In early July, Los Gatans Rosemary Coates and John Eichinger found themselves on a plane headed to the 30th Lanzhou Investment and Trade Fair.
This trip was organized by the Silicon Valley Division of the China-US Business Summit and led by Diana WeiPing Ding, its president.
Former IBM and Intel executive Kris Singh, who is president of SRII, and Dean of Applied Sciences at Ensign College Gregory William Fox were also among the more than 20 members of the trade mission.
Lanzhou is located in Gansu Province in the northwest corner of China.
This area has a rich history as a stop along the Silk Road. Camels would bring in goods from Europe and the Middle East; silks, spices, metals and precious stones would be sent out.
It is a cultural hub with many religious sites that’s known for its agriculture, textiles and—more recently—its nuclear power industry.
I recently joined Coates, Eichinger and Ding at Gardenia to discuss their recent foray overseas.
They told me how Lanzhou officials are eager to stay current within today’s fast-moving global economy.
New Silk Road
The modern version of the old Silk Road has become a vital part of the many supply chains that circle our planet.
A large share of the world’s semiconductors, phones, computers, clothing and oil still traverses portions of the ancient route.
And both Silicon Valley and Lanzhou officials see opportunities to create partnerships.
In addition to presenting at the international trade fair, plenty of sightseeing was offered.
The region is known for its beef noodle soup, and the group was given a demonstration on how to make noodles. Note: for this dish, lots of pounding is involved.
From traditional Chinese opera to the ancient caves, the Americans were invited to many interesting events and locations.
Coates, president of Blue Silk Consulting, gave a talk called “Resiliency in Post-Pandemic Global Supply Chain,” highlighting supply chain strategies.
The critical importance of supply chain management came into stark focus during the pandemic, when the backlogs of silicon chips led to automobile production gridlock.
Singh delivered an insightful presentation titled “Innovation and Entrepreneurship for the 21st Century’s Digital Economy,” which emphasized the importance of continued technological advancement.
Fox discussed “Building Cooperation between Lanzhou/Gansu Region and Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs.”
Crystal Tilton, the Foster City Chamber of Commerce executive director who was also part of the trip, said the trip was productive and inspiring.
“The connections made and the ideas exchanged have laid a solid foundation for future collaboration,” she said in a release on her organization’s website. “We are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead and look forward to fostering stronger business relationships with our counterparts in Gansu Province.”
In a July 25 Supply Chain Management Review post, Coates said she’s always surprised by what China has to offer.
“The hard-working people of Gansu Province were welcoming and interested in learning about us—so different from what we’ve heard in the press and from our politicians about China over the past few years,” she said. “While attitudes toward Americans have changed in the big cities along the eastern seaboard and eastern regions of China due to geopolitics, the people of Lanzhou were open, friendly, and interested in building connections. We met many dignitaries, business leaders, and entrepreneurs in Lanzhou, and hopefully established connections for the future.”
Creating Understanding
Eichinger, upon arrival, walked to a nearby grassy area to take his shoes off.
He wanted to go barefoot to ground himself after the long flight.
An official came up to him and notified him this was not permitted.
Eichinger used a translation app to try to explain what he was up to.
“The official sort of understood and allowed me to continue grounding to help the jet lag dissipate,” he said. “We came to enough of an agreement.”
Throughout the trip, Eichinger, an entrepreneur and real estate executive, helped Ding coordinate the schedule, since, as he says, he’s very supportive of fostering positive international relations.
