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MEMBER MAGAZINE FOR THE SWEDISH CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE IN HONG KONG AND CHINA

6Johan M Persson

A hotbed for IoT start-ups

18Jacob Torén

Changing the lives of young Chinese

China’s new universal two-child policy is not enough to solve its ‘demographic time bomb’.

Too littletoo late

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INQUIRIESSwedish Chamber of Commerce in Hong KongRoom 2503, 25/F, BEA Harbour View Centre56, Gloucester Road, Wanchai, Hong KongTel: +852 2525 0349Email: [email protected]: www.swedcham.com.hkGeneral Manager: Eva KarlbergEvent Manager: Eric ÅhlbergFinance Manager: Anna Mackel

INQUIRIESSwedish Chamber of Commerce in ChinaRoom 313, Radisson Blu Hotel6A, East Beisanhuan Road, Chaoyang DistrictBeijing 100028, People’s Republic of ChinaTel: +86 10 5922 3388, ext 313Email: [email protected]: www.swedishchamber.com.cnGeneral Manager: Martin VercouterWebmaster: Jaycee Yang

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Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong Swedish Chamber of Commerce in China

CONTENTS No. 2017

4

8

18

Editorial

Smorgasbord

Chamber news: Business confidence survey in Hong Kong

Focus story: Too little too late

6 Opinion: Johan M Persson

18 Executive talk: Jacob Torén, EF

Feature: Johan & Johan (Johan Wikander & Johan Aledal)

Chamber activities in Shanghai31

Young Professional interview: Andreas & Theodor Martin

Chamber activities in Beijing

34

33 Chamber news: Karin Roos leaves, Martin Vercouter joins

Chamber activities in Hong Kong

The chamber and I: What to do with children on weekends

This is Sweden: Easter

New members

38 After hours

Thank you!

APC Logisticsfor your immense generosity shipping and distributing

Dragon News in China, Hong Kong, Asia and Sweden.

Iggesund Paperboardfor being the proud sponsor for the paperboard

cover sheet of Dragon News magazine.

Cover printed on Invercote® Creato 220gsm.

The Swedish Chambers of Commerce in Hong Kong and China

Directors and committee members

DRAGONNEWS 3

EDITORIAL

Being young or being childish?

Lars-Åke SeverinChairman

Swedish Chamber ofCommerce in China

Ulf OhrlingChairman

Swedish Chamber ofCommerce in Hong Kong

Dear Reader,

China definitely cannot be described as a young nation. Its culture dates back further than most other countries. The question, however, is how that is reflected in day-to-day China – and especially in Chinese businesses.

Every day, we see examples of people and companies not acting in a mature manner: IP theft, tax evasion, corruption and all forms of trickery that are far removed from Confucian and traditional Chinese virtues. In these areas, China is best described as a child lacking proper morals and acting extremely selfishly; allowing anyone else to play with their toys and sharing the cake is out of the question. Even arguments or disputes very soon reach a childish tit-for-tat pattern. Revenge is swift and very often unrelated to the dispute as such and is very often aimed at creating as much nuisance for the other party as possible.

On some occasions, payback for even holding an independent position on a delicate matter is rewarded in the form of lost trade deals. This we have seen a number of times and it is not worthy of one of the world’s leading economies. Disagreements simply cannot continue to be met with the standard response of having “hurt the Chinese people’s feeling”.

At the same time, we see a young China, with its innovative solutions, faith in progress and development; young people who are

eager to catch up on all fronts. We also see a growing sense of quality awareness. It is no longer enough to produce cheap products – a drive for higher quality is underway. In this respect, new mobile phone or drone manufacturers seem to be taking the lead, along with aggressive companies in the electric vehicle sector.

In other words, China is young and childish at the same time and sometimes people and companies display both traits as they deem them useful from time to time. It remains to be seen which companies will lead by example; being innovative and not a copier, being young in the positive sense of the word and not being childish and lacking respect for people and companies they interact with. Looking to other countries that have developed in similar ways that China has, such as Japan and South Korea, it is easy to see that those that lead by example will be most successful. Sustainability simply has to account for a major part of any Chinese corporate strategy moving forward.

Chinese business (in the sense of private risk-taking and entrepreneurship) is not in its childhood, but Chinese global business reach certainly is. It is important that Chinese companies begin to realise that doing business outside of China can be very different and challenging, and hopefully they can be as respectful to other cultures as they require

foreigners to be to Chinese culture. This issue of Dragon News also puts the

spotlight on demographics. It has become fairly commonplace to say that China will become old before it becomes rich. But demographics move slowly and researchers can predict its influence many years ahead.

For example, in 1934, Gunnar and Alva Myrdal’s book, Crisis in the Population Question, discussed the implications of Swedish demographics and the declining birth rate. They saw this as a threat to productivity and standard of living. The ideas the writers presented gave rise to a major changes in Sweden, largely shaping the beginnings of the Swedish welfare state.

Reforms such as free medical care for children, free education as well as free school lunches, child allowances (handing out more money to families that have more children), more and affordable housing and also social engineering created a society in which both parents could work while children and the elderly were taken care of by society. Both Alva and Gunnar Myrdal were later awarded the Nobel Prize (Alva Myrdal received the Nobel Peace Prize and Gunnar Myrdal received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences). The question for China is whether the mere right for parents to have more than one child will be enough or whether China also needs to start building a welfare state. Let’s hope that China will see the wisdom of taking the latter path.

4 DRAGONNEWS

OPINION

TEXT: Johan M Persson, [email protected]

startups to leverage the best of both worlds:

companies enjoy an English-speaking international infrastructure, sophisticated and business-friendly legal system, easy business set-up with minimal red tape and a low corporate tax rate of 16.5 per cent.

sourcing, with everything you need in terms of IoT-specific hardware. There are actual shopping malls dedicated to electrical components operated by the manufacturers themselves, thus improving speed and enabling cost-efficient prototyping.

possible to work closely with manufacturers in setting up production lines and minimising hiccups that might lengthen lead times.

“Despite recent trends of moving manufacturing to more cost-effective regions, Guangdong still has the most mature and skilled production suppliers for IoT and high-volume hardware,” says George Charkviani, partner at the product

Hong Kong is super-connected. It is supported by advanced and reliable ICT infrastructure, very high broadband and mobile penetration rates and excellent Internet connectivity, providing a solid testing ground. The new Pacific Light Cable Network handles 120 terabytes (TB) of data per second, is the fastest internet cable

and is due to be completed in mid-2018. Tony Verb, managing partner at the

entrepreneurs’ club Mettā, adds that the connectivity also extends to business networking. “If there was a global

Kong. It doesn’t only have one of busiest ports and airports in the world, but also a genuine culture of networking and trading,” he says. “This network matters more than it looks at first sight as [the

connections] all lead

Tapping into the connected-device market extends, of course, far and beyond finding the right geographic location to launch a business.

More often than not, startups nowadays understand that to drive business growth, they must identify their audience and cater to its needs. Many have gathered valuable customer insight and are asking their design teams increasingly difficult questions in order to translate insights into creative concepts that address customers’ requirements.

To increase their odds of survival, startups can no longer rely on manufacturers’ in-house designers, who usually do not possess the requisite competence or know-how that a more focused shop frequently does. In fact, the average ratio of designers to engineers within a company has reportedly increased to 1:4 in companies such as Airbnb and Uber as the belief that design has intrinsic value grows ever stronger.

IoT demands a high level of design and technology partnership. Startups placing higher value on customer insights in turn raise the bar for the creative industry to integrate design into these tech and hardware companies and nurture them to become successful ventures. The design and startup industries are very much akin to

They grow hand-in-hand and become more intertwined than ever before. b

As founder and creative director of C’monde, a strategy and research-driven brand and industrial design consultancy in Hong Kong, Johan M Persson has a 20-year track record of design management, working with a row of top-tier brands and design names. He is a two-times (2000, 2001) winner of the Swedish Young

Designer of the Year award. He has a Master of Science in industrial design from Umeå University and graduated from the National

College of Art Craft and Design (Konstfack) in Stockholm in 2001.

Breeding grounds for the next ‘unicorn’

s the Internet of Things (IoT) industry gains momentum, the demands intensify. The bars for lead

times and cost efficiency are constantly being challenged by investors and the unforgiving millennial consumer will only give you one chance to deliver upon your kick-started promise. It’s a cut-throat competition that not many survive.

Because of the heightened demands, Western startups are choosing to set up

closer to hardware development, enabling them to move faster and with increased control. It provides a healthy demand for high-end services from the creative industry.

Staggering growth projection figures indicate that IoT is poised to explode in the coming years, according to IT research and advisory firm Gartner Inc:

every day in 2016.

use globally.

devices will be connected globally.Global demand for connected products

will only grow stronger, opening up new business opportunities and attracting a new crop of startups and entrepreneurs jumping on the bandwagon, ready and eager to take part of the big cake.

As a start-up, you need to grasp any advantage you can get to be competitive, even if that means moving out of your comfort zone to China. It is here in

offered some major advantages. It is the blend of culture, governance, location and accessibility that makes the city one of the most appealing spots for IoT development, attracting companies and entrepreneurs from around the world.

Strategically situated at the doorstep to the world’s factory in Shenzhen, the English-speaking, super-connected, free

A

Hong Kong is becoming a hotbed for Internet of Things (IoT) start-ups and is attracting a number of incubators and

accelerators to set up shop in the twin cities Hong Kong and

Hong Kong is the landing point for one of the fastest

internet cables.

TBsec

Researchers expect that, in 2020, 20.8 billion devices will be connected globally.

OPINION

TEXT: Johan M Persson, [email protected]

startups to leverage the best of both worlds:

companies enjoy an English-speaking international infrastructure, sophisticatedand business-friendly legal system, easy business set-up with minimal red tape and a low corporate tax rate of 16.5 per cent.

sourcing, with everything you need in terms of IoT-specific hardware. There are actual shopping malls dedicatedto electrical components operated by the manufacturers themselves, thus improving speed and enabling cost-efficientprototyping.

possible to work closely with manufacturers in setting up production lines and minimising hiccups that mightlengthen lead times.

“Despite recent trends of moving manufacturing to more cost-effective regions, Guangdong still has the mostmature and skilled production suppliers for IoT and high-volume hardware,” says George Charkviani, partner at the product

Hong Kong is super-connected.It is supported by advanced and reliable ICT infrastructure, very high broadbandand mobile penetration rates and excellent Internet connectivity, providing a solidtesting ground. The new Pacific Light Cable Network handles 120 terabytes (TB) of data per second, is the fastest internet cable

and is due to be completed in mid-2018. Tony Verb, managing partner at the

entrepreneurs’ club Mettā, adds that the connectivity also extends to businessnetworking. “If there was a global

Kong. It doesn’t only have one of busiest ports and airports in the world, but also a genuine culture of networking and trading,” he says. “This network mattersmore than it looks at first sight as [the

connections] all lead

Tapping into the connected-device marketextends, of course, far and beyond finding the right geographic location to launch a business.

More often than not, startups nowadays understand that to drive business growth, they must identify their audience and cater to its needs. Many have gathered valuable customer insight and are asking their design teams increasingly difficult questions in order to translateinsights into creative concepts that address customers’ requirements.

To increase their odds of survival, startups can no longer rely on manufacturers’ in-house designers, who usually do not possess the requisite competence or know-how that a more focused shop frequently does. In fact, the average ratio of designers to engineers within a company has reportedly increasedto 1:4 in companies such as Airbnb and Uber as the belief that design has intrinsic value grows ever stronger.

IoT demands a high level of design and technology partnership. Startups placing higher value on customer insights in turnraise the bar for the creative industry to integrate design into these tech and hardware companies and nurture them to become successful ventures. The design andstartup industries are very much akin to

They grow hand-in-hand and become more intertwined than ever before. b

As founder and creative director of C’monde, a strategy and research-driven brand and industrial design consultancy in Hong Kong, Johan M Persson has a 20-year track record of designmanagement, working with a row of top-tier brands and design names. He is a two-times ((2000, 2001)) winner of the Swedish Youngg

Designer of the Year award. He has a Master of Science in industrial design from Umeå University and graduated from the National ollege of Art Craft and Design (Konstfack) in Stockholm in 2001.

s the Internet of Things(IoT) industry gains momentum, the demands intensify. The bars for lead

times and cost efficiency are constantly being challenged by investors and the unforgiving millennial consumer will only give you one chance to deliver upon your kick-started promise. It’s a cut-throat competition that not many survive.

Because of the heightened demands, Western startups are choosing to set up

closer to hardware development, enabling them to move faster and with increased control. It provides a healthy demand for high-end services from the creative industry.

Staggering growth projectionfigures indicate that IoT is poised to explode in the coming years, according to IT research and advisory firm Gartner Inc:

every day in 2016.

use globally.

devices will be connected globally.Global demand for connected products

will only grow stronger, opening up new business opportunities and attracting a new crop of startups and entrepreneurs jumping on the bandwagon, ready and eager to take part of the big cake.

As a start-up, you need to grasp any advantage you can get to be competitive, even if that means moving out of yourcomfort zone to China. It is here in

offered some major advantages. It is the blend of culture, governance, location and accessibility that makes the city one of the most appealing spots for IoT development, attracting companies and entrepreneurs from around the world.

Strategically situated at the doorstep to the world’s factory in Shenzhen, the English-speaking, super-connected, free

Hong Kong is becoming a hotbed for Internet of Things (IoT) start-ups and is attracting a number of incubators and

accelerators to set up shop in the twin cities Hong Kong and

A

dCo

Hong Kong is the landingpoint for one of the fastest

internet cables.

TBsec

Researchers expect that, in 2020, 20.8billion devices will be connected globally.

6 DRAGONNEWS DRAGONNEWS

[Hong Kong] is supported by advanced and reliable ICT

infrastructure, very high broadband and mobile penetration rates and excellent Internet connectivity.”

SMORGASBORD

Day-care centre at the factory There is a striking labour shortage in southern China, where

recruitment is a constant worry for most factories, especially after the Chinese New Year when the employers don’t know how many of their workers will return.

However, Taiwanese-owned Dongguan Concord Pottery, which makes ceramic cups and other items for Starbucks, has found a way to deal with these problems. With the support of the Centre for Child Rights and Corporate Social Responsibility (CCR CSR) and Save the Children, they have started a day-care centre so that the migrant parent workers can bring their children with them and live with them.

Most of the 3,000 workers at Concord Pottery come from far away and like most migrant workers they have had to leave their children at home – but not any longer. After the launch of the day-care centre, the word spread quickly.

“It was quite a sight, I opened up the gates when we started recruiting again after New Year, and there was a long queue outside. It hasn’t happened in years,” says Lake Law, the company’s head of corporate social responsibility, on the Save the Children’s website.

exact dollar value to it perhaps, but with workers’ happiness, better retention rates and ease of recruitment, we feel it is worth it. And it is also the right thing to do,” says Law.

“If I were to be a child again, I would like to be raised in Sweden.” A quote from one of the OECD-appointed researchers of the Swedish system for early childhood education, according to the Australian news and research website The Conversation.

Leader in early childhood education In 1999, when Sweden was inspected by a group of international

experts appointed by the OECD, the group concluded in their report that early childhood education and care in Sweden are of high quality, and in many areas the very best.

Today, 83 per cent of Swedish children aged one to six are in preschool, and 95 per cent of three to six-year olds. Children start school at the age of seven.

in 1998 and became an inspiration for early childhood educators and policy makers worldwide. The curriculum has no prescribed goals for individual children to reach by a certain age. Instead, it states “goals to strive for”.

The number of days

parents get paid parental

leave per child.

The number of languages late author Astrid Lindgren’s books have been translated to.

Migrant workers’ children play at thefactory’s day-care centre.

Sweden has widespread early education.

PH

OTO

: Sa

ve t

he

Ch

ildre

n

The year Sweden becomes

to make beating or spanking

children a criminal offence.

There are around two million children in Sweden, that is people under the age of 18.

The number of schools that the organisation Friends – dedicated to stamping out bullying – has cooperated with since its inception in 1997.

The share of children in Sweden living with a stepfather or a stepmother.%in Sweden has a family with

roots in another country.1/5

The share of parental leave taken by men.%

+The preschool fee is 2-3 per

cent of a family’s income, before

for each child after that.Research evidence shows that

when children have access to quality early childhood education they can expect better school success, a decreased crime rate, less substance abuse and increased long-term employment – all positives for the economy.

Swedish childhood in numbers

8 DRAGONNEWS

TEXT: Jan Hökerberg, [email protected]

Too littletoo late

hen the Communist Party of China took the decision in October 2015 to scrap the one-child policy, it meant that all

couples in China – for the first time in 35 years – were going to be allowed to have two children.

The one-child policy was implemented in 1979 to curb population growth. According to Chinese leaders, the policy has prevented 400 million births which, they say, has contributed to China’s rapid economic development in the decades to follow.

others have criticised the policy, since it has led to forced abortions and sterilisations and even infanticides.

In 1984, China adjusted the policy, allowing a second child for some families in rural areas and for couples who were both an only child. The relaxation continued from 2013, allowing minority ethnic families and rural couples whose first-born was a girl to have more than one child.

The main reason for the government’s recent abolition of the one-child policy was to improve the balanced development of the population and to deal with an ageing population.

The traditional gender preference among the Chinese is to have a boy who can bring in more household income to the family later in life. Boys became even more preferred when the one-child policy was introduced. Many parents chose sex-selected abortions (which were banned in 2004) or even abandoned girls after birth.

This has led to China having one of the worst gender imbalances in the world.

Chinese people also live longer today than they did in 1980. Combined with more than three decades of the one-child policy, it has created a demographic “time bomb”, with a rapidly ageing population and a rapidly shrinking labour pool. The country will have nearly 440 million over-60s by 2050, according to United Nations estimates, placing a massive strain on government resources.

To put it simply, China has too many men, too many old people and too few young people. Or in other words, fewer workers will have to support many more elderly relatives.

China’s new universal two-child policy came into effect in January 2016. There was a significant rise in births in Chinese hospitals in 2016, with 17.86 million recorded, an increase of 7.9 per cent, according to China’s

the babies were born to families that already have one child.

W

Even though China has dropped its one-child policy, its birth rate is too low and needs to rise, if the nation does not want to be confronted with a shrinking labour force and a rapidly ageing population. Hong Kong is also struggling with low fertility rates. For this year’s four issues of Dragon News, the Swedish Chambers of Commerce in Hong Kong and China have chosen, as the magazine’s theme, the four seasons of life: Childhood, Youth, Midlife and Old age.

We will analyse demographic facts and social trends, and will interview member companies and others that offer products or services for these different generations.

The four seasons of life (1): Childhood

China’s new universal two-child policy is not enough to solve its ‘demographic time bomb’.

To put it simply,

China has too many men, too many old people and too few young people.”

FOCUS STORY

By the year 2050, commission projections expect the universal two-child policy to result in an extra 30 million working-age people – but even this increase may not be enough.

Demographers have described the decision to allow all families to have two children as “too little, too late” in the fight against a rapidly ageing population. It is unlikely, they say, that the universal two-child policy will have a lasting demographic impact, particularly in urban areas where couples often are reluctant to have two children because of the high cost.

The children without siblings have been dubbed China’s little emperors, or xiao huangdi in Chinese, because they often gain excessive amounts of attention from parents and grandparents. Tens of millions of young Chinese have been born since the one-child policy was introduced and they have grown up as only children without any siblings around themselves or their friends.

For many, this has meant great advantages, such as living a relatively comfortable life without any sibling rivalries, a chance of getting into better schools and finding better jobs.

But there is also another side of the coin. In an Australian study, published in Science in 2013, researchers found that China’s only children were more pessimistic, neurotic and selfish than their peers with siblings.

The researchers did a number of surveys and tests among 421 Chinese young adults born between 1975 and 1983. Those participants, born after the one-child policy was introduced in 1979, were found to be both less trusting and less trustworthy, less inclined to take risks, less conscientious and optimistic, and less competitive than those born a few years earlier.

“Because of the one-child policy, parents are less likely to teach their child to be imaginative, trusting and unselfish,” commented psychologist Xin Meng of the Australian National University in Canberra. Without siblings, she noted, the need to share may not be emphasised, which could help explain these findings.

A 2005 survey by the Internet portal

DRAGONNEWS DRAGONNEWS 11

FOCUS STORY

Sina of about 7,000 respondents between ages 15 and 25 found that 58 per cent of one-child respondents admitted to being lonely and said they were selfish. But many also revelled in being the “sun” around which the household revolves.

Unlike in Sweden, many Chinese children receive large amounts of homework from school and engage in many extracurricular activities that their parents think will better qualify them for academic studies and lead them on an easier route to a better life.

Parents’ demands put a large amount of pressure on the children to succeed. And if they succeed, they face a heavy burden later in life when they have to support not only their parents but also their grandparents.

These children often go through their entire childhood without much play and social interaction with other children.

Article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child states that every child should have the right to play – but millions of children across the world are denied this opportunity.

Last year, the IKEA Foundation launched a global campaign called Let’s Play for Change. IKEA China could contribute with close to €1 million, which was being donated to projects to support children’s right to play, according to Linda Xu, IKEA China’s corporate PR manager (see separate article).

China’s rapid economic development has lifted some 800 million people out of poverty since 1978. But it has also meant

that an estimated 61 million children – close to Britain’s total population – are living separated from their migrant worker parents who have sought work in the cities.

These so-called “left-behind children”, who for most of the year don’t see their parents, have become a massive social problem that it has led to numerous tragedies, such as suicides.

A 2013 study by the Centre for Child Rights and Corporate Social Responsibility (CCR CSR) revealed that more than 80 per cent of migrant parents in China feel inadequate as parents because they were unable to support their children’s development.

“This study became a bit of an eye-opener for companies [and they] started to look at their migrant

workers with a different view – that these were also human beings with dreams and wishes,” says Malin Liljert, director at CCR CSR in Beijing (see separate article).

Because of the one-child-policy in China, parents have tended to spend a substantial part of their income on the only child. Figures from the National Bureau of Statistics have shown that spending outlays on an infant or child make up over 30 per cent of a family’s total expenditure.

“Children’s products are a segment that works well in China, since parents are willing to invest in their children. They are looking for quality products and Sweden is a good ambassador for that,” says Johan Wikander, partner at the Shanghai-based trading company Johan &

Linnea and Tove - children in Sweden

Xiaofan - a child in China

Linnea Hedenstedt is eight years old, and her sister Tove is six. They live in a house in Dalby, close to the Swedish southern city of Lund, where their parents, Anders, a project manager at a research institute, and Jenny, an engineer and sales manager at an engineering company, both work.

Their house has four bedrooms and an open combined living

there is a terrace and a garden. The area is popular among families with young children.

The Hedenstedt family has a household gross income of around 85,000 kronor (approximately 65,000 yuan) but around a third of that is deducted for tax.

Linnea started grade one last autumn at Nyvångskolan, around 1.5 kilometres from her home, to which she bikes in the mornings accompanied by one of her parents, who then continues cycling to their workplaces in the city. School starts

classmates stay in the same building for fritids (a community youth centre) where she is picked up by of the one of her parents or sometimes her grandfather about two hours later.

Tove attends the Kattfoten day-care centre, which is an easy walk from home, just 75 metres, where she stays until she is picked up in the afternoon at around the same time as her sister.

The family pays the maximum fee, 1,200 kronor (925 yuan) per month, for each child, meals included. As part of the Swedish system, they also receive child allowances from the government, which is over 1,000 kronor (770 yuan) per month and child.

The Swedish government encourages more children so the day-care fee decreases and the child allowance becomes higher the more children a family has.

Linnea’s favourite subjects in school are mathematics and science orientation. She has reading homework four times a

Both girls engage in several extra activities. Linnea spends one and a half hours each per week on gymnastics and athletics (running, long jump, shot-put) and together with her

programme, for one hour. Tove also takes swimming classes once a week.

They also play with their friends around two times per week and once or twice during the weekend and when the Hedenstedts meet with other families with children.

Both Linnea and Tove would like to work with animals when they grow older – for example by becoming veterinarians. They have always been fond of animals and the family has spent several holidays, in Greece, Italy and Denmark, where they have stayed at farms. Both sisters also own a guinea pig, which they received as Christmas presents.

In April, the family will see the arrival of a baby daughter. About a year ago, the whole family took a one-month long journey in Asia together. Anders and Jenny had many chances to discuss what’s most important in life and came to the conclusion that they should take the opportunity to have a third child before it’s too late.

Wang Xiaofan is 11 years old and lives with her father Wang Hai, department manager at a state-owned company, and mother Gao Jing, a sub-district community staff worker, in a 120 sq m apartment in a high-rise building in Jing’an District in Shanghai. Their approximate household income per month is 25,000 yuan.

also in Jing’an, and attached to Shanghai Normal University, which takes her 15 minutes to walk to.

It is a famous school with more than 70 years of history. The school is public and free of charge.

Xiaofan’s favourite subject in school is art. She spends about four hours per day doing her homework, but has also one hour per day to play.

She does her homework and play at a day-care centre to which she goes after school.

She has also plenty of extracurricular activities after school. She spends three and a half hours per week studying mathematics, two hours learning English, two and a half hours dancing ballet, one and a half hour on painting and one hour on playing the pipa, a four-stringed Chinese lute.

Xiaofan’s dream is to become a teacher when she grows up.

Now that it is possible for Chinese parents to have a second child, Wang and Gao say that they would like to. But on the other hand, they realise that they do not have time to take care of another child as they are both full-time employees.

million The number of births that the 35-year old one-child policy prevented, which

China’s government says has contributed to the country’s rapid

economic development.P

HO

TO: E

F

From left: Jenny, Tove,

Linnea and Anders Hedenstedt.

Chinese children are enjoying their studies at an EF Education First school in China.

Xiaofan with her parents

Gao and Wang.


FOCUS STORY

BabyBjörn expands in Asia

South Korea, BabyBjörn is now making inroads into the Asian markets with their baby carriers and other products for young ones.

BabyBjörn is a Swedish family-owned company and success story. It was founded in 1961 by Björn Jakobson when he had discovered baby bouncers, or baby rockers, in the US and tried to introduce them in Sweden. The big breakthrough for the company came in 1973 when Jakobson, together with his wife Lillemor, a textile designer and art director, collaborated closely with

Today, more than 30 million babies around the world have been carried close to their parents in a BabyBjörn baby carrier, in which the baby can face both forward and towards the parent’s chest. Another advantage is that it delivers good support for the baby’s head. BabyBjörn’s motto is to never launch a new product without professional medical and ergonomic advice.

In Asia, BabyBjörn

the China business which is handled with the help of the trading company Johan & Johan (see page 20).

“BabyBjörn’s products are sold in over 100 premium baby shops in Southeast Asia, with more than 50 of them in Hong Kong and Macau,” says Raymond Choi, sales and marketing manager for Hong Kong and Southeast Asia.

In China, online sales represent some more than half of the total sales, while in Hong Kong it is less due to Hongkongers’ habit of shopping in physical stores.

“We believe that the Hong Kong people’s behaviour will change and that online sales will pick up here which gives us a great potential,” says Choi.

Many of the buyers in Hong Kong are expatriates that know the BabyBjörn brand well already.

“Our job here is to build brand awareness and make BabyBjörn more visible among the local population. A baby carrier is a must-have item for parents with young children today, but not long ago it was common to use just a piece of fabric to carry the baby in. Strollers are, of course, an option, but Hong Kong’s streets are really not made for them,” says Choi.

BabyBjörn’s products are sold in around

shops in Southeast Asia,

are in Hong Kong and Macau.” Raymond Choi, BabyBjörn

in around

ast Asia,

ng and

örn

Johan, which represents many Swedish brands selling baby and children’s products.

Wikander points out that the Chinese middle class is also starting to understand why they should buy safe and environmentally friendly products, such as ecological diapers from Naty, which are made of corn rather than plastics.

require education. It’s not a given that Chinese parents put a helmet on children when they drive a bicycle or a scooter. Many Chinese families think that to buy a safety car seat from Axkid for the young child is an unnecessary expense when they can sit in the back seat, but when we say that there have been zero fatalities involving children in safety seats travelling backwards in Sweden over the past three years, then they start to think twice,” says Wikander (see also page 20).

According to a study by consulting firm McKinsey & Company, 76 per cent of China’s urban population will be considered middle class by 2022, earning between US$9,000 and $34,000 a year. In 2000, just 4 per cent of the urban population was considered middle class.

But even though the middle class have steadily rising incomes, it has become extremely costly for them to have children if they want them to succeed in the country’s competitive schools and workplaces. These parents must invest lots of time and money in a child – for schooling, extracurricular activities, and extra tutoring.

That is an important reason why many Chinese parents think twice about having a second child, even though policy now allows it. b

Every child has the right

to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child, and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.” Article 31 in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

Children products selling well in China

Chinese parents are willing to invest in quality and safe products for their children, says Linda Xu of IKEA, who expects strong sales growth now that the universal two-child policy is in place.

Currently, IKEA, the world’s largest furnishing retailer, operates 21 stores in mainland China and will open three more this year – in Nantong, Harbin and Jinan, according to Linda Xu, IKEA China’s corporate PR manager. How many per cent of IKEA China’s turnover does the baby and children’s product segment represent? “The China market is one with the most potential for the IKEA group. We achieved 12.5 billion yuan in sales turnover last year. Children’s products contributed to a 6.5 per cent share of the total sales.”

Does it differ from the average in, for example, Europe?“IKEA has a pretty good reputation for children products in China. The Chinese market has a much higher turnover share of children’s IKEA than Europe, where it represents 3.5 per cent of total sales. Chinese parents are willing to invest more in their children when it comes to better quality and safe products.”

What baby and children’s products are most popular among Chinese families?“Products such as highchairs, cots, stools, hard and soft toys and study desks with chairs are selling well among Chinese consumers.”

tastes, for example when it comes to size, colour, and so on?

“Yes, we worked with IKEA of Sweden and requested that study desks and chairs, toys, drinks and eats-on-the-go be incorporated into our range. Because of the commercial

names and technology.”

With the one-child policy having been phased out nationwide, do you expect stronger growth in the children segment?“Yes, we expect a double-digit increase in sales per year from 2020 to 2022.”

Can IKEA guarantee that none of its products are manufactured by children? “Yes. All suppliers that work with IKEA have to

comply with IKEA’s code of conduct called IWAY, which clearly states that child labour is strictly forbidden.”

Last year, the IKEA Foundation initiated a campaign to emphasise the importance of play among children. IKEA partnered with six child-rights organisations and donated €1

for each toy or book sold during November and December. How did the campaign turn out?

“Every year, the IKEA Foundation initiates campaigns with a focus on children. Last year, during the campaign period, IKEA co-workers and customers engaged in the so-called Good

Cause campaign, and an amazing 12.6 million IKEA children’s products were sold worldwide. As

a result, the IKEA Foundation has donated €21.5 million to six partner organisations, who will help

thousands of vulnerable children enjoy their right to play.

“IKEA China has actively participated in the campaigns since 2003. In China, we have worked with our partners, UNICEF and Save the Children. Last year’s results were very encouraging. The China market will contribute €925,177 to the Good Cause campaign project to support children’s right to play.”

Products such as highchairs, cots,

stools, hard and soft toys and study desks with chairs are selling well among the Chinese consumers.” Linda Xu, IKEA

6.5% The baby and children

product segment’s share at IKEA in China, which is much higher than the 3.5

per cent average in Europe.

and so on? Dec“Ecda

CIKEA

a resm

as s,

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PH

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Children have their own play area in IKEA stores.

14 DRAGONNEWS DRAGONNEWS 15

FOCUS STORY

Bringing their children to the workplace

There have been some improvements for migrant parents and their children recently but child labour still exist.

The Beijing-based Centre for Child Rights and Corporate Social Responsibility (CCR CSR) was founded in 2009 with the aim of improving the lives of children and young people in China and providing products and services to companies to help them incorporate child rights into their CSR agendas.

In 2013, a research project by CCR CSR called They Are Also Parents concluded that a vast majority of the migrant parents feel inadequate since they fail to support their child’s emotional and educational development.

training programme directed towards companies with migrant parents in the workforce.

According to the 2016 migrant population survey by the National Health and Family Planning Commission, the number of workers moving from rural to urban areas in China is 247 million, with an estimated 61 million children growing up without one or both of their parents.

“Over the past few years, we have observed several changes regarding the migrant parents and their children,” says Malin Liljert, CCR CSR’s director in Beijing. “A reform of the hukou system is being rolled out so that more migrant workers have the opportunity to gain resident permits in second-, third- and fourth-tier cities, making it easier for them to bring along their families.”

More migrant parents are now bringing their children to their workplaces in other cities than was the case just a few years ago.

“Many young parents, in particular, have decided that they want to see their children more often and have managed to obtain temporary resident permits for them in the cities they work,” says Liljert.

“But the factory dorms are not built for children, only for single workers, so the parents often let the children go with them

children are off school and have nowhere to go and no-one to

look after them during work hours. However, since this can jeopardise the safety of the

children and subject the factory to major compliance risks, some companies have started to set up day-care centres inside the factories. Last year, CCR CSR helped to implement Factory Child Friendly Spaces in six factories in China, giving the children of workers a safe space to play and learn during the summer holidays.

“These companies have realised the business value of taking care of their parent employees,” says Liljert. “They have seen the employee turnover rate decrease sharply since parents at such companies really don’t want to leave.”

Factories have also reported improved relationships between workers and management, which has positively impacted productivity.

A negative recent trend, and a possible consequence of the increased mobility of the migrant parents’ children, is that child labour in China is still a pressing issue but is often hidden from view. Suppliers and

overlooked by auditors even though it is precisely in the deeper tiers where major violations tend to occur.

“Yes, it was a bit of surprise even for us when we found out that child labour is still so common in factories,” says Liljert. “We thought it was on its way out but we have found out that it is very common, especially among many sub-suppliers that are not affected by audits.”

Common reasons for factories using underage children are

there is an excessive demand for labour.

The spread of social media has helped migrant parents to communicate more frequently with their children.

“WeChat didn’t exist when we started our work eight years ago. But since then we have launched a WeChat-based e-learning platform aimed towards migrant parents that helps them improve communication with their children and better understand their needs. Some haven’t had any, or much, contact for many years and it’s a real challenge for them to learn how to communicate with their offspring,” says Liljert.

The factory dorms are not built for children ... so the

parents often let the children go

Malin Liljert, CCR CSR

61 million

The number of “left-behind” children

in China that are growing up without one or two parents.

Get in touch with Iggesund Paperboard Asia at phone: +852 2516 0250,

fax: (852) 2516 0251 or visit iggesund.com

Running a business is just like fishing. You need to know what you’re doing and you need to use the best tools. So if your products need good packaging, make sure you use the best paperboard and take advice from those who make it. At Iggesund we provide both.

To catch the best business

opportunities, use better paperboard.”

Vaidas Petronis Technical Engineer,

Iggesund Paperboard

CARE BY IGGESUND Our care for our customers and their businesses goes far beyond offering two of the world’s leading paperboard brands, Invercote and Incada.

“

16 DRAGONNEWS

... EF’s spirit: “We have a young work force – the average age is 29. We offer an entrepreneurial environment, in which people are allowed to make mistakes as long as they take responsibility for them.”... EF’s teachers in China: “About half of them are Chinese and the other half are from English-speaking countries such as the US, the UK, Canada and so on. Everyone has a university degree, teaching experience, a TEFL [Teaching English as a Foreign Language]

checks on all teachers.”... sailing: “It’s a passion for both my wife and myself. We own a trimaran, which is parked at the Shanghai Yacht Club and with which we have participated, quite successfully, in regattas both on Dianshan Lake and in Suzhou.”


Jacob Torén about ...

The number of English language

schools for children that EF currently has in 50 cities in China.

agencies to produce marketing material. The business grew and when some investors from Switzerland stepped in the three founders began to dream of a great future.

the Swiss city of Zurich with his wife Anna Karin, the investors suddenly vanished and the company could not get by without their financial support. The couple wanted to

around for another job.

job to work with EF’s digital marketing in Switzerland.

EF was founded in Sweden in 1965 as

School), which later became Education First (English First is the name of their language schools in non-English speaking countries). Today, EF has 46,500 office staff and teachers with a presence in 116 countries.

and his wife were expecting their first child and were shopping around for a baby stroller, his phone rang

for EF’s schools in non-English

the next 24 hours.“At first, we were a bit

was about to give birth and we’d planned for a life in Switzerland, where we’d settled close to nature and could view the mountain tops of the Alps from our

high density of people, would be the total

that this was an offer we couldn’t really reject.”

At that time, EF had a presence in some 30 Chinese cities but had very few schools. One reason was that it had become almost impossible to recruit foreign teachers in the aftermath of the outbreak of the severe acute

Kong and China. “The first two years, I travelled all around

China and we opened our own schools in the tier-one cities and found franchise partners to run the schools in other cities. Today, the partner network is really one of our strengths, since many of them have worked with EF for

In 2008, EF decided to move the team that worked with schools for children to Shanghai, which became the global

headquarters for teaching young students in non-English speaking countries which, besides China, also include Russia and Indonesia.

about 200 employees in China; now we have 7,000 with 180 language schools for kids in 50 cities. Great managers leading our schools is the reason we’ve been able to grow so

in Stockholm, where he grew up in the south-western suburb of Mälarhöjden on the

has always had a great interest in sailing and he met Anna Karin when both were participants in the Tall Ships Race in 1992, a training event with sailing ships which that year crossed the Atlantic Ocean. The couple have three daughters, Alice – who was

born in Switzerland in 2004, Sofia – born

born in Shanghai in 2009.

see the differences between how Swedish and Chinese children are educated by their parents. “The biggest difference is that the children in China have so little time for relaxing or playing,” he says.

Chinese parents also make up long-term plans for their children from a very early age. The one-child policy, introduced in the late 1970s to curb population growth, has put a heavy burden on only children to support their parents and grandparents when they grow older.

“Children in China have a much tougher time in school compared to Swedish children, for better or worse. At EF, we do not only want the children to pass tests and exams, we emphasise that they should also have the confidence to use the language. As

Changing the lives of young Chinese

aving worked in China at Swedish language learning company EF for

been in a prime position to observe the development among young Chinese students when it comes to their English language skills.

“Today, an eight-year old in Shanghai is two years ahead of what an eight-year old was 10 years ago. So we have had to adjust our school books to new levels,” he says.

development in the schools. “EF was the first company in China that installed computers in all classrooms, and now every student has a touch-screen device. By using an application, parents can also connect online to follow their children’s education. In technology, China has surpassed many other countries in the world,” he says.

While Torén still studied at the Stockholm School of Economics in Sweden, he and two friends had started a company which helped advertising

H

As global president for language learning company EF’s English centres for kids and teens, Jacob Torén has seen Chinese students picking up English at a fast pace.

EXECUTIVE TALK

many Chinese families now travel abroad, parents notice the difference and thank us for having helped change their children’s lives,”

At the moment, EF is opening a new school every second week in China, where

double to 300 EF schools in five years’ time.EF’s language schools in China are open

seven days a week and most are located in shopping malls.

“The location is important. It must be easy for parents to bring their children to us after school. If they are happy with the education, they will stay longer and will spread the word. We get most of our new students through

b

captioncaptioncaptioncaptioncaptioncaptioncaptioncaptioncaptioncaptioncaptioncapticaptioncaptioncaptioncaptioncaptioncaptioncaptioncaptioncaptioncaptioncaption


The biggest difference [between Swedish and Chinese children]

is that children in China have so little time for relaxing or playing.”

The entrepreneurs

Johan Wikander and Johan Aledal found that they had more in common than their given names, so they set up a trading

company, now called Johan & Johan, which helps Swedish brands


round 10 years ago, Johan Wikander and Johan Aledal were both sent to Shanghai by the Swedish companies they worked for – Wikander on a logistics project for a bar-code printing company and Aledal for setting up a

sales office for an e-commerce software company.They both leased office space at Business Sweden’s then premises in

Nanzheng Plaza on Nanjing Road West.“We were sitting opposite each other and we soon found out that

we had more in common than our given names. We could clearly see that foreign companies now wanted to sell their goods in China, not only produce them there. But, as many have experienced, it’s not that easy to run an operation in China from Sweden,” says Wikander.

He had long experience in the retail industry and consumer

knew how to sell products online. They decided to set up a wholly foreign-owned enterprise together

and realised quickly it had to be a trading company that could be used for importing goods from customers abroad and selling them locally, both online and offline, in China.

Wikander and Aledal gradually moved out of their previous jobs and into their new venture, and were both active in setting up the company, Yuehan (Shanghai) Trading Co, Ltd, which got its license in 2010.

“We learnt a lot from that when it comes to labour law, VAT and import rules, customs regulations, and so on. Knowing these sometimes complicated issues also strengthens our credibility among customers in Europe,” Aledal says.

BabyBjörn, a Swedish company known for their baby carriers and other safe and functional products for children, was one of the first companies Wikander and Aledal got in touch with.

“They had a traditional Chinese distributor model that was not working out for them. Their products were sold via channels they didn’t want and they lacked commercial control,” says Wikander.

“This led us to create a new model, which is much more modern than the classical distributor model. We’re still buying and selling, but we let the brand owner take a much more active part in the whole process,” says Aledal.

“We’ve observed that companies that have been in China for some time and know what it takes to be present in this market appreciate our help more than companies without any previous experience of China,” he adds.

The two partners soon discovered that they also needed to create a more modern identity for their company, which is how the name Johan & Johan came about.

you are Johan & Johan ...’ In other words, our brand name was given to us by our network.”

BabyBjörn is now one of their biggest clients. Johan & Johan acts as the company’s legal representative in China and is handling its sales both online through a Tmall shop and at physical stores, such as Mothercare.

Other customers include Naty (ecological hygiene products such as disposable diapers), Stiga (sports games), Stenströms (shirts and knitwear) and Axkid (safety car seats for children). The company has around 20 customers, mainly Swedish brands.

The company has focused on three product groups: baby and children’s products, apparel and accessories, and health and safety products.

Trading, both online retail and wholesale distribution, is the company’s main business area but it also offers a business enabling service for companies that want to operate in China without having a company there. Such customers can rent consultancy services from Johan & Johan and can hire their employees to get help with what they need – for example, human resources support, quality control inspections and administration.

“About 70 per cent of our total turnover comes from sales of consumer goods, of which half consists of sales of consumer goods through online channels and it is steadily growing,” says Aledal.

A

Facts about Johan & Johan

Owners: Johan Wikander and Johan Aledal.Shanghai (headquarters), Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong.

Turnover: 50 million yuan estimated in 2017.Number of employees: 55.

Around three years ago, Johan & Johan started to plan to expand by opening up in Vietnam.

“We are entrepreneurs who like to build rather than to administrate, so we wanted to test if our model would work in other countries in the region. Surprisingly, it was more complicated to set up a company in Vietnam than in China, but last summer we opened

sales and marketing team,” says Aledal.

captioncaptioncaptioncaptioncaptioncaptioncaptioncaptioncaptioncaptioncaption

FEATURE

Partners in trading

Later this spring, Johan & Johan will also open an office in

“Our niche is that we have Swedish owners and we are present in different Asian markets. So if a company in Sweden wants to sell its products in the region we are there for them. We also keep our customers updated all the time through an app that provides actual figures on sales, stock, and so on, on a daily basis,” says Aledal.

China is going through an economic slowdown but Wikander and Aledal don’t feel that since they are getting frequent requests from potential clients.

“We haven’t done much marketing except for seminars for chambers of commerce both in Sweden and in Asia. Those have worked very well for us and given us several new clients,” says Wikander.

“Our ambition is to start looking at another market this year – for example, Indonesia, which has a population of 250 million people and a mature retail market. Jakarta has more shopping malls than any other big city in the world. Taiwan is another alternative,” says Aledal. b

DRAGONNEWS DRAGONNEWS

As many have experienced, it’s not

that easy to run an operation in China from Sweden.” Johan Wikander

We’re still buying and selling, but we

let the brand owner take a much more active part in the whole process.” Johan Aledal

ake 700 litres of water and half a tonne of Epsom salt. Mix, stir well, heat up to 34.5°C, and the result might very well be

described as the secret recipe to happiness. Perhaps it sounds slightly faddish, but the fact is that far from being the brainchild of some medieval alchemist, this magical liquid is the very core of Floatasian’s business model. It is there, in a temperature-controlled tank filled with the same saturated solution, that guests get to literally let go of what drags them down.

“It’s like being weightless,” says Theodor Martin, a Swedish entrepreneur running one of Shanghai’s first flotation spas together with his brother and CEO, Andreas.

Theodor fell for the method during a trip back to Sweden. And he is quick to sum up the health benefits of floating: reduced heart rate and stress level and improved sleep quality. Besides, Epsom salt is also a source of magnesium, which our body often lacks

Two Swedish brothers in Shanghai have founded and are running the Floatasian

TEXT: Martin Vercouter, [email protected]

The ultimate in relaxation

T

YOUNG PROFESSIONAL INTERVIEW

DRAGONNEWS

Andreas and Theodor Martin in brief

Age: 33 and 27.Occupation: CEO and Spa Manager.From: Sweden. Live: In Shanghai.Hardest experience: “Hurdles arose that we couldn’t even have dreamed of.”Best experience: Getting the tanks up into the spa. Seven people had to team up to carry all of the 100 kg pieces up the stairs and into the tank rooms.Tips: Get help from someone with experience. And, of course,

It’s like being weightless.”

but is required to be able to relax. Meanwhile, the list of floatation benefits continue, according to Theodor, which perhaps is why it wasn’t hard to pitch the idea to his sibling turned business partner.

to move to Shanghai, working for an IT and marketing firm. But after visiting a few times, his younger brother Theodor was also sold.

“There’s something going on here. It’s vibrant, the food is delicious, things are moving fast and at the same time it feels safe.”

In fact, he was so sold on Shanghai that he not only decided to stay, but also to take on the twists and turns of starting a company in the city.

environment? “Enlist the help of someone who knows what they’re doing,” is

Theodor’s first advice. “We got assistance and that took us a long way, even if in hindsight somebody else might have been more knowledgeable.”

Having successfully navigated the sometimes unpredictable hurdles of bureaucracy, and searched for suitable premises for half a year, the brothers managed to import their two first tanks from Sweden, and they arrived just weeks after signing the lease. “It was great timing, one of our best moments,” says Theodor.

Timing turned to their advantage since the tanks had to be installed before the walls surrounding them were built. Asked about their biggest mistake, the answer is clear: “Not buying a third tank at the time. Now we’ll have to tear down some walls,” he says with a grin.

Fortunately, the third delivery is underway thanks to the growing popularity of the business. “On average, we welcome between 65 and 80 visitors a week,” says Theodor, “and many of them have become regular customers.”

But the road to success was not straightforward. Initially, the

YOUNG PROFESSIONAL INTERVIEW

Let’s celebrate!

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kind in China, we set up shop in Shanghai.

Twenty years on in Hong Kong and 14 years on in China, we’re still here and still going strong.

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Enlist the help of someone who knows what they’re doing.”

brothers relied on Dianping, a widely-used, Chinese-language version of Yelp that brought in around 90 per cent of Floatasian’s early business, according to Andreas

As much as it was a good way to create awareness and an initial stream of visitors, the brothers now admit they had to diversify their marketing channels and develop different options and packages to broaden their appeal. They have also sharpened their edge when it comes to providing English-speaking services and a premium experience, which they say is paying off.

What do they see in the future? “We are currently evaluating several ideas aimed at providing a holistic approach to health, and we’re also looking at ideas that complement flotation – for example, a technique called Superlearning, which makes use of the total absence of other stimuli in the flotation tank to enable the brain to truly focus on the material being taught.”

There may even soon be a second location if business continues to boom. b

DRAGONNEWS

TH IS I S SWE DE N

aster (påsk) has been widely celebrated in Sweden since 1844 and was until recently mostly a religious holiday in memory of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. But another, much older, tradition coincides with Easter in

Sweden. This is called Vårblot, a Nordic tradition to present offerings to the gods.

While the modern Swedish Easter shares many of the features of international traditions, such as the Easter bunny and Easter eggs, what is more specific to Swedish Easter is the painting of eggs, the purchase of big egg-shaped candy boxes and, in particular, the Easter witch (påskkäring).

A påskkäring is a child that has dressed up as an old lady, many times attempting to resemble a witch. Around the time of Easter, Swedish children paint their faces and wear colourful outfits and then venture out on the streets of their neighbourhood. From door to door they go, presenting painted Easter cards that they made themselves, receiving candy in return.

In some parts of Sweden, this is done by the child opening the doors of their neighbours without knocking, throwing the card inside and screaming “Glad Påsk”and run. The adults should then hunt and capture the children. Påskkäringar are part of an old folklore myth about witches flying to Blåkulla (the devil’s home on earth) to feast with the devil during one of the Easter nights.

Easter stretches over five days and falls sometime in between 22 March and 25 April every year. It is a holiday when most Swedes take the opportunity to be with family and visit relatives. b

E

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: Ulf

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Upcoming Swedish holidays

Below are the holidays, or other celebrated days, in Sweden in the coming months.

Thursday 13 April: Skärtorsdagen (Maundy Thursday), not a public holiday.Friday 14 April: Långfredagen (Good Friday).Saturday 15 April: Påskafton (Easter Eve).Sunday 16 April: Påskdagen (Easter Day).

Annandag påsk (Easter Monday).Valborg (Walpurgis Night), not a public holiday.

Monday 1 May: Första maj (Labour Day).Kristi Himmelfärdsdag (Ascension Day).

Mors dag (Mother’s Day), always last Sunday in May, not a public holiday.Saturday 3 June: Pingstafton (Pentecost Eve).Sunday 4 June: Pingstdagen (Whit Sunday).Tuesday 6 June: Nationaldagen (National Day).

Season of the witchTEXT: Juan CF Mauritz, [email protected]

In Sweden, Easter, or påsk, is a holiday when children paint eggs and dress up as old witches (påskkäringar).

PHO

TO: L

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Aki

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A typical Swedish påskkäring (Easter witch).

Painting eggs is an Easter tradition in Sweden.

DRAGONNEWS

HONG KONGCHAMBER ACTIVITIES

Avoiding the ‘monkey brain’ When was the last time you invested some time in

and your people?On 10 March, SwedCham Hong Kong organised a

breakfast seminar together with leadership consultant Peter Lysell, managing director at FeedbackOnline, who has extensive experience in management consulting.

Among various subjects, the seminar focused on leadership development, how the brain reacts in different complex situations, on human psychology and how we can use communication to improve leadership in a professional setting – and in everyday life as well, in terms of human motivation

Every year, Team Sweden – consisting of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, Business Sweden and the Consulate General

understand the business climate for Swedish companies in Hong Kong. The survey participation rate in 2016 was the highest for many years,

with almost 100 Swedish companies in Hong Kong providing input on how they saw Hong Kong’s current and future business climate.

presented by Eric Åhlberg, event manager at SwedCham Hong Kong and Van Hoang, trade commissioner for Hong Kong and South China at Business Sweden.

Based on analysis of the survey and input from the audience, the breakfast provided insights into Hong Kong’s strengths and weaknesses. Swedish companies clearly have a strong presence in Hong Kong and despite China’s contracted growth Swedish companies are still positive about the present and future outlook for business in Hong Kong.

business sectors there was a fruitful discussion after the presentation (see more on page 32).

“Fireside chat” with Huawei

with Walter Jennings, vice president for corporate communications at Huawei Technologies, professionally challenged by Karine Hirn, vice chairman of SwedCham HK and founding partner or East Capital.

The event hosted over 100 guests from 10 different chambers of commerce in Hong Kong. You could really feel the tension in the room with people fully focused on the stage. The main focus was to let Jennings describe the reasons behind Huawei´s success, the environment of a global technology company in China and what makes Huawei such an innovative company. We want to thank all the chambers that contributed to the event and of course special thanks to Jennings and Hirn.

that the human brain automatically turns to the primitive part of the brain when facing unfamiliar situations, the so-called “monkey brain”? During the seminar we learned how the right combination of challenge and support

make it possible for co-workers to switch from using the “monkey brain” to using the creative parts of the brain.

The attendees at the seminar came from a wide range of businesses among our member companies, all eager to learn about both leadership and human communication.

in’

o

that the the primunfamiliabrain”? Dright com

ma

Peter Lysell talked about leadership development.

Eric Åhlberg and Van Hoang present Team Sweden’s business

Walter Jennings and Karine Hirn discuss how Huawei has become a big global brand.

DRAGONNEWS

Chinese perceptions of Sweden On the morning of Valentine’s Day, on 14 February, Kairos Future presented

a study on the Chinese people’s perceptions of Sweden, a study that was commissioned by the Embassy of Sweden in Beijing and supported by the Swedish Institute. The analysis showed that the Chinese view Sweden as a country with a high quality of life, but also saw the Swedish people as, surprisingly, neither very nice nor creative!

The most well-known Swede in China, the study revealed, is Alfred Nobel, followed by Jan-Ove Waldner, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Greta Garbo and Ingmar Bergman. When it comes to brands, IKEA is one that most Chinese know, and they also know Ericsson and Volvo, along with Koenigsegg, Acne, Fjällräven and Daniel Wellington. However, many of the known brands were not always associated with Sweden.

On social media, discussions about Sweden were associated with gender equality, low levels of corruption, Swedish design and the fact that Sweden seems to be seen as a model for environmental protection.

Overall, the study showed that only 8 per cent of those who took part had in-depth knowledge of Swedish culture and society. As

many as 40 per cent of young urban Chinese have a vague or next-to-no knowledge of Sweden, but 52

per cent have a largely positive view.

The house that Jack Ma built Around 30 participants from the Nordic business community in Beijing

participated in this Nordic chambers’ joint event at the Westin Beijing. British China veteran Duncan Clark spoke about the rise of Alibaba and its founder, Jack Ma, on which he recently published a book titled Alibaba – The House that Jack Ma Built.

Clark discussed not only Alibaba’s business model, but even more so the background of the e-commerce mogul himself and his success. Clark

small apartment in which Alibaba was founded. In summary, the presentation showed how Jack Ma proved that “free”

actually can be a business model; that “putting money behind Chinese management is the success story here”; that the future of exports to China is about “bringing in high quality products to Chinese consumers” and that Jack Ma could very well be the one who delivers and that his grandiosity is what makes Ma so successful and why he will continue to aim for even greater achievements.

Roundtable meeting with a state secretary

The Swedish State Secretary of EU Affairs and Trade, Oscar Stenström, asked to meet with the local Swedish business community when he visited Beijing. The chamber joint-organised an intimate roundtable discussion with the Embassy of Sweden and invited some 20 members to the meeting, which took place at the embassy.

Stenström presented the government’s export strategy, which involves a targeted “pivot” towards 26 developing countries. He announced that Sweden will send “the largest Swedish trade delegation in history to China” this June, with “hopefully seven ministers” in its entourage.

He called for the chamber to coordinate feedback from members and promised “the government will pay more attention to what you are doing here and your knowledge, to bring it back to Stockholm”.

Some feedback voiced by present members included the uneven terms on which Swedish companies compete with local counterparts; that small companies are reluctant to come to China and that these issues need to be addressed in bilateral talks with China and more support be provided by the government.

“If companies felt they had strong support from the government, they would have more

said Stenström. He added that Team Sweden needed to coordinate efforts to brand companies and products as Swedish, and that soft power is underestimated as a competitive tool. Stenström also mentioned that several ministers and state secretaries will visit China throughout the spring and he promised to direct the embassy to joint-organise these kind of meetings with the chamber.

From left, Curt Bergström

(SinoMatters), Duncan Clark, Joakim Hedhill

(Handelsbanken) and Erika Grönroos

(Vaisala and Finnish Business Council).

BEIJINGCHAMBER ACTIVITIES

State secretary Oscar Stenström (middle) discusses issues with the Swedish business community in Beijing.

The three most well-known Swedes in China are Alfred Nobel, Jan-Ove Waldner and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

PHOTO: Ola Ericson/imagebank.sweden.se

PHOTO: Bildbyrån i Hässleholm

(often anonymously) express their opinions online, most business leaders in China fear a reputation crisis, and its effects on their brand and businesses.

In this interactive seminar, Crisis Communications in China, MSL Group’s Asia business director Charlotta Lagerdahl Gandolfo and regional manager Liki Qin took the attending guests through the dramatic development of two well-known crises that played out in the media and online during 2016.

Based on real-life cases, they drew practical and implementable conclusions that would help any leader plan and manage a reputation crisis. The seminar was held on 28 February at Maya as a joint event with the Chamber’s Communication Network. To celebrate the Swedish tradition of this day – the Fat Tuesday (Fettisdagen)tasty and appreciated surprise for the group, Swedish Lenten buns – or semlor.

Lecturer Mike Danilovic and attending members at the Business Model Innovation Workshop.

SHANGHAICHAMBER ACTIVITIES

Making innovation and business become reality

On the early morning of 2 March, members from the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in China and the Finnish Business Council of Shanghai gathered at the co-working space, Paper. There, they joined an interesting workshop held by Mike Danilovic, Professor of Industrial Management at Halmstad University, about business model innovation. He explored the fundamentals of business model innovation and discussed how reshaping business models from research and business practice perspectives can be successful. As examples of what it takes to make innovation and business become reality, Danilovic and the group analysed the models and successes of Apple and Chinese wind-turbine manufacturer Goldwind.

Charlotta Lagerdahl Gandolfo from MLS Group discusses with guests how to avoid a reputation crisis.

Swedish Fat Tuesday (Lenten) buns were served to celebrate Swedish traditions.


CHAMBER NEWS CHAMBER NEWS

Favourable business climate in Hong Kong The business climate in Hong Kong

continues to be positively ranked among the respondents in the annual business

SwedCham Hong Kong, Business Sweden and the Consulate General of Sweden in Hong Kong.

On average, the almost 100 Swedish companies state that the business climate is

11 and 50 employees.The three major advantages of doing

business in Hong Kong were, according to the survey, Hong Kong’s geographic location, its infrastructural access to China and the legal and regulatory system.

The three major challenges were increasing real estate prices, reduced market demand and that Hong Kong gets directions from China.

The survey data suggests that the business climate in Hong Kong for the coming three years will remain as favourable as it is today. An overwhelming 91.4 per cent of the respondents will continue or increase their activities in Hong Kong.

The most interesting market in the region continues to be China as the average respondent has 32.4 per cent of its business in China.

For questions, comments and to see the full results of the survey, please contact Eric Åhlberg at [email protected].

Welcome Daniel! Thank you, Jesper! SwedCham Hong Kong welcomes Daniel Hartman as the new intern at the

Professionals coordinator and later becoming event manager. Daniel recently graduated from Uppsala University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management. With a passion for business communications and international networks, Daniel is looking forward to his upcoming year in Hong Kong, which will provide him with new challenges as well as new possibilities.

At the same time, we would like to thank Jesper Karlsson, for his much-appreciated contributions during his year with us and we wish him the best of luck in his future career.

Annual meeting for Uppsala alumnis

The Uppsala University Hong Kong Alumni Chapter started 2017 with an extra annual meeting and an After Work on 10 March, which hosted around 20 alumnis. The next event will be a Walpurgis (Valborg) Gasque on 30 April. If you have studied at Uppsala University and want to get in touch with the chapter, please contact alumni coordinator Daniel Hartman at [email protected].

Daniel Hartman

is very favourable.The four major business sectors the

companies represented were consultancy/service, sourcing/purchasing/production, retail/consumer goods, and shipping/logistics.

Some 38 per cent of the respondents represented companies with two to 10 employees while 33 per cent had between

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%1.20% 14.8%

43.2%34.6%

6.2%

1 (Not Favourable)

5 (Very Favourable)

2 3 4

Swedish companies are positive about the Hong Kong market.

--

Doing business in Sweden?

Lawyers you want on your side

Thank you and goodbye!

fter nine fantastic and exciting years at the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in China it is time for me to say goodbye. My last day was 28

February and I have already, as I write this, returned back to Europe for new exciting opportunities.

I would like to thank all of you, Swedish chamber members, Dragon Partners, chapter boards and the main board, for the experiences, opportunities and friendship. My time at the chamber has been a very important period for my personal growth, and has provided the opportunity to build personal relationships. It has been a real pleasure meeting and working with all of you.

At the same time, I would like to say thank you and goodbye to Klara Wang, finance and administration assistant at the chamber. After more than three years at the chamber, Klara has decided to move one to new challenges in

A

Karin Roos leaves her post as general manager for the China chamber and is succeeded by Martin Vercouter.

Beijing. It´s been a pleasure working with Klara and she has become a very important person at the chamber over the years. I wish you all the best for the future, Klara.

Last but not least I would like to welcome my successor, Martin Vercouter, who is already a familiar face for most of you, at least in Shanghai, since he has been at the chamber office in Shanghai since September 2016. Martin will move to Beijing and start his new position as general manager on 1 April, and I wish him all the best. I am sure the chamber will continue to grow and flourish with Martin and the strong and dedicated team of Dragon Partners, members, staff, the main board and the chapters.

I will miss you all greatly.

Best regards, Karin

e

d wwyaSaonamandesta

BeKa


HONG KONG ORDINARY MEMBERS >>>

Current Consulting GroupRoom 602, Taurus Building, 21 A/B, Granville Road Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong KongTel: +852 6124 7011Web: www.current-consulting.hk

About usCurrent Consulting is a Shanghai-based supply chain consultancy offering tailored supply chain solutions to

Northern European clients. Our expertise is hands-on factory management in China and in-depth knowledge of the Chinese market. Our services include sourcing and market research, risk management, CSR and sustainability auditing, due diligence and background checks, and supplier assessment and quality assurance.

Chamber representativeBjörn Wahlström, Director of Operations (Hong Kong) Email: [email protected]

Excellent Limited 13/F, Excel Centre483A Castle Peak RoadLai Chi Kok, Kowloon, Hong KongTel: +852 2786 3866Web: www.excellent-group.com

About usWhile Excellent’s expertise is sourcing, we remain active in the development of new products. While we are focused on bathrooms and gardening, our business activities also include product development for custom orders, sourcing on demand, solutions for individuals and commercial projects, as well as product inspection and packaging design. Throughout the years, we have demonstrated our

bringing new ideas to life for our clients.

Chamber representativesMaria Yim, CEOEmail: [email protected] Chow, COOEmail: [email protected]

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NEW MEMBERS NEW MEMBERS

Cynocare LimitedRoom 1311, 13/F, Reality Tower4 Sun On Street, Chai WanHong KongTel: +852 3586 2799Web: www.cynocare.com

About usCynocare Ltd is a medical device company focused on

and has a special focus on plastic surgery and healthy

Hong Kong.

Chamber representativeErik Sundquist, FounderEmail: [email protected]

Sino E-tail LimitedRoom CD, 12/F, Tower BHai Wang Da Sha, NanshanShenzhen, Guangdong, PR ChinaTel: +852 6352 8704Web: www.sinoetail.com

About usSino E-tail is an e-commerce agency that helps Western

We provide a complete set of services for e-commerce and online marketing, including warehousing, pick and pack, set up of e-commerce stores on Taobao, Tmall and JD, product photography, copywriting, graphic

customer support.

Chamber representativeJohn SkalinEmail: [email protected]

HONG KONG OVERSEAS MEMBERS >>>

JOOL Capital10 Anson Road19-15 International Plaza 079903 SingaporeTel: +65 3152 0379Web: www.joolcapital.com

About us

business model is matching companies in need of growth

Through these services, we enable issuing companies to accomplish their strategies, while offering investors an attractive return on invested capital. We are proud

Nasdaq First North Bond Market and, so far, we have

and bond listings in multiple Scandinavian marketplaces. JOOL’s primary focus is the Nordic market, but we also have a local presence in the Middle East and Asia. JOOL Group currently has around 250 employees.

Chamber representativeRoger Spets, Sales Director AsiaEmail: [email protected]

Tom SigerhallEmail: [email protected]: +65 9628 2331

HONG KONG INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS >>>

Fredrik DahlbergEmail: [email protected]: +852 6925 9573

Daniel ElvinEmail: [email protected]: +852 5414 9141

Li Josephson BreuilEmail: [email protected]: +852 6304 1275

CHINA COMPANY MEMBERS >>>

Daniel Wellington (Shenzhen) Co, Ltd11/F China Merchants Development Center1063 Nanhai Boulevard, ShekouNanshan District, ShenzhenGuangdong, PR ChinaTel: +86 755 2680 9969Web: www.danielwellington.com

About usWe sell products produced by the Swedish brand Daniel Wellington, which include watches, straps, bracelets, and so on.

Chamber representativeTian Hao Liu, General ManagerEmail: [email protected]: +86 138 2650 0741

Studio StareRoom 401, 4/F, 71 West Suzhou RoadJing’an District, Shanghai 200041PR ChinaTel: +86 21 6276 0052Web: www.studiostare.com

About usStudio Stare undertakes video production for local and foreign brands, as well as advertising agencies.

Chamber representativePetter Eldin, DirectorEmail: [email protected]: +86 181 0186 8006


NEW MEMBERS

Swedish banking in ChinaWe feel at home in the Chinese market and want you to feel the same. It’s a large and fastgrowing market. As a result, more and more Scandinavian companies need banking solutions, such as cash management, financing in local and foreign currencies, trade finance and treasury solutions in China.

We’ll help you – bringing our 25 years of experience of business in China. If you have the opportunity, please visit us in Shanghai where we’ve been located since 2001.

Swedbank Shanghai Citigroup Tower 601, 33 Huayuanshiqiao Rd, Shanghai, China +86 21 386 126 00

Voestalpine Böhler Welding Trading (Shanghai) Co, LtdRoom 408, Block M, Waterfront PlaceNo 10, Lane 168, Daduhe RoadShanghai 200062, PR ChinaTel: +86 21 6228 8080, ext 264Web: www.voestalpine.com/ weldning/china

About usVoestalpine Böhler Welding Trading (Shanghai) Co, Ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Voestalpine Böhler Group that was registered in the Shanghai Waigaoqiao Tax Free Zone in 2005. Voestalpine Böhler Group has several famous brands, such as Böhler, T-PUT, Soudokay, UTP, Avesta, Fontargen, among others. Voestalpine Böhler Welding Trading (Shanghai) Co, Ltd is responsible for market promotion, product sales, technical service, sales channel establishment and maintenance in Greater China.

Chamber representativeMichael Standar, Managing DirectorEmail: [email protected]: +86 135 0199 2348

Elos Medtech Tianjin Co, Ltd D5-3, Rong Cheng San Zhi LuXeda International Industrial CityXiqing Economic Development Area Tianjin, PR ChinaTel: +86 22 2382 8660 ext: 100Fax: +86 22 2382 8662Web: www.elosmedtech.com

About usElos Medtech carries out research and development, manufacturing, wholesale and retail sales, and the import and export of medical device components and precision mechanical parts.

Chamber representativesPär Teike, Managing DirectorEmail: [email protected]: +86 137 0613 8128Yingying HuEmail: [email protected]: +86 182 2262 2962

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36 DRAGONNEWS

AF TE R HOURS

Viktoria and Valentina Chan runs the Swedish café and bakery Fika.

Cafés

Time for a in Shanghai A new café and bakery in Shanghai, Fika Sweden, offers typical Swedish pastries and bread from its in-house bakery. The bright and appealing café is run by two Swedish-speaking Chinese sisters, Valentina and Viktoria Chan, who have been living in Sweden but decided to come back to

favourites such as cinnamon buns, vanilla hearts and princess cakes behind the counter.

Fika is a Swedish word for coffee break, a Swedish custom at most workplaces.

Closest metro station: South Shaanxi Road.

Stores

Swedish organic food now available in Hong Kong Moreganic Sweden is a green Swedish concept store with a selection of products based on organic standards from KRAV, an

production, and Swedish healthy and natural food.

Moreganic´s founders Per Ågren and Carol Lee Ågren hope that Swedish food producers can open their eyes to the Hong Kong market. They have high ambitions to introduce Swedish food products in Hong Kong and have already been doing so for some years at the Swedish shop SverigeShoppen. Moreganic Sweden is an effort to offer these products to consumers. Moreganic received a great response at the Natural Organic Product Asia (NOPA) fair in last year.

Tsimshatsui, KowloonWebsite: www.moreganicsweden.com

Restaurants

Dine Swedish in Shanghai Newly opened Svea is a mid-range Swedish restaurant and bar in Hongkou District. The interior is in a clean Scandinavian style with light wood and minimalistic decor. The menu includes lots of seafood and comfort food like Swedish meatballs. The two Swedish chefs, Oskar Järleby and Tobias Olsson, ensure that everything tastes just the way it does in Sweden.

188 Ruihong Lu (near Hongguan Lu).

Carol Lee Ågren and Per Ågren are launching

Swedish organic food products in

Hong Kong.

At restaurant Svea in Shanghai you can get both seafood and meatballs.

38 DRAGONNEWS

THE CHA MBE R AND I

Things do to with children on weekends

Jens HelmerssonQuizRR, Hong Kong“Hong Kong has a lot to offer our family during weekends. We enjoy a lot of outdoor activities together, be it hiking, a trip to the beach or joining friends on a junk cruise.

“The Sai Wan hike, where you get both a hike, enjoy good waves during autumn, a nice lunch and an adventurous speed-boat ride back to Sai Kung, is a favourite.

“A good meal is also worth a trip and lately we have tested some spicy food at Chilli Fagara in Central and the local restaurants around Sai Kung Square, where we often return to sit outside and enjoy the great soft tacos at Cena.

“If it’s pouring rain, take a trip to Bounce in Kowloon Bay to release some energy.”

Helena Storm Consulate General of Sweden, Hong Kong“A visit to the Police Museum and the nearby outdoor playground is recommended. Another popular thing for my kids is Star Ferry and to have a classic Hong Kong egg tart while sitting at the

water front and watching all the boats and helicopters. Hong Kong Park with its bird garden is another favourite.”

The theme of this issue of Dragon News is childhood. There are many advantages for a child to grow up in China or Hong Kong (a chance to meet new cultures, learning new languages, the high quality of many of the schools, and so on), but there are also disadvantages (poor air quality, much focus on tests and exams from early age, little leisure time, etc).

We asked some of our members how they spend their leisure time with their children in the city they live with the following question.

What do you do with your children on weekends in the city you live?

And below are the answers.

Per Ågren APC, Hong Kong“Except for the most obvious weekend activities, such as Ocean Park and Disneyland, older children can enjoy free jumping at Bounce Trampoline Park in Kowloon Bay.

“If they like water sports such as kayaking, there is a place in Sai Kung called Water Sports Centre, which both organises kayaking and rents out boats.”

Niina Äikas SEB, Shanghai

11-year old daughter Stella:“Biking. Take your bikes and some bottled water with you. Stroll

around the small alleys in the French Concession, and then cycle all the way up to the Yu Yuan Garden neighbourhood . You will get a completely different view of and feel for Shanghainese life.

“Fuxing Park. Take your kite and some picnic food with you. Experience the Chinese outdoor living room with your own eyes. You can enjoy watching people singing and dancing, or just simple compete with them over how high

“The Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. For rainy days, a good backup plan is to visit some of the numerous museums in Shanghai. Our favourite is the Science Museum, which is an interactive experience and fun for the whole family.”

Jimi Flodin Handelsbanken, Shanghai“Shanghai offers a lot of great activities for families with children.“If the weather is good, we try to spend a lot of time

outdoors during the weekends – walking/bicycling along the river, boat cruises, visiting parks, and so on. We live on the Pudong side, quite close to Century Park, which is a great option. It’s a huge park where you can rent boats and bikes to explore the park. We usually

the park. Bring some picnic food along and it makes a great day. It even has a small amusement park that recently was upgraded.

“When the weather isn´t great, there´s a lot of indoor activities like indoor climbing centres at Hongkou or Shanghai Stadium, indoor Legoland, Shanghai Aquarium, the Science and Technology Museum and the National History Museum with an amazing dinosaur exhibition.

“Further out in Pudong, the Shanghai Wild Animal Park has a lot of animals and even a bus tour where you get up close with, for example, tigers, lions and bears. And, of course, then there’s Disneyland …

“When it´s dinner time, there are a lot of kids-friendly restaurants to choose from. Among our favourites are:

table BBQ.

playground.”

Mette LegerGrowHR, Shanghai“Weekend time is family time and some weekends we just spend time together alone as a family. Other weekends are more active and we visit the animals

at the zoo or play ball in Fuxing Park or play with balloons in Little Bugz (a big indoor playground). Spending time with other families, which allows both children and grown-ups to play is also a fun weekend activity of ours.”

Jimmy Xue JingdongSwedish Space Corporation, Beijing“Our daughter Linda is a smart and happy girl who is full of vigour. ‘The World is too large and I want to see it’ is the philosophy we taught her. We want to give

her the best education and grow up with a happy life. “Linda always goes to her karate and swimming classes,

and learns English on the weekends. We also go hiking in the mountains on the outskirts of Beijing and go bicycling.

“We’re busy on the weekends, but we all enjoy the quality family hours, because we are one family, doing things together, which is really fun.”

Grace Fengxxxxxx, Beijing“The weekends are a sweet time. We usually go to the park with our daughter Francis or go hiking to enjoy nature. Sometimes, we join cooking courses,

since cooking is both interesting and can improve kids’ manual skills. An example was learning how to make sushi. Francis really enjoys cooking and eats a lot of sushi she has made herself. It’s so much fun!”

DRAGONNEWS

Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong

DIRECTORS OF THE BOARDUlf Ohrling, Chairman [Mannheimer Swartling]Karine Hirn, Vice Chairman [East Capital]Anders Bergkvist [Stora Enso]Jimmy Bjennmyr [Handelsbanken]Katarina Ivarsson [Boris Design Studio]Pontus Karlsson [Happy Rabbit]Patrik Lindvall [Dairy Farm-IKEA]Per Ågren [APC]

CREATIVE SWEDESPontus Karlsson, Chairman [Happy Rabbit]Filip Bjernebo [South Lane]David Ericsson [VOID Watches] Anders Hellberg [Boris Design Studio]Alexis Holm [Squarestreet]Katarina Ivarsson [Boris Design Studio]Anna Karlsson [Boris Design Studio]Joanna Lelek [Stockholm Ltd]Jesper Lindquist [Dienastie Eyewear]Johan M Persson [C’monde]

Mikael Svenungsson [M2 Retail Solutions]

EDITORIAL COMMITTEEPer Ågren, Chairman [APC]Lina Falk [Business Sweden]Jan Hökerberg [Bamboo]Eva Karlberg [SwedCham]

Fohlin]Ulf Ohrling [Mannheimer Swartling]Johan M Persson [C’monde Studios]Peter Thelin [Today Group]

EVENTS COMMITTEEJimmy Bjennmyr, Chairman [Handelsbanken]Ulrica Andersson [Direct Link]John Barclay [Primasia Corporate Services]Karin Brock (Daniel Wellington)Maria Emilson Cyril Fung [Cyril Fung & Associates]Philip Hansson [EF]Daniel Hartman [SwedCham]Ove Joraas [PCB Vision]Eva Karlberg [SwedCham]Tobias Karlsson (H&M)Calle Krokstäde [DORO]Jenny Myrberg

Casper Oldén (Antique Scandinavia)Eric Åhlberg [SwedCham]

FINANCE COMMITTEEGunnar Mansfeld, Treasurer [Primest Capital]Eva Karlberg [SwedCham]Anna Mackel [SwedCham]

MARKETING COMMITTEEPatrik Lindvall, Chairman [Dairy Farm-IKEA]Mikael Bick [YP, Top Toy]Lisa Boldt-Christmas [Individual member]Daniel Hartman [SwedCham]Anders Hellberg [Boris Design Studio]Katarina Ivarsson [Boris Design Studio]Eva Karlberg [SwedCham]Linda Karlsson [Happy Rabbit]Pontus Karlsson [Happy Rabbit]Johan Olausson [Bamboo]Johan M Persson [C’Monde]Ingrid Reinli [Boris Design Studio & IMIX]Sophie Sophaon (Kreab)Eric Åhlberg [SwedCham]

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEEKatarina Ivarsson, Chairman [Boris Design]Anders Bragee [Handelsbanken]Caroline Ergetie [House Hunters]Eva Henriksson [Henriksson Consulting]Eva Karlberg [SwedCham]Fredrik Nyberg [MIQ Logistics]Ulf Sundberg [SEB]Eric Åhlberg [SwedCham]

SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEEAlexander Mastrovito, Chairman [Scania]Anders Bergkvist [Stora Enso]Lisa Boldt-Christmas (Individual member)Sherman Chong [Individual member]Cheryl Hall [Nilorn]Hanna Hallin [H&M]Daniel Hartman (SwedCham HK)JJens Helmersson [QuizzRR]Karine Hirn [East Capital]Stefan Holmqvist [Norman Global Logistics]

Fohlin)Magdalena Ranagården (Blue Water)Jeffrey Siu (Envac)Björn Wahlström (Current Consulting)

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS COMMITTEEErik Åhlberg, Chairman

Hedvig Franzén-BruniusDaniel HartmanNiklas OlssonKarin Ryd

Jenny Zeng

Swedish Chamber of Commerce in China

DIRECTORS OF THE MAIN BOARDLars-Åke Severin, Chairman [PSU]Joakim Hedhill, Vice Chairman [Handelsbanken]Lucas Jonsson, Vice Chairman [Mannheimer Swartling]Birgitta Ed [Six Year Plan]Daniel Karlsson [Asia Perspective]Robert Lindell [Elektroskandia]Per Lindén [Scandic Sourcing]Peter Rosta [Business Research]Peter Sandberg [Microdata]Mikael Westerback [Handelsbanken]Niina Äikas [SEB]Martin Vercouter, General Manager

BEIJING CHAPTERJoakim Hedhill, Chairman [Handelsbanken]Curt Bergström [Sino Matters]Tobias Demker [Shellman]Felicia Lindoff [Embassy of Sweden/YP chairman]Sören Lundin [Delaval]Claes Svedberg [Volvo Group]Jimmy Xue Jingdong [Swedish Space Corporation]ZZ Zhang [Sandvik]

SHANGHAI CHAPTERLucas Jonsson, Chairman [Mannheimer Swartling]Christine Klinge [H&M]Mette Leger [Grow HR]Claes Lindgren [IKEA]Anna Löfstedt [Volvo Cars]Daniel Melin [New Wave]Fredrik Wannius [Fillidutt]Richard Weibull [EF]Niina Äikas [SEB]Igor Pastuhovic [Kjell o Company]

DIRECTORS AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS

DRAGONNEWS

Jimmy BjennmyrHead of Corporate BankingHong Kong Branch

Mikael WesterbackHead of Greater China andGeneral Manager Shanghai branch

Florence ChanSenior Account ManagerHong Kong Branch

Johan AndrénDeputy Head of Greater China andGeneral Manager Hong Kong branch

Shanghai – Mikael Westerback +86 21 6329 8877 ext 888, Pontus Gertell +86 21 6329 8877 ext 848

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