I returned recently from my second trip to China in a year where I addressed the China International Public Relations Association, spoke to young PR professionals and met dozens of business people, government officials and others. China indeed is rising and that includes communication.

PR spending in the huge Chinese market grows at about 30 percent annually and will approach $2 billion a year by 2010. The industry employs more than 15,000 people and that number also is expanding by 30 percent a year as the country prepares for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. The public relations industry in China also is beginning to see the benefits of its World Trade Organization membership. Reforms in the media industry by the central government also have helped to make the communication market more competitive. And China offers opportunities not only for PR practitioners and their clients working inside the vast country, but also for practitioners outside China who can help companies there spread their communications messages worldwide.

The first section focuses on what Western companies need to know about PR in China. Section two concentrates on what Chinese companies should know about Western PR and, primarily, draws its content from my address to CIPRA on that specific topic. And the third section comprises an issue of In the Know, Ketchum’s publication on media relations trends, this one focused on PR and China.

As usual, I welcome your feedback on Perspectives. Please e-mail me at ray.kotcher@ketchum.com.

Best regards,

Ray Kotcher

Senior Partner and Chief Executive Officer,
Ketchum