China Business Awards 2006

This year's China Business Awards comprise three categories: Exporter of the Year Award, Chinese Inward Investor of the Year Award and Outward Investor of the Year Award.

The awards were presented to the winners by the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott at the Chinese New Year Dinner at the Guildhall on 19 January.                                                  

UK Exporter of the Year was awarded to Choice Waste Management Ltd.  As an accredited exporter of packaging waste, Choice Waste Management Ltd has developed close relations with end-users in China who carry out reprocessing.  These contacts have been built up in recent years such that the company is now exporting 30,000 tonnes per year of packaging and other plastic waste for recycling and this is expected to grow.

Mr Raj Iqbal (right), MD of Choice Waste Management with Chinese Ambassador Zha Peixin

 

 

 

Nottingham University won the UK Outward  Investor of the Year Award as the first foreign university in the world to be granted a licence to establish a campus in the People’s Republic of China, following the Sino-Foreign Universities law passed in 2003.

Coupled with its existing campus in Malaysia, the China campus in the city of Ningbo means that the University’s overall business has grown by 2300 students in 2005, as a direct result of its dynamic internationalisation strategy. New and significant fee income is supplemented by Research and Development spin-out business which would otherwise have been unobtainable.

 

Prof David Riley (left), Pro-Vice Chancellor of Nottingham University receives the award from Deputy Prime Minister

 

 

 

 

Midea Ltd was the winner of Chinese Inward Investor of the Year Award.  Midea is the leading home appliance manufacturer in China, with a sales turnover in 2004 of USD4bn (2005 is estimated to be USD6bn), is in the process of setting up a design office in the UK. The company will undoubtedly grow quickly with its UK presence and, most importantly, as a major Chinese white goods firm, should act as a catalyst for others to do the same.

In October 2004 Midea set up its UK sales & marketing and customer service function in London, following the signing of its USD75million "Strategic Purchase Frame Agreement" with Kingfisher. The company is also looking to enhance its industrial competence and is gearing up to develop their London office as a fully fledged European headquarter, with product design teams, international marketing and client relationship management teams.