Commission begins business tour in China

The European Commission has begun a trade and industry mission to China in hope of forging closer industrial ties.

The delegation, which includes business associates and entrepreneurs, will begin the three-day tour in Chengdu and will be held in conjunction with the IX EU-China Business and Technology Co-operation Fair. The conference sees more than 10,000 bilateral business-to-business meetings held and is part-hosted by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Commerce, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the Sichuan Provincial Government. A total of 260 European companies and business associations from 22 EU member states will attend the conference.

The expedition forms part of the Commission’s Missions for Growth venture, which helps European enterprises, in particular SMEs, to better profit from fast growing international markets. The visit follows the successful Mission for Green Growth to China of European Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani and European Commissioner Janez Potočnik during July 2013.