In 1972, I left home for my adventure in China. I was one of a group of nine students from Sri Lanka who, along with our classmates from North Korea, Pakistan, Albania, North Vietnam, and Africa, were on scholarship at the language institute in Beijing. The only thing we had in common was English as a second language and the fact that none of us could have foreseen that 28 years later Greater China would be referred to as the Fourth Pole in the international business community after the US, Germany, and Japan.
Years spent in technical work/study programs traveling through China, and experiencing the chafing regimentation and paranoia of the post Cultural Revolution period was an apprenticeship for my many Chinese friends and me. I recall the occasional, mild rebuke for being a "bad element." I was not alone. Yet those years became my framework for understanding China, its people, its needs, its obstacles, and its officialdom.
Any lingering thoughts about the benefits of socialism and communism crumbled when I first experienced Western capitalism and its byproduct - abundance - in West Berlin and Europe in 1975. Upon my return to China, it became apparent that I was in the right place, at the right time, and doing the right thing. In 1977, my close student friends became senior officials in the various government ministries. I was in a position to convert the years of learning to earning. American companies in China needed contacts made, problems solved, and leads followed. In 1980, CHINA BUSINESS ASSOCIATES (CBA) i became the first permanent American company registered in China.
CBA is a bi-cultural force of business facilitators for both American and Chinese clients. Its activities in consulting, manufacturing, distribution, services, and import/export continue to earn a unique reputation for effectiveness and reliability in building and maintaining relationships that bridge cultures and avoid or clear away obstacles. CBA is recognized as a "good friend" for the long term by Chinese companies and authorities and an organization that consistently exceeds client expectations.
China's economic development for the remainder of the decade and beyond will be a continuation of the convergence between Western management systems, technical expertise, and capital, and Chinese entrepreneurial energy, markets, and talent. China's needs and pace of development demand nothing less. The opportunities are such that no truly serious business can afford to ignore if it is committed to long-term global markets. CBA's mature China business network is available to make the challenges of navigating China's business environment easier and the result profitable for companies who see China as pan of their long-term strategy.
Sincerely,
Raja Magasweran
Managing Director.