A month on from the Enabling Innovation UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) missions to China, Steve Williams from UKTI’s ICT Key Event team spoke with UKTechnologylive to outline feedback from the missions to date and reflect on the Chinese technology market.
UKTechnologylive: Steve, you were involved in the organisation of the missions to China during July. What did you find most interesting during the week-long trip?
Steve Williams: I was pleased with the warm welcome that the UK group received from Chinese companies and the government organisations that we met. There is a genuine interest from the Chinese in engaging with UK companies on technology partnership opportunities. There was also a good understanding of UK capability in the sector, which demonstrated that UKTI’s Enabling Innovation initiative has been making traction over the past year and a half.
UKTL: In which areas do you think collaboration is most likely?
SW: The feedback that we have received from the three simultaneous missions (Communications & M2M; Consumer Electronics & Electronic Design; eHealth and telemedicine) has been very encouraging. Delegates are reporting on an increased understanding of the Chinese market and business culture, with some indicating substantial potential future business as a result of the access that was provided. One of the key themes throughout our visit was the Chinese enthusiasm for The Internet of Things (IOT) – intelligent infrastructure connecting machines to remotely monitor and manage over the internet. The Chinese indicated areas of technology where they where seeking support, such as sensor and RFID technologies and embedded software. They also highlighted areas of challenge to IOT such as standardisation, security and cost.
UKTL: What opportunities did the UK companies have to engage directly with Chinese companies?
SW: The platform created by the mission provided delegates with an opportunity to engage directly with Chinese government and industry. This included through seminar events, where we had participation from dignitaries such as Vice Mayor Tan, Wuxi Municipal Government and Deputy Director General Li, Jiangsu Economy & Information Department. Chinese company speakers included representatives from the three mobile operators, Mobile, Telecom and Unicom. The highlight of the seminar session in Wuxi was the opportunity to meet and listen to the influential Madam Qi, Deputy Manager, Jiangsu Mobile. The delegates also had a one-to-one meeting programme; as well as visits to some major Chinese companies such as Huawei, Haier and Hisense; and a visit to the China Academy of Telecommunications Research (CATR), which was hosted by President Yang Zemin and covered China’s development and challenges on the Internet of Things. The programme also covered an extensive marketing campaign to help support UK delegates in their company promotion in China, which included being featured through the UK pavilion site for Shanghai World Expo.
UKTL: What is the outlook for companies wanting to do business in China?
SW: There is considerable potential for companies to be successful in the China. Companies must do their research into the market and fully understand the business culture. They must also have the commitment and resource to follow up and support any potential business. UKTI’s China Team, who were excellent in support of this mission and pulled together a high-level programme, are on hand to support individual companies in helping them to further develop opportunities derived from the July activity and in general offer support to companies looking to develop China business. The UK already has many successful companies operating in China, with UKTI’s Enabling Innovation partners providing a good example of our strengths – ARM; BT; Sony Ericsson; Vodafone; Symbian; NDS; Picochip; 4energy & Sondrel.
UKTL: Any immediate opportunities for companies to do business in China?
SW: The early feedback that we have received from UK delegates indicates potential business, as a result of the missions, worth millions of pounds. Delegates also have an extensive contacts base for follow up and an understanding on how to do business in China.
A major part of UKTI’s China strategy this year is the Enabling Innovation Leadership Forum, which will be held on Monday 13th September. The Leadership Forum covers “Responsible Low Energy Design in the Communications Value Chain” and includes senior level speakers from Chinese and UK industry and academia. The event is sponsored by Huawei and will be held at their new R&D centre in Pudong.
The importance that UKTI is placing on this event is underlined with the key note address by Mark Prisk, Minister for Business and Enterprise.
UKTI’s China Team has also added an extended visit programme for UK companies attending the Leadership Forum. This programme will focus on opportunities around TD-LTE and will visit Chinese organisations in Shanghai and Beijing heavily involved in developments.
The companies involved in the UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) missions to China have had time to reflect on an exhausting week of visits and meetings. 
Research has shown that up to 20% of businesses have no IT business continuity provisions in place, leaving them exposed to business loss and down time should a disaster occur. Joining the UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) trade missions to China this year was Denis Ubhi, managing director at Reliability Networking Limited (Rel-Net).
Google continues to grapple with the issues of operating in China, the world’s largest internet market. With Chinese authorities exerting influence over what their citizens watch and read, internet giants can quickly find themselves running into problems or even failing to secure an internet content provider (ICP) licence, without which it is impossible to operate a commercial website.
Nigel Chadwick provides his overview of the final day of business on the UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) missions to China
Nigel Chadwick, CEO of Stream, updates UKTechnologylive on thre progress of the UK Trade & Investment trade mission to China
Mervyn Levin of Levering recounts what he has learnt from his first day on the UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) mission to China.
