Close call for man making way in China

He had decided to spend Christmas in Thailand with a business colleague.

But after arriving in Bangkok and moving down to Krabi on Christmas Eve he left for a party early on Boxing Day morning on an island in the Gulf of Thailand.

"When we came back our hotel had been decimated. It was really shocking."

But the ex-Newportonian hasn't the time to dwell on near-misses. He's busy learning Mandarin, due to living in China and running a business there.

"It's difficult," he says, "but necessary if I'm to succeed."

A former Welsh tennis star, Mr Davies doesn't like the attitude of some ex-pats who live in European-style villages but don't bother to become a part of the community.

"Some enjoy the perks like drivers and servants but complain constantly about their way of life.

"I want to learn the language and understand the culture. Mandarin has up to twenty dialects but if you want to get on, it has to be done."

The son of Newport councillor Peter Davies, and brother to Monmouth Assembly Member David, Bill used to run a relocation company in Beijing, helping ex-pats.

He is now part of Links Consultancy in Shanghai, a much bigger enterprise that represents British firms in China and also buys and validates Chinese products on their behalf.

He has no thoughts of coming back to Newport permanently. "I'm going to be in China for as long as it takes," he says.

His enthusiasm for China is despite the strict regulations that govern business in Shanghai and Beijing.

He said: "It's understandable, I suppose, that businesses run by foreigners should be tightly controlled.

"You can't blame the Chinese for being sceptical about the Western world, particularly with a history of colonialism and the opium wars.

"But the educated Chinese recognise that we're teaching them about business and they know that they will reap the benefit: so we get along."

He said that because of the licences required to operate businesses in China it's essential to have friends in high places.