Trade mission to China opens up new opportunities for Manchester SMEs

Philomena Chen, Head of Asia Pacific business at UKTI North West

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A trade mission to China will take place this November, and for the first time, Enterprise Europe Network North West (EENW) will be supporting North West SMEs during the visit.

As part of UK Trade and Investment (UKTI)’s North West mission to China, North West participants will explore trade opportunities available and gain a better understanding of the market and how to do business there.

Philomena Chen, Head of Asia Pacific Business Development at UKTI North West, said: “China is the great economic success story of the past 30 years. Growth has been sustained and the economy grew by almost 9 per cent in 2012. However, while the opportunities are plentiful, it is a large and complex market and businesses need to keep up with developments.

“That’s why attending a UKTI-led mission with EENW is an ideal and focused way to explore the market, whether selling, trading, investing or franchising, and businesses that attend can take advantage of bespoke and detailed market information, warm leads and one-to-one meetings with experts based in embassies and consulates throughout China in addition to the local EEN partners.”

This multi-sector mission will include visits to Shanghai, China’s commercial and financial centre and largest city by population; Chengdu, a centre of logistics, commerce, finance, science and technology, fast becoming one of the favourite cities for investment in Western China; and Chongqing, a major manufacturing and transport hub in the South West of China.

Rodolphe Soulard, Senior European Business Adviser at EENW, said: “China has never been hotter on the agenda. There have been two high-profile missions to China recently, one led by the Chancellor, George Osborne, and the other by Boris Johnson, Mayor of London. This led to an enormous investment worth more than £800m to develop the 'Airport City' project, partly financed by Beijing Construction Engineering Group (BCEG).

“Although the European Union still offers great opportunities for North West companies, the most experienced exporters cannot ignore the vast export or import opportunities available in China as well as the investment opportunities too. But it’s crucial that North West businesses keep up with the speed of change and development in the country and this mission will help them to do that.”

In Shanghai, delegates will visit China International Industry Fair (CIIF), a leading event on equipment manufacturing in China, and have the opportunity to meet on a one-to-one basis with potential commercial partners and clients at EENW’s matchmaking event. This exclusive event is organised in collaboration with EEN Denmark and EEN Shanghai.

“EEN’s matchmaking event will enable participants to secure scheduled meetings with potential partners they have chosen to meet, hence maximising their time at the shows”, adds Rodolphe. “The mission will not only be instrumental for the businesses involved, but also for building greater links between China and the North West as manufacturing and service provider leaders. We are delighted to be working with UKTI on this mission.”

The mission will take place from 2-10 November, and EENW’s matchmaking event will be held on 6 November.

Twelve businesses have already signed up to the China trade mission.