FCC Shanghai

China and Australia – End of the Honeymoon?

A panel discussion on the current state of relations between the two countries, and the role of the media
Laurie Smith, Colleen Ryan and Stephen Wyatt

1 Oz 3
Tuesday, June 30th, 7pm (talk starts at 7.30pm)

Just 18 months ago Australia was hailing the election of the western world’s first Mandarin speaking Premier. Now, following a series of scandals over links with China in the Australian media, Kevin Rudd’s administration is facing difficulties – while the recent attempt by Chinalco to buy a stake in Australia’s Rio Tinto was abandoned following heavy criticism in the press about the dangers of giving China too great a stake in Australia’s natural reserves. China is now threatening to investigate the replacement tie-up between Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton under its own anti-trust laws. So what went wrong for the China-Australia honeymoon, how badly has it affected bilateral relations – and what has been the media’s role in all of this?
Join us for a panel discussion between Laurie Smith, Shanghai based Director for North-east Asia of Austrade, Australia’s trade promotion agency (and a former head of News Corp in China), and journalists Colleen Ryan and Steve Wyatt, Shanghai-based correspondents for the Australian Financial Review.

Annual General Meeting and Happy Hour

Maya, inside Shanghai Grand Plaza, 568 Julu Lu, between Xiangyang Bei Lu and Shaanxi Nan Lu (6289 6889)

Tuesday 26th May, 7pm (formal meeting starts at 7.30)

Members only

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The SFCC Annual General Meeting and social evening will be held next Tuesday. We hope you can join us, to meet friends, elect a new board, and give us feedback and suggestions on the club’s activities. Refreshments will be provided! We will also be showing a selection of recent photos by FCC photojournalist members Jan Siefke, Sharron Lovell and Jackson Lowen.

Ben Simpfendorfer

Maya

Thursday, May 21st, 7pm (talk starts at 7.30pm)

Increasing numbers of Arab traders in Chinese coastal cities; Arabic-speaking Chinese officials appearing on Al Jazeera; Chinese businesses using Syria as a regional jumping-off point... Ties between China and the Arab world are growing fast, and Ben Simpfendorfer, Chief China Economist for the Royal Bank of Scotland, explains why in his newly published book, "The New Silk Road." A veteran of fifteen years in Beirut, Beijing, Damascus and Hong Kong, he will examine the rapid growth in trade and investment links between the two regions, explore the importance of oil and Islam, and discuss the rise of the Silk Road's sovereign wealth funds.

A Lunchtime Talk with Yale Zhang and Klaus Paur

1 Oz 3

Wednesday, May 6th, 12pm (talk starts at 12.30pm)

With the Chinese car market overtaking the US in the first quarter of this year, and the big US car makers in deep trouble, can China save the industry? Are China’s own brands ready for the international market – and are China’s consumers really ready for small eco-friendly cars? In the wake of the Shanghai auto show, renowned industry expert Yale Zhang and consumer analyst Klaus Paur will look at future trends, as China gets mobile.

Secrets of the Laowai Entrepreneur

Antonio Fernandez, Laurie Underwood, Marc van der Chjis, Robert Theleen, Jenny Hsui:
Secrets of the Laowai Entrepreneur

M1NT

Wednesday, April 29th, 7pm (talk starts at 7.30pm)

China is now one of the world's best markets for business startups, even in today's downturn.
Join us for a discussion with the authors of the newly released book China Entrepreneur, Laurie Underwood and Prof. Antonio Fernandez, and three entrepreneurs who will share their experience of doing business in China. They will talk about the opportunities and pitfalls in what looks set to be the biggest market in pretty much anything.

China Cuckoo

Mark Kitto

The Mix at Mesa

Wednesday, April 1st, 7pm (talk starts at 7.30pm)

A legend in Shanghai as the founder of that’s Shanghai and its sister publications, Mark Kitto saw his business empire crumble around him in traumatic circumstances in 2004. Yet rather than giving up on China, he decided to plunge even deeper into local life, eventually moving with his family to Moganshan, the once famous mountain retreat in Zhejiang which he has now helped to revive, running a coffee house in an old hotel, and writing regular columns on life there for the British magazine Prospect. His experiences in Shanghai, the story of that’s, and the history of Moganshan, are vividly described in his entertaining new book, China Cuckoo. Mark will discuss the highs and lows of doing business in China, and the different challenges of life with the wild boars, retired military officers and would-be real estate developers of Moganshan.