Ciba Chief Tours Hong Kong And China

Alex Krauer, chairman of Swiss chemical and pharmaceutical company Ciba, Jacques Barman, executive committee member with responsibility for the Asia region, and other Ciba representatives in the region, have just completed a nine-day tour of Hong Kong and China for business talks and to further links with the area.

Ciba has committed over $250 million to investments in the People's Republic of China since the company signed its first joint venture in 1987. The tour visited branches of Ciba in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Qingdao and Beijing for discussions with management, partners and the authorities concerning current and future ventures.

In 1993, Ciba was the first international chemical company to be granted a wholly-owned holding company by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation. "We believe this is a reflection of the Beijing authorities' recognition of the problems of fragmentation which the joint-venture law can force on a multitechnology company like Ciba," said Dr Barman.