Introduction


The Detroit Chinese Business Association (DCBA) will host its annual China Forum 2006. The China forum will be consisted of the following three events: Forum in the morning, US-China Auto Suppliers Networking in the afternoon and M&A Seminar in the evening.
Date: Wednesday, April 5, 2006
Venue: Marriott Hotel at Troy, Michigan
200 W. Big Beaver Rd., Troy, Michigan 48084

1) China Forum: (8:30AM - 12:00PM)
Targeted Audience: American and Chinese automotive executives and professionals
Speakers: China government officials, US and China corporate executives

Overcoming the market pressure from global energy and material price hike and monetary constraints, China auto industry regained its strength and posted solid growth in 2005. The industry went through the painful restructuring of fuel-efficiency vehicles and price-cut. The companies are aggressively finding new ways to cut the cost and penetrate the domestic and international markets. However the changes are inevitably coming as the central government is determined to maintain a healthy GDP growth at a sustainable rate and make RMB exchange rate more flexible. How the Chinese auto industry will emerge? What the Chinese auto companies will do? All will significantly impact the global auto industry. In the meantime, the change in the world macro-economy and strategic transition of global OEMs will impact the future of China auto industry.

Now that there have already been many public discussions about so-called "China Factor" in the United States, while the challenge that China poses and the opportunities that China provide to the auto industry here are yet to be evaluated. Detroit Chinese Business Association (DCBA) will host an annual China Forum event on April 5th of 2006 to address these important issues.

High-profile industry leaders and local government officials from both US and China will shed light on above mentioned topics. Their speeches will focus on the latest Chinese auto industry trends, providing insight into its market, economy, regional development and strategic changes.

Past attendees of DCBA China Forum have given outstanding marks of this annual conference for its rich content and effective networking. They consider it as a great opportunity to meet the policy-makers and executives from US and China, and truly understand the points of view across the Pacific.

2) US-China Auto Suppliers Networking: (1:00PM - 5:00PM)
US-China Auto Suppliers Networking will provide an excellent opportunity for China and US auto suppliers to have direct dialogues as partners rather than competitors.

2005 marked another challenging year for US automotive suppliers as well as OEMs. Suppliers are facing increasing pressure for cost reduction as a result of the fiercer competition at OEM level. In the meantime, rising oil price and material cost are eroding the supplier's bottom line. As a result, even a number of prominent suppliers have now claimed bankruptcy such as Delphi, Colins & Aikman, and Tower Automotive, to name a few. It is ever more imperative to bring together the advanced technology, product lines and marketing capabilities from the US companies with the lower manufacturing cost from the Chinese companies.

Responding to the challenges with auto suppliers, DCBA will invite a large group of Chinese auto suppliers to Detroit during the 2006 SAE Congress and provide a face-to-face networking opportunity for US and Chinese auto suppliers. This event will feature with presentations from key Chinese suppliers and one-to-one business discussion. The US automotive OEMs and suppliers who have interest in doing business with Chinese auto suppliers should not miss this great event.

3) M&A Seminar: (6:30PM - 8:30PM)
In cooperation with Foley & Lardner LLP, the Detroit Chinese Business Association (DCBA) has organized a series of business seminars in 2005-2006:

  • Seminar 1: "How to Start a Business -- From Eureka Moment to Operating Company";
  • Seminar 2: "How to Raise the Right Money for a Growing Business";
  • Seminar 3: "Growing a Business By Acquisitions and Joint Ventures."

The third seminar, "Growing a Business By Acquisitions and Joint Ventures", will be held at the Troy Marriott on April 5th, 6:30PM - 8:30PM.

The seminar will be presented by the law firm of Foley & Lardner LLP and will include:

  • Acquisition and Joint Venture Planning Strategies
    - What are the strategic reasons for considering an acquisition or joint venture?
    - Is your company prepared to undertake an acquisition or joint venture?
    - What steps should you take to prepare?
    - How do you identify and select an acquisition or JV partner?
    - Other strategic considerations in planning an acquisition or JV
  • Structuring the Acquisition or Joint Venture Transaction
    - What are the different types of acquisitions or joint venture transactions?
    - What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?
    - Confidentiality agreements
    - Due diligence
    - Letters of intent
    - Legal documentation for transactions
    - Financing considerations
    - Acquisitions of bankrupt companies
    - What third party and governmental approvals are needed?
  • "Nuts and Bolts" of How to Close the Transaction/Practice Pointers
    - What are the keys to a successful acquisition or JV transaction?
    - What causes transactions to fail, and how do you try to avoid mistakes?
    - Dealing with management issues and managing personalities
    - How to "get the transaction across the finish line"
    - Other "nuts and bolts" recommendations

The program will focus on acquisitions by Chinese companies of U.S. companies and joint ventures in the U.S. by Chinese companies. The agenda for the program will be as follows: Foley & Lardner panelists will include Steve Hilfinger, Daljit Doogal and Linda Ji. All of the panelists have extensive experience with mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures.

The Detroit Chinese Business Association is a non-profit organization established in 1995 to promote US-China business relationships as well as entrepreneurship among the local Chinese American community. DCBA hosts high-level, high-quality, high-impact seminars, conferences and trade shows. Please visit DCBA website www.dcba.com for complete details. Should you have any questions regarding the China Forum events, please send e-mail to chinaforum2006@dcba.com.




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