Meet China's 'Iron Lady'
As Head of Shanghai Baosteel,
Xie Qihua Is the Rare Female
Leading a Big Chinese Company
June 1, 2005; Page B1
Xie Qihua is known as China's "Iron Lady" -- and not just because she is one of the country's few female corporate executives. As chairwoman of Shanghai Baosteel Group Corp., she has headed a significant expansion of China's largest iron and steel company to satisfy China's demand for cars, ships and skyscrapers.
Though younger women are increasingly common in China's business world, Ms. Xie, 62 years old, is the rare female heading a major Chinese company. She stands out in the male-dominated steel industry at time when Baosteel is one of the several Chinese companies making a big push abroad.
Born in Shanghai, Ms. Xie studied engineering at Tsinghua University in Beijing, alma mater of many of China's leaders, including President Hu Jintao. She graduated in 1966, just as China was entering the Cultural Revolution, a decade of political turmoil that sent many educated Chinese to work in the countryside or in factories. Ms. Xie spent 12 years as a technician at a small steel plant in northwest China's Shaanxi province.
When China embarked on a course of economic reform, Baosteel was created to help spur the country's modernization. In 1978, Ms. Xie took a job as an engineer at the new Shanghai-based company and worked her way up the leadership chain, holding posts from chief engineer to president of a Baosteel subsidiary.
As chairwoman, Ms. Xie has devoted much of her energy to grooming Baosteel for the global stage, striking joint-venture mining agreements with companies in Brazil and Australia and with Japan's Nippon Steel Corp. to produce a sophisticated caliber of metal for car doors. Baosteel is now considering one of China's biggest overseas investments, a steel-production joint venture with Brazil's Cia. Vale do Rio Doce.
Ms. Xie recently granted a rare interview to The Wall Street Journal at Baosteel's world headquarters. Speaking from a formal, high-backed chair, she wore a dark black suit and a white, open-neck blouse, with the name Baosteel stitched into its sleeve. Ms. Xie flashed a quick smile as she spoke of her company's growth plans, China's need for steel and how being a woman makes her a different kind of manager. Some excerpts:
WSJ: Steel prices have been rising because of China's insatiable demand. Do you see that continuing?
Ms. Xie: The development of the steel industry is closely associated with total economic growth in China. For nine years, China has been the biggest steel producer in the world. It produced 272 million metric tons of crude steel in 2004, about one-fourth of the world's total, much higher than the next three largest producers. Growth in recent years has been around four million to five million tons. Even so, China still imports a lot of steel products each year. In 2003, it imported 37 million tons, and 29 million tons in 2004.
WSJ: What impact is the government's effort to cool economic growth having on the steel industry?
Ms. Xie: The general target of the central government by 2020 is to double Gross Domestic Product. If so, average GDP growth must be 7% a year. Actually, the real GDP growth rate over the past two years was over 9%. Such kind of high growth has brought tight supply of oil, electricity, etc. We are facing an unbalanced development situation. That's why the central government has imposed macroeconomic controls on steel, aluminum and cement to avoid unnecessary repeat investment in those industries.
Another purpose is to rebalance from a quantity focus to a quality improvement. The central government also imposed policy to slow development of some industries like real estate. But there is still huge demand for materials like steel.
WSJ: Can the demand and growth continue at this rate?
Ms. Xie: Let's talk about America as an example. America has consumed seven billion tons of steel to develop its economy. Japan consumed four billion tons. China has consumed only two billion tons. That's why we still have a long time to go. I don't think the growth rate of China's steel industry will be as big as before.
WSJ: In Japan, there are virtually no women at the senior levels of the top companies. You head China's largest steel company, and there are growing numbers of women making their way up in the ranks of government and business. How rare is a woman executive in China?
Ms. Xie: There are very few women managers in Japanese companies, but you can find a lot in Europe and America. In China, we have a saying: If a male worker has a female worker as his colleague, he will feel much more comfortable in working. It is easier for a woman to communicate with her workers.
WSJ: Do women have a special ability to communicate?
Ms. Xie: Yes, [she chuckles], that's right. It's very important to communicate with high-level executives to let them know the strategy of the corporation and also to make them pursue our value target -- modern management with our own unique corporate culture. Baosteel and I also have attached high importance to talent development.
WSJ: In America, when a woman is at the top of the company, she becomes a role model for the rest of the professional environment and oftene speaks out on the issues and encourages the companies to advance more women. Has that happened in your case?
Ms. Xie: Yes, you are right. In China, the society, including the central government, is encouraging companies to develop their female workers. In China, the woman has the equal right to enjoy a high level of education. The number of women doing postgraduate work and with Ph.D.s is relatively high. Let me take other two examples, Vice Premier Wu Yi, and Qinghai Province Governor Song Xiuyan.
WSJ: Baosteel employs 100,000 workers and last year made 21 million tons of steel. How do you manage such a big company?
Ms. Xie: Baosteel started in 1978. It imported Western technology. If you visit the factory, you will see it is managed automatically by computers. Research-and-development work is also centralized so we can use our vast technology to develop our business. Now, we have developed our own technology.
WSJ: Does Baosteel want to become the world's largest steel company?
Ms. Xie: One of the strategic goals of Baosteel for the future is to become one of the top three steel producers in the world, not the top. Baosteel has cooperation with iron ore miners in Brazil and Australia. Baosteel has very good relations with big companies and supplies products to many big companies, such as [Ford Motor Co.'s] Ford Europe and General Electric Co.
WSJ: Who are Baosteel's major competitors globally?
Ms. Xie: In terms of capacity, Baosteel ranked No. 6 in the world. Of course, we are competing with all these big companies, but also we are cooperating with these companies. So that's why we have set up joint ventures with Arcelor and Nippon Steel to provide auto sheets. We also have a joint venture with the largest stainless-steel producer in Japan and with [German industrial conglomerate] ThyssenKrupp AG.
WSJ: While you graduated from one of the best universities in China, you spent a decade working in a remote part of China as a low-level technician at a steel plant. How did your career finally hit the fast track?
Ms. Xie: The economic growth in China not only presents big opportunities for personal development but also corporate development. Baosteel started construction in 1978 with the open-door policy and brought in technology.
WSJ: What did you want to do when you were younger?
Ms. Xie: I didn't expect to become the leader of a steel company because my major was civil engineering. I intended to contribute to the development of the whole country. Because I was a civil engineer, I was told I should add tiles and bricks to the construction of a building....China is in a very good development stage, we should grasp this good opportunity.
WSJ: How do you manage the balance of development both at home and abroad?
Ms. Xie: Now, as a Chinese company, we have a very good chance to go abroad to develop our business. One of Baosteel's objectives is to become a multinational company.
WSJ: In the U.S., there is an emphasis on finding a balance between hard work and a manager's personal life. (Ms. Xie isn't married.) Can you give us an idea of how you balance the great responsibility of managing such a large company? What do you do in your personal life to refresh your mind? Or are you just like many Americans, bringing your work home?
Ms. Xie: Baosteel has a very good system for balancing the manager's life with working. Actually, Baosteel was the first corporation in China to implement a five-day workweek. Workers have vacation available.
But as the top executive of the company, I have very little time for myself. Sometimes I also have to attend a lot of other meetings on the weekend outside the company, such as in Beijing.
WSJ: In that limited time, what do you do to escape work?
Ms. Xie: Sometimes I play table tennis to relax.
“铁娘子”谢企华访谈
谢企华以中国的“铁娘子”而著称，这倒不仅仅因为她是中国屈指可数的几位企业女老总之一。作为上海宝山钢铁集团(Baosteel Group Corp.)的董事长，她一直在推动这家中国最大的钢铁企业进行大规模的产能扩张，以满足国内汽车、船舶和建筑行业的钢材需求。
虽然在中国商界出色的年轻女性并不鲜见，但像62岁的谢企华这样担任大型企业领导工作的仍属凤毛麟角。在宝钢大举进军海外市场之际，谢企华在一直由男性主宰的钢铁行业脱颖而出。
谢企华出生于上海，曾在清华大学(Tsinghua University)学习工程学，这所大学是胡锦涛等许多中国领导人的母校。谢企华1966年从清华大学毕业，而中国也正是在这一年开始了长达10年的文化大革命，在这场政治浩劫中许多知识分子被下放到农村或工厂里劳动。谢企华有12年时间在地处西北的陕西省的一家小钢铁厂当技术员。
文化大革命结束后，中国开始了经济改革进程。为推进国家的现代化建设，宝钢应运而生。1978年，谢企华回到上海在新成立的宝钢成了一名工程师。此后的16年里她在宝钢的职位不断提升，先后担任过公司的副总工程师和宝钢上市子公司的总经理。
作为公司董事长，谢企华将她的大部分精力用在宝钢的国际化经营上。为确保铁矿石的供应，她与巴西和澳大利亚的公司签署了合资采矿协议。面对国内汽车业的蓬勃发展，在谢企华的推动下，宝钢去年8月与日本的新日本制铁(Nippon Steel Corp.)签署了组建合资企业的协议，双方将合资生产用于汽车车门的高标准钢材。宝钢目前正在考虑与巴西企业Cia. Vale do Rio Doce合资组建钢铁生产企业，这将是中国最大规模的海外投资项目之一。
谢企华的雄心壮志还不止于此。宝钢希望，到2010年时，其核心业务的年销售额能达到180亿美元，这将使它与韩国钢铁巨头浦项综合制铁公司(Posco)并驾齐驱。谢企华说，她决心使宝钢成为世界最大的钢铁公司之一。
很少接受采访的谢企华最近在宝钢上海总部会见了《华尔街日报》记者。谈话时，谢企华坐在一张高背办公椅上，她身著深黑色套装，里面是一件翻领白衬衫，外衣袖口上还绣著“宝钢”二字。在谈到宝钢的发展计划、中国对钢铁的需求以及女性身份如何使自己成为一名与众不同的经理人时，谢企华脸上快速显现出一丝微笑。以下是对她的采访摘录：
《华尔街日报》：中国国内永不满足的需求导致钢铁价格不断上涨，你认为这种趋势还会继续下去吗？
谢企华：中国钢铁工业的发展是与国家的总体经济增长密切联系在一起的。9年来，中国一直是世界最大的钢铁生产国。2004年生产了2.72亿□粗钢，约占世界总产量的四分之一，明显高出世界第二至第四钢铁生产国的产量。最近几年，中国的钢铁产量每年都增加400万至500万吨。即便如此，中国每年仍需进口大量钢材。2003年，中国进口了3,700万吨钢，2004年的钢材进口量为2,900万吨。
《华尔街日报》：政府为经济增长降温的举措对钢铁行业产生了何种影响。
谢企华：中国政府的总目标是到2020年时国内生产总值(GDP)翻一番。要实现这一目标，每年的GDP增长率必须达到7%。实际上过去两年实际GDP增长率都超过了9%。如此高的增长已导致石油、电力等产品出现供应紧张。中国目前正面临著发展失衡的局面。政府因此对钢铁、铝和水泥行业采取了宏观调控措施，以避免这些行业出现不必要的重复投资。
宏观调控的另一个目的是要实现从量的扩张转变到质的增长。中央政府也实施了旨在减缓房地产等行业发展速度的政策。但市场对钢铁等原材料的需求依然很大。
《华尔街日报》：需求和增长的速度能继续维持目前水平吗？
谢企华：让我们以美国为例。美国迄今为止已经消费了70亿□钢。日本迄今为止的钢铁消费量也达到了40亿□。而中国到目前为止的钢铁消费量只有20亿□。中国的钢铁需求仍有很大增长空间。不过我不认为中国钢铁行业的增长率还能像以往那样高。
《华尔街日报》：在日本，基本上没有女性担任一流大公司的高层领导。你现在是中国最大的钢铁公司的负责人，政府机构和商界里有越来越多的中国妇女步步高升。在中国，女性成为高管的几率有多大？
谢企华：日本公司很少有女性管理人士，但欧洲和美国却有很多。中国有种说法，男女搭配，干活不累。女性更容易与同事沟通。
《华尔街日报》：妇女具备特别的沟通能力吗？
谢企华：是的(她笑出了声)，确实如此。与高层管理人士进行沟通是非常重要的，要使他们知道公司的发展战略，并使他们追求公司的价值目标──即用我们独特的企业文化实施现代管理。宝钢和我本人也高度重视优秀人才的培养。
《华尔街日报》：在美国，当一位女性成为公司的最高主管后，她就成了人们职业生涯中的榜样，她的成功事例会鼓励美国企业将更多女性提升到高管职位上来。这种情况在你身上发生了吗？
谢企华：是的，情况确实如此。在中国，包括中央政府在内的整个社会都鼓励企业开发女性员工的潜力。中国妇女有享受高水平教育的平等权利。接受研究生教育并获得博士学位的中国女性也相对较多。让我再来举两个例子，吴仪副总理和青海省省长宋秀岩都是女性。
《华尔街日报》：宝钢有员工10万人，去年的钢产量为2,100万吨，你是如何管理这么大的一家公司的？
谢企华：宝钢成立于1978年。它的生产技术是从西方引进的。如果你到宝钢参观，就会发现这里的工厂是由电脑进行自动管理的。宝钢的研发工作也集中进行，这样我们就能用大量技术来发展我们的业务。现在宝钢已开发出了自己的技术。
《华尔街日报》：宝钢想成为世界最大的钢铁公司吗？
谢企华：宝钢未来的战略目标之一就跻身世界三大钢铁生产商之列，并不一定要成为最大的一家。宝钢已经与巴西和澳大利亚的铁矿石开采商进行了合作。宝钢与不少大公司有相当良好的关系，并向许多大型企业提供产品，如福特汽车(Ford Motor Co.)的欧洲子公司和通用电气(General Electric Co.)等。
《华尔街日报》：全球范围内谁是宝钢的主要竞争者？
谢企华：宝钢的生产能力目前排名世界第六。当然，我们与所有这些大公司都存在竞争，但我们也与这些公司合作。因此我们同Arcelor和新日铁成立了生产汽车用钢的合资企业。我们还与日本最大的不锈钢生产商以及(德国的企业巨头)蒂森克虏伯(ThyssenKrupp)成立有合资企业。
《华尔街日报》：虽然你毕业于中国最好的大学之一，但你却有10年时间是在中国一偏远省份的钢铁厂担任低级技术员。你的人生是如何最终驶入快车道的？
谢企华：中国的经济增长不仅给个人发展提供了巨大机会，也为企业的发展创造了良机。宝钢1978年创办伊始就采取了开放政策，从国外引进先进技术。
《华尔街日报》：你年轻时想做什么？
谢企华：我并没想到会成为一家钢铁公司的领导人，因为我学的专业是土木工程。我想为中国的发展作出自己的贡献。我是土木工程师，我过去的领导教导我要为大厦的建设添砖瓦......中国正处在一个非常好的发展阶段，我们应该抓住这个良好机会。
《华尔街日报》：你如何在开发国内外两个市场之间掌握好平衡？
谢企华：作为一家中国企业，宝钢目前面临著赴海外发展业务的良好机会。宝钢的目标之一就是成为一家跨国公司。
《华尔街日报》：在美国，经理人们强调要在努力工作和个人生活之间找到平衡。(谢企华至今未婚。)你能告诉我们你是如何平衡好自己管理如此大一家公司的职责的？为了放松身心你平时都做些什么？或者你会像许多美国人那样把工作带回家里去做？
谢企华：宝钢有一个平衡经理人生活和工作的良好体系。事实上，宝钢是中国首家实行五天工作制企业。工人们还可以带薪休假。但作为公司的最高领导人，留给个人的时间非常少。我有时周末还要去出席公司以外的会议，比如说去北京开会。
《华尔街日报》：在有限的个人时间内，你通过什么方式来缓解工作压力？
谢企华：有时候我打乒乓球来放松身心。
