本篇博文由英国贸易投资总署署长安德鲁∙凯恩爵士提供  

你听说过几个人口超过七百万的城市，或者一个九千万人口省份的省会？你能想象英国政府在梵蒂冈，卢森堡，乌拉圭和尼泊尔这样人口较少的国家都派有外交代表，却没有在这个地区派驻任何人吗？欢迎来到济南！济南不是山东省最大的城市,也不是经济最发达的城市，却是山东的省会。

我最近读过一本很不错的书，书名叫《维梅尔的帽子》。这本书写的是维梅尔时代的航海和贸易史，而维梅尔是当时荷兰的巴洛克画家。书里提到一个很有趣的现象，在当时（十七世纪中期），中国仅仅允许自称大使的人进入境内通商。另外，中国也只对外出口三流甚至更差的瓷器。还有，那个时期，秘鲁银矿的银子，辗转阿姆斯特丹和马尼拉，最终运到中国，以满足中国对银的需求。谁说全球化是个新现象呢?

在重庆，清晨五点钟我们就开始了当天的行程，一直到午夜后到达终点广州才结束了忙碌的一天。连续四天每晚只能休息三小时真是累得够呛。第二天我们乘坐一辆大巴前往珠海。大巴上冷得要命，我让他们开暖气，被告知没有暖气，因为这里的气候通常只需要开空调就足够了。全世界1/3的空调都是在珠海生产的。珠海有点像法国尼斯，一个有很多步行区和观光旅馆的港口城市。珠海也是个小城，只有150万人口，比英国第二大城市伯明翰略少。

我带领商业代表团在济南和珠海参观，希望能在这些区域性城市寻求一些商业合作的机会。事实证明，这些城市确实存在大量商机。市场广阔，资源需求巨大，远远超出我们合理利用这些广泛机遇的需求。

香港从某种程度上来讲，已经不是人们想象中中国三十年后的翻版，它变得更让人熟悉，强政励志。法制化是这一切变化的关键。有一位英国最高法院的法官在香港最高法院任职。我一直很喜欢香港,也曾经专程到香港庆祝结婚三十周年。1996年也来过香港，当时香港正值回归之际，我和香港总督彭定康一起待过一阵。香港平稳过渡是出乎我们所料的成功，此后香港经济的持续稳定繁荣也是不可估量的。


我们此次在香港的行程安排的满满当当。两次大型演讲，参加和当地巨头们的一次晚宴，另外还同主要投资者们共用一顿午餐。令人欣喜的是英国将香港作为英国投资贸易署的中心活动区，并与广州进行地区间合作。

转瞬之间上了54楼，能俯瞰整个香港维多利亚港。在卧房看到一幅画，画里面的香港当时还只是一个小渔村。我不禁想到香港从一个小渔村到如今国际化的大都市，这种转变实在是不可思议,恒久不变的是香港人的魅力—香港的商人，他们总能让你产生与他们做生意的渴望，这种能力可不是能轻易能学到的。不过我们的海外市场介绍服务团队每年都有新的收获。

How many cities of 7 million people, capital of an area of 90 million people, have you never heard of? Would you imagine HMG has no diplomatic representation there when we have to the Vatican, Luxembourg, Uruguay and Nepal)?  Welcome to Jinan, not even the largest or richest city in Shandong Province of which it is the capital.

I have been reading a great book called ‘Vermeer’s Hat’, which explores the history of voyages and trade during the era of Vermeer – the Dutch baroque painter. I like the fact that China then (mid 17th Century) would only allow traders in if they called themselves “Ambassador”. Also that Chinese porcelain could only be called ‘export quality’ if it was third grade or worse.  Also, at this time China’s silver supplies came from Peruvian mines, via Amsterdam and Manila. Who said globalisation was a new phenomenon?

The day which started at 5 am in Chongqing, ended after midnight in Guangzhou. Four nights of three hours’ sleep are taking their toll. The next day we got on a coach with the Mission to Zhuhai. The coach was freezing. I asked for the heating to be turned on.  There was none because normally only the airconditioning is needed.  33 per cent of the world’s airconditioners are manufactured in Zhuhai. Zhuhai is a bit like Nice: a port city with promenades and tourist hotels. And it is tiny, only 1.5 million, no bigger than Birmingham, the UK’s second city.

I was leading missions in both Jinan and Zhuhai, exploratory in that we were trying out second-tier cities, and in the sense of establishing contacts. The clear conclusion is that there is a plethora of opportunities, a vast marketplace and the need for far more resources than is conceivable for us to use if we are to do justice to the opportunities.

Hong Kong was a startling contrast. It is not so much China 30 years on as China on steroids; more familiar and strong governance. The rule of law is the key ingredient. A UK Supreme Court judge sits on the HK highest court. I always love Hong Kong. I came here for my thirtieth wedding anniversary. I also came in 1996, just before the handover and stayed with the Governor, Chris Patten. We had no idea then just how successful the transfer of power and the future economy would be.

The HK programme was packed. Two major speeches, a dinner with big movers and shakers and a lunch with major investors. It is good to see HK as a hub for UKTI but also working regionally with Guangzhou. 

Suddenly being on the 54th floor, with a view of HK harbour, with an old print in the bedroom of HK as a small outpost of the empire, reminds me of the oddity of the shift from wilderness to empire to metropolis. The constant is the charm of the HK people - natural business people, they make you want to strike a deal – a skill that’s not easily taught but our OMIS  teams are getting better at every year.