Members can attend private events with China specialists sharing latest research and transaction reviews. By restricting invitations to members, this allows for free sharing of knoweledge under Chatham House rules. Dinners take place twice a year and are by invitation only. In addition to events run by China Investors Club, we also have access to partner events that can be shared by our members.
On joining the Club, members provide details of their China business development plans and investment requirements. This profile is then used to help match up suitable opportunities as they arise whether in realtion to Chinese visiting the UK in groups or individually. The Club is approached weekly by our Chinese network to find investment opportunities of business introductions and we are able to channel such enquiries to the appropriate members before being sent to a wider audience. We also have access to ad-hoc private social events aimed at visiting Chinese investors that we can share with members.
Members will get to receive discounts on attending all CIC events as well as priority registration. With spaces limited to keep the quality of discussion high, knowing you are able to get tickets to attend each event means you can plan your diary. When new events are launched, members receive notification ahead of others to ensure they have first option on the available places.
This will include latest research and news relating to business development in China. There will also be higlights and summaries of recent CIC events. Members get to receive this newsletter ahead of others and also submit their own corporate news stories about latest product launches of business wins.
On joining the Club, members will have their corporate branding and website links placed on the website. This branding will also be carried over to our regular roundtable and MarketPlace events in the UK as well as at events run in China. By having your brand aligned with the China Investors Club, it demostrates a commitment to developing China UK trade. Members are also offered opportunities to sponsor and speak at CIC events at a discount.
Club members benefit from inter-member discounts on travel, accommodation and other services. Example benefits are discounted visa applications, flights with Tianjin Airlines, translation services, Chinese social media and business development support. We also offer members introduction services to specialists in Chinese law, finance, tax and accounting.
Your Club
‘an association dedicated to a particular interest or activity’ (Oxford English Dictionary)
Becoming a member of the China Investors Club means that you are aligned to the specific interest and activity of developing business between China and the UK.
Background
William Franklin, CEO China Investors Club founded the Club in 2014. He was looking for a Club or Association that reflected his China/UK business development needs but found only social and cultural networking groups or State-Level platforms. None of these satisfied the needs of the small to medium sized enterprises that could benefit the most from direct investment from China or develop new export trading links with China.
Common questions by UK firms seeking business with China
- Which part of China do I focus my business
- How will I protect my IP and Trademarks
- How do I know if a Chinese Partner is trustworthy
- What financing is available
- What is the Chinese investor looking for in a UK firm
- Do the latest Chinese regulations allow me to move funds in and out of China
- Are there any Chinese Government support grants available
- Do I need to speak Mandarin
- How do I find others that have done this before
It also became apparent that legal and accounting partnerships also sought help in connecting with the UK enterprise community and Chinese investor base. Few had established sustainable ‘China Desks’ and so looked for ways to profile their advisory services to this new audience. Their business development in China relied heavily on global networks of professionals but the cross-flow of referrals rarely met expectations. In order to change this model they tried to undertake their own business development by flying Partners to China to network with businesses there. However after the direct costs of flights, accommodation and entertainment plus the opportunity cost of Partners travelling such distances, they realised this approach rarely delivered the results they were looking for. In addition, the cultural differences of working with Chinese clients meant that even if they did get to the engagement stage, service costs sometimes exceeded revenues.
Keeping up with the Chinese
One of the few constants of working with the Chinese business and investor communities is ‘Change’. Keeping up to speed with regulations, technology, regional growth and political nuance can be challenging. Add to that the cultural and language differences means that unless you have a dedicated China Desk to support your business you will struggle to stay on top of developments. And this is where the China Investors Club and its members come in. By creating an environment of common interest and activity, members can dip in and out of the Club to get the updates and networks important to them at a time they need them. Unlike many Clubs, we provide a regular programme of round table discussions and information flow that can be accessed by all members. In addition, the Club offers a series of member only benefits that relate directly to business development and establishment of new commercial partnerships.