This page is Arranging a business trip for China information. Potential buyers and sellers must first be invited to visit China. To obtain an invitation, sellers or buyers must forward a formal application and business proposal to one of China’s Foreign Trade Corporations (FTCs)or, in certain cases, other official bodies. Then they settle in for a long wait. Persistence and patience are the key.

There are other, less frustrating ways of getting your foot in the China door. Many FTCs now maintain permanent representatives in the US and Western Europe (see listings below). Special trade delegations to the PRC are organized regularly by US and European governmental and private agencies. Technical seminars with Chinese participants are sponsored by a wide variety of multinational corporations and other organizations.

The formerly dominant Guangzhou (Canton) Trade Fair has given way to an increasing number of international trade exhibitions in both the PRC and major Western markets. Invitations to China’s specialized trade fairs are now readily granted to all legitimate applicants engaged in that field of endeavor. The problem merely is to find out well enough in advance where and when a particular exhibition is to be held.

If more preliminary research is required, PRC embassy officials and government trade agencies (e.g., US Foreign Commercial Service) can be helpful in providing general (and usually free) advice. Agents for and consultants to the expanding PRC import-export business can often come up with even better firsthand information and personal contracts. The following more detailed explanations should be helpful to the expert and novice alike.

For those businessmen with relatively modest trade or investment objectives, it is possible to circumvent the cumbersome and time-consuming process of soliciting an invitation. Since the advent of independent travel in China, many traders, armed only with cash, credentials, and a tourist visa obtained in Hong Kong, have found that it is possible to make contact with their Chinese counterparts and occasionally conclude on-the-spot deals. Note, however, that most of those who have enjoyed success With this approach are experienced traders with established contacts. For the majority of businessmen and women, expert and novice alike, the more prudent procedures outlined below are still the surest strategy.