Shanghai mission to trade

Jul 23 2007 by Tony McDonough, Liverpool Daily Post

A HIGH-powered delegation from the Shanghai government will arrive in Liverpool later this week to discuss inward investment opportunities in Liverpool and the UK.

The party of senior officials, led by the Shanghai Foreign Economic Relations and Trade Commission, will arrive in the city and will attend a series of meetings with key organisations in the public and private sectors.

The trip has been organised by ChinaLink, which is based at the International Trade Centre for Liverpool City Region, which has been set up to facilitate trade and investment projects between China and the UK.

Shanghai is twinned with Liverpool and this visit is the latest in a series of exchanges between the two cities.

Dr Kegang Wu, director of International Trade Centre for Liverpool City Region, told the Daily Post: “This visit, invited by ChinaLink and closely following the recent visit of a Liverpool civic and trade mission to Shanghai this month, will further the well-established co-operation between the two cities, but will focus on the discussion of potential Chinese investment in the city.”

Tian Zhongfa, director of foreign investment and manufacturing of the Commission, said the delegation was keen to hear from Liverpool about investment related issues.

These included legal and policy, opportunities and restrictions for foreign investment, initiatives and support to encourage inward investment, procedures of setting up business, mergers and acquisitions in the UK by foreign capital, and the support provided to potential investors by ChinaLink and their partners.

Earlier this month, ChinaLink and the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce signed two agreements with Shanghai during a visit to Liverpool, in which ChinaLink and the chamber are named as the exclusive British partner for the Shanghai International Sourcing Centre and the Shanghai Import Commodities Fair (Shanghai Fair).

A trade mission to Shanghai in September is being planned by ChinaLink with the support of European Objective One funding.

The delegation will also include Zhang Yue, deputy secretary general, China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (Shanghai) and Shanghai Sub-Council of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

tonymcdonough