From Lansing to Sanming

by Larry Meyer
MRA Chairman and CEO

It’s no surprise that Americans are interested in China, with all the news about that giant nation’s exploding workforce and economy.

So I considered myself fortunate to have the chance to travel there on a week-long trip to Sanming, Lansing’s sister city in Fujian province in southeast China. With me on the trip were five Lansing-area businesspeople, including Chris Holman (newly appointed Michigan Small Business advocate).

The business purpose of the trip was to take part in a major trade show, the Fujian Technology and Projects Fair, at which we each promoted some aspect of Michigan business.

The show had a huge turnout, with more than 50,000 people walking by, including people from all over the world. We ran out of everything, including our business cards.

Let me share just a few observations from the trip:

• We tend to think of China in terms of U.S. imports. But at the trade show, we saw great interest in Michigan technology and products for export.

• Their economy appears to be robust over many sectors—not just manufacturing, but technology, agriculture and retail. No doubt, the Chinese will be competitors.

• Observing retail in China, I became very aware of the issue of “grey market” goods and counterfeiting. Many products bear famous brands but clearly there’s little guarantee that you’re getting what you think you’re getting.

• Since the independent retailer in China tends not to even have a firm, set price for many items—everything is negotiable—he or she would have a hard time even comprehending the concept of “item-pricing reform” (an issue I’ve become passionate about here in Lansing).

But a highlight of the trip was being in China’s largest city, Shanghai—a mega-metropolis of 17 million people and the world’s busiest cargo port—and seeing numerous Buicks, as well as billboards for Cadillac’s luxury SUV, the SRX, and its luxury sedan, the CTS—both built right here in Lansing.