(From left: Zhou Zhaoming, Economic and Commercial Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Belgium; Gwenn Sonck, Executive Director of FCCC & Secretary General of the EU-China Business Association; Li Hong, Vice Chairwoman of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce; Gao Binxiang, Vice President of Eastday)

The launch ceremony for the Shanghai Overseas Promotion Center for Service Trade (SOPCST), which was initiated by Eastday and the Flanders-China Chamber of Commerce (FCCC) on June 14 marked the expansion of overseas promotion channels and the first Shanghai overseas promotion center for trade in services.

The SOPCST is a service platform supported by the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce which, through its location in Brussels, Belgium, aims to form connections between the Chinese and European markets.

At the launch ceremony, Vice Chairwoman of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, Li Hong, mentioned Shanghai’s efforts in establishing communication and interaction with Belgian and European service trade enterprises through government-enterprise cooperation.

During the ceremony Gwenn Sonck, executive director of the FCCC and the EU China Business Association, mentioned that as China’s middle-income class already counts 400 million consumers, companies can use the services of the Shanghai Overseas Center to become more known towards the Chinese consumer. Through media and internet services, such as Wechat and others, the Center can help businesses reach new customers in the city of Shanghai and in China as a whole. Similarly, Chinese companies can work together with Belgian companies to help them grow their business overseas.

In the past, the export market of Shanghai’s service industry was mainly concentrated in countries and economic centers such as the United States, Hong Kong, Macau, and Japan. However, according to Gao Binxiang, Vice President of Eastday, the newly established SOPCST aims to facilitate the development of the overseas service market for Shanghai and the promotion of communication and cooperation between EU and Chinese enterprises. This will be accomplished by supporting relevant projects through information exchange and cooperation with the respective governments and other institutions.

To keep businesses up to date with their expansion and development, SOPCST will regularly publish business information reports from Belgium and the EU, which will be promoted in China.

Eastday article: http://english.021east.com/Business/u1ai8635852_K23558.html