Smart operator reaps rewards

A Chinese provincial sewing shop owner gambled on move to Africa

Twenty-two years ago when Xu Zhiming started a small workshop sewing clothes in Zhuji, Zhejiang province, he saw his future close to home.

But his sharp business brain spotted greater opportunities in a place few Chinese then knew much about - Africa. Xu moved his business there well ahead of his Chinese competitors. Now he has built up a strong presence on the continent.