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Exploits Unprecedented Honor World Chinese Businessmen
In one and a half centuries ago, several hundred thousand Chinese coolies, driven by the fond dream of "digging gold" far away from home stepped on the American soil. But their dreams and toil had all become aerial fantasies in the construction of that country's Pacific Railway. In contrast today, there has risen a new generation of Chinese entrepreneurs in the US. This is as represented by Charles Wang known as "Bill Gates" among overseas Chinese entrepreneurs, using their wisdom and fullest zeal to add to the splendor of a new digital world.
Chinese businessmen, living in more than 130 countries around the world as they are now, have in the past more than hundred years worked the hardest and have by themselves got the fullest competence to cope with a variance of changes and developments of life. They have not only merged themselves in local economic progress but have also made numerous creations and innovations following the pulse of the time on the stage of the world economy. Overseas and ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia have shown themselves economically as a motivating power while those in north America have had their force being felt as a communal group of elitism. Overseas and ethnic Chinese in Europe have come to develop as an upgrading force promoting social and economic development in countries they reside.
Known to various parts throughout the world are over 30 million oversea and ethnic Chinese and of these a two thirds are concentrated in Southeast Asia and considerable number of these are engaged in commerce. Their existence and development are closely connected with the development of resident countries' politics and economy. After World II, Southeast Asian countries achieved independence one after another and there had been brought about local economic development and development of industries and commerce by overseas and ethnic Chinese. Earlier back in the days of their startup, impoverished Chinese, seeking for a living in the Southeast Asian countries, had tried to eke out a living as small sellers or retailers, petty traders and service providers and then gradually develop themselves in productive departments. By the 1960s, following an unprecedented growth of the world economy and the rise of the Southeast Asian countries with export-oriented economies developed, labor-intensive economies as represented by the "four Asian dragons", with a vigorous economy developed. Seizing on this historical chance, in the following two to three decades, many overseas Chinese-funded enterprises developed and became known trading corporations, agricultural groups, estates corporations and companies going in for finance, insurance, stock and services.
Robert Kuok is one known in Malaysia for his large-size sugarcane plantations and sugar refinery. During the early 1970s, out of the 16 million tons of sugars sold on the world market, sugar by his refinery had taken up one tenth. In tobacco processing, Lucio Tan had claimed the largest contribution of taxes to Philippines' state treasury. Pao Yue-kong had been known to have the largest tonnage of world shipping in Hong Kong. No less known are many other Chinese entrepreneurs. Representative are Liem Sioe Liong, Lee Wen-cheng, Wee Cho Yaw, Dhanin Chearvanont and Lee Ka-shing, with their economic strength and roles promoting economic development being strongly felt in Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong.
In 1978, China launched its epoch-making reform and opened to the outside world. For its vast territorial land and rich natural resources endowed, an inexhaustible pool of cheap labor, it has attracted a multitude of investors descending from all over the world. For employing the same language, the same cultural background and commercial habits, the overseas and ethnic Chinese have been in a favorable position in their economic contacts with their compatriots on the motherland. It is learned that by the yearend of 2000 there were over 200,000 foreign-funded enterprises in China. Of these, a two-thirds had been from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao, Singapore and Malaysia, mostly launched by overseas and ethnic Chinese investors. Yu Xiaosong, chairman of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, pointed out that China is a country with great potentials for development. For its policy of mutual benefit and reciprocity for overseas investment bountiful returns have been won by those being the earliest to make investment in China. "This has by itself offered overseas and ethnic Chinese businessmen opportunities for development and has in turn contributed to economic developments in related countries they in reside and the development of the Chinese economy as well. In the meantime, it has been by itself a successful multi-bilateral-win example piloting international investment throughout the world.
Overseas Chinese businessmen's success in making investment on the mainland shows to the world that differences in social and economic system are in no way to obstruct economic exchanges between countries. Following the founding of market-oriented economic system and an economic environment of rule of law China has become a most favored land of investors around the world. In experts' view, in the process of transformation of the Chinese economy from a traditional planned economy to a market economy, compatriots in Hong Kong and Macao and overseas Chinese have provided an immediate development form and experiences to be learned from on the mainland.
In recent years, IT and bio-tech developments have brought about a high tide sweeping across the world. Overseas Chinese-invested hi-tech industries have been developed to include electronics and electric machinery manufacture, biological technology and manufacture, rare metallurgical industries. On the fountain land of the new economy as the US, overseas Chinese businessmen have launched over thousand hi-tech industrial enterprises and from these there have been brought to the fore a large number of noted successful entrepreneurs.
In the new century, overseas Chinese businessmen are facing new competition and challenges. How to break with and achieve a shift from a closed family-type to professional management? How to make most of the expertise of hi-tech overseas Chinese elites for a speedy rise of large industrial undertakings and garnering the largest amount of wealth? How to transcend China's traditional culture and value system, in the course of conflict and merger with modern economic system, to enrich and develop the content of China's traditional culture, renovate the country's industrial and business concepts and develop under a new spirit to be sought? In the first golden autumn of the new century, over 5,000 distinguished guests are now gathering at Nanjing and striving for common development and new successes to be made by comparing notes and sharing the happiness of success achieved.
By People's Daily Online
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