By Alain Loe

At the initiative of the senior managers of SINOCHEM, the General Management of HEVECAM S.A., a branch of GMG International, appointed SEKAR, NAREEN and me to take part in a professional seminar in China bringing together managers of SINOCHEM branches from SINGAPORE, THAILAND, INDONESIA, THE PHILIPPINES, CHINA and CAMEROON.

Under the name “TEAM”, this training that is broken down into three parts, held its first seminar in BEIJING and SHANGHAI between 19th and 24th October 2011, with the theme of “KNOWING SINOCHEM”.

The information received about the activities, organisation, heritage and future project of SINOCHEM on the one side and about the impact of cultural differences on communication on the other, are sufficient to lift our cultural barriers so as to form a strong and confident team in SINOCHEM, capable of rising to future challenges and reaching the company’s objectives.

Our trip to China between 18th and 26th October was instructive from both the professional and cultural perspective.
The discovery of combinations of chemical substances emanating from the research laboratories for the production of textiles, polyester, etc. during our visit to TAICAN FLUORINE MANUFACTURING, will remain etched on our memories.

What can be said about the containers bearing the SINOCHEM logo, recently designed by the group to transport hydrocarbons, chemical substances and other materials from the hotels and buildings belonging to our group and particularly JIN MAO Tower, with its 84 floors and headquarters of SINOCHEM International, which is one of the tallest towers in Shanghai?

These images illustrate the dynamism of our group and generate admiration for the Chinese model that we also found during different touristic stages or during our strolls through cities like Beijing and Shanghai.

Beijing, the Capital of China, with a temperature of 10°C in the autumn season, offers visitors from the time of leaving the airport, its wide motorways, avenues and boulevards lined with imposing buildings within an ultra-modern city. The cleanliness of the avenues and streets lined with flowers and decorated trees caught my attention owing to their constant upkeep.

Visits to the Great Lake, Great Wall and Forbidden City illustrate the diverse styles of the city. This mixture of the medieval period and modernism gives the city the feel of a harmonious combination of an administrative and touristic city. Different means of transport (taxis, metro, bus, bicycles etc.) facilitate the moving around of people who are constantly on the go.

Beautiful Shanghai is so awe-inspiring to any newcomers. This cosmopolitan city stands apart from Beijing by the artificial appearance of its tall towers, but returns to reality through the movements of masses of humanity along the boulevards and avenues that are without equivalent in the World.

The motorways and bridges, linking the two parts of the City (Pudong and Wansi) and situated on the two banks of the Wansi river, offer passerby a harmonious mixture of Western and Eastern civilisations.

The pier along the Wansi river with its pleasure boats reminds you of the banks of the Seine whilst the suspended bridges leading to other provinces are reminiscent of those in New Jersey at the entrance to New York.

This humble power, delivers to the World its insolence as an international clearing and finance centre.

The consistency of the Chinese culture that can be found in its streets and shops as well as many restaurants where you can discover all the menus of oriental countries, holds true to its reputation of modesty and discretion.

The magnificent Forbidden City and Great Wall, which seem to contradict these Chinese virtues, paradoxically show to the world the hidden force of this hardworking and triumphant people.

We could not end our comments without paying tribute to the staff of SINOCHEM Group and SINOCHEM International, which was constantly available to assist us in our work and helped us to discover the wonders of China.

This unforgettable visit showed us a super modern China, which rooted in its ancestral culture and is evermore opening up to the world.

Ah the joys of China!