Engaging with the Chinese Private Sector

High profile networking conference with Hurun Report and Chinese billionaires, supported by Chopsticks Club, June 2015 Unique opportunity to engage with the people whose business success tells the story of modern China "There are currently 350 Chinese US$ billionaires listed in the Hurun China Rich List. Their personal stories and their dynamic businesses coupled with the meteoric pace of their super wealth creation is the amazing story of change in modern China," according to Rupert Hoogewerf, Chairman and Founder of Hurun Report. Mr Hoogewerf brought 20 of China's most influential entrepreneurs on a unique visit to London to discuss investment opportunities in post-election Britain at this Engaging with the Chinese Private Sector summit. To an audience of 200 people including senior business people, government executives and Chopsticks Club members, the Summit was held in the aspirational theatre setting at BAFTA on Piccadilly. The Summit was followed by a buzzing, private dinner with plenty of opportunities to network. "The single biggest engagement point is school for these people," said Rupert Hoogewerf. What a contrast when you look back on China's recent history. According to Mr Chan Chai of Reignwood Estates, the parents of many of these entrepreneurs were denied an education due to the upheaval of the Cultural Revolution. "Now the delegation want to invest strategically," added Hoogewerf. From motor racing to property to animal feed to IT and technology the keynote speeches and the panellists brought fresh insight into the broad interests of the Chinese rich elite and their intentions to invest overseas. Safety and health were cited as key issues for the Chinese people right now. Mr Li Jinyuan of Tiens, talked of the desire to find investment opportunities where "1 + 1 does not equal 2 but more than 10!...the vitality and vigour of the Chinese market is huge," he said, "with infrastructure building and strategy at the core...to drive consumption and to raise the living standards of millions more people." Mr Chen Rong, who specialises in capital investment, mentioned various case studies where enormous growth has taken place from an app that locates a local chef to cook at home to a wind power project to help solve China's power problems. The summit brought heavyweight government commentators together to comment on the post-election political and economic outlook. Lord Francis Maude, newly appointed Minister of State for Trade & Investment, highlighted the strong economic and political ties and commitment between China and the UK. He also cited the positive UK environment for inward investment making it an attractive destination for wealthy Chinese with the result that inward investment from China is equal to that being poured into Germany, France and Italy combined. Baroness Bottomley spoke of "this government's desire to bring clarity and economic prosperity along with wealth creation and philanthropy that invests in our communities." Dr Gerard Lyons, Chief Economic Advisor to the London Mayor, Boris Johnson, spoke of the post-election economic outlook. He highlighted for their excellence the services of the City of London, UK green tech industries, Life Sciences and UK universities. The delegates also heard about some great initiatives from the creative arts between the UK and China involving the British Film Institute and the Royal Philarmonic Orchestra. Mr Wang from Amer, spoke of his pride at being part of the Hurun Report platform and the Global Rich List. "We hope that we can inspire Chinese people around the world to do better business," he said. The dinner was a delicious spread of delicacies "from the air, the sea and the earth" selected carefully by the F&B Manager at BAFTA and was served with fantastic UK wines. Chopsticks Club was delighted to support this very successful event.