Today’s China is not what it was a couple decades ago that is for sure. Today in China the skylines are littered with high rises and construction cranes. Building is at a record pace today. Whether it is a new building going up, a subway being dug, an airport being built, or a highway being laid, everywhere you go in any city, there is construction.
The Chinese government has made massive commitments to modernize their infrastructure and they are doing an amazing job of it. I can say as a veteran traveler of the globe: I have never had a more convenient place to get around, but I do speak Chinese. Yes, they may not have complete organization on the roadways but the roads are superior. Just be on the lookout for the guy driving on the sidewalk.
How did China get so far so fast you ask? That has a simple answer: they had no choice but to do so. In the 1980’s the Chinese government made a decision to start making Special Economic Zones (SEZ’s). These zones granted the freedom to trade with the west. There were several different types of SEZ’s that were setup. Some were for heavy industrial products, some for high-tech, and some for regular household consumer items. But they all were geared to export finished goods to foreign countries and profit from the low labor costs in China.
The companies that got here early were extremely profitable and were treated like royalty amongst the Chinese government. Today’s China is a bit different than it was in the early years but it still has amazing opportunities for those that are willing to make that plunge.
You don’t have to have your own factory in China to have good profit margins on your products. There are plenty of factories that are more than capable of manufacturing your products. This is a lot less of a hassle than setting up your own factory here. You can contract factories to make replicas to existing products or you can contract them to make your unique products. No matter the products that you are after you can find a supplier that is more than qualified to do the job.
The trick to doing successful business in China is to always watch your back. Get a good agent that can help you overcome the cultural and language barriers that are very prominent. Make sure that your agent is in constant communication with your supplier so that you get what you are wanting.