Asia House launches a new series of its business guides

Asia House has launched a second series of its Navigating Asian Markets guides for SMEs looking to enter the Asian markets.

The series now includes Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar (Burma), Pakistan, the Philippines and Turkey, and follows the successful launch last year of an initial range of eight guides.

The guides, produced by Asia House and supported by Heathrow, have been written in collaboration with trade bodies, associations and British embassies to offer expert tips on business culture, language and market opportunities in eight new Asian economies.

They also provide first-hand accounts from British businesses which have succeeded in the region.

Michael Lawrence, CEO, Asia House, said: “Asia House is delighted to have worked with Heathrow to produce this second set of guides to Asian markets. Despite the intense interest among British businesses in Asia, there remains a lack of understanding about how to operate successfully and reluctance among some to move into these growing markets. By providing advice on the culture of doing business in these eight countries and highlighting SMEs that have successfully established operations, we hope we can encourage British SMEs to grasp the opportunities that Asia provides. Key to that success is building personal relationships, establishing trust and getting to know the peoples and the cultures.”

Colin Matthews, Chief Executive, Heathrow, said: “Having lived and worked in Asia, I know the importance of export growth for UK firms and for the country. UK businesses trade 20 times more with emerging markets that have daily flights than those with less frequent or no direct service. We are working with airlines and doing our best to provide new routes, such as the first direct flight to the Philippines which started in November. But Heathrow is full. Rival European hub airports have spare capacity and are able to add more flights to more destinations while we look on. As Asia’s consumer class expands, UK firms’ potential to trade with them must be realised and developed. As the Prime Minister says, this is a global race we cannot afford to lose.”

The guides are available to download here and through local Chambers of Commerce.  The first series is also available here and covered China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.