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Aerospace 4

John Bruns, Boeing (China) Co., Ltd.Kevin Wu, Textron

Agriculture 1

Michael Boddington, Boddington ConsultingKevin Eblen, Monsanto

Aviation Cooperation Program 11

Pat Power, FAAMarc Allen, Boeing (China) Co., Ltd.

Beijing 4

John Holden, Hill & Knowlton (China) Public Relations Co., Ltd.

Michael Dardzinski, Reed SmithBusiness Process Outsourcing 1

Julie Liu, Cummins ChinaMichael Liu, Compupacific International Inc.Gabrielle Sanders, Convergys Software Service (Beijing) Co., Ltd.

Clean Technology 1

Robert Jones, EcolinxEmiel van Sambeek, Azure International

Cosmetics 2

Carol Shen, Estee Lauder (Shanghai) Commercial Co., Ltd.Environmental Industry 1

Daniel Li, Albemarle (Shanghai) Chemical Co.Michael Nicholls, Otek Australia Pty. Ltd.

Export Compliance Working Group 8

Chris Szymanski, SMIC Co.Marc Allen, Boeing (China) Co., Ltd.

Financial Services 3

Kim Woodard, InterChina ConsultingFood 5

Owen Ma, PepsiCo, Inc.Healthcare Industry 5

Eric Kong, Edwards Lifesciences World Trade (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

Roberta Lipson, Chindex International, Inc.Human Resources 3 & 7

Jim Leininger, Towers WatsonAlan Babington-Smith, LMI China (Shanghai) Inc.

Insurance 3

Lester Ross, WilmerHaleSufang Cui, Principal Life Insurance Company

Intellectual Property Rights 12

Mark Cohen, Fordham University Law School

Information Technology/Telecom 1

Max D. Klein, USITOJimmy Goodrich, Cisco Systems (China) Co., Ltd.

Manufacturing and Sourcing 3

Harold Lang, Terex (China) Investment Co., Ltd.Dwight Nordstrom, PRI Management & Consulting Ltd.

Manufacturing (Tianjin) 10

Scott Taylor, IndividualMarketing, Advertising and Public Relations 1

William Moss, Motorola David Zeke Yusah, Lenovo

Media and Entertainment 2

Mathew Robert Alderson, Harris Moure PLLC, BeijingArturo Casares, Mexico Guajillo Entertainment SA

DE CV Beijing Representative OfficeJames Dyson, Weber Shandwick

Oil, Energy and Power 1

Greg Ray, Independent Project Analysis, Inc.Zhiyong Zhao, Hess China Oil and Gas Beijing

Provincial & Regional Development 14

Emory Williams, SureBlock CompanyLily Yang, Schneider Electric

Real Estate and Development Industry 1

Eric Hirsch, Jones Lang LaSalleJin Yong, CB Richard Ellis

Real Estate (Tianjin Chapter) 10

Micheal Hart, Jones Lang LaSalleRetail and Distribution Industry 1

Matthew Estes, BabyCare Ltd.Barry Friedman, Wal-Mart

Small Business 6 & 7

Anthony Goh, US-Pacific Rim International, Inc.Standards 3

Fei Liu, ASTM International China OfficeJohn Larkin, LTI Associates

Tax 8

Wendy Guo, PriceWaterhouse CoopersBrett Norwood, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu CPA Ltd.

Tourism Industry 2

Jamie Lee, IndividualTransportation and Logistics 2

TBAUS-China Energy Cooperation Program 15

ECP@amchamchina.org

American Community and Culture (ACC) 2

Kathy Chi, Golden Richland Business ConsultantsAnthony Goh, US - Pacific Rim International, Inc

Business Sustainability 6 & 2

Andy Andreasen, Shanghai AIAL Information Consulting Co., Ltd.

Kaying Lau, APCO Worldwide Inc.Chinese Government Affairs 13

Wan Li, CumminsCustoms & Trade 8

Xiaoping Jiang, Flextronics (China)Election 6

David Diebold, David Diebold & Associates (HK) Ltd. Beijing

Golf Program 1

Hans Lootiens, Renaissance Beijing Capital HotelSu Cheng Harris-Simpson, SCHS Asia

Legal 12

Timothy Stratford, Covington & Burling LLP Beijing Rep. Office

Hank Wang, Garvey Schubert Barer

Golf (Tianjin Chapter) 10

Hank Martin, Hank's Sports Bar & GrillPublic Policy Development 8

Patrick Chovanec, IndividualUS Government Relations 8

James McGregor, APCO Worldwide Inc.Visas 6

Gary Chodorow, Frederick W. Hong Law Offices BeijingDarlene Macneill, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu CPA Ltd.

Women’s Professional 6

Su Cheng Harris-Simpson, SCHS AsiaNina Hsu, LTI Associates

Women’s Professional (Tianjin Chapter) 16

Lucy Liu, General Manager of TEC TianjinJennifer Zhang, Partner of Deloitte Tianjin

Work Safety 7

Harold Lang, Terex (China) Investment Co., Ltd.Desmond Soh, Oshkosh Corporation (Beijing)

Young Professionals 6

Jeremy Huff, NBA China

Support Staff:1, Sujing Wang (sjwang@amchamchina.org)2, Julie Leng (jleng@amchamchina.org)3, Nancy Xu (nxu@amchamchina.org)4, Cindy Du (cdu@amchamchina.org)5, Victoria Qu (vqu@amchamchina.org)6, Mariel Montuori (mmontuori@amchamchina.org)7, Jonathan Abramovic (jabramovic@amchamchina.org)8, Elizabeth Rowland (erowland@amchamchina.org)

09, Nancy Cooke (ncooke@amchamchina.org)10, Amanda He (amandahe@amchamchina.org)11, Michael Chen (mchen@amchamchina.org)12, Julia Howe (jhowe@amchamchina.org)13, Michelle Guo (mguo@amchamchina.org)14, Breeze Wang (bwang@amchamchina.org)15, ECP@amchamchina.org16, Anna Li (ali@amchamchina.org)

Please see www.amchamchina.org for more infromation about AmCham-China's forums and committees.

Forum Chairs

Committee Chairs

Know Your Working Groups

AmCham-China’s Public Policy Develop-ment Committee (PPDC) hosts monthly meetings which focus on a number of poli-cies that directly impact the business envi-ronment for US firms in China.

The PPDC, comprised of policy vet-erans from a diverse set of backgrounds, serves as the think tank for the chamber’s Board of Governors on policy issues and advocacy. This year, the Committee has addressed political and legal issues ranging from indigenous innovation policies to the new Social Insurance Law.

The PPDC also took the lead in provid-ing input on behalf of AmCham-China’s member companies to the upcoming Joint Committee on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) session. The Committee maintains contact with members of the US Embassy on the JCCT and other issues of strategic importance to the US business community in China.

The PPDC plans to continue building on its policy work through the develop-ment of the 2012 American Business in China White Paper. During this process, the PPDC will rely on the expertise of members from nearly all of AmCham-China’s forums, committees and regional chapters to create an authoritative document that will serve as the voice of American companies on the business environment in China.

PPDC members, over 40 in total, in-clude both experienced experts in policy issues and advocacy as well as younger professionals in the areas of government affairs, law, and policy research, to name a few. All are welcome to join and participate, and the PPDC is always interested in enlist-ing support for the chamber’s White Paper.

For more information on the PPDC or the White Paper, please email Elizabeth Rowland: erowland@amchamchina.org.

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insiDe china cusToms’ iPR PRoTecTion

AmCham-China’s Customs and Trade Committee recently welcomed Li Qu-nying, director of the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Division in the policy and legal affairs department of the General Admin-istration of Customs in China, to share his experiences working in Chinese customs. Customs and Trade Committee Chairman Xiaoping Jiang gave the introductory re-marks to the 35 attendees at the chamber’s conference center.

Key Points:• Trademark protection violations ac-

count for 96 percent of seizures by Chinese customs officers.

• Growing trade volumes put increased pressure on customs enforcement; 99.8 percent of seized goods are ex-ports.

• Chinese customs seized 21,073 ship-ments of suspected IPR-infringing goods in 2010. Mr. Li began by emphasizing that IPR

customs enforcement is very new, but it is already in use everyday. He acknowledged that seizing shipments of trademark-infringing goods will be a long-term chal-lenge for Chinese custom officials but said they are quickly learning how to address it effectively. In addition to IPR protection, the customs office must continue to safe-guard public interests and attend to its other obligations—i.e., safeguarding public safety and helping prevent terrorism, inter-cepting contraband narcotics, wild animals and plants, safeguarding cultural relics, compiling statistics, collecting tariffs and implementing anti-dumping duties where applicable.

high sPeeD WiReless Technology, high sTake sPecTRum Policies

Dr. Amer Hassan, prin-cipal architect of the Win-dows Group at Micro-soft, recently addressed members on the uses of wireless technology in-cluding home entertain-

ment systems and wire-less displays.

Key Points:• By 2020, 50 billion devices will be con-

nected to the internet; the vast major-ity will be wireless.

• By 2016, demand for wireless internet is projected to increase by 20 to 40 times current demand.

• Solutions to meet demand include the use of ultra-wide bandwidth (UWB) and television spectrum, but industry-wide cooperation is essential for any solution to work.

• Vacant TV channels represent valuable real estate and the technology to utilize them is be-ing developed in the US and the UK.

Audio/visual streaming devices require "robust wireless", and as of now, there is no affordable so-lution for the mainstream market. Although there are diverse wireless solutions, it is important to con-sider how to efficiently use existing spec-trums. Close collaboration between the in-dustry and regulators will be necessary to successfully improve wireless technology. The UWB-sharing of spectrums with low interference was a feasible solution, but as a result of regulatory tangles, this technol-ogy is not being implemented.

The industry has been focusing on the development of television white spaces (TWS). Microsoft formed the White Space Alliance, a cooperation of 13 companies furthering the usage of TWS. China in par-ticular is participating in new efforts for the IEEE and ISM bands, while Microsoft and China’s State Administration of Radio, Film and Television are working together to find solutions.

hoW Will The neW social insuRance laW imPacT comPanies?

Li Yi, corporate lawyer and business direc-tor of FESCO, recently provided an intro-duction to the new law and assessment of its practical implications for companies in China.

Key Points:• On July 1, 2011, the new PRC Social

Insurance Law came into effect.• The law stipulates that foreigners

working in China must participate in the Chinese Social Security Program.

• Both expatriate employees and their em-ployers must contribute to this program, similar to local Chinese employees.

The law affects five types of social se-curity: pension, work injury insurance, ba-sic medical insurance, maternity insurance and unemployment. The employer and employee will have to contribute to the first three types of insurance, and the employer will contribute to the second two types.

The law will apply to a spectrum of en-terprises in China, including state-owned enterprises, privately-owned enterprises, foreign-invested enterprises, joint ven-tures and their urban and rural employ-ees. However, it remains unclear how a number of aspects of the new law will be implemented.

2012 White PaPer anD Business Climate survey kick-off evenT

How can you get involved with AmCham-China’s 2012 White Paper?

Key Points• The White Paper is a member-driven

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product that serves as a platform for advocacy. The kickoff event generated critical discussion on the editing pro-cess, content, and distribution.

• The planning and assembly process for the 2012 White Paper is three weeks longer than in previous years and will run from September until its release in April.

• To contribute to a specific chapter or topic, contact the chair of the rel-evant working group. To help with editing, contact Elizabeth Rowland (erowland@amchamchina.org).

Around 20 attendees engaged in a brainstorming session at the AmCham-China Conference Center to kick-off plan-ning for AmCham-China’s 14th annual White Paper.

Patrick Chovanec, chair of the Pub-lic Policy Development Committee (PPDC), and Dexter Yang, co-chair of the Chi-nese Government Affairs Committee, gave opening remarks. AmCham policy analysts Julia Howe and Elizabeth Rowland pre-sented overviews of the Business Climate Survey and White Paper.

Ms. Rowland led a brainstorming ses-sion emphasizing the importance of mem-ber involvement. The discussion focused on streamlining the editing process by having more frequent but shorter Saturday ses-sions, requiring an English and Chinese edi-tor in each working group, and restricting chapter length.

Participants also addressed how to shorten the publication and minimize rep-etition while maximizing the publication’s impact and maintaining its reputation as a comprehensive resource.

Members in attendance voiced particu-lar interest in launching an improved online version.

bReakfasT WiTh us ambassaDoR gaRy locke

AmCham-China, Dalian Chapter hosted a breakfast for the newly appointed US Am-bassador to China, Gary Locke, during his visit to the city for the World Economic Fo-rum. The breakfast gave Chapter members an exclusive opportunity—as representa-tives of US businesses in Dalian—to meet and hear from the ambassador.

Key Points:• Inconsistent customs

regulations are a chal-lenge facing American companies in northeast-ern China.

• The new social welfare system that is currently being implemented by lo-cal government is caus-ing legal uncertainties.

• Healthcare, education and visa issues were also discussed.

Ambassador Locke was open and receptive to feedback from at-tendees, who represented a range of com-panies of all sizes and across industries.

The Consulate General from Shenyang, Sean Stein and Economic Officer Todd Whatley, accompanied the ambassador to the breakfast.

monThly execuTive bReakfasT bRiefing

The September Executive Breakfast Brief-ing took place at the Westin Tianjin Hotel on September 15th. Around 20 members and friends enjoyed a family-style breakfast, networked with the Executive Committee members and reconnected with old friends.

Eva Csato, assistant sales and mar-keting of Brasserie FLO Tianjin, was the guest speaker. Introducing the history of Group FLO and the company’s experience in top-quality catering, she shared pictures and introduced the services of the group’s newly-opened restaurant in Tianjin.

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AmCham-China Dalian Chapter members hosting Ambassador Locke during his visit to the city for the World Economic Forum

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AmCham-China, Dalian Chapter 2011 Golf Outing

10:00 AM – 8:30 PM, Saturday, October 15 –Westpark Golf Course

As the weather gets cooler in northeast China, don’t miss a chance to swing your golf clubs one last time. Join AmCham-China, Dalian Chapter for its inaugural golf outing and enjoy a day out at one of Dalian’s most

beautiful golf courses, complete with a buffet dinner, drinks, and lucky draw prizes. Participants will compete in a two men’s best ball format and awards will be given for the top three teams, longest drive and nearest to pin.

*Cost includes green fee, facilities and caddies, return transportation, registration packet, lunch on the course, awards banquet, and lucky draw.

tickets will not be sold at the door and are only available by filling out the form and paying in advance. tee times for this event are limited, so book your spot early.

for more information on sponsorship or to book tee times, please call the AmCham-China, dalian Chapter office at 0411-82366927, or e-mail Kate gubanova at egubanova@amchamchina.org

Tickets:Members and employees of member companies: RMB 750*Non-members: RMB 850*Non-golfers: RMB 200 to attend the awards banquet

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T ucked into a narrow, long swathe along China’s northern border, windswept Inner Mongolia has

historically received scant attention from investors. But more recently, its quiet but steady record of impressive economic growth and rich trove of mineral reserves have been turning heads. Notwithstanding its low-key reputation, Inner Mongolia has actually led China in GDP growth ever since 2002. In the first half of 2011, it generated a head-turning growth rate of 16.2 percent.

It’s perhaps no surprise, then, that Am-Cham-China’s trip to Inner Mongolia in early July, led by chamber president Christian Murck, met with an enthusiastic response. The trip attracted 36 senior executives from 26 member companies. Fortuitously, it hap-pened to take place only one week after China’s State Council announced a series of policies in late June in support of Inner Mongolia’s social and economic develop-ments, further piquing investor interest in the region.

The richness of the region’s resources can be summed up in the Chinese expres-sion: 羊煤土气、风光无限 (yang mei tu qi, feng guang wu xian), which refers to sheep,

coal, minerals and gas, as well as endless vistas—he latter phrase a reference to the area’s vast potential as a source of wind and solar energy.

Exploring innEr Mongolia

Inner Mongolia boasts China’s largest coal reserve, at over 650 billion tons, and in

2010 it surpassed Shanxi province to be-come China’s number-one coal producer, with a total annual production of 700 mil-lion tons. China’s largest surface coal mine, Zhun Ge’er Coal Mine, is located in the pro-vincial city of Ordos, which the AmCham-China delegation visited.

Inner Mongolia also leads China in the mining of many minerals. Most of the nation’s rare earth reserve is located near Baotou, an-other city visited by the delegation.

The province is also known as the na-tional capital of milk and wool production. And in the area of renewable energy, Inner Mongolia is China’s top wind energy pro-ducer and second in solar energy resourc-es. To illustrate the province’s role in energy supply, one local government official told the chamber’s delegation that three out of four light bulbs in Beijing are lit with electric-ity from Inner Mongolia.

During a four-day trip to the provincial capital of Hohhot, as well as Ordos and Baotou, the AmCham-China delegation were able to meet with a wide range of business leaders in these and other indus-tries. The group toured over a dozen com-panies, including large state-owned enter-prises (SOE), manufacturing operations of well-known multinational companies, large

The low-key leaderAmCham-China’s provincial trip to Inner Mongolia reveals a region on the economic fast track

The Hohhot government welcoming the chamber's delegation

Touring Hohhot's Ruyi Industrial Park

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publicly-traded Chinese companies and start-ups operating in the local incubator. The delegation visited a dairy product pro-ducer, large heavy machine manufacturers, a coal producer, wind power equipment manufacturers, a solar panel maker and IT service providers.

AmCham-China’s delegation also met with senior officials from regional and city government offices and took part in brief-ings and Q&A sessions on local economic development and investment opportunities and policies.

“ThE goldEn TrianglE”

Hohhot, Ordos and Baotou are known as “the golden triangle” of Inner Mon-golia, representing 70 percent of the province’s economy, and are considered the most desirable lo-cations for multinationals to invest and trade in Inner Mongolia. Gov-ernment officials in these three cities welcome investment and participation in rapidly developing industries such as infrastructure development, financial services, coal chemical, power generation and transmission, machinery, IT infrastructure and education.

In response to a question on

local economic development, one senior government official told the AmCham-China delegation, “It is not a question of whether you want to develop. You cannot stop, you have to develop.”

rich rEsourcEs and unTappEd opporTuniTiEs

According to officials, the region is expect-ed to see average annual economic growth of 12 percent between 2011 and 2015, in keeping with the goals of the 12th Five-Year Plan.

A new slate of stimulus measures should help to further support provincial growth. Earlier this summer, the central

government outlined plans to position the province as a key strategic base for en-ergy production, new chemical industries, metals refining, and green agricultural and animal husbandry products. More specific preferential policies for land use, taxes, in-vestment, financial services and foreign in-vestment are expected to follow suit. The region will also serve as a window to Russia and Mongolia to the north of China.

provincial Trip prograM

AmCham-China’s recent business tour to Inner Mongolia marked the chamber’s 23rd since the provincial trips program got

underway in late 2005. Over 400 executives from member compa-nies have now taken part in the program, designed to help mem-ber companies better understand the local investment and trade op-portunities in various provinces. During the tours, participants meet with senior local government offi-cials and take part in site visits to both Chinese companies and mul-tinationals. Stay tuned for our next trip on October 25-28 in Fujian. Past trips have sold out quickly, so be sure to register early!

AmCham-China recently held its end-of-summer Monthly Member Mix and Mingle at JW Marriott Bei-

jing’s Loong Bar. Over 70 members and guests attended the exclusive networking event at the 5-star hotel in the Central Busi-ness District, enjoying a night of mixing and mingling with new and long-time AmCham-China members.

AmCham-China’s President Christian Murck welcomed at-tendees and the cham-ber’s Vice President of

Membership, Services and Operations, Nancy Cooke, announced the event’s five lucky draw winners:

Vicky Sun (Sandler China) had her name drawn for the grand deluxe moon cake gift box courte-sy of the Beijing American Club. Nicolas Lang (Tsinghua SEM-MIT Sloan) won VIP tickets to the Chinese dance show “Peony” at the Poly Theatre. Antoine Gondard (KNG Asia Holding Company Ltd), Michael Warren (Asian Express International Mov-ers) and Rob de Picciotto (University of

Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Busi-ness) also won tickets to the performance. Ken Lee (Lee & Lee Associates) was the lucky winner of a deluxe facial package from Dragonfly Therapeutic Retreat.

Be sure to stop by the next Monthly Member Mix and Mingle at the Westin Bei-jing Chaoyang Hotel on October 11.

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Members mix and mingle at JW Marriott Beijing

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AmCham-China is look-ing forward to hosting its eighth annual American

Ball, “Castaways—Paradise Reef,” on October 22, 2011 at the China World Hotel.

Through past AmCham-China balls, chamber members have do-nated US $1.2 million to local chari-ties. Since 2003, AmCham-China has helped sponsor charitable pro-grams that offer health care for mi-grant workers, HIV/AIDS education, drug rehabilitation, health education and screening, rural health care and support for local orphanages.

Proceeds from this year’s American Ball will be donated to three China-based charities:

• Jane Goodall Institute China: This Bei-jing-based project cultivates social entre-preneurial thinking among young leaders and inspires, trains and supports them to address local environmental problems.

• World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF): The WWF is partnering with Daorong Farm to promote traditional farming methods that reduce harmful agricultural pollution of the Huangpu Rivers, a source of drinking water for communities near Shanghai.

• International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR): INBAR is partnering with the Sich-uan Forestry Department and Fup-ing Development Institute (FDI) to support earthquake-affected rural communities and social entrepre-neurs in Sichuan province by de-veloping the local bamboo sector to improve their livelihoods.

With your generous support, we hope to donate even more to help those most in need.

Purchase your tickets today to have a great time for a great cause! For more in-formation, please see: www.amchamchi-na.org/americanball or email charityball@amchamchina.org.

calling all castaways to the upcoming american ballAmCham-China hosts Annual Ball on October 22

2004 ~ Wild, Wild West

2009 ~ Wild Frontier

2007 ~ Men in Black

2006 ~ 1776

2008 ~ 30 Years That Moved America

2010 ~ A Night at The Opera

2005 ~ Return to Oz

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AmChAm-ChinA in AC tion – membership And ser viCes

new and Renewed amcham-china memberscorporate members

Yuwei Zhang, Modernity International Co. Beijing Rep. Office

Hong Wang, Sino-US United Metlife Insurance Company Limited. Liaoning Branch, Dalian Sales Office

Gong-en Gu, AOC Technologies (Wuhan), Inc.

Sophie Vinti, Hertz Rent A Car (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

Denver Lewis, Beijing Rosedale Filter Systems Company

additional corporate members

Jeffrey Fan, WellPoint China-WPMI LLC

Kathy Zhang, Armstrong Machinery (China) Co., Ltd.

Grace Liu, Newfield China, LDC

David Snodgrass, Alltech Biological Products (China) Co., Ltd.

Jimmy IP Edwards, Lifesciences World Trade (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

Cathy Zhong, Electro-Motive Technical Consulting Co., (Beijing) Ltd.

Yi Luan, Sino-US United Metlife Insurance Company Limited., Liaoning Branch, Dalian Sales Office

Shirley Wang, Afton Chemical Trading (Beijing) Co., Ltd.

Carlos Oyarbide, Morgan Stanley Asia Limited Beijing Representative Office

Fujin Zhu, AOC Technologies (Wuhan), Inc.

Mike Wang, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company China Representative Office

John S. Morgan, BP (China) Holdings Limited Beijing Branch

Kathy Wu, BP (China) Holdings Limited Beijing Branch

Jingzhou Tao, Dechert LLP Beijing

Representative Office US

David S. Chen, Microsoft (China) Co., Ltd.

Maggie Wu, CIGNA Corporation Beijing, Rep. Office

Lili Zhou, Libra Group China LLC Beijing Representative Office

Minling Tan, Beijing Rosedale Filter Systems Company

Dayu Yang, Kabam (Asia), Inc.

non-us corporate members

Hans Hordijk, Fairmont Beijing

Lee Zhang, China IKang Healthcare, Inc.

Ray Cheng, Glu Mobile Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd.

Hongwei Zhao, China Cardinal Health Xinxing Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

Deep Banerjee, Essar Global Limited

Christopher Winters, Farview Academic Consulting

additional non-us corporate members

Tracy Xu, JW Marriott Hotel Beijing

Faith Huang, China IKang Healthcare, Inc.

Sally Li, The MRI China Group

Devona Ball, Farview Academic Consulting

non-Resident corporate members

River Lu, Duke Energy China Corporation

Judi Gorski, NAMSA

Frederick Pawlicki, University of Kansas Continuing Education

Kurt Markham, C. I. B.

Robert Curtin, Ewingcole Architects

additional non-Resident corporate members

Keith Anderson, Lakeside Sales, Ltd./LGO Global Sourcing, LLC

Joy Banerjee, Ewingcole Architects

additional not-for-Profit organization membership

Yi Sun, Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)

young Professional membership

Caitlin Rhodes

individual associate membership

Christine Molard

individual membership

Chuck Brown

Alex Hayes

people ChAnges

WELCOME

Jon AbramovicUS Government

Project Associate

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China’s business community is composed of one of the most diverse and interesting groups of people in the world. Every month, China Brief spotlights one of AmCham-China’s 2,600 members, offering readers a more personal look at neighbors, business associates and friends in the community. If you are interested in being featured, or have a member spotlight recommendation, please email editor@amchamchina.org.

Dr. Neo Thiam Soon 梁添顺

AmChAm-ChinA in AC tion – member spotlight

Hometown: Singapore

Time in Tianjin: Three years

Position/Company: Plant Manager/Energizer (China) Co., Ltd.

Job duties: Identify and develop business opportunities in China, develop employee potential, (includes training for ef-fective communication skills and problem-solving techniques), optimize manufacturing operations and maximize employee satisfaction.

Why I joined AmCham-China:Energizer China is an American company based in China.

AmCham-China provides an excellent networking platform for me to enhance cultural and professional exchanges.

My favorite AmCham-China event:AmCham-China’s annual American Independence Celebra-

tion on July 4th provides a great opportunity for me to introduce some of my colleagues to the significance of the holiday, while also providing us with a platform to meet friends from different walks of life—a fun and great way to develop connections and networks.

Tianjin: where you can shop till you dropAfter living here for three years, the city changes that sur-

prise me the most are the array of choices for shopping and eating. The number of big shopping complexes that offer im-

ported, branded products continues to escalate—there is nothing that I can’t buy in Tianjin (and no food that I can’t find here either!)

The effects of Chinese culture at work:What sets China apart from other places I have worked

is the degree of collectivism in my leadership team. Once a consensus is reached, the team moves forward and stays focused. This is very motivating for the organization as it demonstrates a strong commitment to employees within the company.

On the challenges and rewards of leadership:My greatest work challenge is setting the direction and

pace for the organization, which requires careful manage-ment. My greatest reward is knowing I’ve won the trust and confidence of the team, and being inspired by their motivation to excel.

On Tianjin and Singapore’s Eco-City:When I first visited the city’s Eco-City project in 2008, the

site (developed jointly by Tianjin and Singapore) was a swamp-land showing few signs of development. Since then, every other month I will drive to the area and see incredible progress and rapid development underway. It is likely that the first batch of residents will move in pretty soon.

My travel and language wish list:The residential place where I live has a large Japanese com-

munity. I’ve long wanted to learn the language to befriend my neighbors and also learn the secret to their successes in manu-facturing. I also would love to see more provinces in China, understand the differences between cultures and appreciate each of their unique lifestyles.

What I miss most from home:

I miss the “Fujian” rice dumpling. This dumpling is stuffed with well-marinated mushrooms, dried shrimp and pork.

What I will miss most from China when I return home:I will miss the warmth and sincerity of my colleagues and

friends, the wide variety of fruits available at different seasons of the year, the beautiful scenery in spring and autumn, and the weather during spring, autumn and early winter.

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