Events

2nd Roundtable of Presidents of Chambers of Commerce of Capital Cities Kicks off

2018-10-26 9:25:36

On the afternoon of Oct. 16th (local time), the 2^nd Roundtable of Presidents of Chambers of Commerce of Capital Cities, co-sponsored by CCPIT Beijing/Beijing Chamber of International Commerce and Belgrade Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was held at Sava Center, Belgrade. The Roundtable is a supporting business event of the 3rd China-CEEC 16+1 Capitals Mayors Forum. Wang Hong, Vice Mayor of Beijing, attended the Roundtable together with the heads or delegates of 12 chambers of commerce of ten capitals (those of Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Latvia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland and China). The Roundtable was presided over by Zhang Yongming, Chairman of CCPIT Beijing, and Aca Popovic, Acting Director of Belgrade Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

In her speech, Wang Hong pointed out that this year marks the 40^th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up. To deliver on the central government’s promise to deepen reform and open cooperation, Beijing is substantially liberalizing market access, constantly improving business environment, and creating a more appealing investment atmosphere. The Roundtable has greatly expanded the trade network between Beijing and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC). It sets the stage for mutually beneficial economic cooperation, develops synergies for investment and trade promotion, guides and enhances the involvement of China’s and CEEC’s industrial and commercial sectors.

The heads of chambers of commerce waxed lyrical about “Building the engines of China-CEEC industrial and commercial cooperation” and “Exploring new modes of cooperation between chambers of commerce”, and offered opinions and suggestions on further implementing the Initiative on the Roundtable of Presidents of Chambers of Commerce of Capital Cities, which was concluded at the previous Roundtable. It is unanimously agreed that the Roundtable, a new brand, mode and platform of cooperation between China’s and CEEC’s industrial and commercial sectors, may play a greater role in diversifying communication channels and promoting pragmatic cooperation. The Roundtable also covered such topics as “Building the online New Silk Road (a multilateral e-commerce platform)” and “Promoting balanced investment and trade development of China and CEEC”.

At the Roundtable, the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Warsaw Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Association of Economists and Managers of Montenegro signed up to the Initiative. So far, the Roundtable has brought into its fold 15 chambers of commerce in 13 CEECs.

On the occasion of the Roundtable, China-CEEC 16+1 Economic and Trade Promotion Fair was held. Delegates of 17 Beijing-based companies and trade associations talked at the fair with those of over 50 CEEC companies about wholesale trade, investment counseling, PR, marketing, finance, exhibition, education, tourism, building, publishing, transport, logistics, communication, culture, healthcare, agro-product processing and sales.