AmCham HK’s first trip to Shanghai in 10 years underlines the mega-city’s “can do” approach while participants were impressed with the attitude of Shanghai and with organization by AmCham
A first-hand impression of Shanghai’s ‘can-do’ spirit
AmCham HK has been sending delegations to Shanghai since 1988, but its recent trip, from May 15 to 17, was the first in 10 years.
The delegation comprised 30 AmCham HK members, led by AmCham HK Vice Chairman David Butts, president, Asia-Pacific and group vice president of Techtronic Industries. Among the highlights were a meeting with Shanghai Vice Mayor Hua Yuan and China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Shanghai Chairman Zhou Minhao. Site visits to benchmark American and Chinese companies included the Coffee Innovation Park of Starbucks China in Kunshan, Suzhou; offices of Xiaohongshu, the Chinese lifestyle platform known as ‘Little Red Book’; Alibaba Holding’s Ant Group; the Apple Global Flagship Store in Shanghai and Tesla, Inc.’s Giga Center. The delegation also toured the Central Innovation & Technology Zone in Shanghai’s Huangpu district, and had a networking dinner with Shanghai AmCham members.
“It was eye-opening,” said AmCham board member George Chen, managing director and co-chair of digital practice, The Asia Group.
“The Shanghai trip has served as a reminder to us from Hong Kong – competition is everywhere. It’s not just about Singapore or Hong Kong’s neighbor, Shenzhen. Whoever works harder and smarter will win this competition. The Shanghai officials whom we met went beyond official statements – they knew what investors want and how the government can help to facilitate their needs. This ‘can-do spirit’ was previously well-known in Hong Kong’s civil service and now I find it in Shanghai,” said Chen.
Sally Peng, China Business Committee co-chair and senior managing director of FTI Consulting described it as “amazing”. “The trip gave us first-hand knowledge of what Shanghai has to offer to our business community, ” said Peng. “I was most struck by the eagerness and sincerity of the Shanghai authorities in trying to do business with the outside world. The dedication, effort, and thoughts they have devoted to the process was very impressive.
Wide ranging meetings in just three days
“Equally impressive was the AmCham’s organization of the trip which led us inside the worlds of Xiaohongshu, Starbucks, and Ant — all very rewarding experiences,” said Kin-Ming Liu, public affairs consultant, KM & Associates Ltd.
The concept of the delegation started to develop in January 2024 when a business delegation from Shanghai visited Hong Kong offering opportunities to visit the city which has transformed from the last time AmCham HK visited in 2014. The Chamber decided to put together a business delegation after gauging interests among its members and discovered that there was a strong desire to understand the mainland more deeply.
“Organizing a delegation was never an easy job. Several factors have to be taken into consideration in planning a delegation, from logistics management, understanding the objectives of your delegates, engaging and coordinating with interlocutors, to formulating messaging for the meetings. Under the current geopolitical climate, every step has to be meticulously planned to best represent American Chamber members’ interests. In this case, our members are very keen to know the secret sauce that shapes Shanghai today,” said an AmCham staff member.
Each day of the trip was frenetic. Delegates gathered early each morning for a full day of meetings with government officials, and tours covering various industries interacting with leading social media, innovation and technology and financial services companies in China. This was followed by an evening reception, one of which was hosted by AmCham’s member company Budweiser at the famous Goose Island Brewhouse Shanghai, a branch of the famous Chicago brand. This included a behind-the-scenes tour, showcasing the brewing journey of barrel-aged beer.
“The Shanghai tour provided an immersive and fruitful experience which allowed us to renew our understanding of the latest trends and behavior on the ground. It also provided helpful insights into emerging consumer trends and shifting market strategies adopted by organizations across different tiered cities in China. Thank you AmCham HK!” said Lydia Tang, Consultant, Egon Zehnder.
AmCham HK would like to offer special thanks to corporates members and partners who gave tremendous support to the trip, and to participants for their presence, questions and unflagging enthusiasm.
