| British and Chinese Chambers join forces |
|
|
|
Partnerships are vital when fighting adverse market conditions and the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade  (CCPIT) have signed a strategic agreement to encourage trade relations between the two countries, help businesses combat the global downturn and prepare for the ultimate economic recovery.The BCC's president, Neville Reyner, and the chairman of CCPIT, Wan Jifei, met in London to sign a framework agreement setting out a number of common objectives. The new partnership will allow for improved co-operation in a multitude of areas including; trade and investment promotion, a greater exchange of information, credit checks, and support for market visits, trade fairs and seminars. With protectionism creeping back into the international trade debate and the world gripped by the global downturn, the two national chambers felt it was essential to ensure businesses had as much support as possible during a very difficult period. Mr Wan Jifei, who accompanied the Chinese Premier on his European visit said: "This strategic partnership is a crucial step in ensuring the long term cooperation between China and the UK and particularly our SME Sectors. "It is very important that we support and encourage small and medium sized businesses to work together. We have already established an office in London, which shows our real commitment to this relationship." The BCC's managing director John Dunsmure also revealed that the business organisation is to launch a new pilot project Link2China - an extension to other Link2Market initiatives. More of the project will be revealed in April at a Beijing conference sponsored by CCPIT and the BCC. |
