year-old temple in the Egyptian city of Luxor – and following an embarrassed weibo post from a fellow Chinese tourist, it was a declaration that caused recent uproar across China. The very public debate that ensued touched on everything from appropriate travel etiquette to the concerns about the country’s image abroad.

But aside from newspaper column inches and a lot of national hand-wringing, the incident highlighted another clear fact: Chinese tourists are now a ubiquitous presence across the globe. And those businesses seeking to attract Chinese tourists must respond quickly.

The Chinese outbound tourism market is developing at a pace unparalleled in the history of the travel and tourism industry.

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, China assumed the title of the world’s leading source of tourists last year with over 83 million visits abroad.

Many of these visits are to Hong Kong or regional countries in Asia, but the figures and the potential for business are still massive.

Over the course of last year, Chinese tourists spent over US$102 billion – spending that has been crucial towards covering the tourism slow-down that followed the GFC. In New York alone, Chinese tourists contributed US$877 million to the city’s economy, at an average of US$3,297 per tourist per trip.

To put this in perspective, just look at the luxury industry – last year Chinese tourists accounted for 62 percent of all luxury purchases in Europe and 33 percent of such spending in the United States.

Australia is already well placed. Australia was the first western country to receive Approved Destination Status (ADS) for Chinese tourists and China is now Australia’s fastest growing and most valuable international inbound market, with a 13 percent growth to A$4.2 billion in overnight expenditure in 2012. Chinese visitors also increased 16 percent to 620,000 during 2012, making China the second largest inbound market for Australia after New Zealand. Chinese travellers are also showing a greater interest in natural scenery – which Australia has in abundance – as opposed to the traditional driver of shopping.

These numbers will continue to rise. Tourism Australia recently signed marketing or cooperation agreements with Air China, China Southern and China Eastern airlines, as just part of an effort to reach the regularly cited aim of 900,000 Chinese visitors annually by 2020. Now to get a slice of the pie, the rest

of the tourism industry must adapt accordingly.In the same way that an increased number

of Japanese tourists in the 1980s led hotels to offer more rooms with twin beds or begin providing more baths instead of showers, Chinese tourists also have specific and unique traits that are now being acknowledged.

There are the obvious requirements, such as the necessity for hotels to provide disposable slippers, a kettle with Chinese teas, instant noodles, chopsticks, and congee for breakfast – but there remain a wide range of other ways that all Australian businesses can better target and then cater for Chinese tourists.

For all businesses, providing services in Mandarin Chinese is essential. Tourism Australia recently unveiled ‘Welcome Chinese Visitor’ grants to offer China readiness training to organisations accredited under Tourism Australia’s T-QUAL programme. Hotels have made rapid recent progress, but the retail sector

continues to lag behind. Offering Chinese language staff and even VIP appointment shopping has illustrated proven success.

But the issue of language also extends to collateral materials. Catalogues, brochures, maps and signage in Simplified Chinese are greatly appreciated, and Tourism Australia recently allocated A$1 million worth of funding to translate tourism information across the country.

Businesses need to take this step as a minimum and ideally blend with dynamic technologically advanced interfaces appreciated by younger tech-savvy Chinese tourists. Just one example is iPads with information explaining the procedure for reclaiming GST when departing the country.

In another example, Phillip Island Nature Parks in Victoria recently introduced an iPhone application offering Mandarin language audio tours for attractions such as the Penguin Parade and Koala Conservation Centre. This is just one great example of an Australian business that has taken an extra step in creating a personal experience for Chinese visitors.

Any number of studies will tell you that Chinese are prolific users of the internet, so naturally a Simplified Chinese language website is also essential. Studies by the Data Centre of China Internet (DCCI) found that more than two thirds of Chinese citizens use the internet as the main channel to get tourism information. The same study found that 70 percent of Chinese citizens found their hotel accommodation via the Internet. But aside from a Chinese language interface, there are other strategies that can pay significant dividends online.

Businesses hoping to benefit from Chinese tourism must also leverage their search engine marketing opportunities, not just by targeting

Google and Bing, but also Baidu, Qihoo 360 and Sogou. While the market share of Chinese search engine monolith, Baidu, decreased by 10 percent to 57 percent of total Chinese searches in March 2013, Baidu remains the dominant force. It is also worth noting that any decrease in Baidu market share has not been to the benefit of western search engines – Google market share has also decreased. Chinese search engines still represent 90 percent of all search engine visits in the country. Likewise, do not ignore local tourism sites such as Ctrip and eLong.

The Ding Jinhao scandal began online on social media – “I’m so embarrassed that I want to hide myself,” the micro blogger wrote – and this clearly illustrates that the localisation of online strategy must extend to social networking services. Studies have shown that Chinese spend over 40 percent of their online time using social networking services (SNS).

It is a well-known fact that Facebook, Youtube and Twitter are blocked in China, where Weibo, QQ, Youkou, Tudou and Weixin are dominant. All of these forms of social media have specific practical applications and can all be valuable to the Australian tourism industry when used correctly. It is a mistake to think that like some western consumers, Chinese consumers will think less of SNS-active brands – in fact studies have shown that they actually appreciate this added interactivity.

Last years Tourism Australia advertising campaign featuring an online drama series entitled “再一次心跳” (“Heartbeat Again”) starring Taiwanese celebrities, Show Lo (罗志祥) and Rainie Yang (杨丞琳) was a great example. The two actors engaged in a courtship across picturesque destinations in Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania, with the ten-minute episodes broadcast on

Tudou and linked with Weibo. This nicely illustrated the art of the multi-dimensional social media campaign in China.

The use of Show Lo and Rainie Yang also illustrated the power of the Key Opinion Leader (KOL) in tourism marketing to the Chinese audience. Whether online or offline and whether led by celebrities or by influential bloggers, mass opinion is a very key sales driver in China. While these “opinions” are almost always paid opinions, the distrust of public information services and the prevalence of the internet make their impact impossible for any business to ignore.

And finally, something a little more mundane but of no small importance – providing UnionPay withdrawal points or payment options is greatly appreciated. UnionPay is the dominant bankcard in China by a country mile, and as a UnionPay cardholder myself, I can vouch for the fact that major Australian banks have been slow on the uptake. UnionPay cards are currently only accepted by National Australia Bank, although Commonwealth Bank is planning future acceptance. Aside from Duty Free shopping, retail uptake has also been slow, although David Jones recently announced that it would accept the Chinese national bankcard.

Meanwhile back in Nanjing, Ding Jinhao’s parents aren’t too impressed. His father begged netizens to stop harassing his now 15 year-old son, while his mother told a local newspaper, “We want to apologise to the Egyptian people and to people who have paid attention to this case across China.” So while Chinese attitudes to behaviour abroad slowly change, so too must we. Chinese tourists will continue to come and Australian business needs to be ready. ü

22 AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

FROM LUXOR TO WEIBO: TARGETING THE CHINESE TOURISTSocial media is a must do when promoting Australia as a tourism destination to the Chinese international travel market, writes Geoff Tink from Shanghai.

Taiwanese stars Show Lo and Rainie Yang at Melbourne’s Flinders Street Station in Melbourne as part of Tourism Australia’s China social media campaign. (Tourism Australia).

Page 14: Sep oct 2013 issue

n MAINLAND MOMENTS MAINLAND MOMENTS n

24 AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

LIFTING THE VEIL Karen Tye looks at the big differences between East and West when it comes to tying the knot in China.

I love weddings. And having lived in China for the past eight years, I have had the honour of attending many of the weddings of my Chinese friends. The difference between Chinese and Western cultures peaks when it comes to this social custom but today I hope to “lift the veil” on Chinese weddings by offering a few tips to my western readers.

The legalities Chinese couples will head down to the local

bureau of civil affairs (民政局) to register their marriage, which often occurs several months in advance of the wedding reception, as opposed to most Aussie couples, who officially tie the knot and hold a wedding celebration of some sort all on the same day.

According to Silvia Yu, a newlywed who has lived in Shanghai for 10 years, the wedding reception is traditionally more important than marriage registration, especially in the eyes of the couple’s parents and relatives.

This registration aspect of Chinese marriages has stuck in my mind ever since I overheard a colleague requesting a longer lunch break for the day because he was planning to meet up with his girlfriend and get hitched legally!

Nevertheless, fortuitous dates are of the utmost importance to almost every Chinese person and the couple will select a “lucky” day to get married.

Ms Yu and her husband registered their wedding on January 4, 2013, because when that date – 1314 – is pronounced in Mandarin, it becomes a phonetic pun meaning forever and ever.

“On that day, hundreds of couples queued to register their marriage. My husband and I queued for five hours,” says Ms Yu.

A world record for the most number of marriages was set on August 8, 2008, which was also the same day the Olympic Games were opened in Beijing. The number eight symbolizes luck and wealth in China and at least 314,224 couples across China were wedded on that day. Wedding registrations also soared through the roof in China on September 9, 1999 as the number nine in Chinese has the same sound as the character for long lasting.

According to Ms Yu, because break ups can be commonplace among young couples, Chinese people register their marriage months in advance of their reception to give both parties peace of mind that the “deal is done”.

The reception Since Chinese parents of newlyweds view

the reception as the most important part, usually no expense is spared.

Months ahead of the reception, Chinese couples will hire a professional photographer to take wedding photos of the couple. Prices of bridal photography packages range from RMB 2,000 up to the tens of thousands. On average, a bridal photography package sets a couple back around RMB 3,500. Photos are taken in advance so as to ensure they are displayed at the reception and in the home of newlyweds.

The reception can either be a lunch or dinner affair and it is usually centered around the meal. As it is traditionally important to make guests feel as welcomed and comfortable as possible, a variety of food, drinks as well as cigarettes are placed on each table.

Western traditions have also trickled into Chinese weddings such as exchanging vows and rings, kissing, and cutting and serving of a wedding cake, according to Yu.

However, this depends on the individual couple. Ms Yu says a former classmate had a traditional Chinese wedding, where the reception was decked in red candles, lanterns and shuangxi (喜喜) banners.

The other differences I’ve noticed about Chinese wedding receptions is that while the MC of an Aussie wedding is usually a close friend of the bride or groom which provides a sense of intimacy, Chinese wedding MCs are hired and often come as part of the wedding planning company’s package. To me, I get a sense that guests are almost part of a variety show at Chinese weddings, with a professional MC, karaoke and even games to encourage interaction, yet, strangely, of all the Chinese weddings I’ve been to, no one has stayed on to party the night away, despite all the elaborate entertainment.

The red packet In terms of gifts, it’s all about household

items and wedding registries in Australia but guests at Chinese weddings only ever give newlyweds red packets with money in them. The idea behind the red packet is so

that Chinese newlyweds do not start off their new lives together in debt – in the eyes of Chinese people, weddings are supposed to be profit-making. So the all-important question is: How much should a guest put into a red packet? I’ve gotten a lot of nebulous answers from my Chinese friends when I’ve asked them, and the answer is usually: “If you’re good friends, give more, if you’re not so close, you can give less.”

But that’s no help when it comes to a ballpark figure. The only way is to take into account wedding expenses and work out how much your invitation actually cost the married couple. On average, a table of 10 will cost between RMB 2,000 to 4,000 depending on the quality of food served and on the restaurant in Shanghai. There are also tables that cost over RMB 4,000.

“The cost of a wedding in Shanghai is higher than in other cities. Restaurants are very expensive,” says Ms Yu.

“My wedding in Shanghai cost RMB 3,000 a table (of 10), which excluded wine and beverages. But in my hometown in Zhejiang Province, my wedding reception only cost RMB 1,500 a table and there was a better selection of food,” she says.

When giving your red packet, make sure you have signed your name on the back of the packet with a small congratulatory remark – Chinese people keep track of how much every guest has given as they have to return at least that amount when they are invited back to the weddings of their friends.

Also take into account the numbers of the amount of money that you give. I would

highly suggest against giving any amount with the number four in it, as the number four in Mandarin has a similar pronunciation to the word death.

Other important tipsThe first time my husband and I attended

a friend’s wedding in China, we made quite a huge faux pas, in that we overdressed for the occasion. It goes without saying in Australia that wedding guests need to don cocktail outfits to look smart for the photos – a gorgeous frock and heels for girls and a suit or at minimum, a collared shirt, for boys. As for colors, perhaps white and black are taboo for women. We turned up to the wedding dressed to the nines, which was held in the couple’s hometown of Qingdao, I was in the highest of heels and wore a long red skirt, the same colour the bride wore as red symbolizes luck in Chinese culture – yet another awkward moment. Our jaws dropped when we saw many guests in T-shirts, jeans and sneakers. A friend told me that at Chinese weddings, guests should never out-dress (or even come close to it) the bride and groom. Bear in mind that not every Chinese bride will wear a white wedding gown, some will just opt for an evening dress. Thankfully, my husband and I were seated at the token laowai table, where the men took off their suit jackets immediately and pulled uncomfortably at their ties and the women sank into their heels and hunched when taking photos with the couple to appear shorter!

Chinese people will often invite their bosses and managers to their weddings, even if the relationship is strictly just a work one.

“At my wedding reception in my hometown, 240 people were invited. My relatives, my parents’ colleagues, my parents’ old classmates, friends and my former teachers and some of my old classmates who work in my hometown were all invited,” says Ms Yu.

As a boss or manager, you might be even called upon to give a speech. Attending the wedding and giving a speech will give your colleague plenty of face or 面子 among the rest of the wedding guests.

If you do give a speech, now is not the time to bring out a repertoire of jokes that are generally well received at Australian weddings (and certainly not the roasting that best men are supposed to give to a groom) although one or two innocuous, perhaps self-deprecating jokes can lighten the mood. If you don’t speak Chinese fluently, consider having a Chinese speech prepared to read out (have it edited by a Chinese friend first) or speaking in English will also be fine if you don’t think you will be understood in Chinese – make sure you speak clearly in either language and keep it short and simple.

As for the content, do not be sparing in praises for your colleague and their work ethic as you are there to attest that they are a valuable and upstanding member of the community. ü

Getting married in China is big business, with many Chinese couples opting for special professional bridal photography shoots that are taken on a day prior to the wedding itself.

AUSTRALIA’S FIRST FAMILIES OF WINE

Families have been the traditional custodians of vineyards in Australia, as they have been throughout most of the world. Families nurture their vineyards and get the best from them, often against the odds. The passion they have for their ‘patches of dirt’ – their heart and soul - passes from one generation to the next, and you can taste it in every bottle of wine they craft.

Australia’s First Families of Wine are all about just that – family. Twelve of Australia’s leading multi-generational winemakers who own some of the finest vineyards, have over 1200 years of collective winemaking experience but most importantly, celebrate the contribution that families, past and present, have made to the rich Australian wine culture.

They remain family owned and fiercely proud of the flagship wines which bear their names. Their message is all about the farms and soils they work, the quality of the wines they craft and the pride they have in their history and how it has shaped who they are and what they stand for. They rejoice in the characters who have influenced their histories and have helped to make their wines what they are today. They celebrate those things they have in common and the differences that make them unique.

They want to share their stories with you and welcome your family to theirs. Australia’s First Families of Wine will be hosting tastings and events in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong in the first two weeks of September to launch the concept to Chinese wine enthusiasts – the new frontier for quality Australian wine.

Australia’s First Families of Wine include: Brown Brothers, Campbells, d’Arenberg, De Bortoli, Henschke, Howard Park, Jim Barry Wines, McWilliam’s, Tahbilk, Taylors, Tyrrell’s & Yalumba

To learn more about their stories, families and wines visit Australia’s First Families of Wine online at:

www.australiasfirstfamiliesofwine.com.auwww.facebook.com/AFFW1www.e.weibo.com/affw

Page 15: Sep oct 2013 issue

n NEWS ANALYSIS COMMENT n

The Lowy Institute’s annual poll on attitudes to international affairs has recently been published. This was conducted in March, with just over 1,000 respondents to a large range of questions.

A convincing 87 percent believe it is possible for Australia to have a good relationship with China and the USA at the same time.

A commanding 76 percent view China as the most important economy to Australia, with the US far behind at 16 percent. More, however, place a higher value on the relationship with the US: 48 percent, against 37 percent saying China.

China will eventually replace the US as the world’s leading superpower, according to 61 percent. In an international survey by pollsters Pew in 2011, Australia was one of only four countries, out of 23 polled, which took this view. In the Lowy poll, 12 percent said that China is already the top superpower.

Seventy percent of respondents said that “the demand for Australian resources like China” was a major reason why Australia has avoided moving into recession following the global financial crisis.

Yet 57 percent say “the Australian government is allowing too much investment from China.” And a significant minority, 41 percent, believe that “China will become a military threat to Australia in the next 20 years.”

In the “thermometer” measuring how warm respondents feel to a list of nations, sentiment towards China has cooled a little since 2012, falling 5 degrees to 54 degrees.

So Australians tend to be more favourably inclined towards China than people in most other western countries, but retain a degree of ambivalence. People are guarded and need to be won over by a convincing narrative about where the relationship heads from here. The Asia white paper produced under Julia Gillard was net positive, but has now done its awareness-raising work, and cannot be expected to provide much further momentum. Gillard’s visit to China in April cemented a “strategic” relationship, with annual meetings

between top leaders, a new basis for going forward – though the content of those talks will need to be well targeted.

Rudd’s relationship with China is complex. He is famously a Chinese speaker, having studied the language at the Australian National University. He has about 350,000 followers on Sina Weibo, China’s dominant version of Twitter, he speaks and writes widely on China for international audiences.

And yet, as Professor Mobo Gao, director of the Adelaide University’s Confucius Institute, has pointed out, “China never forgets.”

Sometimes it is required to forgive, however, if someone who has been an irritant takes on a role in which Beijing has to deal with him or her. Chris Patten is a good example. An irritant as governor in the dying days of British Hong Kong, then Foreign Minister of the European Union.

And now, Rudd. High hopes were held for him as a Chinese speaker, but they were disrupted when soon after landing in China for the first time as prime minister, he delivered a speech at Beida, Peking University, in which he criticised the government’s human rights record in Tibet and proclaimed that Australia – or he personally – could be the leaders’ zhengyou or true friend, able to tell them home truths. After that, things got worse, with a series of altercations capped by rude comments about China at the Copenhagen climate summit, a Defence White Paper that indicated Rudd saw China as a military threat, then Wikileaks’ exposure of a conversation with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in which China featured prominently and negatively.

The hundreds of thousands of Chinese followers of his Sina Weibo posts remain fans, but their government will deal with him correctly but retaining a little distance. They get on fine with Bob Carr the Foreign Minister. No “reward” such as a rapid conclusion to the long drawn out free trade deal negotiations should be expected until after the election. But Rudd has convinced his own Labor colleagues that he has changed sufficiently to warrant a second chance – no one should discount the

possibility that he can achieve the same in relations with China, which he knows so well.

Beijing is familiar with Julie Bishop, who would become Foreign Minister and possibly, even also Trade Minister in a coalition government. She has done her homework, travelling to China fairly frequently, and impressing officials there that she is a good listener, something of a rarity among politicians.

In a recent Australia China Business Council speech she said: “I join the ranks of optimists in regard to China’s future economic growth and China’s integration into the international system.”

Bishop acknowledges – something long overdue – that “New Zealand has certainly shown us the way” in building trade links with China, having concluded its own FTA five years ago, since when trade has tripled. She says: “A coalition foreign policy will be focussed on what I call economic diplomacy.” Most importantly, she added: “Foreign investment from China will continue to be welcomed, subject to the national interest test” that has only so far inhibited two major deals, even though some still see this is two too many.

What will Tony Abbott, the putative new prime minister, do? He delivered a well thought out speech in Beijing last year – with that important exception of his negative remark on investment, which Bishop has indicated was an aberration, and that coalition policy has moved on.

Like John Howard, he may be expected as prime minister to be attracted by Chinese strengths which echo those he also values – a can-do approach to economic development, a Confucian discipline in governance, an intense loyalty to family.

Beijing, and those very many Australians and Chinese focused on the relationship, will be watching this election with intense interest. ü

*Rowan Callick is Asia-Pacific editor of The Australian, and author of the recently published Party Time: Who Runs China and How (Black Inc Books)

26 AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS 27 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

WHERE TO NEXT?With a looming election and the dramatic ousting of Julia Gillard as Labor party leader, Rowan Callick reflects on the current Australia China relationship.

First there was Abenomics, a reference to unorthodox steps taken by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to resuscitate the Japanese economy through quantitative easing.

Then this past month or so, the world’s gaze has been focused on Likonomics – or rather the market-oriented policies associated with China’s new Prime Minister Li Keqiang. Whether the 58-year-old Li, dubbed the country’s “first Ph.D. Premier,” can breathe new life to reforms is key to the viability of the world’s second largest economy.

According to the official Chinese media, Likonomics simply means using market-oriented measures to replace old-style administrative fiats, which tend to favor China’s vested interest blocs. Since the on-set of the global financial crisis in late 2008, the State Council or cabinet has been relying on financial injections and credit expansion to ensure the requisite GDP growth rates.

The biggest beneficiaries of such monetary injections have been state-owned enterprises, which are not noted for their efficiency. Worse, because state banks tend to spurn private firms, a huge shadow banking system has emerged. While Chinese cadres and official economists have scolded the profligacy inherent in the QE programs in the U.S. and Japan, debts owed by different levels of Chinese administrations, state-backed finance vehicles and other investment entities are estimated to be double the country’s GDP.

On June 20, however, Li and his finance team signaled its readiness for major surgery by allowing the interbank borrowing rate to spike to an unheard-of 13.44 per cent. (The usual rate is around 3 percent). While the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), China’s central bank, indicated six days later that it would resume normal lending, the Li team has impressed foreign observers by its willingness to break with past practice.

Li has made it clear his cabinet will not pump liquidity into the market to prop up infrastructure and other job-creation programs; moreover, the shadow banking system, which is partly responsible for the country’s housing

bubble, will be disciplined. “While the economy faces many

difficulties and challenges, we must promote financial reform in an orderly way to better serve economic restructuring,” said a recent statement from the cabinet.

At the same time, Li, who is just behind President Xi Jinping in the Chinese Communist Party Politburo pecking order, is working on a major economic liberalization manifesto to be unveiled at a CCP Central Committee meeting scheduled for autumn. There will be reforms in areas including the financial system; credit policy and taxation; land ownership; liberalizing the prices of utilities and staple goods; trimming bureaucratic reviews; narrowing the income gap between rich and poor; and liberalizing the household registration system.

Whether Li can succeed in retooling China’s unwieldy economic structure – and the bureaucratic system that is running it – depends on the following factors. One is support from the party-and-state apparatus headed by President Xi, who is also CCP General Secretary.

While Xi seems to back Li’s economic reforms, the 60-year-old head of state must also ensure that different factions in the party – as well as the major clans at the topmost echelon of the party – are willing to at least acquiesce in Li’s reforms.

Secondly, as prime minister, Li has no direct control over China’s 120-odd SOE conglomerates, which include Fortune 500 companies such as Sinopec, China Mobile, the State Grid, and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. For the past decade or so, these behemoths have grown big due to their easy access to cheap and abundant credit. Li has to demonstrate more control over the heads of these conglomerates, who are either former ministers or princelings (offspring of party elders). Even more significant is the fact that areas where these conglomerates enjoy monopolistic status, ranging from oil and gas to financial services, should be opened up to private as well as foreign enterprises.

Thirdly, Li has to render the central-government structure more into line with global practice. For example, the PBOC should become more of an independent central bank that is less susceptible to political influence. The National Development and Reform Commission – which is the State Council’s most powerful planning and execution agency – has to beat a retreat from areas which are best regulated by market forces.

Last but not least, Li has to crack the whip on regional administrations and their quasi-governmental investment vehicles. In the past decade, too many municipal and county governments have used government funds – as well as money raised through reckless borrowing – to speculate in the housing market. However, very few cadres have been penalized for dereliction of duty and outright corruption.

Li has in his first 100-odd days in office demonstrated that he has the toughness and perspicacity that people have associated with former prime minister Zhu Rongji. Whether Likonomics will succeed in kick-starting another era of reform, however, hinges on the Xi-Li administration’s determination to do away with practices that oil the wheels of the party’s most influential power blocs. ü

*Willy Lam is an Adjunct Professor in the History Department and in the Master’s of International Political Economy Program at the Chinese University of Hong Kong; he is also a Select Professor of China Studies at Akita International University, Japan. Dr Lam specializes in areas relating to China’s economic and political reform as well as foreign policy and is currently writing a book on the new Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

LIKONOMICSLi Keqiang’s economic reforms are being dubbed ‘Likenomics’, but the success of any economic reforms in China hinge on doing away with embedded old practices within the top echelons of the country’s bureaucracy, writes Willy Lam.

Page 16: Sep oct 2013 issue

CHINA’S FIVE MILLION DOLLAR ENTREPRENEURSAustralian states and territories are clambering to sponsor applicants of the new Significant Investor Visa, but proving the source of funding remains a chief hindrance, writes Sophie Loras.

n FEATURE: SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT VISA

In May, six months after the Australian government opened up the application process for the new Significant Investor Visa, the first successful applicant was given the green light to deposit his $5 million dollars into a complying investment in Australia.

The recipient was a Chinese toy manufacturer and his young family.

It is no coincidence that the first successful applicant of this much-hyped visa would be Chinese. Falling under the new Business Innovation and Investment subclass 188 and subclass 888, the SIV has been specifically designed with China’s high net worth entrepreneurs in mind – the number eight is a particularly fortuitous number in China and is associated with good luck and good fortune.

As of May 31, 2013, the department had received 504 expressions of interest for the SIV – and around 90 percent of those applicants have been from Mainland China.

Of the total 504 expressions of interest, 335 were invited to apply for an SIV and of those, 234 continued with the process to lodge an application.

In monetary terms, the possibility that 234 applicants might be invited to deposit their $5 million into Australia, would be a windfall for the Australian economy – an investment injection of close to $1.2 billion.

However to date, just four SIV applicants have made it through to the final hurdle, and many in the industry are asking why the process is taking so long.

The application process itself is relatively simple. The applicant first puts in an expression of interest on the Department of Immigration and Citizenship’s SkillSelect online platform and applies for Australian state or territory nomination. Once state or territory nomination has been granted, an automatic invitation is lodged, and the applicant has 60 days to lodge the application (with the option of requesting a further 60 days if needed). Once approved, the applicant is asked to make their $5 million investment into Australia and the application process reaches the final stage.

Currently, all Mainland Chinese applications are being processed out of the department’s Hong Kong centre. (Applicants from most other countries are processed in Adelaide).

Current processing times are around four to five months.

A spokesperson for the Department of Immigration and Citizenship says the department places a priority on delivering outcomes from the SIV program.

“Application processing times for the SIV are a function of assessing that the applicant’s funds were lawfully acquired, as well as other visa requirements such as health, character and national security checks,” the spokesperson said.

“As with anything newly introduced, processes do become more streamlined naturally. We expect they will naturally speed up into the future.”

The SIV has no innovation points test, upper age limit or specific English language requirement, but applicants must prove the source of funding for their $5 million investment has been legally obtained. For the Chinese market in particular, this is an additional time constraint on the SIV application process.

Ivan Chait, a Sydney-based registered migration agent and an Associate Fellow of the Migration Institute of Australia believes the ultimate success of an application does, to a great extent, depend on the quality of the application.

“In other words the application should provide a good understanding of the applicant’s background and how their wealth was accumulated. In addition, the statement of assets and liabilities must be supported with clear evidence of the applicant’s ownership of the assets and value,” says Mr Chait.

Mr Chait says the applicant or their advisors need to take care showing the source of funds such as how the applicant has accumulated their wealth.

“One problem which is likely to result in a refusal is that applicants may not be able to explain a rapid unexplained growth in assets.”

Tony Le Nevez, the Managing Director of Melbourne-based Hamilton Watts International Migration Services believes that despite some initial hiccups, the programme is working relatively successfully.

He says previous skilled business migration visas also had long wait times and he believes the department has taken this into consideration with the new SIV – with experienced staff who understand the process and how to deal with the specific challenges of the Chinese market, as well as facilitating a number of seminars in Hong Kong, China and Australia explaining the new skilled migration visas and its requirements.

Not surprisingly, the states and territories are competing fiercely to attract these five million dollar entrepreneurs, offering interesting investment terms and other perks to woo these would be investors. Victoria and New South Wales, which have the advantage of strong well-established existing links with China and large Chinese communities are faring the best – the Chinese toy manufacturer for example, is being sponsored by the state of Victoria.

Department figures for all SIV nominations (all countries) at March 31, 2013, show New South Wales in top position with 101 invitations, followed by Victoria at 81. Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia all trail behind with less than 50.

The terms and conditions for migrant investors of the SIV are for a minimum $5 million investment into compliant investments for a minimum of four years.

Compliant investments include Commonwealth, state or territory government bonds, certain managed funds or direct investment into Australian propriety companies.

New South Wales has one sponsorship requirement – that $1.5 million is invested into the state’s Waratah bonds.

“This is our only financial requirement,” says Deputy New South Wales Premier,

Andrew Stoner.“As long as SIV applicants demonstrate that

they have the required funds and will submit $1.5 million into Waratah bonds and the balance into complying investments, NSW will be pleased to nominate them.”

As of July 5, 231 expressions of interest had been put through SkillSelect nominating New South Wales as the preferred state. Of those, NSW has submitted 182 SIV nominations to the Commonwealth – the vast majority of them from China.

“The majority of our applicants – 93 percent – are from China,” says Mr Stoner.

“We continue to think that the SIV offers an excellent opportunity to develop our relationship with China,” he says.

Victoria has no specific investment guidelines when it comes to investing the $5 million – which can be invested into one or a mixture of complying investment options specified by the Commonwealth Government.

“Any additional investment, beyond the $5 million complying investment, that Significant Investors choose are expected to generate additional business activity, investment and jobs,” says Louise Asher, Victorian Minister for Employment and Trade.

Ms Asher says the Victorian Government offers assistance to all Significant Investors wishing to undertake additional business activity or investments in Victoria.

“Applications from Significant Investors are a welcome addition to the hundreds of applications Victoria receives every year from business migrants who have chosen to invest and reside here,” says Ms Asher.

Smaller states such as Tasmania, South

Australia and Western Australia are working hard to attract potential SIV applicants to their states.

Tasmania has experience sponsoring Chinese business migrants under previous and other business migration schemes, and plans to increase and strengthen its promotional effort in China.

“Tasmania is a strong supporter of the SIV scheme,” says Mark Kelleher, CEO of the Tasmanian Department of Economic Development, Tourism and the Arts.

“The number of Chinese applications sponsored by other states indicates that there is strong interest in the program from China, and Tasmania will be aiming to attract as many Chinese migrants as possible under the SIV,” he says.As part of the process, Tasmania has undertaken to provide personal case management to each applicant.

Mr Kelleher says Tasmania has taken a flexible approach to making the state an attractive SIV destination and does not require Tasmanian-sponsored SIV applicants to live in the state.

“While Tasmania itself is an attractive, clean and safe place to live and offers every modern convenience you could require, it is not compulsory to live in the state and SIV visa holders can choose to live in another part of Australia, as long as their investment brings significant benefits to Tasmania,” says Mr Kelleher.

Applicants can also choose any complying investment they wish. There is no restriction on types or percentages of investment.

“Of course, investment opportunities in Tasmania provide their own attraction to investors with the potential to invest in businesses that take advantage of the respected Tasmanian brand to produce highly marketable products,” says Mr Kelleher.

“We believe that the strength of investment opportunities across our food and agriculture, mining and tourism sectors in particular will be attractive to SIV applicants.”

To date the Western Australian Government has received 32 SIV applications seeking Western Australian sponsorship.

Bruno Delfante, Manager, Business Migration, Small Business Development Corporation, says Western Australia’s top selling points include its position as Australia’s leading region in economic growth, its low unemployment rate, its wide range of investment and business opportunities and its world class lifestyle, recreational, education and health facilities.

Western Australia is also flexible with how the money is invested.

“Provided the funds meet the complying investment criteria set by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, the investor has the choice of which ‘complying investment’ and how much they invest in each one,” says Mr Delfante.

28 AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS

FEATURE: SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT VISA n

AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS 29 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

Perth’s famous Cottesloe Beach in Western Australia.(Small Business Development Corporation Western Australia)

Tasmania is actively promoting its investment capabilities and quality of life to potential Chinese SIV applicants. Pictured: The Taste of

Tasmania festival. (Tasmanian Department of Economic Development, Tourism and the Arts)

Page 17: Sep oct 2013 issue

n FEATURE: SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT VISA

“The primary factor, considered by the state, in approving a nomination is the extent of the investment’s economic benefit to Western Australia,” he says.

Sean Keenihan, President of the South Australian branch of the Australia China Business Council and Chairman of Partners of Norman Waterhouse lawyers – a firm with a long history of representing high end business migrants and investors from China to South Australia, believes South Australia offers some of the most competitive investment terms for potential SIV entrepreneurs.

Mr Keenihan says South Australia offers three investment pathways: investing $1 million into the state’s SAFA bonds for four years and the rest in a complying investment; investing an average of $3 million over two years into a SA business (the rest to invest as applicant sees fit in any complying investment); or investing the whole amount into any “complying investment” in addition to active participation in the state.

South Australian-sponsored applicants may reside anywhere in Australia.

Mr Keenihan says Investors should look closely at the terms and conditions of their investment as well as returns. The SIV process requires the investment be held in Australia for four years – but some funds may have uneven term deposits that do not fit with a four-year cycle.

Applicants should also be aware of fluctuating return rates. A less risky option may be funds that offer a lower but more fixed rate.

The financial services industry has been fast off the mark to offer special packages.

Macquarie Bank for example is currently offering two SIV compliant funds: its MSI Cash Trust Fund and the Macquarie SIV Cash fund.

Both funds have been designed to offer foreign investors access to cash investments, while complying with all Significant Investor Visa guidelines and corresponding 1413 Form.

The MSI Cash Trust offers access to quality cash investments with returns linked to the Official Reserve Bank of Australia Cash Rate.

Scott Talbot, the Managing Director of UCHK, is the exclusive agent in China for a specialised fund set up by a big European bank. The fund is a compliant investment for the Australian SIV.

But Mr Talbot says some in the real estate sector have seen the SIV as an opportunity to “pitch a passport” to procure property sales with spruikers offering packages for developments while simultaneously pitching it as a $5 million SIV product.

His advice to SIV applicants is to have a very clear exit strategy on the investment.

“Scrutinize the business. Don’t buy a business unless you have an exit strategy and you have done careful due diligence on the (verified) value of the business and confirmed the revenue that is

being pitched to you,” says Mr Talbot.Some in the industry say there has been too

much emphasis by the states and territories on what SIV investors plan to do with their money and not enough on how those funds were obtained – creating problems further down the application process.

The general consensus is that the onus on proof of source of funding is a Commonwealth matter. So long as applicants can prove they have the funds, and adhere to state-by-state investment criteria, they are likely to receive their state nomination. It will be up to the Commonwealth to scrutinise how the applicant came into their wealth and reject or accept the application on that basis.

“What they do with the money – how they choose to invest it into Australia – should not be the starting point,” says Ivan Chait.

“It is understandably an important issue but my view is that applicants should first ensure that they will meet the requirements for a successful

application before focussing on how they will invest funds in Australia,” he says.

Mr Chait believes improvements on the application process would be looking at the profile with more attention on the individual and their career, rather than the money.

His biggest concern is that some prospective SIV applicants are already investing funds in Australia in various medium term investments before approval of their SIV application.

“There are some cowboys out there, but I feel as more reputable agents get involved, the quality of applications will also improve,” says Mr Chait. It is a sentiment echoed by others in the industry.

“There is nothing to stop the investor from putting the money in before they are given the go-ahead but there is a risk that the visa may fail on other grounds such as the health check, or source of funding,” says Tony Le Nevez.

“The recommendation is that you should not be investing the money until you have been advised by DIAC that your visa is ready to be granted. Wait until the last minute to commit.”

Mr Le Nevez feels investors in China do not clearly understand all the investment options available to them.His advice to prospective SIV investors:• Understand where you want to live in Australia and why.

• Understand your investment options – there are many out there.

• There are two key people in your application process you need to be comfortable with – the person handling your investment and the person handling your SIV application.

For an application to be successful, key industry figures have noted the importance of having a registered migration agent, good communication lines with the case officer, having a concrete plan for the funds transfer as well as understanding the limited time allowed for the funds transfer.

Applicants also need to prove their source of funds, which can require the provision of bank statements listing transactions for the last three years.

“In short, a lot of evidence is required every step of the way,” says the Migration Institute of Australia’s CEO, Maurene Horder.

Ms Horder says applicants should research the way their funds will be transferred and the applicant should be certain the transfer can be done within the required time frame.

“The application process can be seen to be quite strict,” says Ms Horder.

“An applicant must demonstrate where the money is coming from and provide evidence,” she says.

“My advice to anyone interested in this kind of visa would be to get a Registered Migration Agent.” ü

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Victoria remains a hot spot for sponsorship nomination from Chinese SIV applicants. Pictured: Victoria’s iconic Great Ocean Road and the Twelve Apostles (Mark Watson / Tourism Victoria)

NSW-sponsored SIV applicants must commit $1.5 million for investment into the state’s Waratah bonds. (Tourism Australia / Anson Smart)

Page 18: Sep oct 2013 issue

CHINA’S NEW FOREIGNER VISA LAWS n

AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS 33 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

potential clients, etc in order for them to obtain a business visa. In our experience companies have been fairly laissez faire about issuing invitation letters. However, the new law holds companies to account for issuing letters where the invitation letter’s content is untrue. E.g. A company issues an invitation letter to a customer to obtain a business visa citing “in order to negotiate a hire/purchase agreement” and it is discovered that the recipient of the business visa used the business visa and came to China for a completely different purpose. The company issuing the invitation letter may be fined, illegal income resulting from the issuing of the visa may

be confiscated and the company may be responsible for the foreigner’s exit expenses.

Exiting ChinaThe new law enunciates situations

where a foreigner can be denied exit from China. Significantly, the new law states if a foreigner defaults in labour remuneration to their employees they may be prevented from leaving China.

ConclusionWe view the underpinning motivation for

the new law as two-fold. First and foremost, to mitigate foreigners’ presence in China for purposes beyond or different to the scope

of the visa they are issued. E.g. it stands to reason that if a company in China employs foreigners then a valid work visa should be obtained. This is perfectly reasonable and a standard expected in Australia. We view that legislation will avoid situations where foreigners seek to do business in China using a litany of business/tourist visas. Issuing the correct visa for foreigners’ working in China also ensures their salaries and other monies go through into the Chinese domestic economy as opposed to being completely off-shore and that appropriate income taxes are paid individually and by the company in China. Second, potentially to attract more talented individuals in fields where there is short-fall of qualified people in China. As is always the case with legislation enacted by the Central Government, we must wait and see how provincial governments administer the new legislation. Additionally, further guidelines should be issued concerning how provisions will be implemented before we can know the new law’s practical reality. Though the practical affect remains to be seen, the laws have been enacted and feedback received from the Public Security Bureau in Shanghai which we interact with have stated that this is ‘good law’. ü *DisclaimerThis article provides generalist information on the new foreigner visa laws. The new legislation is complex. This article simply highlights what our firm regards as some of the more significant provisions within the legislation and should not be considered as legal advice. For more detailed advice on the new legislation, consultation should be obtained from a lawfully qualified firm.

**Tony Tang spent a considerable amount of his career with many government bureaus rising to head the Shanghai District Labour and Social Security Bureau. Tony currently holds amongst other posts, the position of arbitrator within the Shanghai Municipal Disputes Arbitration Committee and Vice Chairman of the Labour Committee of the Shanghai Bar Association. Tony holds an LLB from East China University of Politics and Law and is largely considered an authority on PRC HR and labour law. Tony is the founder of Tony Tang Law Firm, a PRC law firm based in Shanghai which specializes in HR and labour law. Services include HR document design, employee termination and labour disputes. To contact the author email John Crozier-Durham, Business Development Manager, Foreign Service Centre at Tony Tang Law Firm, [email protected] or call on +86(21) 6283 5892 or 6283 6533.

In October 2011, new social insurance laws for foreigners were enacted in China perturbing many Australian businesses. 2013 sees enactment of two new laws effecting foreigners’ employment in China. One law provides more stringent regulations for labour dispatch companies. This new law affects labour dispatch companies’ capacity to lawfully employ foreigners and dispatch foreigners to a labour dispatch company’s client. The second new law enacted this year relates to foreigners’ visa applications in China and the penalties for failing to observe these laws.

So, while 2012 was quiet on the foreigners’ HR and labour law landscape, 2013 is underpinned by two new laws seeking to further regulate employment of foreigners in China. Our firm’s recent presentation to a sold out audience on this topic for the Australian Chamber of Commerce, Shanghai in July, reflects the interest in how foreigners can now be employed in China.

It is undoubtedly important to be well versed on the new law’s probable effect on Australian businesses in China and it is positive to see businesses grappling with this area.

The New LawThe law’s formally titled The Exit-Entry

Administration Law of the People’s Republic of China came into force on July 1, 2013. This legislation replaces two previous laws – the Foreign Entry-Exit Law of China and the Citizen Exit-Entry Administration Law of China. The former law concerns foreigners’ entry and exit in China and the latter regulates Chinese Nationals’ entry and exit in China. Now, these two laws are repealed and placed into one, more efficient document while adding some completely new laws not found in the old statutes. The need for new legislation is probably justified because the two previous laws were both enacted in the late 1980s. Nowadays, there are more than 15 times the amount of foreigners entering and exiting China when compared with the 1980s. This necessitates further regulation provided for by the new legislation. We will seek to give guidance on some of the more significant, interesting and new aspects of the legislation.

China “Green Card” SystemThere are provisions in the new laws for

what our firm has dubbed the China “Green Card” System. A foreigner who has made an outstanding contribution to China’s economy may be granted Permanent Residency. The Central Government needs to provide more information on how this provision will be implemented. If the Central Government drafts further guidelines, Australians who are Old Hands and may have been in the country for a long time, for example, may be able to obtain benefit from such system. This may be of particular significance for Australians nearing retirement age (normally 50 years for females, 60 years for males) and wish to continue working in China. To be able to obtain PR through this system would be of significant benefit to such people. We must wait and see what the material effect of this provision actually is.

Highly Qualified ForeignersForeigners who are “highly qualified”

and in “short supply” will be able to apply for a unique visa (Type R). Here, the legislative intent is to attract expert foreigners to come and work in China in fields with shortfall in expertise in China. However, the legislation provides no definition for the term “highly qualified foreigner”. Again, the Central Government will need to provide further guidelines to see the practical effect of this provision.

Visa Classification AdjustmentThe new law expands the visa types

from 8 to 12. The table opposite details the previous visa classification system and the system under the new law.

Those responsible for processing foreign visas in an Australian business in China should take heed in applying for the correct visa to avoid unnecessary delays.

Foreign Student Working Arrangements

Foreign Students studying in China may benefit from the new legislation. To mitigate foreigners working on incorrect visas in China the new legislation indicates that there may be scope for foreign students to work lawfully under a visa whilst studying in China. Presently, the Central Government is drafting guidelines concerning how these provisions will be implemented.

Penalties and Prevention Unlawful Employment

There new law’s provisions for unlawful employment in China are quite clear. Employment in China without a valid work visa is unlawful. Working for a company whilst your work visa attributes you working for another company is illegal. Such breaches can fetch a fine, detention or both. Whoever illegally employs foreigners can be fined and any illegal income flowing from the illegal employment may be confiscated.

Invitation LettersCompanies issue invitation letters in

applying for a work visa for a foreign employee and to issue such letters for customers,

32 AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

CHANGES TO VISA LAWS FOR FOREIGNERSWhen the Central Government enacts new laws concerning foreigners, people in foreign communities in China look up and listen. And current changes to the visas available to foreigners living in China are no exception, writes Tony Tang.

n CHINA’S NEW FOREIGNER VISA LAWS

D Visa PR D Visa No changes

Z Visa Work Visa Z Visa Recently amended back to have no changes

X Visa Student Visa for study at university/training schools for period of 6 months or more

X1 Visa

X2 Visa

For long-term study

For short term study

F Visa Business Visa F Visa Non-Business Visa, for purposes of non-business exchanges and visits

L Visa Tourist Visa L Visa Generally remains the same

G Visa Transit Visa G Visa No significant changes

C Visa Crew Visa, for crew members on board an international train/aircraft

C Visa Crew members on board a foreign aircraft, train, bus or ship

J Visa Journalist Visa J1 Visa Resident journalists

J2 Visa Foreign journalists for short term stay/covering special events

M Visa New Business Visa, for business and trade activities

Q1 Visa Family members of Chinese citizens/permanent residents, including children left in China to be taken care of by Chinese relatives

Q2 Visa Foreigners who come to China to visit Chinese citizens or foreigners for short term

R Visa Highly qualified foreigners in short supply

S1 Visa Foreigners coming to China for private activities including marriage, inheritance, adoption or for medical services for a long term

S2 Visa Foreigners coming to China for private activities including marriage, inheritance, adoption or for medical services

Previous Visa Classifications New Visa Classifications

China’s new foreigner visa laws now make applying for a work visa or residence permit much more stringent.

Page 19: Sep oct 2013 issue

n ONLINE SHOPPING IN CHINA

With 580 million “netizens” online in China, there’s much to be excited about, especially when all your business needs is a good website. But is it that simple? Can eCommerce site owners simply point their site to China and start selling?

China’s online consumers are different to our own at home in Australia. They have different tastes and different expectations when they are evaluating a website for the first time. If you want to appeal to the Chinese online market you will need to tweak your site to make it more aesthetically appealing and user friendly.

So what do you need to make your website work for China?

First things first is to ensure your site is viewable from within China. There are a number of hosting companies that are blocked from viewing in China and you should check to make sure that yours is not one of them. This can be done by checking at http://www.blockedinchina.net. If the result of that search is ‘OK’, then you are off to a good start. If it’s says ‘no’, you will need to consider a new host.

Next you will need to provide substitutions for your YouTube, Facebook and Twitter feeds. These platforms are all banned in China and viewers there cannot see anything more than black boxes when they open a website with this content loaded onto the web page. It is best to use icons in their place, adding some Chinese equivalents such as Youku, Renren and Weibo. This will ensure the layout and aesthetics of the page is not affected when viewed from China.

While on the topic of social media, it is critical to understand its importance and even more so for Chinese online shoppers. A recent McKinsey research of 5,700 Chinese netizens found that Chinese shoppers felt that websites with a social media presence (Chinese one that is) were more trustworthy than those that didn’t. They were also more likely to make a purchase because of a recommendation they

saw on social media about a product/service. Because of the banning of popular western social media platforms in China, you are therefore going to need to enrol in the Chinese equivalents. This is where it gets slightly more complicated, because it should come as no surprise that they are all in Chinese characters.

The reality of China’s 1.3 billion citizens with just under half of them all on the Internet, is that only around 2 percent speak and read English. It makes sense then that the majority of web related searches in China are in Chinese.

This is why having a Chinese version of your website is critical to your success if you want web traffic from China – it means people can and will read you and it gives you much broader reach.

This means too that you will need to have a Chinese Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategy, because not only do people search in Chinese, so do the search engines.

Will a Google powered translation work?

Translating your English to Chinse marketing message is something you should invest in if you do nothing else.

Powering your site with Google Translate will not give you the desired effect you are looking for.

Employing a friend or relative to translate your site is also not necessarily the best option either. No one can put as much effort into your marketing message as you and so you

should invest in a professional organisation that has the same dedication to the desired outcome that you do. The former Prime Minister Julia Gillard recently found this out the hard way when she received the bad news that her ‘Asian Century White Paper‘ had numerous translation errors in the Chinese

version. This was one paper that really needed to be translated well.

You may have also heard the theory that Chinse websites tend to be content heavy, have lots of links and are quite busy. This would tend to be the case for many of the sites and the reason they look like this is in part due to the fact that to an English reader, they don’t know what they are looking at. Chinese characters appear complicated to the untrained eye simply because there are no spaces between characters, no capitals letters at the beginning of a sentence and most Chinese characters contain between 1- 20 brush strokes, in some cases a lot more.

In saying this though, there are many Chinese sites that do appear overwhelming, especially eCommerce sites. To rationalise this you need to appreciate the size and complexity of the market there. Web shopping giants such as Tmall.com for example have over 50,000 shop fronts, representing more than 70,000 brands. This means there’s a lot of marketing to be done, and to be heard you really need to be very loud, in web talk this translates as flashy and attention drawing banners, thus resulting in sites that look very busy and intense.

Being busy and having many links I do not believe is the rule of thumb for China, however being content rich can certainly add to your desirability. Keep in mind that for

many shoppers in China, this may be the first time they have heard about you or your service concept, so education by providing high quality content will certainly add value and help aid the purchase making process.

My final piece of advice would be to deliver call to action that can be acted upon from China. That means a payment portal that accepts Renminbi (Chinese currency), a logistics solution that is quick and inexpensive and a payment process that is easy for a Chinese reader to follow. Have a customer service option that address their inquiries and is responsive and provides reassurances in the form or warranties or guarantees that your customer will be satisfied or looked after in the case there is a problem. ü

There is no simple three step strategy to making your site suitable for China. However there are 580,000 million good reasons (and growing) why you should consider developing a planned and well executed strategy!

*Lisa Goodhand is the Managing Director of China Blueprint Online. Lisa has been leading Australian companies into the China market for more than eight years, helping them to develop their export market strategies. Lisa formed China Blueprint Online to find new and more effective ways for small business to enter the China market.

PIC 1: The busier, the better when it comes to building your Chinese website. The home page for McDonalds China builds on flashing icons, interactive videos and a rotating slide show amongst other techniques to engage with its Chinese customers.PIC 2: China’s Tmall homepage: showcasing 70,000 brands.PIC 3: The homepage of China’s popular online supermarket retailer, Yihaodian.

34 AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS

ONLINE SHOPPING IN CHINA n

LURING THE CHINESE ONLINE SHOPPERLisa Goodhand looks at the importance of having a Chinese website for your business.

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

China has 580 million good reasons why Australian busi-nesses should have a Chinese website.

Page 20: Sep oct 2013 issue

AUSTRALIA-CHINA 40 YEARS n n AUSTRALIA-CHINA 40 YEARS

36 AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

KATE RITCHIEAlmost 25 years ago just before I decided

to move to China, the country was hardly ever a topic of interest – more curiosity. The Tian’anmen ‘incident’ made headlines for a while and those around counselled me not to go.

However, when I arrived in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province, I soon adapted to its idyllic life – a bike repairman on every corner, blue sky – life was good. Bicycle was the main mode of transport. Moving house, shopping, and excursions – all performed on the flying pigeon. All these years later, still in the saddle in Melbourne – things seem the wrong way around. China has become a giant car park and who’d be seen dead on a pushie!

My work at Yunnan’s Institute for the Nationalities (Yunnan Minzu Xueyuan) as a foreign teacher was colourful and captivating – Yunnan is home to 25 of China’s 55 ethnic minorities and many of my students were from tribes with exotic names like Wa, Dong and Bai. Of course students were keen to learn but most were reticent to speak – “listening and speaking” classes don’t work properly without both elements – and eventually we got there. Students were self-sufficient and pragmatic – I’ll never forget climbing a nearby mountain with my class replete with thermoses of hot water and big pots of rice noodles for lunch. A favourite method of study was reciting texts – you’d see students wandering around, books in hand learning by rote.

These days, Kunming as the largest city in Yunnan province in southwest China attracts thousands of foreign students and a bevy of foreign experts keen to learn and engage with China, and western influence is invasive. Back then, there was little incursion of western culture – no Internet, limited phone connections, sporadic news, no computers – it demanded creativity! I missed the entire first Gulf War. You could get on an occasional plane for a trip, but with no ‘return’ ticket, could you get back, or would you get a seat? CAAC certainly earned their ‘China Airlines Always Cancels’ tag and made it challenging. A trip to far-flung Dali or Lijiang (400 -500 kms) to visit students in the holidays was an all dayer (or overnight) – now it takes five to six hours and there are numerous flights.

When you got there it was tranquil, hippyish. Today… chairlifts and high-rises. And then there is Shangri La, or is there? Occasionally there was a special banquet arranged when all the foreign teachers (about 40 in the province at the time) and a handful of foreign students came to appreciate the formalities of China – its etiquette and speeches and gan beis!

CHARLES QINWhen I started work in Kunming almost 25

years ago, all university graduates were assigned to a job. We lived in the work unit, ate in the canteen, applied to the Family Planning Office for birth control (those who were married), rode our bikes and enjoyed a slow paced life. I earnt RMB 57/month.

China was just starting to open up and education was a key focus as the country tried to modernise – foreign teachers were being employed in greater numbers and capacity building training – learning from overseas necessitated exchanges. My skills as an interpreter were vital. I was assigned to the Education Department in Foreign Affairs as an Interpreter. As a harbinger of what lay ahead, I interpreted for UN meetings, governors, visiting experts and even travelled with ministers to the UK. Foreign teachers were also one of my responsibilities and they were a weird mob!

Australia though? Well kangaroos and funny accents – it was not really on my radar. So what a shock to end up in Australia in a hot summer and all anyone seemed interested in was cricket – a foreign language to me then (and still is!) The shops shut at lunchtime on a Saturday, good Chinese tucker was rare and where were all the people?

Culture shock still hits visitors from China but the gap is lessening and these days Mandarin is heard everywhere; the city is lively and you can get great regional Chinese cuisine. Bike commuters are growing in numbers too. But I think I am the only interpreter in town who has commuted around town all these years from court to boardroom on a treadlie.

Still, back in the early ‘90s in the Australian context, China was considered quaint.When we decided to establish Chin Communications, our China-focussed business in 1992, the same people said “Why China? Who’s interested in China?” But there was certainly a dearth of language expertise – translations were handwritten back then and there was still no Internet – demand grew. You’d go to the library to research the lingo around fine wool or non-ferrous metals.

Interpreting – well people thought it was exotic and it took a while for them to realise the importance of having an interpreter on their side and not to use their secretary or a student.

China’s experience in this respect was and still is way ahead of Australia. China has always trained interpreters and all international events and visits cannot proceed without them (of course not just English). Interpreters are highly respected in China, unlike Australia, where it seems we are often an afterthought or inconvenience.

By the time Deng Xiaoping had his walk down south we were already the Chinese language gurus – and business has been on an upward trajectory since with the range of topics expanding from automotive to zoology.

Some things haven’t changed though. We still get calls from people heading off to China, who, at the last minute, wonder if they might need a Chinese business card or an interpreter, or even an occasional surprised caller who claims: “Did you know they don’t speak English in China.” ü

KUNMING IN THE 1980SKate Ritchie and Charles Qin met in Kunming in 1989 when Kate was a teacher at Yunnan’s Institute for the Nationalities and Charles’ job with the education department involved looking after foreign teachers. They met during an excursion to Xishuangbanna in Yunnan province during the Poshuijie (water splashing festival). Today, Charles and Kate head up their successful China consultancy Chin Communications, in Melbourne.

*Kate Ritchie has served on the boards of the Australia China Business Council (Australia’s peak body for business with China) and the Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators and was instrumental in developing the AUSIT Excellence Awards for Translators and Interpreters which will soon celebrate 10 years with a focus on achievements by interpreters and translators.

**Professor Charles Qin is a Translator and Interpreter. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Yunnan University with a major in English, a postgraduate diploma of Interpreting and Translating from Deakin University in Melbourne and is a visiting professor for Sichuan University, Tianjin Foreign Studies University and Kunming University of Technology. Charles also mentors the Masters Program for Translators and Interpreters at RMIT University in Melbourne. He is a Senior Practitioner of the Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators and Vice President of the Chinese Interpreters and Translators Association of Australia. Charles was the first Australian Chinese interpreter to be accepted into the prestigious International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC) – the highest qualification for interpreters.Charles Qin – possibly Melbourne’s only Chinese interpreter

commuting between courtroom and boardroom on a pushbike.

Pictured top and middle: Kate Ritchie with students at the Yunnan Minzu Xueyuan institute.Pictured bottom: Kate Ritchie and Charles Qin in the Melbourne office of Chin Communications.

Page 21: Sep oct 2013 issue

2013年度“西太平洋银行”澳大利亚“在华大型企业卓越成就奖”

AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS 39

酒店开业前管理、酒店顾问服务以及建筑和功能设计服务。

它的六个不同的品牌——雅阁大酒店,雅阁度假村,雅阁酒店,澳斯特酒店,雅阁精品酒店及Metro Hotel——涵盖每一个细分的市场,从三星级到五星级不等。

雅阁酒店集团首席执行官张黎明先生说道:“澳大利亚商人作为一个群体,有着雄心壮志,并对想要做取得的成就十分明确。我们每个人在商业、酒店管理和教育领域都已经积累了丰富的经验,这是经营酒店管理公司的必要前提和基础。”

绿色资源资本经营可持续发展卓越奖获奖企业:可立净

基于中国的中产阶级对环境可持续性之重要性的意识日益增强,以及强烈的企业社会责任价值观,可立净的创始人Jeni Saeyang 在中国已经迅速地开展并发展了在个人护理和清洁用品行业方面的业务。

Jeni Saeyang 在澳大利亚长大,她说自己始终感觉水是多么的珍贵。然而在2010年回到上海的时候,她每天都会接触到关于中国的污染问题的负面报道,她在澳大利亚形成的环境价值观顿时在中国得到了用武之地。

Saeyang女士说道:“我住在邦迪

海滩多年,那里盛产神奇的绿色产品,这对我来说是多么的幸运。我意识到即使中国人口的一小部分能够使用绿色清洁产品,这样也会对环境产生重大的影响。我想成为在中国创建和支持绿色产业的一员。”

Saeyang女士作为以上海为基地的生态产品零售商——可立净的创始人及总经理,在短短的三年中,采用经过认证的、来自世界各地的有机植物提取物,来生产生态清洁和个人护理产品。

中澳双边关系最大贡献奖—长江基建奖获奖企业:福蒂斯丘金属集团

福蒂斯丘金属集团通过在中国的多元化投资,已巩固了其在中国长远发展的未来,这远远超出了销售铁矿石这一单一业务。

福蒂斯丘在短短的10年间已成为世界第四大铁矿石生产商,并已接近完成90亿美元的扩建,在皮尔巴拉地区的开采达到每年一亿五千五百万吨。

自从2008年以来,福蒂斯丘已经向中国运输了超过2亿吨的铁矿石。福蒂斯丘与主要客户签订了长期合同,未来会继续向中国供应铁矿石。仅仅在2012年财政年度,福蒂斯丘的中国和亚洲地区的60多家客户为该公司创造了五千七百五十万吨的记录并且创纪录营收67亿美元。该公司2012年的财政年度利润为16亿美元,比2011年上升了53%。

“西太平洋银行”大型企业卓越奖获奖企业:博思格建筑系统(亚洲)

博思格建筑系统(亚洲)通过重组其在中国的业务,选择上海作为亚洲总部,作为建筑行业的一个全球性企业来强化自身。

作为金属建筑行业的先驱,博思格建筑在1992年第一次进入中国市场。在过去的18个月里企业经历了重大的重组,其全球建筑企业被整合成一个企业——博思格建筑系统(亚洲),总部设在上海,致力于企业在中国的业务并增强其全球扩张的能力。

博思格建筑(亚洲)在亚洲有六个生产基地,中国的基地是亚洲最大型且最成熟的,其建筑业务在亚洲呈现强劲的增长态势,持续增长的潜力很大。

在中国,博思格建筑(亚洲)的四家最先进的生产基地分别设在上海、天津、广州以及即将交付使用的西安基地。博思格建筑(亚洲)在中国已经完成了3300多个项目——总建筑面积超过四千五百万平方米。

* 2014年度澳大利亚“在华大型企业卓越成就奖”颁奖典礼将在上海举行。

欲了解更多信息,请访问:www.austchamshanghai.com

可立净创始人兼CEO Jeni Saeyang

福蒂斯丘销售与市场总监David Liu(最左)与其公司同事共同接受颁奖

博思格建筑亚太区总裁Stewart Dellar

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

今年六月在北京举办的2013年度“西太平洋银行”澳大利亚“在华大型企业卓越成就奖”晚会宣布了获奖企业——包括酒店管理企业,领先的钢铁和工程公司,资源企业,精品生态个人护理产品零售商,专业生产重型设备的生产商以及为中国银行业提供客户忠诚度计划的企业。

澳大利亚“在华大型企业卓越成就奖”在大中华地区有着悠久的历史。该奖项于1993年在香港设立,是中国与澳大利亚历年颁奖大典。20年来该颁奖典礼每年在香港、上海和北京之间轮流举行,展示了澳大利亚企业在大中华地区所取得的非凡成就。

今年的颁奖大典由北京澳洲商会主办,港澳澳洲商会及上海澳洲商会协办。西太平洋银行连续第三年冠名赞助。

西太平洋银行集团首席执行官Gail

Kelly女士发表了主题演讲,重点强调了澳洲企业在中国展现出的活力及其在中澳双边关系中发挥的作用。

北京澳洲商会即将卸任的主席大卫•奥尔森说,澳大利亚“在华大型企业卓越成就奖”已走过了漫长的20年,这20年中澳大利亚在华企业致力于建立充满活力的、强大的中澳商业关系。

“西太平洋银行”澳大利亚“在华大型企业卓越成就奖”获奖企业名单如下:

澳大利亚贸易委员会中小企业卓越奖

获奖企业:米切尔机械工程(河北)有限公司

聘用合适的人选和遵循强大的道德之工作战略一直是米切尔在中国获得成功的核心原因,自2006年以来业务销售翻了两番以上,达到1300万美元。

Mic Mittasch先生已在中国工作很长时间,他确信在中国以正确的方式做事才能获得长期的收益。

2006年从加拿大的所有者手中收购重型装备制造企业米切尔,Mittasch先生已经扩大了企业规模,员工从75人增加到100人以上,从向6个国家出口增加到30多个国家。在这段时间里,米切尔在2006年的销售收入为320万美元,而今天翻了两番已经达到1300万美元。

设备的生产经营范围也发生了变化并得到了扩展,大多是较大型的设备。米切尔的主要客户包括嘉吉,火星宠物护理,邦吉,来宝集团,怡海集团和中国储备粮管理总公司。

澳洲商会大中华区业务启动企业卓越奖获奖企业:宏点中国

成功协助宏点国际在中国的第一家银行打入中国市场是宏点中国的最大挑战,但自那时以来,宏点的业务持续成倍增长。

宏点是一间领先的亚太营销和忠诚管理公司,形成了以澳大利亚为基础的客户群,包括西太平洋银行,澳新银行,花旗银行,麦格理银行,大来卡,梅亚,万事达卡和加德士公司。尽管在澳大利亚取得了成功,但进军中国市场依然存在挑战。

宏点在2001年通过台湾市场首次进军亚洲,其后与台新银行,永丰商业银行,花旗(台湾)银行,新光银行和联合银行进行合作。该公司在2004年开始开拓中国市场,其在中国的第一家外商独资公司在2007年初获得批准。

正是在这个时候,宏点首席执行官Bob Gilman先生决定进军中国,充分发掘中国大陆的商机。

今天,宏点正与另一家中国主要银行进行最终讨论,于今年年底将推出忠诚卡计划。如果交易成功,宏点将提升其现有的会员基数,从4300万会员增加到6500万以上。

“西太平洋银行”特别表彰奖获奖企业:雅阁酒店集团

尽管中国酒店业市场对新兴酒店充满挑战,但雅阁酒店集团在不到十年,在中国各地建立了40多家酒店,并仍在继续扩大。

雅阁酒店集团是澳大利亚独特的品牌,在中国各地经营。自从2005年打入在中国市场以来,该集团已得到迅速的发展,包括40家酒店,所管理的资产价值超过人民币180亿元(约合28亿美元)。

该集团提供度假村管理、酒店管理、

2013年度“西太平洋银行”澳大利亚“在华大型企业卓越成就奖”

38 AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS

2013年度澳大利亚“在华大型企业卓越成就奖”

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

米切尔机械CEO Mic Mittasch与员工

2013年度“西太平洋银行”澳大利亚“在华大型企业卓越成就奖”在北京揭晓。今年脱颖而出的获奖企业之共性是:在中国具有挑战性的环境中充满热情的经营者。罗心梦报道

宏点国际首席执行官 Bob Gilman

雅阁酒店集团CEO张黎明先生从西太平洋银行CEO Gail Kelly手中接过颁奖

Page 22: Sep oct 2013 issue

地理位置

塔斯马尼亚,位于赤道以南40度,澳大利亚大陆南方的岛州。塔斯马尼亚土地面积与斯里兰卡和爱尔兰相仿,居民人数超过50万。人们再次安居乐业,一边呼吸着全球最清新的空气,一边享受着现代化城市生活的便利:高速宽带网络,一流的教育和商机。无论您追求的是优越的生活方式、求职,或是寻觅投资新兴/现有的企业,就敬请光临塔斯马尼亚。

您可以搭乘飞机或轮船抵达塔斯马尼亚。塔州两座主要机场,分别位于霍巴特和朗塞斯顿,四家航空公司拥有多条从墨尔本、悉尼、黄金海岸以及布里斯班直达塔州的航班。墨尔本到塔州的航程为60分钟,悉尼到塔州约为90分钟。每天,不少乘客(以及他们的汽车)还会搭乘渡轮往来于墨尔本和塔州德文港之间。

气候

塔斯马尼亚州拥有温带海洋性气候,四季分明。这里既没有澳洲其它地区所遭遇的酷暑,也没北半球相似纬度国家所承受的严冬。

物产

塔斯马尼亚是一座美食之岛,声名远扬。未受污染的海域、肥沃的土壤和充足的清洁水,让塔州成为世界上优质食品的产地之一。

塔斯马尼亚拥有丰富的水资源、负担得起的土地、病虫害发生率相对较低、强大的研发能力,这一切都令农业为塔州经济做出极大的贡献。

我们的葡萄酒种类多样,啤酒的品质

世界一流,配以新鲜美味的海鲜、肉类、水果和蔬菜,由此吸引了世界各地的名厨聚集塔州。塔斯马尼亚层出不穷的美食体验,招徕源源不断的饕餮客。

我们与北半球相反性的季节为粮食生产提供了重要的战略优势,令当地作物生产者为北半球市场提供“反季”的新鲜农产品。

案例:樱桃出口

塔斯马尼亚最近开始将樱桃运往中国。塔州拥有无病害的种植环境,以及生产安全高质农产品的声誉。这令我们的种植者能够满足中国严格的检疫要求。

在樱桃出口的头一年,10家樱桃种植者向中国提供了约100吨樱桃。根据过往塔州向日本出口樱桃的经验,消费者需求将会迅速增长。

国际教育

塔斯马尼亚有16座获得认证的国际教育机构,塔斯马尼亚大学就是其中之一。这所世界一流的大学长年在学习、教学和研究方面声名远扬。塔斯马尼亚大学世界闻名的学科或研究项目包括:生物科学、健康科学、海洋与环境科学、工程、农业与食品安全、商科、社会科学以及法律。

塔斯马尼亚通过塔州职业教育学院提供职业教育,以及等同澳洲其它地区的高质量中学教育。小班授课的方式令学生们直接融入主流的英语教学,给予他们运用以及提高英语语言能力的最佳机会。

塔州国际教育最重要的市场是中国。虽

然自从2009年以来,澳大利亚其它州与地区的留学生人数明显下降,塔州的留学生

人数却在不断增加。截至2012年6月30日,超过2500名留学生在塔州学习,比上一年增长了2.4%。

中国游客

塔斯马尼亚的高端旅游项目正不断增加,迷人MONA艺术博物馆,菲辛那半岛的瑟发尔度假村以及其他景点都令全球的游客趋之若鹜。最新公布的塔斯马尼亚旅游业数据显示,国际游客人数又创下历史新高。单单来自中国的游客就比2012年3月增加了54%。游客们享受着塔州洁净的环境、与大自然亲密接触的方便,以及诸如塔斯马尼亚美食节、10日环岛游和MONA FOMA艺术音乐节等文化活动。

投资机会

塔斯马尼亚可为您提供一系列有价值的投资机会。主要扩大中的产业包括:乳制品生产与加工、灌溉种植、水产养殖业、旅游业和矿产业。塔斯马尼亚有着丰富的自然资源,清洁以及可再生的能源。

预备投资 塔斯曼尼亚 — 案例1:葡萄酒业

塔州人对大规模灌溉基础设施的进行投资,以及政府资助了一项研究,以确定新葡萄园的最佳地点——塔斯马尼亚的葡萄酒业必定扩大。在2012年,欧洲的领先贸易出版物,《饮料企业》评定塔斯马尼亚为世界前10佳葡萄酒投资区域中的第二名。

塔斯马尼亚州州长Lara Giddings最近宣布了几项发展塔州葡萄酒业的措施,包括对扩大生产规模以及创造就业机会的政府拨款。

塔斯马尼亚专题

40 AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS

塔斯马尼亚 投资 生活 好地方

塔斯马尼亚美食节 极品葡萄酒与新鲜美食 塔州樱桃 摄影师:Simon de Salis

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

塔斯马尼亚专题

预备投资 塔斯曼尼亚 — 案例2:矿产业

塔斯马尼亚是世界矿产资源最丰富以及最多元化的地区之一,矿产业是塔州经济的重要组成部分。塔州拥有丰富和高品位的矿藏,毗邻交通要道,政府对矿产勘探和挖掘在立法方面给予大力支持。塔州目前开采的主要矿种包括铜、金、铅、磁铁矿、银、锡、锌以及和超高纯度的石英粉。

塔州矿业投资机会包括矿产勘探、开采及下游加工。近年我州在矿产勘探开支方面的显著上涨,表明了行业对塔州的潜力保持信心。

现有的主要矿物加工业务包括大型的铝和锌冶炼厂,锰铁合金冶炼厂和铁矿球团厂。

商业移民塔斯马尼亚

重大投资者签证(SIV)及其他188 –132类签证为阁下提供灵活赞助计划

塔斯马尼亚政府为执行商业创新及投资移民项目(BIIP),积极为商业移民提供赞助。塔州为某些BIIP签证申请人制定灵

活的赞助要求,例如SIV申请人需在塔州任何行业进行投资。政府乐于为所有未来投资塔州的签证申请人答疑解难。虽然SIV签证持有人最好在塔州居住,但这不是获得政府赞助的必备条件。

根据188类企业创新签证要求,您在申请政府赞助是无需提供冗长的商业计划书。如此的灵活度,令许多人倾心塔州,并能在获得签证后更加自由地选择自己的生意。

符合条件的申请人还可获得132类签证的赞助,并立即获得澳洲永久居留权。显著商业经营历史类签证适合成功的企业主(年度营业额至少为300万澳元,并至少有150万澳元可转让资产)。这类企业

主必须明确自己将在塔州开展何种业务,以及该业务将如何为塔州带来实实在在的利益。188类签证和132类签证的申请人需要对塔斯马尼亚进行实地考察,亲自衡量未来的业务机会,亲身体会这里的生活方式。

更多信息欲知更多塔州政府赞助类签证的信息,请访问

www.migration.tas.gov.au。

欲知更多投资机会、行业信息和投资者指南

请访问www.investtasmania.com.au。

如需咨询,请发电子邮件至

[email protected]

或致电+61 3 6233 5580

霍巴特海港 摄影师:Sam Rosewarne

Page 23: Sep oct 2013 issue

42 AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS

专题文章——重大投资者签证

今年五月,继澳大利亚政府开放新的

重大投资者签证申请六个月以来,首位成

功的申请人被批准将其 500 万澳元存入澳

洲的投资项目。

澳大利亚第一个 500 万澳元重大投资

者签证获得者,是一位中国的玩具制造商

及其家庭成员。

这一广受关注的签证被中国人首获,

并不是巧合。澳洲政府在制定重大投资者

签证(Significant Investor Visa,以

下简称 SIV)连同商业创新与投资类签证

(188 类与 888 类)的时候,特别考虑到

中国的高净值企业家。“8”在中国被视

为幸运数字,代表着好运和吉祥。

截至 2013 年 5 月 31 日,澳大利亚移

民局已收到 504 份申请 SIV 的意向书——

约 90% 的申请人来自中国大陆。

在 504 份意向书当中,335 名递交者

被澳大利亚政府邀请申请 SIV;而这其中

的 234 名申请人得以进一步开展申请手

续。

在资金方面,假设这 234 名申请人都

被邀请将 500 万澳元存进澳大利亚,澳洲

的经济将得到12亿澳元的强势投资注入。

然而直到今天,也只有四位 SIV 申请

人挤进了审核的最后阶段,许多业内人士

纷纷在问 SIV 审核为何耗时如此之长。

SIV 审核程序本身是相对简单的。申

请人首先在澳大利亚移民局的技术筛选系

统(SkillSelect)网上平台提交意向,

并申请澳大利亚州或地区政府提名。申请

人一旦获得州或地区政府提名,系统会自

动递交邀请,接下来,申请人需在 60 天

之内递交申请(按照个人需要,申请人可

提出将期限再延长 60 天)。一旦申请获

得批准,申请人便要在澳洲投资 500 万澳

元,既而 SIV 审核程序进入最后阶段。

目前,所有中国大陆的 SIV 申请由澳

大利亚香港商业移民审理中心负责,大多

数其他国家的申请由阿德莱德商业移民审

理中心负责。

目前的审理时间约为四到五个月。

澳大利亚移民部的一位发言人表示,

该部门已将 SIV 的审核视为工作优先。

该发言人说:“我们在审核 SIV 申请

的时候,要评估申请人的资金是否为合法

获得的,以及评估其他签证要求,如健康

状况、性格和进行国家安全检查。跟任何

新推出的签证审核程序一样,我们的审核

工作会自然而然地变得更加精简。我们预

计未来的审核时间自然会加快。”

SIV 没有创新打分测试、年龄上限或

特定的英语语言要求。但是,申请人必须

证明 500 万澳元投资金额的来源是合法

的。对于中国市场来说,这就对 SIV 申请

过程造成了额外的时间约束。

澳大利亚移民协会副研究员、悉尼注

册移民代理,伊凡 • 蔡特(Ivan Chait)

认为,最终获得成功的 SIV 申请,在很大

程度上取决于申请材料的质量。

蔡特先生说:“换句话说,申请材料

应该极好地反映申请人的背景,以及他们

是如何积累财富的。此外,资产与负债声

明还必须为申请人所拥有的资产提供明确

的证明。”

蔡特先生还表示,申请人或他们的顾

问需要谨慎地列出资产来源以及财富的积

累之道。

“申请被拒的理由之一,便是申请人

可能无法对来源不明的、快速增长的资产

作出解释。”

墨尔本汉密尔顿 • 沃茨(Hamilton

Watts)国际移民服务公司董事总经理

Tony Le Nevez 认为,尽管存在暂时的困

难,SIV 项目还是比较成功的。

Le Nevez 先生说,过去的技术移民签

证也存在漫长的等待时间,他认为澳洲

移民局在推出 SIV 时已经考虑到了这一

点——由此配备了经验丰富、熟知程序的

工作人员,他们懂得如何面对中国市场的

各种具体挑战,并在香港、中国大陆以及

澳大利亚开展研讨会,详细解释新技术移

民签证及其要求。

中国企业家

投资五百万澳元移民澳大利亚澳大利亚各州与地区争相为新推出的重大投资者签证申请人提供赞助,然而现实表明,资金来源仍是一项主要障碍。《连接中澳》主编罗心梦报道。

维多利亚州菲利普岛摄影师:Rob Blackburn

供图:维州旅游局

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

投资与移民

AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS 43

康坦戈 资产管理有限公司

我们所提供188c签证要求的投资包括:

1. 澳大利亚股票 2. 公司和政府债券 3. 上市房地产 4. 基础建设等

康坦戈资产管理有限公司

备受推崇的投资经理

提供普通话和粤语

独一无二的客户服务

1998年至今成功的基金管理公司

寻求188c签证移民中介的合作

您可能知道,澳大利亚在世界最适宜居住的20个城市中占有4个,而墨尔本名副其实名列第一。这就是为什么很多

人都移民到澳大利亚来。除了令人满意的生活方式外,健康的生活、美好的家庭和商业的机会,澳大利亚的金融市

场是公认成熟的,是在严格的监管下运作的。

新的澳大利亚投资者可以放心,在澳大利亚经营管理基金,必须正确地遵循特定的投资指引,并由信誉良好的会计

师事务所审核监察运营。澳大利亚以拥有优秀的投资经理和制度健全的金融市场而闻名。 为什么选择康坦戈

移居到另一个国家是一个极大人生改变的经历。我们将确保您188c签证的投资有妥善的管理,并且让您享受到最尊贵

的个人服务。 康坦戈有一个专门负责188c客户服务的团队,我们卓越的投资组合经理会致力为您争取最佳的投资回报。 若您浏览我们的网站,就会发现我们的客户服务,是独尊享有的,是让同侪艳羡的。 当您对康坦戈资产管理有限公司有更多的了解,您就会明白为什么我们是一个成功和备受推崇的澳大利亚基金经理。

您知道吗?

康坦戈是澳大利亚最出色的基金经理。 康坦戈不会向客户/代理收取任何咨询或见面费用。 所有的讨论都建于免责的基础上。 我们会一直维持对客户的隐私和查询严格保密。 我们极其重视与客户的个人关系,为每个客户按其所需制定出周详贴身的个人投资方案。 虽然我们的首选语言是英语,但我们还提供了普通话、广东话、孟加拉语和一些欧洲语言,以方便向客户

做有关的报告和更好地交流。

康坦戈向各移民代理和移民律师报告喜讯,本公司现特为重大投资者签证客戶,推出了一

系列澳大利亚证劵和投资委员会(ASIC)监管的优质基金,供重大投资者申请本签证。

康坦戈提供的一系列低至中度风险的投资产品,涵盖各种资产类别,其中包括房地产、债券和股票,是迅速、

简单地达到SIV188C重大移民签证所要求的500万澳元投资的最佳捷径。

欲了解更多详情,请致电David Stevens(英语)或Lisa Zhong(英语/广东话/普通话):+61 3 9222 2333

弹性管理投资组合结构

www.contango.com.au

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

Page 24: Sep oct 2013 issue

专题文章——重大投资者签证

44 AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS

不出人们所预料,澳大利亚各州和地

区展开了激烈的竞争,为了吸引这些手持

五百万澳元的企业家,纷纷开出诱人的投

资条件和提供其他津贴以招徕投资者。与

中国大型华人社区联系最为紧密的维多利

亚州和新南威尔士州情况最好——首获

SIV 的中国的玩具制造商正是由维多利亚

州所赞助的。

根据澳洲移民局在 2013 年 3 月 31 日

公布的所有 SIV 提名(所有国家)显示,

新南威尔士州发出了 101 份邀请,位居榜

首;其次是发出81份邀请的维多利亚州。

昆士兰州、西澳大利亚州和南澳大利亚州

总和则少于 50。

获得 SIV 的移民投资者在(至少)四

年内要在澳大利亚至少投资 500 万澳元。

投资项目包括联邦政府或各州(及地区)

政府债券、澳大利亚上市公司管理基金或

直接投资澳上市公司。

新南威尔士州有一项赞助要求——对

该州的沃拉塔债券(Waratah bonds)投

资 150 万澳元。

新南威尔士州副州长安德鲁 • 斯托纳

(Andrew Stoner)说:“这是我们唯一

的融资要求。”

“只要 SIV 申请人证明他们持有所需

的资金,对沃拉塔债券投资 150 万澳元,

剩下的资金投入其他投资项目,新南威尔

士州将乐于为他们提名。”

截至 7 月 5 日,技术筛选系统中已有

231 份意向书提名新南威尔士州为首选之

州。新南威尔士州政府已从中选取了 182

份作为 SIV 提名,并向联邦政府提交——

绝大多数申请来自中国。

斯托纳先生说:“我们有 93% 的申请

人来自中国。”

“我们依旧相信 SIV 为发展澳中关系

打开了新的大门。”

维多利亚州对 500 万澳元投资额没有

具体的投资指引。投资人可以对一项或多

项联邦政府制定的项目进行投资。

维多利亚州就业与贸易部长路易丝 •

阿谢尔女士 (Louise Asher) 说:“重大

投资者选择的(在 500 万澳元以外的)任

何额外投资,都将促成新的商业活动、投

资项目以及工作岗位。”

阿谢尔女士表示,对于有意在维州进

行更多商业活动或投资的重大投资者,维

州政府将提供大力协助。

阿谢尔女士说:“维多利亚州每年都

会收到数百份商业移民申请,我们同样十

分欢迎重大投资者签证申请人。”

澳大利亚较小的州,如塔斯马尼亚州、

南澳大利亚州和西澳大利亚州也正在努力

吸引潜在的 SIV 申请人。

塔斯马尼亚州尚未对 SIV 申请人提出

赞助,但该州在过去对来自中国的商业移

民提供过赞助。塔州计划在本财政年度加

大对中国市场宣传 SIV 的力度。

塔斯马尼亚经济发展、旅游与艺术部

部长 Mark Kelleher 说:“塔斯马尼亚州

是 SIV 计划的坚定支持者。”

“其他州对中国申请人提供赞助的数

字表明,中国人对 SIV 计划是有着浓厚的

兴趣的;塔州将努力吸引更多申请 SIV 的

中国移民。”

作为这一进程的一部分,塔斯马尼亚

州已承诺为每一个申请人提供专门的审核

管理。塔州还会加大了解 SIV 申请人的动

机以及选择投资地点的原因。

供图:西澳大利亚州小型企业发展局

塔斯马尼亚州正大力推广农业投资,望吸引更多 SIV 申请人

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

投资与移民

AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS 45

商业技术移民自从重大投资者签证(188类)于2012年11

月启动以来,在中国受到了极大的重视。然而人们应该记住,澳大利亚商业技术移民计划一共有三种签证类别:

a.商业创新类

• 申请人年龄在55周岁以下• 商业甄选系统(EOI)打分在65分以上• 在申请之前的四个财政年度中,至少有

两年的企业年度营业额至达到50万澳元或以上(您的一项或多项生意的总和)

• 对一项(或两项)生意有兴趣,条件: o 营业额超过40万澳元的生意至少30%

的所有权 o 营业额低于40万澳元的生意至少51%

的所有权 o 上市公司10%的股权

• 管理过生意,一半的工作时间花在专业(比如医生或律师)、技术或贸易服务方面

• 对在澳大利亚企业获得管理层职位抱有真实的追求

您(或与您的伴侣一道)还必须:• 合法总资产至少为80万澳元,并在获得

签证后两年内将其合法转入澳大利亚• 生意成功,无不恰当的商业行为

b.投资类

• 申请人年龄在55周岁以下• EOI系统打分在65分以上• 在真实的投资项目或高质量的商业项目

中,拥有高水平的管理能力• 在管理一项或多项高质量与真实的投资

项目方面,至少拥有三年的直接参与经验• 在原始投资日趋成熟之后,对于在澳洲

继续生意与投资活动,能做出真实的以及现实的承诺

您(或与您的伴侣一道)还必须:• 在被邀请申请此类签证之前的两个财政

年度中,合法总资产至少为225万澳元,并能在获得签证后两年内将其合法转入澳大利亚

• 生意成功,无不恰当的商业行为• 在被邀请申请此类签证之前的五个财政

年度中,至少要在其中一年内所积累的基金中拨出150万澳元来作为政府批准的专属投资额,方法包括:

o 符合资格的投资总额至少为150万澳元 o 符合质量的生意的所有权为生意总值

的10%以上

Australian Migration made EASY使澳大利亚移民变得更加容易

Ivan Chait & Associates Pty Limited伊凡•蔡特事务所

Australian Immigration Specialists澳大利亚移民专家

As one of Australia’s leading registered immigration practices we offer advice and assistance with applications for permanent and temporary residence in Australia.

Business, investment and skilled migration our specialisation.作为澳大利亚领先的注册移民专家,我们可为您提供;澳洲的永久和临时居住证申请所需的建议和帮助,以及专业化的商业,投资和技术移民 !

如需咨询请与上海办事处张小姐(Cicili Stange)联系;电话:13681732535电邮:[email protected]

www.icamigration.com

注册移民代理号:9253612

专业

Responsive

机密

Professional

反应Confidential

c.重大投资者类别

• 至少在以下“投资产品”中投资500万澳元以上 o 州政府债券 o 投资在澳洲的基金 o 澳大利亚基础设施项目 o 现金 o 联邦政府或州政府发行的债券 o 澳大利亚上市公司或信托企业持有的债券、股票、混合证券 o 澳大利亚金融机构发行的债券或定期存款 o 澳大利亚房地产 o 澳大利亚农业 o 其他澳大利亚证券和投资委员会(ASIC)监管管理的基金

• 直接投资澳大利亚非上市公司。必须获得该公司的所有权。 该公司必须: o 能在澳大利亚营业的资格 o 受ASIC监管 o 有澳大利亚商业号码(ABN)

您还必须:• 在持有临时签证期间,能对已经在澳启动的投资活动作出有

真正的和现实的承诺• 真心诚意在澳洲为您的申请作出提名的州或领地定居

此外,您(或与您的伴侣一道)还必须:• 合法总资产至少为五百万澳元,诚心在澳大利亚投资• 无不良经营记录• 若在澳投资活动中有资本损失,本人不会对澳大利亚联邦政

府采取法律行动

此类签证为中国人瞩目的原因是,没有年龄上限,对英语能力没有要求。此外,不像投资者签证,申请人只需要于四年内在澳大利亚注满160天,也就是每年只需在澳居住40天。

如阁下想对申请澳大利亚签证作进一步咨询,请与我们的澳洲总部或中国业务代表联系。

电子邮件:[email protected]

伊凡·蔡特事务所——您的移民专家伊凡•蔡特事务所是澳大利亚领先的、倍受尊重的移民专家,在过去28年中,为无数客户办理澳洲永久以及临时居住权事宜。

本公司为您热情提供澳洲永久及临时居住权申请服务,并精通技术移民、工作移民以及商业移民的事物。我们在上海和北京都有业务代表,为中国的客户提供周到详尽的专业服务与助理。

请注意,上述两中类别的签证均要求申请人在商业创新与投资签证测试中获得至少65分。测试的其中一项是英语语言能力测试。一般来说,申请人会尽量靠年龄以及/或者生意资产所有权方面来拉分,但近年来许多中国申请人都能满足英语语言能力的要求了。

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

Page 25: Sep oct 2013 issue

专题文章——重大投资者签证

46 AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS

Kelleher 先生说:“为了使塔斯马

尼亚州成为有吸引力的 SIV 之地,我们制

定了完全灵活的申请程序。”

“虽然塔斯马尼亚州本身已是一个极

具吸引力的、清洁而安全的居住之地,人

们能够享受现代生活所需的一切便利,我

们不会强制要求 SIV 签证持有人在塔州居

住,您可以选择在澳洲其他地区生活,只

要您的投资是能给塔斯马尼亚带来经济利

益的。”

SIV申请人还可以任意选择投资项目。

塔州对投资类型或投资百分比没有任何限

制。

Kelleher 先生说:“当然,塔斯马尼

亚的本地品牌倍受推崇,市场效应好;塔

州的投资机会对投资人有着天然的吸引

力。”

“我们相信,一旦塔斯马尼亚的 SIV

计划得以大力推广,我们富有灵活性的赞

助政策将会吸引潜在的中国 SIV 申请人。

我们还相信,塔州在粮食与农业、矿产业

以及旅游业方面的投资机会的行业实力,

都将吸引许多 SIV 申请人的目光。”

迄今为止,西澳大利亚州政府已经收

到 32 份 SIV 申请。

西澳大利亚州小型企业发展局商业移

民部经理 Bruno Delfante 先生表示,西

澳大利亚州的顶级卖点包括:澳大利亚领

先的经济增长区域、低失业率、广泛的投

资和商业机会,以及世界一流的生活方式、

休闲娱乐、教育和医疗设施。

西澳也有灵活的投资政策。

Delfante 先生说:“申请人只要将资

金投入到移民局规定的投资‘产品’中,

他们就能够自由选择投资的项目以及分配

投资金额。”

“西澳政府的首要考虑因素,是证实

任何一项提名都能为西澳带来经济利益。”

澳大利亚中国工商业委员会南澳分

会主席、南澳华特律师事务所(Norman

Waterhouse lawyers,长年来为中国高端

商业移民与投资者“登陆”南澳的公司提

供协助)首席合伙人 Sean Keenihan 先生

对 SIV 审核时间的拖延问题表示担忧

Keenihan 先生说:“在预估的成功

SIV 申请人数目、对澳大利亚企业的新投

汉密尔顿•沃茨(Hamilton Watts)是澳大利亚领先的签证顾问

公司,也是少数几家专门为企业投资者和所有者提供移民服务的

公司之一。公司的核心团队由数位澳大利亚移民部前任高级管理

人员和官员组成,拥有业界顶尖的经验与专业知识。

重要投资者签证为海外投资者与企业家提供了一条获得澳大利

亚永久居留权的便捷途径。该签证专门为有意在澳洲投资至少500

万澳元的商界成功人士而推出。

重要投资者签证的推出,意味着澳大利亚政府在吸引海外投资

入境的态度上发生了根本性的变化。根据以往规定,潜在投资者

的年龄不得超过50岁,具备一定英语语言能力并且在四年内至少两

年时间居住在澳大利亚。

澳大利亚政府目前撤除了这些要求,并对来澳投资人提供以下

优惠政策:

•无年龄限制;

•降低居住要求至四年内住满160天;

•降低英语语言要求,申请人可通过缴纳额外费用降低语言要求。

重要投资者签证申请人需要至少投资500万澳元至如下符合条

件的投资项目:

•直接投资给非上市的澳大利亚私营企业;

•澳大利亚股票和投资委员会(ASIC)监管且投资于澳大利亚

的管理基金;

•各州和领地政府债券。

投资至少持续四年。在此期间,投资者可以更换符合条件的投

资项目。

汉密尔顿•沃茨移民服务公司是澳大利亚最负信誉的移民服务

公司之一,在商业与投资移民领域拥有超过20年的经验。公司与商

界以及多个政府机构联系紧密,这意味着我们能提供最专业的申

请服务,并确保签证审理过程的严谨与高效。

如需咨询或签证评估,请与我们联系:

重要投资者签证取得澳大利亚永久居留权的捷径

Hamilton WattsINTERNATIONAL MIGRATION SERVICES

“Our experience is the difference”

供图:西澳大利亚州小型企业发展局

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

专题文章——重大投资者签证

AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS 47

资来源、许多中国投资者对 SIV 兴趣减退

的原因,以及澳洲商界渴望与 SIV 投资人

加大联系——这多者之间,存在着断层,

这正是我们的担忧之处。”

Keenihan 先生提到,南澳大利亚州推

出了三种投资途径:对该州的 SAFA 债券

(南澳财政管理局债券)投资100万澳元,

为时四年,剩下的 400 万可投入到其它项

目;或对南澳的一家企业平均投资 300 万

澳元,为时两年以上(其余投资去向归另

外投资项目所有,由申请人自行分配);

又或,将 500 万澳元全部投入政府规定的

“投资产品”当中。

南澳政府赞助的 SIV 申请人可在澳大

利亚任何地方居住。

Keenihan 先生表示,投资者必须密切

关注投资的条款和条件以及投资回报。

SIV 要求投资活动必须在澳大利亚持续四

年——但有些资金有可能在这四年周期内

存在不稳定情况。

申请人还应意识到波动回报率的问题。

较低却相对固定的利率可作为降低风险的

参考。

金融服务行业紧跟形势,为 SIV 申请

人提供各种特殊的套餐服务。

例如麦格理银行(Macquarie Bank)

目前启动了两个 SIV 管理基金:MSI 现金

信托基金(MSI Cash Trust Fund)与麦

格理 SIV 现金基金(Macquarie SIV Cash

Fund)。

这两种基金是专门为外国投资者在澳

进行现金投资而设计的,符合所有重大投

资者签证的准则,以及与第 1413 号申请

表接轨。

MSI 现金信托能让投资人在澳进行优

质的现金投资,并能享受与澳大利亚储备

银行的现金利率相挂钩的回报。

UCHK 投资公司的董事总经理陶智先生

(Scott Talbot),是某欧洲大银行为澳

洲 SIV 专门制定的基金的唯一中国代理。

“我们的产品是由实力强大且有信誉

的全球性机构推出的合法投资产品,回报

十分丰厚,如有需要的话,我们完全有能

力让您的资金在 SIV 结束时得到恢复。”

然而陶智先生说,部分房地产业内人

士已将 SIV 视作促进房产销售的契机,

地产商在推出地产开发套餐的同时还打出

500 万 SIV 产品的名号。

FIIG证券(以下简称FIIG)是澳大利亚最大的固定收益专家,引导海内外投资者直接进入澳洲债券市场。

本公司受澳大利亚证券和投资委员会(ASIC)监督,在澳洲市场坐拥稳固的地位和服务独特的美誉,热情为投资者提供广泛的投资选择,理财方式和进入市场的方法。

直接接触低风险的联邦政府与州政府债券

作为联邦政府证券的注册投标公司,以及澳大利亚金融管理办公室的成员之

一,FIIG能够接触到大量政府及半政府债券。

政府债券对于申请重大投资者签证(SIV)的人来说极为理想,也是澳大利亚资本市场中风险最低的投资项目,给投资者带来高水平的流动资金及资本稳定性。不同于其他证券,政府债券不跟经济状况直接挂钩;因此,投资者的选择面更广,在经济低迷的情况下也更有保障。

政府债券的期限在1年到35年之间,并可在澳大利亚的具有深度且交易活跃的二级市场中购买或出售。

企业债券,短期存款和现金投资

FIIG还能带领投资者进入企业债券市场、定期存款及其他现金投资市场;我们的固定收益专家团队能够针对目前各种政

府债券和其他固定收益投资之间的相对价值,给予深度分析。

实益所有权归您所有

FIIG的所有投资项目都是直接投资。这意味着您的债券或现金投资收益以及法律所有权归您所有,这给您的投资组合予了更大的透明度和控制深度。

若想了解更多有关FIIG证券和澳大利亚的固

定收益市场的信息,请与我们联系:

电话:+61 2 9697 8700

电邮:[email protected]

网站:www.fiig.com.au

投资澳大利亚政府债券澳洲最具实力的固定收益专家帮到您

Mark Paton - FIIG CEO

维多利亚州菲利普岛考拉保育中心摄影师:Rob Blackburn

供图:维州旅游局

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

Page 26: Sep oct 2013 issue

专题文章——重大投资者签证

48 AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS

陶智先生建议 SIV 申请人需要对这一

种投资做好万分明确的退出策略。

陶智先生说:“对一项生意进行通盘

考察。除非您做好了退出的策略,否则不

要购买任何一项生意。您必须对生意的价

值做出仔细的调查,验证其真伪,并且确

定生意收入是否符合您的个人要求。”

有的业内人士认为,各州和地区政府

总在过分强调 SIV 投资人能用资金做什

么,却对资金的获取途径提得不够——这

对 SIV 审核过程中可能出现的种种问题埋

下了伏笔。

人们普遍的共识是,对资金来源的举

证是联邦政府的责任。只要申请人能证明

他们有资金,遵守各州的投资规定,他们

很有可能得到提名。于是,联邦政府得以

全权审核申请人的财富来源,并在此基础

上拒绝或接受他们的申请。

伊凡 • 蔡特先生说:“投资人如何使

用他们资金——他们该如何在澳大利亚进

行投资——不能够一概而论。”

“这一点十分重要,并且很好理解。

而我的看法是,申请人首先应该确保自己

符合申请条款的所有要求,然后再着手考

虑如何在澳进行投资。”

蔡特先生认为,SIV 的审核过程需要

改进的是:更加关注申请人的职业而非财

富。

他最关心的是,有些很被看好的 SIV

申请人在 SIV 申请获批之前,已经在澳大

利亚有着不少中期投资。

蔡特先生说:“目前的 SIV 申请质量

参差不齐,但我认为随着越来越多信誉良

好的中介的介入,SIV 申请的质量会得到

提高。”

这也是不少移民中介业内人士的同感。

Tony Le Nevez 先生说:“没有什么

能够阻止投资者在签证获批之前就将资金

注入澳洲市场,然而他们同样需要面对由

于体检或资金来源审核等其它原因——导

致签证被拒签的风险。”

“我建议,在澳洲移民局通知您签证

即将批下来之前,不要开展投资。耐心等

到最后一刻再采取行动。”

Le Nevez 先生认为中国的投资人对投

资选择并无全面的了解。

他给 SIV 投资人提出如下建议:

- 了解您想在澳大利亚居住的地点,

以及原因。

- 了解您的投资选择——选择是丰富

多样的。

- 在您的 SIV 审核过程中有两个关键

人物——负责打理您的投资项目的人,以

及负责审核您的 SIV 申请的人——您与他

们之间的相处是否自在和顺利,至关重要。

对于一份成功的 SIV 申请,关键点包

括:拥有合法注册的移民代理、与签证官

的良好沟通、对资金转移有着全面的计划,

以及了解资金转移的时限。

申请人还需要证明自己的资金来源,

并有可能需要提供过去三年的银行账单。

“总之,审核 SIV 中的每一个程序都

需要申请人提供多方证据。”澳大利亚移

民协会 CEO Maurene Horder 女士说道。

Horder 女士表示,申请人应该好好研

究资金转移方式,并且确定资金能够在规

定时间内转入澳大利亚。

Horder 女士说:“SIV 的审核过程可

以说是相当严格的。”

“申请人必须证明这资金的来源并且

提供证据。”

“我建议所有对重大投资者签证感兴

趣的申请人都为自己找一名注册移民代

理。”

珀斯 Cottesole 海滩 供图:西澳大利亚州小型企业发展局

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

投资与移民

AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS 49

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SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

Page 27: Sep oct 2013 issue

教育专栏 — 皇家墨尔本理工大学

50 AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS

什么是国际化的教育

维多利亚州的最大出口产业是教育,皇

家墨尔本理工大学(RMIT)等高等教育机构

对促进这一产业的发展,发挥了关键作用。

更重要的是国际学生的贡献,他们建立连接

世界与澳大利亚的双向桥梁,促进相互了

解,文化交流和商业与投资机会,这是国际

化教育对全球效益毋庸置疑的贡献。

然而,国际化教育的具体内容是什么?

皇家墨尔本理工大学在这方面的发展可为读

者们提供一个有价值的参考。

RMIT是一所全球性的理工与设计大学,

也是澳大利亚最大的高等院校。尽管建校还

不到五十年,RMIT便已在2012/13年度QS世界

大学排名榜(建校50年以下的大学)中名列

前20位。

RMIT本部在墨尔本市中心,多年来致力

于开展优质务实的教育和注重成果的研究。

我校的办学理念十分国际化,强调给予学

生一个实用并且与社会需要所接轨的优质教

育。

所以RMIT在实用教育方面的成果和一流

的声誉在全世界受到广泛认可。

皇家墨尔本理工大学很早就制定了超真

正的全球性大学进发的目标。26年前,我

校第一批在新加坡攻读RMIT学位的学生,在

RMIT的合作伙伴新加坡管理协会Singapore

Institute of Management (SIM,在 2013 年

成为该国的第六所大学)校区开始他们与澳大

利亚本部相同授课内容的学习。

现在,经过不断的发展,RMIT在新加坡

的学生已经超过一万名,攻读的学位包括航

空、设计、专业媒体、建筑管理、会计、管

理、市场营销、物流和供应链管理、经济学

和金融。

17年前,皇家墨尔本理工大学和上海对

外贸易学院(SIFT)获得中国教育部批准,

开展中外合作办学,在上海提供RMIT及SIFT

本科双学位课程(国际贸易与商务,物流和

供应链管理)和RMIT物流和供应链管理硕士

学位。现在每年有两百多名学生在上海毕业

取得RMIT学位。

12年前,应越南政府邀请,RMIT在越南

建立了两个校区(胡志明市,河内);到目

前为止,已经有6000名RMIT学生在越南攻读

RMIT学位。我校今年在西班牙巴塞罗那设立

大学办事处,并在印尼雅加达展开与当地著

名的UPH大学的联合教学双学位课程。

RMIT学生总人数为74000人,包括29000

名国际学生,其中有12000人在墨尔本就读,

另外17000多名国际学生在海外学习。国际学

生可以选择超过500个不同的学位。

RMIT的学生不管在哪里学习,都可以轻

松无阻地前往大学位于其他国家的教区学习

一个或两个学期,体验不同的文化和商业环

境。通过这样的交流,学生能获得宝贵的国

际视野和丰富的经验,为他们未来无论是在

本地或全球的职业生涯中做出更好的准备。

近年来,RMIT动用了六亿多澳元投资

建设尖端的授课与学习设施。其中最大的

一个项目是去年完成的投入两亿多澳元的

Swanston学术大楼(SAB)(位于墨尔本市中

心)。

这座11层高的大楼的建筑面积为35000平

方米,内含6个大讲堂,70个小型和中型的教

学和学习空间,9个特殊专用的场地,一座在

线证券交易实验室,另外还有11个零售网点

(包括咖啡车,咖啡馆和一间餐厅)。整个

大楼使用全球最先进的教学方法,并拥有澳

大利亚最大的虚拟桌面和互动高速的无线网

络学习空间。

可以说,其他大学一般只将最优质的教

育设施提供给EBMA学员,SAB的高端设施能让

本科一年级到博士研究院的学生都能享用。

对于国际学生来说,这样一个学习环

境,不仅仅是高科技学习,而且让他们能有

更好的平台和机会与本地学生共同参与各种

学习合作与交流。

RMIT 国际化教育先行者国际化的办学理念,优质的教学设施,为学生提供最佳的平台,开拓他们的国际视野、丰富他们的学习经验以及提高他们的应用能力。——谭安杰教授 皇家墨尔本理工大学协理副校长 博导

RMIT Swanston 学术大楼内部

RMIT Swanston 学术大楼外观

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

教育专栏 — 楷模国际中学

AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS 51

楷模国际中学是一所独立和非宗教的男

女合校,学校为五到十二年级好学自律的

澳洲及海外学生所设,学校寄宿从七年级

开始。楷模国际中学的学术成就在澳洲颇

负盛名。

楷模国际中学以教授国际预科文凭课程

(International Baccalaureate Diploma

Programme) 闻名。这是一项具有学术挑战

以及注重学生全方面发展并为学生升大学

奠下扎实基础的教育课程。IB文凭与澳洲

本土课程文凭一样受到澳洲各大学高度认

可,IB文凭更是受到全球各顶尖大学所认

可。

学校特色

• 真正的国际化教育,老师以及学生来

自15个不同国家

• 小班教学制,多达25个科目供选

• 资深IB教师团队,50%为世界级阅卷

• 提供系统性课后辅导以及晚自习

• 多元化课后活动有助于学生全面发展

(包括音乐,艺术,运动和社区服务)

• 专业大学申请顾问提供咨询

• 墨尔本大学国际伙伴(MSPI)成员之一

• SAT 预科以及被授权的SAT考场

• 温馨的宿舍环境

学术成就

• 追求最高学术水平,毕业生100%大学

录取 (毕业生主要进入墨尔本大学)

• 过去20年间,每年ATAR平均分为 90

或以上

• 毕业生被世界顶尖大学如牛津、剑

桥、洛杉矶加州大学、纽约大学,多伦多

大学和香港大学等录取

• 每年部分毕业生获得大学奖学金

• 毕业生网络覆盖全球各行各业

IB的优势

世界最著名的 I n t e r n a t i o n a l

Baccalaureate(简称IB)国际课程,是

于1960年代在联合国教科文组织(United

Nations Educational, Scientific and

Cultural Organization)的指导下,专门

为外交使节之子女及全世界最优秀的中学

生所统一设计的两年制大学先修课程(相

当于高二及高三课程)。总部设于瑞士日

内瓦。

IB是为了全球有志追求学术成就的学生

而设计的,它并不以任何国家的教育体制

为绝对的蓝本,而是综合各个国家教育体

制的优点而设计出来的。在准备过程中,

教育专家们徵求了世界各著名大学的入学

要求和学生在进入该大学前应具备的学术

水平等具体细节后,明确地根据大学的这

些具体要求,设计出IB这套优秀的两年制

高中课程。它的目标是为了全世界优秀学

生的利益,它的课程设置重在满足他们的

学术需求。这个目标决定了IB课程的两个

特色:全球性和高标性。

IB课程配置的六个组类:第一语言、第

二语言、人文社会科学、自然科学、数学

及自选科,IB学生在进入十一年级时就必

须从这六组中各选一科攻读,缺一不可。

因此IB既不偏文也不偏理,而是为学生全

面输送和补给养分,为他们在升入大学前

奠定坚实的文理基础。

IB提倡学生灵活学习,关注社会和人

类,注重自身的全面发展。这一点可以从

IB选课配置看出。就课程本身而言,IB的

学科配置非常科学,学术方面兼顾人文、

数理科学和语言;能力方面兼涉到艺术、

体育、服务和思想辩论等等领域的培养和

训练。这样的教育使得学生不会只是死读

书,而是全面发展,为他们将来的学习和

工作打下非常坚实的基础。也可以防止学

生因偏科而逃避学习某个学科的机会。

与澳洲本土课程不同IB课程由于是为全

世界中学生设置的,全球采用统一的教学

大纲和相同的教材内容;一年两次南北半

球统考、试卷命题统一,评分也统一;毕

业证书由日内瓦IB总部颁授、全球大学不

仅完全承认而且优先录取。此外,学分优

异的学生修读大学课程时还可获学分奖励

或直修大二课程。

由于IB课程统一的教学、统一的考

试、统一的题目、统一的评卷和评分标准

等特点,使得IB的考试分数所反映出的学

术水平是全世界统一的。不管是在哪个国

家修读完IB后所得到的分数的实质含金量

都是一样的。因此,学生持有由IB日内瓦

总部所颁发的全球通用之高中文凭后,不

仅可以申请全澳所有大学,也可以直接申

请就读全世界其他国家(英国、美国、

加拿大、中国香港等)数以千计的高等学

府。IB文凭的优越性及广泛性由此可见一

斑。

IB最后段的考生都有绝佳的机会可以进

入到排行为第一级的大学及科系,因为它

的含金量在学术水平上是远远超越澳洲本

土课程的。

楷模国际中学

联系方式

地址:40 White Street, Kilmore, VIC 3764

电话: +61 3 5782 2211 (英文)

+61 3 5783 0609 (中文)

电邮: [email protected]

网址: www.kilmore.vic.edu.au

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

Page 28: Sep oct 2013 issue

ACAA今年的活动回顾

ACAA 2013年活动精彩回顾

• 北京的中澳朋友组了一个团共同前往天津观看澳大利亚篮球队Australian Boomers挑战中国男篮,声势颇为浩大。

• 首届莫道克国际事务委员会来到北京,与中国年轻的领袖和精英们探讨中澳发展的机遇与挑战

• 昆士兰州教育、训练和就业部长邀请昆州校友共聚广州

• 悉尼科技大学在香港、北京和上海与校友共同欢庆25周年校庆日

ACAA在中国的发展

ACAA在2013年上半年举办了72场活动,足迹遍布中澳两国共8所城市。我们的活动帮助校友们重拾友情,开拓社交圈子,助力成员的职业发展。ACAA在中国已经发展成为一个具有超过9,000名会员的组织,我们期望于今年年底突破10,000大关。按照目前的发展趋势,预计于2017年底,将会有20,000名校友加入ACAA的团队。

ACAA对于公共政策的贡献

在过去的一年里,ACAA对于中澳关系相关的公共政策做出了巨大的贡献,其中包括:

• 就澳大利亚外交部的中国政策提交报告

• 为首届莫道克国际事务委员会提供支持

• 帮助澳国际教育司(AEI)就澳校友就业状况和雇主反映进行调查

• 发布全中国澳州校友25大雇主名单

• 与维多利亚大学合作就澳洲校友访澳情况进行调查

• 就澳政府《亚洲世纪白皮书》的撰写工作向资深顾问和经济学家Ken Henry提出建议

• 就澳商会(AustCham)《2013澳中教育白皮书》的撰写提出建议(进行中)

澳大利亚校友对于中澳双边的贸易、投资、旅游和移民等领域都做出了极大的贡献,ACAA澳中同学联谊会也将不断努力,帮助校友们发挥更大的作用。

想了解ACAA澳中同学联谊会,或者参与我们的活动,请访问我们的网站:www.austchinaalumni.org或者给我们发送邮件:[email protected]

澳中同学联谊会

52 AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS

ACAA“2013年澳中杰出校友奖”活动回顾 对中澳公共政策的贡献

ACAA澳中同学联谊会正在筹备2013年度的ACAA/IELTS“澳中杰出校友奖”大会。ACAA很荣幸的邀请到雅思IELTS再次成为我们的冠名赞助商,以及CPA Australia 和 Qantas 成为我们的合作赞助商,ACAA感谢各位赞助商长期以来对活动的支持!本次的颁奖晚会将于2013年11月2日(周六)于北京举行,诚挚期待各位届时光临!

ACAA Gold Partners

ACAA Silver Partners

ACAA会员在天津观看中澳篮球挑战赛

昆士兰教育、训练和就业部长John-Paul Langbroek与昆州校友

悉尼科技大学两位副校长在校庆日当天 首届莫道克国际事务委员会与会代表

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

教育与健康

AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS 53

墨尔本黑利伯瑞学校是澳大利亚规模最大,以及

最古老的学校之一,拥有超过120年的历史。今年

9月份,本校将在天津武清开设黑利伯瑞国际学校

(距离北京市中心45分钟车程)。

黑利伯瑞国际学校将教授维多利亚考试证书

(VCE)课程。学生可以通过VCE直接入读澳大利亚

大学,同时也可以申请美国和英国的高等学府。在

维多利亚州政府的支持下,黑利伯瑞在中国开展VCE

课程已有10年,并成功地发展成帮助中国学生考取

海外高校的捷径。

学校设施由合作方北京首创集团尽心建设,并将

成为展示澳大利亚教育的巅峰之作。墨尔本黑利伯

瑞本部的尼古拉斯杜瓦尔博士将担任国际学校的第

一任校长。他将和黑利伯瑞的老师们共同协作,发

展该国际学校的项目。

了解更多信息请致电400-6680-900。

网站:www.cn-haileybury.com

黑利伯瑞学校在中国开设国际学校

为何选择私人医疗保险?

世界各国的医疗保健系统各有不相同。如果

您正计划前往澳大利亚经商或旅游,您必须对

澳洲的医保体系进行了解,因为也许在访澳期

间,您需要购买私人医疗保险。

Medicare

Medicare是澳大利亚的公费医疗,是所有

澳大利亚公民和永久居民都能享受到的全民医

保。Medicare能减免澳洲人的部分医疗费用。然

而,如果您持有的是临时签证,您也许没有享

受公费医疗的资格,除非您来自与澳大利亚签

订了《医疗保健互惠协议》的国家。当涉及到

医院治疗费用时,Medicare一般不会免除您自己

所选择的医生的出诊费,某些需要列入等待名

单的医疗项目也不能得到减免。

《医疗保健互惠协议》

有一部分国家已经与澳大利亚签订协议,让

该国公民在旅澳过程中享受Medicare的部分福

利。与澳大利亚签订了《医疗保健互惠协议》

的国家包括比利时、芬兰、爱尔兰、意大利、

马耳他、荷兰、新西兰、挪威、斯洛文尼亚、

瑞典和英国。请注意:中华人民共和国尚未与

澳大利亚签署《医疗保健互惠协议》。

如果您在澳大利亚工作并持有《医疗保健

互惠协议》名下的医保卡,您可能还需支付医

疗附加费(MLS)。医疗附加费是医疗保险税(

这是大多数澳大利亚纳税人都需支付的)的额

外税收。欲知您是否符合条件、Medicare能为

您提供的福利水平、您是否必须支付医疗附加

费,请拨打Medicare客服热线:132 011(澳洲

境内)或拨打+61 2 6124 6333(澳洲境外)。

私人医疗保险

如果您没有Medicare或从中受益甚微,您可

以考虑购买私人医疗保险。根据不同的私人医

保套餐,您可以自由选择医生、就医的时间或

地点、私立或公立的医院。您还可以享受私人

执业医生或专家会诊。此外,您可以将牙科、

眼科和理疗等项目加进私人医保套餐内。

对旅澳的游客以及学生来说,签证申请要求

之一,便是购买可靠的私人医疗保险。此外,

购买了私人医疗保险也有助您免交医疗附加

费。欲知更多私人医保信息,请联系保柏

澳大利亚境内 134 135 澳洲境外 +61 3 9487 6400 www.bupa.com.au/overseas

澳大利亚联邦政府正在对医疗附加费的征收规定进行修改,新规定将于2013年7月1日生效。欲知这项改革将对您的2012-2013财政年度作出怎样的影响,请

在2013年7月1日后联系澳大利亚税务办公室。

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

Page 29: Sep oct 2013 issue

维多利亚州房地产协会(REIV)是维多利亚州2000多家房地产机构成员当中最顶尖的专业机构。REIV员工被外国客户问到的最普遍的问题就是投资,特别是墨尔本的哪个地区租金回报率最高这个问题。随着过去几个月内澳元贬值,墨尔本的投资型地产对于外国投资者来讲更具可支付性。

REIV对截至2013年3月的12个月内维多利亚全区租金回报率最高的城区进行了一次分析。租金数据由热门房地产数据列表网站realestateview.com.au的数据列表生成。

基于该分析,REIV评估了维多利亚州超过270个投资型城区。这些城区被认为在房地产租售投资市场具有足够的活力。这些城区中大多数(占84%)处于墨尔本都市内,继续成为维多利亚州主要投资地区。

截至2013年3月的12个月内,墨尔本都市租金收益最高的十个城区列表如下。

10个最佳城区中有7个位于墨尔本内城区,例如学生聚集区卡尔顿,在最好的地点单间卧室的公寓楼的租金回报率高达8.6%。其他墨尔本内城区也值得考虑,包括位于墨尔本南岸区, (中央商务区和圣科达路地区),以及北墨尔本的单间卧室公寓楼。

相比之下墨尔本内城区似乎更受欢迎,但是外城区也不应小觑。位于诺贝尔公园的单间卧室公寓楼的租金回报率位居第二,高达7.3%,同时也是列表当中最具可支付性的,平均价格仅为$150,000。如需更多关于REIV的租金收益分析请访问www.reiv.com.au。

同样需要注意的是外国投资者在澳大利亚投资房地产需要遵守相关管理规定。至于住宅性房产也取决于当地居住情况。例如,非居民或临时居民如果用于投资目的,只能购买全新住房(比如楼花类)。其他可能的限制和更多信息可以在外国投资注意事项(Foreign Investment Review Board)进行查询。

特约专栏——维多利亚州房地产协会

54 AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS

租金收益城区排名

YOUR NEXT HOME IS NOW ON VIEW.

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

置业之选

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Dacland_ChinaConn-HalfPageAd_FA.pdf 1 23/07/2013 11:52

SNAPSHOT: AUSTRALIA’S INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION SECTORAustralia’s minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research, Chris Evans speaks to Australia China Connections about the international education sector and his recent visit to China.

GRAHAM WELSH HOMES

阁下的独特品位+我们的专业设计=您在维州的梦想之家

个性化家居房屋设计从$50万到$150万不等,根据您心仪的地段提供土地保障。

GHW的专业室内设计团队为您呈现个性居室及配套家具。

GWH还与维州政府及海外投资人紧密合作,为您在澳投资提供888类签证与政府核准的土地投资服务。

P: +61 3 8358 0400 F: +61 3 8358 5494 E: [email protected] W: www.gwh.com.au

915 Freemont Circuit, Truganina. $562,900 起 203 Isidore Drive, Doreen. $376,950 起

7023 Embleton Chase, Melton South. $498,900 起1622 Mystic Grove, Point Cook. $482,748 起

Page 30: Sep oct 2013 issue

特别专栏 — 布里斯班

56 AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS

自从2011年4月当选布里斯班市长,格兰汉姆•夸克(Graham Quirk)就一直为促进该市的经济发展,提高居民生活质量而努力。

“作为澳大利亚的新世界城市,我们正将布里斯班市搬上世界舞台,并支持一切方式吸引更多的项目、更多的游客和更多的投资。”夸克说。

布里斯班市紧邻亚太地区,仅中国一个国家就拥有13亿潜在消费者,全球市场具有无限的机遇。

“我希望在未来几年里继续增强我们同中国之间的关系,延续商务、贸易、教育等领域的纽带。”

诚然,汉语现已成为布里斯班市居民讲的第二多的语言,许多中国移民现在都把布里斯班市当成家了。

人口普查数据表明,澳大利亚的纯移民人口包括大量的中国籍公民,其中2011年布里斯班地区就有中国移民20,973人,而截至当年全澳中国移民总数达318,969人。

中国人民选择布里斯班

据《伦敦金融时报》杂志称,布里斯班市将在未来成为十大亚裔居民区。

快速增长的经济,强烈的融入感,安全清洁的环境,使越来越多的中国移民选择安居在布里斯班市。

“我们是新兴的资本城市,是此时此刻专门前来澳大利亚做生意的中国人的正确选择。”

“在这里你能找到属于自己的节拍。布里斯班已经不再是其他资本城市的分支,我们现在拥有自己不断增长的商业总部数量。”

布里斯班的全球性影响

许多中国人被布里斯班的技术环境和世界级大学所吸引。实际上,这座城市的大学当中有22%的注册学生来自于中国。

随着国际学生在布里斯班经济增长中发挥至关重要的作用,夸克提出了一些新的提案,比如“布里斯班国际学生大使项目”,就利用国际学生宣传该城市的商业和投资机会。

夸克市长还定期主持国际学生联谊会,目的是同这些未来的政治、商业、贸易领袖建立长久的关系。

夸克说:“从经济上讲,布里斯班市的国际学生每年贡献超过20亿美元的市政税收。并且我很自信,我们的世界级教育设施和持续增长的经济将继续刺激这个数字的增长。”

投资热点

布里斯班为投资者提供包括能源、数字工业、食品和农业等广泛领域的投资机会。

据香港经贸办事处(HKETO)统计显示,昆士兰州28%的投资者来自于中国,其中采矿业和房地产业均为热门投资目标。

“在过去的6年里,有记录的(同中国投资者)完成的交易数量达116次,中国企业家在澳商业总投资达433.7亿澳元。”夸克说。

其中有80%的投资是在采矿业,12%在石油天然气领域,还有5%在农业。

亚洲商业策略

夸克市长和布里斯班经济发展董事会Brisbane Marketing有一套细致的亚洲商业策略。

策略目前主要面向中国大陆、香港和台湾地区,去年大大增加了在商务、国际学生和休闲旅游等方面的中国境外消费。

“自从2010年亚洲商业策略实施以来,布里斯班市同昆士兰州贸易投资中国办事处、澳大利亚贸易委员会、澳大利亚商会、澳大利亚旅游局、昆士兰州旅游事务局等部门建立了强有力的商业发展纽带关系。”格雷厄姆说。

2013年3月香港发起的引人瞩目的“选择布里斯班”运动,成为包括美国总统贝拉克•奥巴马在内的20国集团领导人峰会独具特色的一幕,就是该策略的一个延伸。 www.choosebrisbane.com.au

国际关系

布里斯班市致力于通过同其他城市建立互惠互利关系提高在亚洲和世界的影响力。

“同领先的全球化城市的联系使布里斯

班市能够同其他城市交换最好的实践看法经验和对未来促进经济增长的思路,并提供切实高效的社区服务。”夸克说。

目前布里斯班市已同九个城市建立了姊妹城市关系,其中两个分别是重庆和深圳。在过去的3年里,布里斯班的姊妹城市和国际项目为本地公司创造了超过5亿美元的经济效益。

“我经常欢迎来自中国的商务和公民代表团。在2012年,深圳市市长就同一支代表团来访,成员包括商务人士、研究机构和教育部门。”

今年九月份,夸克市长将率领一支商务代表团到中国大陆执行商务任务,并随后参加高雄市2013亚太城市市长峰会。

作为布里斯班市的巨大成功,该城市还将在九月份主办20国集团领导人峰会。

未来展望

夸克市长对于布里斯班市的激情是有目共睹的。他将完全发挥这座城市潜能的动力从他所提出的政策和提案就可以证明。

“布里斯班市大有可为,她拥如此多亟待开发的机会,这些机会有积极进取的经济发展道路作为后援。”

这一道路的关键就是布里斯班同全球社会的联系,当然包括中国这个已被证明如此互惠互利的国家。

“我的愿望是我们两个经济体能够在未来的几十年里建立更加深入的联系,我愿意尽最大努力去实现这一目标。”

布里斯班-中国关系 空前加强 “作为澳大利亚的新世界城市,我们正将布里斯班市搬上世界舞台,并支持一切方式吸引更多的项目、更多的游客和更多的投资。”——布里斯班市长 格兰汉姆·夸克

布里斯班市长办公室地址: Level 1, City Hall

King George Square, Brisbane Qld 4000

电话:07 3403 4400

电子邮件:[email protected]

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

投资与移民

AUSTRALIA CHINA CONNECTIONS 57

我们精诚的服务与丰富的经验使我们成为了澳大拉西亚地区领先的商业经纪公司,并已成功出售了包括制造业、工程公司、技术公司、酒店、汽车旅馆、投资产业以及服务业在内的多家企业。

凭借大量的买家资源、合理有效的指导以及和强大的内外部支持,我们能够应对各种挑战并确保成功完成企业出售。

我们的首要目标是推动买家和卖家的联系,最终促成双方收获一份双赢的合约。我们不仅是澳大利亚企业出售业务的专家,同时也是诚信可靠的合作伙伴。

多年来,我们的工作得到了许多客户的肯定和满意,在业内获得了不凡的成就与卓越的声誉。因此,我们业务中的很大一部分来自于过去合作过的买家、卖家及关联的金融中介机构的鼎力推荐。

澳洲国际商业经纪有限公司 (AUS INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS BROKERS)独立的商业经纪公司 | 拥有多年的丰富业内经验

Whitsundays 婚宴酒店 售价:850万澳元

西澳 牧牛场 售价:699万澳元+牛只

维多利亚州 滑雪度假屋 售价:850万澳元

业务咨询请致电 Cathryn 手机: +61 (0)405 247 400

办公室: +61 (0)2 8023 4275

Iconic wedding venue lifestyle Whitsundays 8.5 million

Cattle holding feedlot export WA 6.99 million + stock

Ski lodge and apartments 8.5 million

中国分部地址:上海圆明园路149号外滩哈密大楼5层 电话:+86 21 3120 3133 网站:www.bestbusinessbuys.com.au

长期以来澳大利亚的商业移民政策总给人一种有点‘不方

便’的感觉,但是 2012年11月出台的500万澳币投资移民

的新政策在很多方面改变了澳商业移民的格局,和其他类

别比较有其独特的优势,如:申请人无需拥有过往经商/

投资经验、 无年龄上限、无需自已在澳打理生意、可以

做多种投资组合,和4年中只需要居住年头数x40天等。

成功移民的同时做最优投资组合是所有申请人关注的

核心,而澳大利亚优秀自然生态使得绿色农业项目,不管

是商业型还是休闲型,开始受到申请人的欢迎。

澳大利亚YGG商业投资顾问服务公司由领域内专业人

士组成,其成员包括资深律师、审计师和金融投资专

家, 专业领域涵盖澳大利亚移民法、税法和其他商业

法。

20年的行业经验使我们积累了丰富的人脉及对于澳大

利亚商业环境有深刻的理解。

YGG团队为高端投资者提供专业的一站式服务:

o 推荐优质合理的投资项目o 合理投资分析o 移民审计o 专业移民律师

YGG团队既了解中国商业思维,又具有本地西方视

野。另外,团队主要成员在协助农业、畜牧业等相关产

业方面有较强背景,可协助投资者寻找投资机会,进行

尽职报告、商业谈判和协助安排专业经理人。

欢迎来电垂询:Vivienne Goodwin(中文)+61 401 085 862Angus Gordon (英文) +61 407 908 494Stephen Yu (中文) +61 414 391 302

澳大利亚YGG商业投资顾问公司YGG Australian Business Advisory Services Pty LtdT | (+61 2) 8008 8566F | (+61 2) 9262 7445W | www.yggau.comA | Suite 501A-2, Level 5,

154 Elizabeth Street, Sydney NSW Australia 2000

成功移民 安全投资——澳绿色农业项目倍受500万澳币高端投资移民欢迎

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2013

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