State of the Chamber May 2017
Dear Members and Friends,
I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you some of the highlights of 2017 so far and provide a short overview of what is upcoming. What a start to the year it has been!
Membership
Membership is the core focus for AustCham Shanghai and a significant part of this are the companies that contribute as Platinum members. Our Platinum membership year begins from April and today I am pleased to announce our Platinum members for 2017. You will see a number of familiar businesses that are strongly positioned as leaders in the Australia-China business community, and excitingly, some new Platinum members that we are delighted to welcome in Food Leaders Australia, Blackmores, CSL Behring, Shanghai United Family Hospital, VISY, St James’s Place Wealth Management, and Swisse Wellness. Welcome!
Membership more broadly continues apace, with consistent renewal rates. The start of 2017 has seen a number of new members and some particularly noteworthy organisations including SPC Ardmona, Murray Goulburn Dairy, Summerfruit Australia, Moelis Australia Asset Management, and the Gunnedah Shire Council - all of which signify the broadening base of Australian business interests in China.
Our Industry Forums have also been active with regular meetings. Our Financial Services Industry Forum for example recently hosted the Reserve Bank of Australia’s representative in China Patrick D’Arcy for a discussion about financial reform in China while our SME committee has held a number of information sharing opportunities to help businesses with the unique realities of operating in China. You will see shortly the rollout of our monthly Industry Insights documents, which will rotate across our various sectors to bring you a 1-page overview of the industry in China, the opportunities and challenges, and some links to key reading to ensure you are briefed. Our Food, Beverage and Agriculture Industry Forum has just completed our first release due to be published in May.
Representation
An important part of the services AustCham Shanghai offers is representing and advocating on behalf of the Australian business community in China. As the largest Australian Chamber of Commerce in Greater China we recently pulled together a targeted and informed submission to the Foreign Policy White Paper process run by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The White Paper is an important undertaking and China the most important focus for Australia’s foreign policy considerations.
Our submission details six economic policy recommendations for the Australian Government that specifically relate to the Chinese market. You can download the full document here. I would encourage you to take a look, and as always, feedback your views in our various Industry Forums and events through the year.
Events
Things are never quiet at AustCham Shanghai and the first few months of 2017 have been no exception. We have hosted some top events, including our Australia Day Roast at Kakadu, a sold-out briefing with Australia’s Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment The Hon Steven Ciobo MP who briefed our membership on the latest developments on the China Australia Free Trade Agreement, a night with former Australian Ambassador to China Dr Geoff Raby and the Australian Financial Review’s China Correspondent Angus Grigg. More recently, our team was in Suzhou on Friday night for our first 2017 Aussie Drinks in the Delta region, a fantastic opportunity to connect with our members in that part of the world. Stay tuned for our next regional venture when we are off to Nanjing, followed by Hangzhou.
A key part of the events we do at AustCham Shanghai is also the assistance we are able to provide to Australian organisations in China through our Event Management services. Our Chamber recently had the pleasure of assisting The China Australia Millennial Project (CAMP), a 100-person delegation of young Chinese and Australian professionals come to Shanghai and Hangzhou for a full week to witness the innovation, start up, and technology sectors in China. AustCham Shanghai took care of all the logistics for this massive undertaking that culminated in a trip to the Alibaba campus in Hangzhou and a ceremony at member venue Sasha’s in the heart of old Shanghai. Congratulations to all involved!
More recently, we assisted the University of Sydney Business School with a cocktail function to thank their in-market providers as part of their Industry Placement Program.
A discussion of events however wouldn’t be complete without mentioning all of what is upcoming in May. With the historic AFL game to be played between the Port Adelaide Power and the Gold Coast Suns in Shanghai - a week we have termed ‘MAyFL’ - we have pulled together a week of programming to give our members and the large number of visitors from Australia and across the region an opportunity to come together in various settings. The proceedings will get underway on Friday May 12 with our On the Ground in China Panel Discussions where top China experts will be sharing their insights on the Chinese Consumer and the importance of China literacy in Australian boardrooms. Held down at Glam Bar at M on the Bund, this event will flow into our May Aussie Drinks. We wake up the next day for our Summer BBQ, brought to you by Shanghai United Family Hospital at Wellington International College. We are expecting our biggest turnout ever as the event will coincide with the inaugural AFL Asia Shanghai Cup, with games through the day, and plenty of activities for the kids and adults alike. We will have something for everyone, and Australian beef and beer will be plentiful. The following Wednesday we wind down with our China F&B Insights Panel Discussion, in partnership with Food South Australia, and timed to coincide with one of the larger trade fairs in Shanghai SIAL.
Another major event next month will be the 2017 AustCham Westpac Australia-China Business Awards Gala Dinner on Thursday May 18 at the JW Mariott Beijing. Tickets are now available for this high-profile celebration that will recognise the achievements of Australian businesses in the Greater China region.
We are also pleased to announce our Multi-Event pass, a pack of event tickets that streamlines the approval and purchasing process for our member companies, and offers employees 2,500RMB worth of event credit for a discounted 2,200RMB. Get in touch to purchase yours of for additional information.
Business Engagement
Following the great success of the inaugural Graduate Career Fair in 2016, which gathered more than 560 returnees from Australian universities and 43 companies and university representatives, AustCham Shanghai and Austrade have this year decided to join forces to host the Australia China Careers Fair Roadshow in Shanghai and Beijing from June 30 – July 2, 2017. We hope to see even more member companies and education bodies involved this year, stay tuned on the announcement in coming weeks.
We will be running a repeat of our successful E-Commerce and Retail Delegation in September, and two more independent delegations on specific industry sectors before the year is out.
As always, please reach out to us if we can be of any assistance.
Udo Doring
CEO and Executive Director
AustCham Shanghai
