Making It in China

　　N. Admasu was just 18 years old whenhe first came to China in 2002. When theflight from his home in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,touched down on the Beijing tarmac, he couldbarely say ni hao, but that didn’t matter. Freshout of high school and full of self-confidence,he was determined to carve a niche for himselfin the trade business between China andEthiopia,

　　More than a decade later, and Admasu,now29, has realized that goal - establishing forhimself a lucrative career as an intermediary intrade between the two countries. With 11 yearsof experience sourcing and shipping productsas diverse as printer parts and raw materialsfrom China to clients in Ethiopia, Admasu hasamassed a wealth of practical knowledge aboutdoing business in China. He shared with ChinAfricathe problems he’s faced doing China business,advice he’d give to those thinking aboutentering the China market, and why he thinksChina-Africa trade is a win-win for both parties.

　　ChinAfrica: How did you first becomeinterested in China?

　　N. Admasu: I was interested in China becausemy father (also a trader) did some businessthere, as well as some family friends. I decidedto go right after high school graduation, directlyto Beijing, on a tourist visa. For two weeks I wasthere, studying the market, and suppliers, andthinking of how I could do business. That time Ispent time buying electronics in Zhongguancunand the Pearl Market, to send back to Ethiopia.

　　My friends told me I should spend a year learningChinese before going into business, but Ididn’t have the time, so I went in knowing verylittle, and I gradually learned to speak and listen.Why did you decide to focus on electronicstrade?

　　At the time (2002), Ethiopia was just startingto get those technology products like computersand printers. They were just starting to gainpopularity. So I could source those products,and spare parts in China and send back toclients in Ethiopia who needed them... at thetime, in Beijing, there were just a few (Ethiopiantraders) in Beijing. There are more and more,but being here for this long has helped meestablish ties.

　　Why did you decide to settle in Beijing?

　　If I can say it without sounding too boastful,Beijing is like my second home. I love this city.First, security comes first, it’s number one, andBeijing is one of the safest cities there is. Alsothe cost of living, food, transportation, all isso cheap. Cheaper than other cities, and evensome rural areas in China, I’ve found. If I needto go to Shanghai or Guangzhou, I can just geton a train and be there with no problem. So in asense, you could say Beijing is centrally located.I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.

　　What has been most difficult of doingbusiness in China?

　　The language barrier, although I learned tospeak and listen, I’m still not good with writtenChinese. That’s the first thing. Then there aresometimes delays from the suppliers, or thequality of the products they end up giving youis not what they have agreed to. That’s whyinspecting factories and the goods is so important…but I’m still doing very well, growing everyyear, and my hope is to get bigger and bigger.

　　What does your business consist of?

　　Clients in Ethiopia (from single individualsto large corporations) approach me and tellme what they need, usually IT products. I useAlibaba (mostly) to find suppliers in China, mostin Zhejiang and Guangdong Province. Afterchecking the reliability of the supplier and theirgoods, I quote the price to clients, and whenthey agree, we sign an agreement. They sendme a down payment, and we ship or air cargothe goods... I have contacts, agents, at the majorports in China, and the ports of destinationwho help me through the logistics of the shipment.

　　Once you purchase the goods, gettingthem to Ethiopia is not a problem.

　　What advice would you give fora businessmanthinking of entering the Chinesemarket?

　　First, I would tell them, “come!”The marketis big. But, when doing business you needto have a target. You need to know what themarket in your country needs, and you can’tjust guess. You need to do pricing first, andcheck quality, where will you buy, plus considerthe time it will take (for shipment)...One of thekeys of doing business here is that you needto have guanxi (close personal relations), andyou need to have good communication skills.

　　That’s what I’ve found in China, andin life. Youmust be able to communicate.

　　What do you like most about China?

　　The working culture. I mean, how hard Chinesework. It’s amazing, you know, when they work,they work hard, and when they play, they playhard. It’s something that I never expected.

　　What most surprised you about China?

　　When I came here everyone told mehow it wasstill a developing country. I was told it wasn’tdeveloped. But to see some of the marketsand the factories, I was really impressed. It wasmuch more developed than I expected.

　　How does China-Africa trade helpyourcountry?

　　If we didn’t get the goods we do from China,where would we get them? I mean they’re thegoods we need, and at a reasonable price. Ifyou go into a supermarket in Adis Ababa, youwill see many imported goods coming fromChina.

　　So I would say thisbusiness, this trade, isgood for us.