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Press Release

Greg Chabon, Fang Liu Speak On Supply Chain Issues In China

March 20, 2007

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American trade with China has grown exponentially in the past decade. In fact, in 2006, China became the United States' second-largest trading partner, trailing only Canada.

That rapid increase in trade mean supply chain management issues to and from China have become increasingly important to American businesses. On March 20th, Womble Carlyle attorneys Greg Chabon and Fang Liu spoke to a group of supply chain management executives from the Carolinas and Virginia on emerging trends affecting sourcing in China.

Greg and Fang were invited to speak at the Institute for Supply Management meeting after organizers read their comments on Chinese supply chain management issues in the Triad Business Journal. The meeting took place at The Royal House in Kernersville. Attending were supply and purchasing managers from companies such as Lowe's, RF Micro, R.J. Reynolds, Volvo and Xpedx.

U.S. companies face challenges when moving goods and materials into and out of China, including local protectionism, difficulties enforcing contract terms, corruption and intellectual property theft. Greg and Fang discussed ways to overcome these challenges, including: 

  • Being flexible and maintaining a diversity of sourcing; 
  • Partnering with privatized domestic enterprises; 
  • Looking beyond the lowest costs; 
  • Using sourcing as a tool for market entry and access; and 
  • Understanding cultural differences.

Serving our clients in the Chinese market is a priority for Womble Carlyle. In March 2007, a group of attorneys, led by former North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt, traveled to China for two weeks' of meetings with government officials and business leaders. Supply Chain Management team attorney Randy Hanson was part of that delegation. View China Mission blog here.

Greg Chabon and Randy Hanson are members of the Supply Chain Management Industry Group. Fang Liu is a member of the Intellectual Property Practice Group.

About Womble Carlyle
A full-service business law firm, Womble Carlyle ranks among the leading firms in the country and is a top law firm for companies doing business in the South Atlantic states. The firm is a recipient of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund Corporate Leadership Award, making Womble Carlyle the first law firm ever to receive the highest honor given to a company in recognition of its support of the Fund and its 45 member educational institutions.

Founded in 1876, Womble Carlyle operates in five states and the District of Columbia with more than 500 attorneys in eleven offices located in Atlanta, GA; Greenville, SC; Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh, Research Triangle Park, Winston-Salem, NC; Washington, DC; Tysons Corner, VA; Wilmington, DE and Baltimore, MD. Womble Carlyle is located in the South Atlantic and Mid-Atlantic regions and draws its client base from across the United States.