But Chiu disagreed. He said it took a lot of groundwork to discern the business culture differences between Hong Kong and the mainland. Since HKPC now knows the differences, it is expected to handle the second batch of applicants at a much shorter time.

"A group of 'guinea pig' companies have gone through the process," he said. "We are providing initial screenings to all the applicants now, like to check if the company has a Chinese name and whether any non-disclosure agreements are involved."

He expected the adoption of CISIQ among local SIs to pick up next year and at least 10 companies to be certified in 2006.

Expectation from CEPA III

Looking forward to CEPA III, most in the industry admitted they are not holding high expectations. Wan from JOS said as China is now a WTO member, it is already lowering the entry barriers for foreign businesses in general.