To continue on about my last trip to China, I must tell you that China has found a great way to make rain.

I arrived on November 3 in Beijing and was surprised to see snow on the ground. While sitting in the lounge waiting for my flight that night to Xian (for the Yangling Agricultural Hi-tech fair), one of the passengers told me that I was lucky I did not arrive yesterday during the main-made snow storm. Apparently, Beijing had not had rain for a few days so they decided to create some but had not taken into account the sudden cold front moving in and so, snow. The following week I got to experience the snow first hand and spent the day in the airport doing nothing but waiting.

In Beijing during one of my breakfast sojourns to Paul's Steak & Eggs, I ran into a famous US lawyer based in Beijing named Mark Cohen. It was amazing listing to various business stories first hand from someone who went to China in the 80's. One thing he mentioned was a story about a client who told him one day that he did not need him anymore as he knew enough about China and could do it alone. I am sure that there are many clichés I can quote but fact is certain, even for us "old China hands", you can never know enough to go it alone. I always cringe when someone introduces me before I teach a class or before I give a speech, by saying that I am a "China expert". I am not but I am a student who will spend lifetime learning. The rest of his story was, by the way, that this client ran into problems and it took twice as long to solve them than to have prevented them in the first place.

I always remember the song by Kermit the Frog, "It ain't easy being green" and that too applies to working with China. Being green in the ways of business in dealing with China, may cost you some green, as in money. You can never have too much knowledge, too much "guanxi" or too many connections when dealing with China. Read and do your homework and consult with such groups as the EDC, the Canadian Trade Commissioners Services and groups like CCBC.

Last week, I was at a luncheon put on by the Empire Club and it dealt with the US market. One statement made by the one of the speakers stood out to me. He said basically, if your business has a large US market, you will not detract from it by launching business in the "BRIC" markets, you will only enhance your business.

In 2010, Canadian business will need to recharge their export markets and China needs to be on the radar.  Even if you are there and doing well, come and talk to us at CCBC and maybe we can help you be better.