Crayfish.io

15/03/2022

📌 Mark Logan MP, MP for Bolton North East spoke with our CEO Ting Zhang about the UK-China relationship at a recent online event attended by over 60 Chinese-speaking professionals from seven countries. 🎬

📚 A fluent Mandarin speaker who had spent a significant chunk of his career in China, Mark described the deterioration in the bilateral relationship in the past two years as “very condensed” and “kind of dropped off the cliff”.

But as a popular saying widely used by the Chinese people goes, ‘there’s no eternal friends, only eternal interests’ so wisdom-wise Mark thinks these things don’t last forever. Even though right now the relationship is at a “very low ebb”, there is still hope, Mark believes, that in the years to come things will pick up again.

☀️ This is because fundamentally the UK and China have a much more historical relationship, and it goes back further and has much more depth over a longer period of time than a lot of bilateral relationships out there, Mark further explains.

🏆 We’re both “amazing countries with fantastic civilizations, culture, and ways of doing things and literature etc”. There are many great things between our countries, and we should start to see those good things yet again, but it might take some time, Mark concludes.

Watch the video clip to hear the full conversation Ting had with Mark. And let us have your comments on this topic too! 👇

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08/03/2022

💃 In celebrating International Women's Day, we invite you to watch this video interview by our Founder & CEO Ting Zhang, where she asked award-winning financier turned entrepreneur Qun Yang, what it is like to run a life science business in the UK, China, and US. 🌺

Qun is Co-Founder and COO of Cambridge-based Biorbyt, known as a leading supplier for high quality biological reagents that meet the needs of ground-breaking research.

The two female entrepreneurs share many things in common, from the same cultural background and similar career trajectory, to their passion helping other women to achieve more in career and life, and their dedication to serving the communities they set up and run alongside their businesses. They are also both proud mothers of two!

Let's celebrate their accomplishments! And those of many other female business owners, leaders, scientists, mentors and investors. Together, they are breaking the bias.

03/03/2022

🚗 What is Shanghai doing to prepare for over a million EVs on the road in three years time? 👇

Shanghai recently announced a series of new support policies to accommodate the rising charging demand for EVs and to support the development of the industry.

The new infrastructure plan aims to provide sufficient charging piles for at least 1.25 million EVs by 2025, ensuring the EV-to-charging pile ratio in the city is below 2:1.

The city will also see improved IT-based connectivity, standardization, comprehensive management, and operation mechanism.

We are encouraged to see these low carbon measures being implemented in big cities like Shanghai, and hope other Chinese cities will soon follow suit. Watch this space!

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A government document has issued measures to address issues that many EV users are currently complaining about, including a focus on "zombie charging piles".

22/02/2022

🤔 What are the characteristics of innovation in China that you should know for working with your counterparts? Our Founder & CEO Ting Zhang summarises this topic for you in 2 minutes.👇

♟ Strategy: Strategic direction is often top-down – both within companies and in the country. And in China, strategy is typically executed very efficiently within an organisation and this is the same when a decision is made about what technology area to focus on and how to allocate resources. A fine example is the semiconductor.

🌎 Mass market: Chinese innovators have been able to capture a huge market share at a phenomenal rate, mainly because backers and inventors have access to a massive user base. In China, innovative technologies can reach critical mass quickly as we have witnessed in autonomous driving .

🧑‍🏭 Resources: The strength and financial resources of big companies in China enable them to achieve their strategic objectives quickly. Huawei is probably the most representative in how they managed to become the world’s leader in 5G in a relatively short time.

But there are downsides as well and will these turn into collaboration opportunities for companies in the RoW? Watch the video to find out the answer! ▶️

17/02/2022

🔺What are real challenges facing forward-thinking UK and European SMEs when they try to get into the Far East markets right now? and what are they doing to overcome them? ✅

Doing business in the Far East is a dynamic process where all elements need to be in place at the right time and requires sound planning, effective implementation as well as persistence. Most Western businesses find it hard to navigate such a process without help. At Crayfish.io, we are proud to be working with our UK and European clients towards a successful entry and expansion in these markets. Here are just a few examples of the projects we are currently helping our clients:
- expediting the overseas business development for an education publisher by introducing key Chinese players for them to partner with
- project managing the distribution of Chinese press release of an important announcement on behalf of a British sensor manufacturer
- executing the digital marketing plan for a European engineering company in China
- arranging legal advice for a British academic journal to ensure their compliance with the new Chinese data protection and privacy regulations

🏔 While these are typical steps to take in expanding overseas, the journey to conquer the Chinese market is likely to present more challenges due to language and cultural differences and also ongoing regulatory uncertainties.

But a Chinese quote goes “山高人为峰” which means no matter how high a mountain is, if you manage to climb it then you're the peak of the mountain! We are now at the beginning of a promising Year of the Tiger, so are you ready to get set and go?

To get going, take advantage of some free useful tools and expert insights available at our website 👇
- How can we use WeChat for Marketing in China? https://lnkd.in/e46dQwdq
- A five-step guide to create a Chinese website for your business https://lnkd.in/e2BJqBGX
- How to do short video marketing in China? https://lnkd.in/eRWhZn6Z
- How to protect your IP in China? https://lnkd.in/eyqxhbuz
- How to choose the right Chinese supplier? https://lnkd.in/efEzd_uS
- How to mitigate currency and payment risks when trading with China https://lnkd.in/eVPnqAhW

15/02/2022

💥 What is the story behind Crayfish? Our founder Ting Zhang tells you in this timeless video, and adds an update as well 👇

“When I set out to create Crayfish at the end of 2016, it was all about harnessing cutting edge platform technology to make better use of the otherwise under-utilised resources - to connect businesses with English-Chinese bilingual freelancers who provide services from translation and marketing to research and business development, at a fraction of costs charged by consultancies and agencies.

Since then Crayfish’s business model has evolved, such that we have subsequently added some carefully selected niche agencies and boutique consultancies as our providers, for clients’ projects that require more manpower and teamwork.🤝

📈 And we have made our digital platform Crayfish.io even smarter by offering 78 off-the-shelf business services at extremely competitive rates, available 24/7 online, extending the geographic coverage to East and SE Asia in the meantime.

For the more complex nature of work, Crayfish now offers troubleshooting, advisory and project management delivered by a high calibre team.

There is a long way to go for Crayfish to become a global player in the cross border service space, but thanks to the hardworking of my team and the support of our clients, friends and partners, I am very proud to say that Crayfish has made some remarkable steps closer to fulfil our mission.“

By the way, do you know what the word “CRAYFISH” in our company name stands for? Watch the video to find out! 😍

10/02/2022

🌍 How do you set up a website in an unknown territory? 🤔

Operating since 1988, ATDI Group is a recognised leader in radio network planning and spectrum management solutions, developing powerful software solutions to manage the radio spectrum.

The market potential in encouraged ATDI to plan thoroughly on how to establish its digital presence in China. The marketing team at ATDI crafted a China plan and requested Crayfish’s support for implementation.

After 6 weeks, Crayfish team together with handpicked developers delivered the Chinese website for ATDI successfully, and the server is being hosted with 99.99% uptime in China. The video hosting ensured accessibility in China and optimised website speed.

We are grateful for the testimonial received from ATDI marketing team:
“𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙧𝙖𝙮𝙛𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙨𝙚𝙩, 𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙥𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢. 𝙎𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙪𝙥 𝙖 𝙬𝙚𝙗𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙖 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙪𝙣𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙪𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩, 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙙 𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙪𝙙𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙮. 𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝘾𝙧𝙖𝙮𝙛𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙥 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙖𝙧 𝙀𝙖𝙨𝙩.”

Are you considering a localised website in China? Contact us to discuss your queries or ask for advice. ✍️

08/02/2022

📝 Our Founder & CEO Ting Zhang introduces her new article - interested in reading it? 👇
Here is the link: https://lnkd.in/eYW8edrZ

04/02/2022

The 2022 Winter Olympics is starting in Beijing today - Do you know these facts? 🥇

This is the first time China ever hosts the Winter Olympics. What can you expect from this event? 🎿

🏒️ For the next two weeks, 2900 athletes from 91 countries will be competiing in 109 different events out of 15 different disciplines such as skiing, skating and curling.

That’s an amazing level of participation considering the Covid challenges.

Most events will be held in Beijing and also in Yanqing and Zhangjiahou, two cities bordering Beijing.

Beijing hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics when the country put a magnificent show for the world.

For China, the emphasis for hosting the Winter Olympics is more on improving Chinese people’s health than winning medals, but knowing the competitiveness deeply rooted in the Chinese culture, we expect to seeing some strong efforts for China to win some of the disciplines, like freestyle skating.

As the International Olympic Committee – IOC President says, “there is no place for politics in the Olympic spirit”. We hope people can forget about the political differences for the next two weeks, and are able to enjoy and celebrate the world’s oldest and biggest collaborative yet ultra-competitive elite sports event.

And at Crayfish, our team has a combination of at least three nationalities (British, Chinese and Italian) - so we will be cheering both for our native and adopted home countries!

02/02/2022

🚨 What is the key watchword for China in the Year of the Tiger? 🐯

We are expecting China to announce its 2022 economic growth target in March. In the meantime, the Chinese Academy of Sciences forecasts that China’s GDP will continue to grow by 5.5%.
To reach that, China is likely to adopt more expansionary policies to support its economic growth this year. Most sectors are set to benefit from the government’s substantial policy adjustments.
However, economic growth is not the one single priority of the Chinese government any longer.

In President Xi’s New Year speech, the word “stability” was the key watchword. Along with “common prosperity,” it will have wide implications on all aspects of the Chinese economy and society in 2022.

For example, the goals of achieving common prosperity and long-term sustainable economic growth in China can only become a reality through revitalising the rural regions of China, which so far remain a remote scene for foreign businesses (many of those are only slowly expanding into the lower tiered cities in China).
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01/02/2022

🧨 Today is the Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, which is celebrated widely across East and Southeast Asia, by a total of over 1.5 billion people across the globe. 🎆

Traditionally, the festival is celebrated by lots of red decorations, red envelopes with money given for good luck, delicious dishes such as dumplings, noodle and fish, family visits and fireworks.

🐅 There are 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac and each represents 1 year in the 12-part cycle. The Tiger is the Chinese zodiac animal for 2022. Tiger in the Chinese culture is called the ‘the king of one hundred beasts’.

With the arrival of the Year of the Tiger, we wish you and your business to get the spirit of a tiger and become even more upbeat, fearless and focused.

Happy Lunar New Year! 🤗

新春快乐, 虎年旺旺！如虎添翼，福虎生威！

28/01/2022

🏭 How does the output by state-controlled manufacturers compare with that of the private and foreign-invested ones in China? What are the policy implications? 👇

In 2021, state-controlled industrial manufacturing saw its value-added grow by 8%, compared to 8.9% for foreign invested manufacturing (including those Hong Kong-Macau-Taiwan-controlled).

Private companies fared best, with a 10.2% growth over 2020.
Taking into consideration the significant contribution to the economy, experts are calling for the Chinese government to reduce administrative interference in the private sector to further improve the so-called “market mechanisms”.

The Chinese State Council has recently identified the 5 key factors (land, labor, capital, technology, and data) to be fully integrated as pivotal elements for a functioning market-based reform in the coming 24 months.

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