The last week in June saw around 80 of HSBC’s corporate customers from across the globe gather in Guangzhou, China for an International Exchange event.

Among the delegates taking the opportunity to network and gain invaluable insight into the burgeoning Chinese market was Alec Mizzi, CEO of Alf Mizzi & Sons Ltd.

One of Malta’s leading companies, Alf. Mizzi & Sons is a third generation family business with a focus on food distribution and marketing. However, the company also has interests in a variety of sectors including retailing,  real estate development, hotels and electronics.

Alf. Mizzi & Sons was one of the first Maltese companies to do business with China back in the 1950s and now imports a range of furniture and household goods as well as Huawei phones; one of the few Chinese brands to have achieved global status to date.

The International Exchange in Guangzhou was a great opportunity for Mizzi to add to his knowledge of the market.

“It’s been fascinating finding out more about China from market experts and other businesses with experience of the market,” says Mizzi.

“You hear a lot about the size of the market and the impressive statistics but being here, I’ve been amazed by the rate of growth, which really is unparalleled anywhere else in the world.”

As well as being an eye-opening trip for Mizzi, the International Exchange also presented an excellent opportunity to make some useful business connections.

“Meeting other businesses has given me a different perspective on doing business with China and there are people I’ve met that I would hope to do business with in the future,” he says.

“I’ve also made connections with market experts, who could help us with key aspects of business in China such as IP protection.”

With truly global business interests as it imports products from a variety of markets, Alf. Mizzi & Sons has benefitted from HSBC’s international connectivity.

“We use HSBC for trade finance and are able to grow our facilities as the business grows,” says Mizzi.

“The bank’s experience in international trade and understanding of our needs as we import products from around the world, helps make funding that trade very straightforward.”