BRUSSELS/HANGZHOU, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) — As the world’s second-largest economy has optimized its response to Covid-19 and pledged stronger support for economic growth, many Chinese provinces and cities have sent trade delegations to Europe to strengthen business ties with their European peers. RE-LAUNCH OF FACE-MO-FACE EXCHANGE
Nanjing, an eastern city that served as China’s capital historically, is among the first to expand its international trade network by sending a team of five business and trade officials to France and Germany earlier this month.
The delegation hosted a conference in Frankfurt on December 11 for Chinese and European companies to conduct face-to-face exchanges in science, technology, innovation and investment.
Michael Borchmann, former head of the department for European and international affairs in the federal German state of Hessen, was present at the conference. He said he appreciated Nanjing’s efforts to take the lead in resuming face-to-face communication after the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Nanjing presented itself as a city with a great past and a present characterized by high technology and modernity,” he said. “This city is of great attractiveness for German companies.”
Eric Goupil, executive chairman of French pharmaceutical company Unither, said the visiting delegation from Nanjing has deepened the friendship between the two sides and increased Unither’s understanding of Nanjing’s high-quality investment environment and government support system.
“We understand that we are considering the next step in the international strategic layout, and we will push more upstream and downstream companies to settle in Nanjing around production line expansion and other related preparations,” he said.
Zhejiang province, a foreign trade powerhouse in eastern China, plans to arrange overseas business trips for at least 10,000 trade-oriented companies by the end of 2023, the provincial commerce department said.
In the past two weeks, entrepreneurs from Zhejiang have attended trade shows, established contacts with potential customers and engaged in business negotiations in various countries, including France, Germany, Japan, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The trips are part of a campaign initiated by Zhejiang’s commerce department earlier this month to boost business orders and expand markets for the province’s large number of trade-oriented companies. A WIN-WIN SUPPLEMENT
Berkan Uenal, Business Development Manager for Biologics & Gene at Genscript Biotech Corporation, said he was very happy to welcome the Chinese delegation to Germany. The trade exchange meetings offer good opportunities to promote the development of a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, he said.
Zhao Wei, general manager of Nanjing-based Sumec Textile & Light Industry Co., Ltd., visited corporate clients in London and Portsmouth over the past two weeks. “Despite their sales pressure, UK customers still want to strengthen ties with Chinese companies as we have proven to be reliable suppliers with reasonable prices.”
Zhao expects a 10 percent increase in orders from UK customers next year.
Last month, Shenzhen, a southern Chinese coastal city and high-tech hub, hosted an investment promotion conference in Ireland to enhance economic cooperation and bilateral investment.
Representatives of the Shenzhen delegation said that Ireland’s advantages in biopharmaceuticals, financial services and science and technology are very compatible with Shenzhen’s industrial development strategy to vigorously develop advanced manufacturing and promote the integration of advanced manufacturing and modern service industries.
Almost 30 Irish companies were operating in Shenzhen at the end of last year. Meanwhile, there are more than 40 Chinese companies in Ireland with over 3,000 employees and they have contributed to Ireland’s economic and social development, said Paraic Hayes, director of Asia Pacific at IDA Ireland, a government agency responsible for attracting foreign direct investment to the country , told Xinhua.
Wuhan, capital of central China’s Hubei province, also sent a delegation on investment promotion tours of Germany and Sweden last week, focusing on auto parts and health care. They also held marketing conferences to encourage European companies to distribute in Wuhan.
Hans Duisters, a Dutch winner of the Chinese Government Friendship Award 2022 and CEO of Jiangsu JITRI Sioux Technologies Co., Ltd in the city of Suzhou in eastern China, personally organized and received an economic and trade delegation from Suzhou in the Netherlands.
He expressed the belief that further high-tech cooperation between the Netherlands and China will not only achieve mutual benefits and win-win results, but also make the world a better place.
(Xinhua reporters Zhang Yadong in London, Zhang Qi in Dublin, Liu Xinyu in Vienna, Shan Weiyi in Frankfurt, Wang Xiangjiang in The Hague, Yu Jiaxin, Guo Yuqi and Wei Donghua in Hangzhou also contributed to the story.)
Source: sn.dk
