2007 America & China Small & Medium Sized Business Conference (Oct 29 - 30, Rockville, MD)

Xugeng Zhou, Haiyan Li, Lt. Governor Anthony Brown, Ex-Im Bank VP John Emens

Jasmine Zhou, Executive Director of ACIF, Lt. Governor Anthony Brown, Xugeng Zhou Chair of ACIF

Samuel Mok, Fmr. CFO of Dept. of Labor

Benjamin Wu, Fmr. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Technology Policy

Jasmine Zhou, Executive Dir. of ACIF awarding certificate to Ike Leggett, Montgomery County Executive

Jasmine Zhou, Pradeep Ganguly, Ph.D. Director of Montgomery Dept. of Economic Development, Xugeng Zhou, Chair of ACIF

Jasmine Zhou, Haiyan Li, Economic Counselor, Embassy of PRC, Xugeng Zhou

Group photo, Mrs. & Mr. Mok; Pradeep Ganguly; Xugeng Zhou; Jasmine Zhou

Sally Steinbach, Executive Director of Rockville Economic Development, Inc. talking to attendees

Conference attendees doing Tai Chi stretch to relax during conference

For this year's (2008) Conference info, please click here.

Time: October 29-30, 2007

Venue: the Universities At Shady Grove Conference Center

Bringing together small & medium sized businesses in the U.S. and China

In addition to providing American companies the ease of finding Chinese manufacturers and outsourcing partners without leaving home, the conference aims to promote a more balanced trade deficit between the US and China by reversing the past trend of exporting Chinese manufactured goods to the US, instead providing an opportunity for US companies to present their products and services to potential Chinese buyers.

The Conference

1.      Chinese companies that are looking into investing in, expanding to, selling to or buying from U.S. market are expected to attend the conference in Washington, D.C. Their attending representatives usually are high level decision-making executives.

2.      U.S.-based companies that are looking into partnering with, expanding to, investing in, buying from or selling to the Chinese market are expected to attend the conference.

3.      As a high-profile event, ACIF, well-connected in Chinese media around the globe, will ensure the conference, along with its strategic partners, co-hosts and sponsors, receive maximum possible media coverage and exposure both in China and in the United States.

4.      The conference will have 5 focuses, IT (including U.S. exportable high tech products and environmental protection technology), real estate, incubator programs for high tech companies, manufacturers and US investment opportunities.

5.      Excellent and credible media exposure, including news stories, PR stories, print advertisements, press releases, etc.

The conference platform builds a bridge between the SMBs of America and China and help them in establishing roles in each other's economies and fostering cooperation in the various industries of the participants.

The Conference will be held annually alternating location between the US and China. In addition to the annual conference we will also be arranging a series of one-on-one, business-to-business matchmaking events, which will produce valuable connections and real results to the SMBs of the two countries.

Background

Small and medium sized businesses are of indispensable importance to both the US and the Chinese economies. They not only take up over 50% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), but they have also alleviated much of the unemployment for both economies. SMBs make up 99.8 percent of all employer firms, employ 54 percent of all U.S. employees and are projected to be one of the most important driving forces for China's economic growth for the next decade.

Economic globalization has allowed many multinational companies to enter the Chinese market. However, while the majority of the Fortune 500 companies solidified their products and services in the Chinese market, most of the small to medium sized businesses in the US were left on the sideline, watching the big companies reeling in massive profits from such a lucrative market. In order to compete in an increasingly globalized economy, SMBs in the US will need to position themselves to target China's 1.3 billion consumer market.

Over twenty years have passed since China's adaptation of the Open Door Economic Policy. Chinese companies, especially small to medium sized businesses, have grown and matured enough to step outside of China's domestic marketplace. Chinese SMBs are no longer satisfied with exporting manufactured goods to the US. They are now seeking opportunities to invest and to purchase US products, services and technologies.

Small to medium-sized businesses are critical to the health of the two most powerful economies in the world. Such significant contributions to the economies have earned small and medium sized businesses favorable attention from both China and the US. Expansion and growth of the small to medium sized business sector is a primary concern for both the US and Chinese economies.

In July of 2005, the China Council for the Promotion of the International Trade (CCPIT), and the US Department of Commerce signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to launch a new US-China International Partner Network. This network is designed to foster a relationship between the US and Chinese small and medium-sized companies in 14 key Chinese business centers, generating new opportunities for US and Chinese SMBs in each other's market.

This initiative reflects the desire of both countries to establish a long-term, mutually beneficial economic relationship. It lays the groundwork for US SMBs to grow and expand their consumer base while giving Chinese SMBs greater access to markets in addition to manufacturing and export.

America & China
International Foundation

Sponsors:

Citibank

Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development

The Center for US-China Technology, Innovation and Development

Cooperating Partners:

China Coucil for Promotion of International Trade

Partner Conference:

Asian American

Business Conference 2007

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