Fair to Boost Yangtze BusinessThe first Yangtze Investment Project Exposition will be held in Shanghai on March 1, aiming to boost economic co-operation in the areas along the river.Eager to attract more investment, a total of 33 cities along the river have signed up for the event, which is jointly sponsored by the Shanghai-Hong Kong Council for the Promotion and Development of the Yangtze, Co-operation Office, and the Development Research Centre of the Shanghai municipal government. The exposition is also expected to draw officials from the 19 local districts and counties and 13 economic development zones, which are seeking further business opportunities outside Shanghai. The enlisted companies and institutions can use the website, www.conet.gov.cn, to hold online business discussions. "Shanghai should get itself more involved in the ongoing economic integration of the Yangtze River," said Wang Zhan, director of the research centre. Statistics indicate that the city has carried out, or is carrying out, more than 4,200 co-operation projects along the Yangtze River and in other areas in China. "We should focus on co-operation with small and medium-sized enterprises along the river," said Wang, who is also vice-chairman of the council. Set up in April, 1998, the council is expected to channel Shanghai, Hong Kong and overseas investors into the Yangtze River valley. "As it recovers from the Asian economic turmoil of 1997, Hong Kong also needs to effect economic restructuring," said Vincent Lo, president of the Business and Professionals Federation of Hong Kong. "Such a task has become increasingly urgent in the context of China's impending entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO)," said Lo. "The expansion of Hong Kong enterprises into the Yangtze River valley is very important for the further development of the Chinese mainland," Lo noted. |
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