April, 2005

BIG ADVICE

Small businesses looking for opportunities in China should bypass Beijing and Shanghai and look instead to less-well-known municipalities.

That's the advice Savio Chan, president of Melville-based U.S. China Partners, gave people who attended a recent symposium sponsored by the National Minority Business Council.

"China is very hot right now," Chan told us last week. "A lot of small- and medium-sized businesses are looking for opportunities to do business in China." But when they investigate the better-known cities, Chan said, the businesses discover large corporations have already beaten them to the punch.

"If you're a small little guy, a small little corporation, and you go after Shanghai and Beijing and try to see the mayor or the governor, the chances are not going to be high that they will see you," Chan said. "But the fact of the matter is, many so-called second-tier cities are huge, and they are very business friendly, and there are great business opportunities for these medium- and small-sized businesses. ... They'll give a lot more attention to you."

As for U.S. China Partners, the 2-year-old business tries to represent Chinese companies here and open doors for U.S. companies in China. The "partner" is Tom Shinnick, who is as well-known as Chan in Long Island business circles, and the company is essentially the successor to Savio Channel, which Chan formed after leaving Invision.com.

"I liked the name, Savio Channel, it was kind of cool," Chan said. "But I was getting tired of having to explain what Savio Channel does. ... With U.S. China Partners, people look at the name, and they say, 'ah, I got it.'"