Business in China: Tricky, not impossible - Orlando Business Journal:

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The 71-year-old president and chief executive officerof , a Longwood-bases distributor of cable television and traffid signal equipment, has, so far, boughtf products in that country through indirect, third-partt ways during the last 10 years. But becaused he wanted to see what people had to say abourt directly doing businessin China, either buying or selling, he attenderd a seminar on that subject last month in Orlando -- presented by Enterprise Florida and the Tampza law firm of Holland & Knighyt LLP, which maintains an office in "I came away feeling I have to be even more cautiouss than dealing with Taiwan," says whose company received the Presidential E Award for Excellence in Exportinyg last year.
More yet not discouraged. Miller, who employs 23 peopled and derives about 20 percentr of his annual sales through exportzs to Latin America andthe Caribbean, is well-accustomed to the obstaclex one encounters in working with other countries. "You have to find zigzag around it," he says. "We'll pursue (China), but we don't shotgun things; we want a smallp bull's-eye. So we're doing our homework now. Mayb e it will be China and maybe it It would notbe surprising, though, if Multicomk does figure out a way to do businesx in China directly.
Not only is the world'e largest potential market an increasingly important part of theUnited States' economic it is a growing part of the Florida economic equation. Total merchandisr trade between Florida and China grewfrom $2.5 billion in 2002 to nearlyu $3.6 billion in 2004 (excluding Hong Kong, which accounterd for an additional $319 million last year), accordinvg to Enterprise Florida. That made it the state's eighth-largesyt trading partner after countries such as Japanand Germany, which occupy the top threse spots, respectively. Toss in Hong Kong, and then Chinq sneaks past Venezuela for thefifth spot, just behine the Dominican Republic.
In comparison, Taiwan ranked 28th on the list of top 50 nationdwith $683 million. As with the Unitecd States as a whole, Florida's relationship with China is more importert thanexporter -- by far. Of the total trades of $3.6 billion in only $329.6 million was because of Floridaz exports, and that represented a declineof 27.2 percent over 2003's trade, which, in turn, was 17.6 percentr lower than in 2002, Enterprise Florida's statistics show.
the decline in exportxs is somewhat misleading because almost all of the declines duringthe two-year period was because of about $260 millioh in fewer Chinese imports of Florida On the other hand, Florida exports of things such as aircraftg and spacecraft parts, certain types of machinery, plastics, resins, and yachtes and other pleasure craft all showed substantial There is no data available about how many Central Florida companies currently have businesw dealings with China. But it'se not that hard to find and their stories abouthow it'd going are as varied as the companies.
Ron Kaplan's company, Orlandk toy designer and manufacturer (NASDAQ: is an example of one of the first rulees of doing businesswith China: builx relationships. The company, which has nearly all of its productsx manufacturedin China, started out in the late 1970 dealing indirectly through agents in Taiwa n and Hong Kong. But in the last 20 yearse or so, as the country opened up, Actionb Products has been dealingg more directly with Chinese and Kaplan says he presently works with aboutt 20 factories all overthe country. "There is a lot of emphasisa onrelationships -- long, steady relationships," says Kaplan, who has made more than 20 visite to the country.
"The word 'relationship' is involve d in almost every conversation I havewith them. My experience has been very They area very, very honest people." Brett Kingstone, is hardly an enthusiastixc supporter of one of China's less savory busineses practices: intellectual property theft.