UC Berkeley, Stanford University and the US Military Academy at West Point have become popular must-stops for Chinese CEOs and business executives enrolled in an overseas education program organized by China's Shanghai Jiaotong University.

A group of 66 Chinese business executives in the program ended their 10-day tour of New York, Washington, Philadelphia and San Francisco on April 20. The tour that included meetings with key international financial institutions and government officials is part of a 12-month non-degree course at the university that also includes the UK.

On April 18, the Haas School of Business at the UC Berkeley campus hosted the Chinese executives.

"The Shanghai Jiaotong University Global CEO program provides our group of Chinese CEOs with advanced management training and face-to-face dialogue with key people in the US, which helps us understand and participate effectively in the globalized market," said Jiang Zhaobai, chairman of Shanghai Pengxin Group, a leading Chinese conglomerate with interests in real estate, infrastructure construction.

Yin Baolin, board chairman of Jiangsu Ruihua Fuel Group, told China Daily at Berkeley that he was attending the course not only to study the Western style of leadership and successful business models, but also to explore potential opportunities to expand his business in the US. His company in China's east Jiangsu province has more than 500 employees.

"We would like to develop overseas business in the field of energy, hotel and real estate," he said, adding that his initial investment might start with a four-star hotel in the San Francisco Bay Area. "A city with more Chinese-heritage citizens gives me a sense of security, and I have brought my son here for further degree study as well," he said.

Seana Wang, director of overseas education at Jiaotong University, told China Daily that as China continues to develop, leading Chinese CEOs "must become more internationalized and open to learning to grow their companies both in and out of China. "

"Unlike a vacation trip to the US, the CEOs see great value in the opportunity to continue learning through additional training at West Point, Wharton, Stanford and UC Berkeley," he said.

For this year, the university joined with former US Senator Bob Bennett, chairman of the Bennett Consulting Group and a partner at Hero Partners, to create a program in the US that included interaction with key international financial organizations, federal, state and local government officials, and major news organizations, including Forbes and Bloomberg News.

The visit also included meetings with world-class companies in New York and Silicon Valley.

"We are pleased to host this tremendous experience," said Bennett. "Through my experience in the Senate and through years of business experience in Asia, I've learned that China and the US both benefit from stronger and deeper business, governmental and cultural connections. Goodwill isn't enough; both sides must communicate effectively."

chenjia@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily USA 04/21/2014 page1)