皇冠体育app

Opinion

BT: Asia ready to meet the world

By Kevin Taylor (皇冠体育app Daily)
Updated: 2010-09-15 10:35

Where did the time go. I feel like I've been running a marathon over the last three days with the public and private meetings, panel sessions and speeches. And now we are fast approaching the finish line to this year's World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of New Champions (WEF) in Tianjin. But have we achieved anything?

Well there seems to be a theme emerging from all conversations. 皇冠体育app and Asia are the leading engines of growth for global corporations when other areas of the world are slowly recovering. Chinese stimulus plans put in place have definitely kick-started the economies of 皇冠体育app and Asia and put the world back on the right track. Let's hope this upward momentum continues and grows.

And Premier Wen Jiabao spoke to the assembly at WEF on sustainability in 皇冠体育app saying some very encouraging things. He said that "any company registered in 皇冠体育app is a Chinese company and will enjoy fair treatment as a Chinese company". This open, sincere and encouraging dialog from the Chinese leadership is good to hear. Hopefully it will build a path for even greater opportunities for foreign firms operating here.

Special Coverage: Summer Davos 2010 in Tianjin Related readings:  4th Summer Davos starts in Tianjin  BT: The smart and right thing to do  Wen assures foreign firms  WEF chairman hails 皇冠体育app's role in int'l financial crisis  Collective wisdom needed

In the United Kingdom, my company BT plc operates in one of the world's most open and competitive telecommunications marketplaces. Chinese companies that operate there have exactly the same experiences as BT and our other competitors. We hope that BT will one day be able to enjoy the same circumstance in the Chinese marketplace as well as other Asian countries.

But 皇冠体育app is not only important as a market but also as a true source of innovation. BT is collaborating with Huawei on our 21CN global network and superfast broadband. We have already set up a global R&D center in Beijing and a global IT development centre in Dalian. And we recently announced plans for more investment across Asia Pacific with plans that include 皇冠体育app.

So the growth inside 皇冠体育app continues, but let's not forget the fast growing Asian multinationals. Chinese companies are already on the march. According to Euromonitor International, Haier is already 皇冠体育app's leading household appliance maker, now ranking No 1 in the world in white goods. So the question is, which other Chinese or Asian company will be the next global leader?

It is not really that the world is coming to Asia, it is that Asia is ready to meet the world.

The author is managing director of BT Asia Pacific.