Direct contact key to success in Chinese market: Argentine consultant

BUENOS AIRES — Making direct contact with a potential business partner is the key to successfully accessing the growing Chinese market, Argentine consultant Enrique Bechis said Wednesday.

In an interview with Xinhua in Argentina's capital of Buenos Aires, Bechis spoke about his experiences living and working in China over the past 15 years, helping others promote their businesses, and the "amazing" changes taking place there.

He advised business owners and entrepreneurs seeking to enter the dynamic Chinese market to "have patience, the patience to go and get to know (the country) firsthand."

Nothing can take the place of a face-to-face encounter with a potential business partner, he said.

"The more complicated the business venture, the more necessary it becomes to visit, which can give you an idea of why China is so different. Come in direct contact with a Chinese businessman, it doesn't matter whether it is through an interpreter, you can still instantly note the tone of the conversation," Bechis added.

There are a few other factors that he believes can be decisive in making or breaking a deal.

"The presence of the person who makes the decisions is important," as is "having some local help ... especially because it can save time. Time and money are sometimes related, so saving time is important," said Bechis.

Getting "good legal advice is another important matter," though China itself is bolstering laws to guarantee foreign investors legal protections, he said.

"China is updating its entire legal system to provide greater legal security to foreign companies, and is succeeding, because China is the mecca for foreign companies. The system is a lot more predictable," said Bechis.

A civil engineer specializing in hydraulic engineering, Bechis first traveled to China in 2000, invited by authorities to visit the Three Gorges Dam spanning the Yangtze River.

"I had never been to China and what I saw seemed fantastic. More than half of the dams being built around the world at the time were being built in China, and I thought it was a good opportunity to see if I could do something in China, since my specialty is building dams," recalled Bechis.

However, he soon saw an opportunity in helping others with the same goal.

"The country fascinated me and, given the number of companies that wanted to do business with China, I launched a project to build a bridge, to offer service providing cultural understanding to all those companies that set out with no prior knowledge of China," said Bechis.

He spent some time learning about China's culture while putting together a business plan. His firm, Suarez and Menendez, agreed to represent British consulting firm Moore Stephens, to help steer companies looking to grow their businesses.

In 2002, his firm set up a shop in Shanghai, and over the years has helped more than 150 projects get off the ground, many belonging to "companies that are leaders in their fields," said Bechis.

When he first moved to Shanghai, Bechis said he longed for traditional Argentine cuisine, "but now it is the other way around, I miss my favorite Chinese dishes when back in Buenos Aires."

His "adopted home" is changing rapidly, said Bechis.

"If one leaves China for a while and comes back, one finds a China that has changed in every way," he said.