13 May 2010

YUEXIU – Birthplace of the Millennium City

Day Three of the UKTI Mission to China (Guangzhou) Today we were guests of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) where we were given a formal introduction to the Yuexiu District of Guangzhou. The Yuexiu District is a large economic region, covering an area of 33.8 sq km. It is known as the birthplace of the “Millennium Business City”, providing a good business environment with excellent matching facilities. There are over 100 enterprises which are among the top 500 Chinese and global enterprises in the district, together with over 8,000 modern service industry companies. Following the introduction we had the opportunity to sit down on a one-two-one basis with some local business contacts. I met with representatives from ZhongZhou Investments, Times Property Group and Emirates. The delegation then moved on to a briefing by UKTI at the British Consulate General in Guangzhou. This was presented by Bob Manning, Head of Trade & Investment and Chris Butland, a member of the Trade & Investment Co-ordination Unit. In the evening we enjoyed informal drinks with members of the local British Chamber of Commerce, including Christopher Devereux, Vice Chairman of the Chamber and Managing Director of Chinasavvy HK Ltd and the Publications Editor of the London Chamber Eye magazine, Josef Jelinek. Tomorrow we move on to our final destination, Hong Kong.

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