EDITOR'S note: Manchester Business School has kicked off the 2010 Manchester Innovation Award in China. The school's Chief Global Officer Nigel Banister talked to Shanghai Daily on Chinese competitors' advantage and disadvantages compared with contestants from certain other countries.

BEIJING, May 18 -- Chinese students seemed to be short of international experience. When we launched the competition in other parts of the world, some of the business ideas are related to exporting and importing. In China, it is usually a business idea about China and doesn't have any international contacts.

There are two reasons.

First, China is such a huge market, similar to US. While European countries are very small, their businesses need to look into other countries.

Second, if you look at the very good universities here, you will find that most of the people teaching are Chinese and most students are Chinese. Maybe that doesn't matter for a competition because China is such a huge international market. But I guess it is noticeable that the business ideas are very much focused upon the Chinese market.

Many international firms setting up companies here will look into people with local knowledge but also with an international perspective.

Chinese companies are also expanding their business all over the world in their business interests. Therefore they will need people to go to Africa and US. They need people who are not only familiar with local business but also comfortable at working in multi culture environment.

Things will change. I know that there are more and more international students here and the government is putting more emphasis on international education.