California group guides Chinese companies into US mainstream

Chinese enterprises in the US often find that their success depends as much on stepping into the American cultural mainstream as it does on business performance.

That understanding informs the work of the Northern California Chinese Enterprise Association, which hosts its annual conference this week.

"Our event this year is the first of its kind for our organization - inviting a roster of high-level government officials and influential industry leaders to speak about their outlook for the Chinese and US economies, investment in the US and hot topics such as mobile and cloud computing," said Ben Chen, the association's chairman.

The CEA's 80-plus member companies include major industrial players such as China Unicom Ltd, China Telecom Corp, China Mobile Ltd, Air China Ltd and Huawei Technologies Co. Many have become a resource not only for other members of the influential association but also US companies seeking to do business in China.

"We see more and more Chinese enterprises coming to the US, both public and private, carrying larger investment capital than ever when they enter the US market today," said Chen, who is also a regional executive with China Unicom Americas.

He pointed to the example of China UnionPay, the State-owned company that is the sole provider of credit and debit cards for Chinese banks. CUP, as it's known, recently opened an office in Silicon Valley, and Lenovo Group Ltd has decided to put a research and development facility in the region.

These and other Chinese companies, Chen said, set up in Silicon Valley for the strategic purposes of attracting technology and skilled personnel.

Once they settle in locally, their businesses can thrive while creating a platform for information exchanges with US companies, he said.

"Many American companies find out that they don't even need to travel to China to get connected. Once they reach out to our members, they actually meet up with many of us.

"Some resources and relationships might take a foreign company years to develop, but getting to know our members will help them reach their goals faster."

Chen said Friday's CEA conference in San Jose will attract over 200 businesses and trade groups in Silicon Valley, and is supported by mainstream organizations such as the Bay Area Council and the Asia Society.

Challenges remain, however, for many Chinese enterprises entering the US market, the association chairman said, citing the US political climate as a factor in some CEA members' development.

"What our association aims to do is to help both sides understand each other better through communication, information exchange or simply becoming friends," Chen said.

Invited guests and speakers include California Governor Jerry Brown, Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and China's consul general in San Francisco, Gao Zhansheng, along with executives from Deloitte LLP, Wells Fargo & Co, Huawei and other companies.

Contact the writer at kellyzhang@chinadailyusa.com.