Business in China.

Sally Zhong from ChinaWay in Beijing attended her first EUROMOVERS conference this year.  Steve Jordan caught up with her to discuss her company and handling imports and exports to and from China.

ChinaWay was established in Beijing in 1993 and has grown to become successful. The company provides a complete range of origin and destination services for the international moving industry and is experienced at handling third-party logistics for its national and international customers – including operating as a UPS agent for the last ten years.  The company now has four companies in the group, including the head office in Beijing and the branch in Shanghai.  It is planning to extend further to expand its coverage within China, later this year.

Sally is responsible for daily operations at the Beijing office.  She explained that her company is registered through the local government to perform import and export services and has built a good reputation through its handling of major corporate accounts including the US Embassy. “About half our work is for private people and half for corporations,” she explained. Import and export work is also finely balanced with much of the export work focussing on centres in Europe, Canada, Australia and the USA.  “For private people it’s only the relatively wealthy who can afford to emigrate,” Sally explained.  “However these people tend to sell their houses and move everything.”

In terms of import regulations it’s easy for foreigners to assume that China operates as one country to implement the same clear regulation. However Sally explained that it was not as simple as that.  “The household goods market is very special. There is no clear definition but it depends on two main principles: personal used and reasonable quantity.  So, some items may result in an understandable discrepancy by different local customs. For example, if you import something very special but can provide a reasonable explanation, it may be still refused by some local customs, but may well been allowed by others as well,” Sally explained. So, the close co-operation and communication with the customers, overseas agents and the local customs department is very important to ensure a smooth transit of goods into the country.  “It’s a critical part of what we do.”

The company has been a member of EUROMOVERS for one year.  It was Sally’s colleagues from Shanghai who attended the conference in 2011 as they have more experience in the export market.  But Sally plans to return, given the opportunity, especially as she had the honour of collecting the EUROMOVERS Quality Award for her company in Nice.

Above; Sally collects the EUROMOVERS Quality Award from EUROMOVERS President Denis Zonneveld and below; Sally Zhong.