For those that missed the workshop, they can download the presentation here.

European SMEs from both the Italian Chamber of Commerce and EUSME Centre in Beijing had been asking for more information regarding how to successfully acquire China’s investments and the best structures to do business in China. The “Financing for SMEs – tools and best practice” workshop on Tuesday, 6th April, set to do just that inviting:

• Dickson Leung, the Senior Partner of LehmanBrown International Accountants, discussing “Getting Ready for Investments in China”;
• Sergio Miele, the Senior Business Development Consultant at ICBC Milan Branch, outlining the “Banking assistance to European SMEs investing in China”; and
• Tanya Wen, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Seta Capitals explaining how to “Successfully obtain funding for developing the Chinese market”.

The workshop started with Dickson beginning with explaining how European SMEs should go through a due diligence check-up to make sure that the company is appealing to would-be investors, be it in or out of China. Once the company history and books are in order, precise forecasting, with all possible strategy projections, can be made to present to banks and investors, establish clear expectations, and increase the chances of receiving investments. Dickson also went through the different business structures that could be implemented in China as a European SME and looked at all tax and cash-flow limitation that could affect them. Lastly, he shared that to find an actionable market in China, and one should look at the tax reliefs in the industries and the various benefits the individual cities or regions in China can offer.

Miele followed Dickson presentation sharing the extent of the ICBC network across Europe and the world and the number of services it was able to offer. However, he first discussed the difficulties of assessing European SMEs and what intrapreneurs and business owners should do to make their business more appealing for ICBC to invest in. He had also shared that ICBC had invested in most Italian projects and could offer business matchmaking, which can immensely help businesses find new opportunities. In closing, he shared several case studies to show how ICBC’s services were applied to different industry and market situations.

To close the workshop, Tanya Wen presented her company’s projects with various Chinese investors looking at how simple and complex structures can be created to establish a strong partnership. Wen had also taken the time to explain that Chinese companies are very eager to expand abroad and showed examples of which industries they are currently keen to invest in. Before closing, she explained some vital tips for reaching an agreement and avoiding misunderstanding between Chinese investors and European business owners.

LehmanBrown International Accountants would like to thank both the EUSME Centre and the Italian Chamber of Commerce in China for hosting the workshop and invite anyone from the workshop to feel free to enquire about their business needs via email enquiries@lehmanbrown.com.