Professor Robin Porter
 
Areas of expertise: government relations; science and technology; higher education; automotive engineering; the Chinese media; Chinese business practice; tailored management training.

Robin Porter has thirty-five years experience as a China specialist; he first visited China in 1972 and has lived and worked there on and off since. He holds a PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies.

From 2002 to 2005 Robin was Counsellor for Science and Innovation at the British Embassy in Beijing, where he was the senior diplomat responsible for promoting research ties between British and Chinese institutions, negotiating science policy issues for the Government, and undertaking public diplomacy projects in science and other areas related to the Government's wealth creation agenda.

Prior to this he was Professor of Business (Asia Pacific) at La Trobe University in Australia, and earlier Head of the China Business and Policy Unit at Keele University in Staffordshire. In the 1980s Robin was for four years full-time Adviser to the China Trade Group of the British motor industry.

Robin is a fluent Chinese speaker. In 1994 he co-authored the book The China Business Guide, at that time the DTI's recommended published source of advice on business with China.

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