I had the pleasure of participating recently as a panelist in the Bits 1st Frontier Industrial Forum in Qingdao, China where I spoke about the Polish legal framework for shale gas operations and the lessons that other countries looking to develop their shale gas law could learn from Poland.
Here are my loose – subjective – thoughts from my visit to China.
- “He who learns but does not think, is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.” China is smart in its approach to developing new law and new innovative industries. Events such as the one I participated in are held in order to get as much know-how as early as possible from foreign experts from all over the world. This know-how is then analyzed. This way it is easier to avoid pitfalls connected with investments in new technologies. Special administrative agency for foreign experts was established within the state council of China responsible for certifying foreign experts to provide expertise in mainland China.
- „A gentleman would be ashamed should his deeds not match his words.” The scale of development in China is incomparable to anything. Media coverage does not reflect the actual size and scope of new developments and constructions. Chinese seem to know how to put words into action.
- “Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.” This quote refers to the limited knowledge I had re. China and its “tier two” cities. Qingdao – a city that I thought (I admit I did only limited research on the Internet beforehand) would resemble Sopot (a medium size touristic summer resort in Poland) turned out to be a 7 million people metropolis with a night view resembling Manhattan. Again – it is considered to be a tier two city!
- “When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them.” Chinese have a huge problem with air pollution. When I arrived in Beijing I thought that this must be one of the more foggy days in the year. Later it turned out that on the less windy days the pollution is so big that it resembles fog. China is aware of this problem and therefore is investing heavily in renewable energy. It seems also that shale gas (as being cleaner than coal) will come as a savior. This is one of the important reasons why the Chinese government is looking seriously at shale gas. They are also attracting renewable energy investments. For instance, German firms (with the German governments blessing) are heavily investing in Qingdao and both sides intend to create an environmental friendly city which could serve as an example for other municipalities.
- „Study the past if you would divine the future.” Great wall is really Great – especially in the places that are not commonly visited by tourists. The scale of this enterprise reinforces the view that Chinese are able to achieve any goal they set for themselves – no matter the size (of course this also comes at a price which may be very high or sometimes even unacceptable). Taking this in account I think that their goal of reaching exploitation of shale gas of around 6.5 billion cubic meters annually by 2015 might actually be met (even if there is a slight delay).
- “Opportunities multiply as they are seized.” There are great opportunities for business in China – not only in the tier one cities but especially in the smaller (up to 10 million) cities where the local government is looking for investors and is more eager to help foreign businesses.
- „The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.” Mandarin is a language spoken by around 960 mln people (native speakers). Doing business with the Chinese in their mother tongue just makes it much easier – my next big goal is to learn to speak Mandarin (I often hear it’s never too late). This quote applies also to Chinese as most people I encountered speak very limited English.
- “When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.” No matter how much time you plan for your visit in China it is just not enough. Getting to know the culture takes time and I am sure I will be back for more. There are still places where foreigners are not frequent guests so one can get the feeling of being a modern day Marco Polo – a feeling that is hard to get in the globalization age.
- “The way you cut your meat reflects the way you live.” Chinese food is great – everybody knows this. I recommend visiting smaller restaurants in neighborhoods that are not popular among tourists. You will get tasty food cheap – the culture comes free.
- „Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change.” There is still a lot to be done in China but the scale of changes and the speed at which it is developing is amazing. I am sure that they will eventually reach their goals re. shift to a more environmental friendly energy mix.
I lived for two years in China when I was a little kid and my perspective may be influenced by my positive childhood memories and the fact that I was visiting only the metropolitan areas and not the province. However, I feel that if looked upon with an optimistic mindset – despite all of the problems China faces and recognizes – it is still a land with a lot of opportunities for foreign investors, young entrepreneurs or just tourists looking for real adventure (even small events like taking a taxi cab or getting lost in the Hutongs might leave you with amazing pictures and stories worth telling, listening to and remembering). If you ever have a chance to go – don’t hesitate and remember the old Confucius quote which I think may also summarize the current Chinese approach to development – “Wherever you go, go with all your heart.”
P.S. All quotes used in this article come from English translations of Confucius works. Quote under point 6 comes from Sun Tzu.