| The Safely Sourcing China Blog

Welcome

To Safely Sourcing China

Ken Stone

The purpose of this blog is to encourage people to understand that when you trade with China, as with any distant land, you’re taking a risk. Potentially a large one, depending on the amount of money you’re paying for your goods. Moreover, that you are, to a greater or lesser extent, responsible for any losses you may incur as a consequence of your failure to manage your risk; that is to say, your failure to perform due diligence. Due diligence is a duty you owe to yourself and your business, whether you own the business, or are its’ employee. Trading has always been a risky venture, and more so when great distances are involved, and when dealing with anonymous sources. However, as with most things in life, you can minimise those risks by performing a series of necessary, and often rather simple, tasks before you transfer one penny of your money to a prospective “supplier”. I’m no Mr. Know-It-All when it comes to China; but I am a man who has made China his home and place of work for the past eight (8) years; and as such I feel I have something to say which may be of value to those seeking to embark on a career in trade – specifically with China. With cyberfraud and scams on the increase, you better tool-up or pack-up. A Bit About Me My name’s Ken Stone, I was born in 1965 (you do the math), and I’m originally from Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the North East of England.

Dr. Thomas Barnardo

I left Dr. Barnardos at 16 years of age, and the UK for the first time at 17 years of age. I’ve spent more than half of my live moving around from country to country through Europe, Russia, and finally into China; and along the way have tried my hand at most things. I have a degree in archaeology, certificates in business, and it’s easier to say what jobs I haven’t experienced over the years; rather than to say what I have done. Let’s just say, I’ve been around a bit. After all, having no familial roots, moving into your own apartment only 3 days after your 16th birthday, and having nobody to say -”We don’t think you should do that” or “We don’t think you should go there“. Usually, of course, one then tends to ‘”do that” and “go there” – if you get my drift. I can definitely say, that life has taught me a great deal in the course of my travels. One big lesson I learned early in life was, “Don’t wait for opportunities. Make them, and double your odds.” A maxim I live by to this day. That’s why you’re reading about me now. I tend not to wait for things to happen; I’m a make it happen kind of guy. I digress somewhat. Now, let’s get back on course. My three main languages are English, German, and Mandarin Chinese. Since leaving the UK, China is the country I’ve lived in the longest, and I’m very grateful to it, as it has provided me with a very good life-style, career, and last, but not least, my fabulous wife Jade (from Tianjin); a beautiful woman with a great personality, a M.Sc. in Molecular Biology, and a M.Eng. in Environmental Engineering. Together we own and operate Your China Trading Partner (YCTP), and also have our own language school in Beijing. Living and working here isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and about 80% of guest workers leave after only a year, and that number continues to drop rapidly over 2, 3, and 5 years, until only a fraction remain. So, to find someone still here after eight years, is something of a rarity. China has its’ quirks, not least of which are the differences in language and culture. But these in and of themselves, are by no means the only issues which visitors and guest of China find problematic when visiting and working here.

That is Illogical, Captain!

There are differences in perception and logic, and which can very much reinforce the idea of being in a culture quite alien to one’s own; and which have to be learned, understood, and applied. As the consequences of failing to learn, understand, and apply them are insanity and a quick trip to the airport for the first flight home. These differences can be traced through the language itself, its’ syntactical arrangement; through the ancient and modern stories and tales; through the ways in which people meet and greet each other on the street; the way in which a negotiation seems not to have started, feels more like a long lunch; the way in which you feel you have achieved a final agreement, but you haven’t, as you’ve merely reached an agreement to agree to work together, and the whole thing may have changed between leaving your hotel, getting on the plane, and getting off the plane in your home country etc. Many Chinese compliment my knowledge of these aspects of “being Chinese” by telling me that I’m “half-Chinese“. Which is a subtle way of saying, “Bloody hell! Here’s one who really understands us” I once heard tell of an American businessman who owns and operates a plant in China, but refuses to stay for more than three weeks in the year, as it drives him barmy, so he says. He’s had that business here for 19 years! I regularly meet foreigners who have been here for only a year and are just busting at the seams to get back into a cultural surrounding more familiar to them. If you’re looking for ‘different‘, then it doesn’t get too much more ‘different’ than China. I’ve been living and working in China for the past 8 years, having lived in Guiyang (GuiZhou Province), Nanyang (Henan Province), ZhuHai (GuangDong Province), and most recently in Beijing since 2004. I am also the welcoming voice of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau (Police) for the newly renovated tourist area of Beijing – QianMen DaJie; the recordings were initially made for the welcoming of guests to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Finally, I am also the African, European, and North American agent for

Learn About TsingHua TongFang

TsingHua TongFang (THTF) Computer Co. Ltd, Beijing. THTF is a multi-billion dollar Chinese brand, and currently holds the number 2 position in the CE, PC, OEM, and ODM China markets. THTF is a State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) and is partnered with TsingHua University in Beijing, and which holds the largest equity stake in the group. THTF is ranked in the top 10 leading manufactures in the world, in the first 6 in the Asia-Pacific Region, and number 2 in the Chinese domestic market. (IDC figures) So, that about wraps it up for who and what I am for now. I hope you find this site, and our other sites, to be both informative and useful. In the meantime, and until you visit again, take care and all the best from us here in Beijing.

Disclaimer

This weblog is a personal weblog, but which hopes to educate the wider public through the sharing of my experiences and unique location. The opinions expressed herein represent my own, and may not therefore be construed as those of Your China Trading Partner, which is a distinct business entity. According to WikiPedia’s definition of ‘Weblog‘: A blog (a contraction of the term “weblog“) is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. “Blog” can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog. Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (artlog), photographs (photoblog), sketches (sketchblog), videos (vlog), music (MP3 blog), and audio (podcasting). A quick examination of the word ‘log‘: In the old days, a ‘log’ was also known as a journal. A ship’s captain maintained his log, so that in the event of death by misadventure, or otherwise, a record of what had happened would be left behind for others. In the same way, a log has also been described as a journal, or a diary. A journal or diary, is, more often than not, a private collection of one’s own thoughts and experiences, which are then written down as a personal record, or ‘Aide-mémoire‘. I consider this ‘blog‘, which is a redaction of the word ‘weblog‘, which in turn is a compound of the two words – ‘web‘ and ‘log‘, to be precisely that. A ‘log‘, a ‘diary‘, or an ‘Aide-mémoire‘, which I choose to make public, rather than keep private. The thoughts and opinions expressed within my ‘blog‘, or ‘log‘, are mine alone. In addition, my thoughts and opinions shift or change from time to time; which I personally consider to be a necessary consequence of having an open mind. This ‘blog‘ is intended to provide a semi-permanent point-in-time snapshot, and to be a manifestation of the various memes running through my brain; and, as such, any thoughts and opinions expressed within out-of-date posts may not remain the same, nor even similar, to those I may currently hold today. That’s me, then. David Kenneth Stone (Last Updated July 01 2009)