TDC is carrying Hong Kong SMEs into the mainland on the wings of timely, reliable market intelligence and sound business advice. At the forefront of our efforts in China's WTO era is a unique China Business Advisory Service. Introduced in July 2001, it enables Hong Kong SMEs to obtain practical one-on-one advice from trade experts seconded by mainland trade ministries and departments to our Customer Service Centre. This customised advice covers a wide range of operational issues, such as marketing and distribution in the mainland, taxation, customs regulations, tariffs and legal advice. In the first six months, close to 1,000 SMEs came for consultations and more than 90 per cent said they found it "useful" or "very useful".

Another innovation in 2001/02 was our China Trade & Investment Resource Centre, which opened at the Business InfoCentre in November, shortly before China's formal WTO accession. It is geared to meet growing demand for quality information about mainland opportunities. So, too, are the 2008 Beijing Olympics column and Go West Resource Centre on tdctrade.com; our updateable loose-leaf publication Guide to Doing Business in China - which has been a best-seller in local book stores - and our recent report Breaking into the Pearl River Delta Consumer Market.