Lesson from China for Mexico
By Adolfo Laborde
Professor, Law and International Relations Department, Tec de Monterrey, Santa Fe Campus. Visiting researcher at the Institute of Development, Funda University, China.
Abstract
I was talking with my good friend Elías about several things, particularly about China’s economic development. The Bund bar jazz music could be heard in the background. With his experience in business, he told me about the sudden changes China had undergone recently. As an academic, I tried to add to his ideas.
“You should come with me to Suzhou, it’s a small example of what we’re talking about. I’m going on Thursday, if you want to come along. You can see with your own eyes a small aspect of this country’s development.” I agreed. We left at noon on Thursday. We got to the Shanghai train station, waited for a few minutes and got onto the bullet train that would take us to Suzhou in just 17 minutes. The city is 100 kilometers away, so you can imagine how fast the train goes—an average of 285 km/hour.
It took me longer to get ready to get off. The first day we met with the partners that manufacture his products. Someone from the Western world might think it was a long day. It wasn’t the case that day or the following days. Chinese, like all Asians, invest a lot in their capital related to their clients. That’s how they earn trust. Later, they reap the fruits of the business. The next day we went to see what could be called a college town. Besides the state universities, there are some strategic alliances with British and Canadian universities. It’s a smart way to attract intellectual capital and knowhow.