Food & Drink Business – August 2020

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) will investigate complaints Australian wines are being subsidised and sold into mainland China below cost. Federal trade minister Simon Birmingham said the allegations are “deeply troubling and quite perplexing”. Anti-dumping enquiries aren’t unusual, Australia has launched 170 of them against China since 2012, mainly in relation to China dumping […]
Why China?

Australia needs a plan to recover from the current economic crisis. ACSME believes that our largest trading partner, China, offers enormous potential for the import, export and commercialisation of Australian products, services and capabilities in the world’s fastest growing economy. China has the MONEY and the MARKET China has the MONEY: Foreign exchange reserves stand […]
What Australia can learn from China’s post-COVID journey

Being a few months ahead of us throughout this COVID period, China is a good source of clues, indicators and pointers that, in theory, should help us all plan our way out. This is taxing politicians in Australia and around the world who have recognised that, arguably, the way down the mountain is harder than […]
Diversifying Australia

Since moving to Sydney from Hong Kong in the mid 1990s I, like many migrants, now call Australia “home”. I am excited about the possibilities of living in our young country as we progress further through the “Asian Century” and, whilst I’ve witnessed some resistance to the inevitable changes taking place within our society, I […]
My 3 biggest lessons learned from doing business with China

For the last 30 years or so, I have regularly travelled to China to work with Chinese investors, entrepreneurs and business leaders who have various interests around the world. Doing business with them is never easy and throws up some unique obstacles and, whilst I think I’ve learnt a lot from being on the ground, […]
World Class Innovation and Domestic Consumption

As I travel around China, whether on a business trip with one of our clients or to speak at large scale conferences, events and expos, I can’t help but notice the rapid development in the two areas which keep China buzzing: World Class Innovation and Domestic Consumption. During my travels, I’ve met with Chinese entrepreneurs and business leaders […]
Ease of Doing Business

Perhaps you’ve already noticed, and if not I’d like to bring this to your attention, that China is making various announcements to introduce new laws and regulations designed to make it easier for foreigners to visit, invest and do business in China. Of course there are reasons for the timing of this (eg the US […]
Opportunities and Challenges in Australia’s Education Sector

Education represents Australia’s third largest export sector, after iron ore and coal, and according to Australia’s Department of Education and Workplace Relations, ‘Australia’s world-class international education sector contributed $34 billion to the local economy last year, an increase of 15.3%’. There is also strong evidence to suggest that the total economic benefit to Australia is […]
Jack to Daniel – Face of Modern China

Of all the billionaires in the world today, it would be hard to find anyone as universally popular and widely respected as Jack Ma, who stepped down as Chairman of Alibaba this week after amassing a US$41.8 billion fortune whilst creating Alibaba, the largest e-commerce firm in the world and the brand which most business […]
5 Tips for Food and Drink Exporters in China

1. Follow the money There is an addressable market of well over 300 million Chinese middle-class consumers with money in their pockets, aspiration in their hearts, and a willingness to spend their money on high quality premium food and beverages. In addition, China’s “millennials” (those born between 1981 and 1996) are one of the richest […]