Matchmaking fair brings SMEs together

On May 18, Bank of China and the Hebei provincial government held a matchmaking fair in Langfang to pair up the province's small and medium-sized enterprises with those from Central and Eastern Europe. More than 150 foreign enterprises and 400 Chinese enterprises attended the event.

About half of the Chinese enterprises and their foreign peers achieved initial intentions for cooperation.

Since 2014, Bank of China has launched a number of events similar to the May 18 event in an aim to help Chinese enterprises obtain advanced technologies from their overseas counterparts and make progress toward industrial upgrades.

Overseas SMEs generally boast advanced technologies, high-quality products and modern management, but the size of their consumer group is limited, according to a BOC survey.

In contrast, China has a huge market, while Chinese enterprises lag far behind their foreign counterparts in such areas as technology, management, cost efficiency and energy consumption, according to the survey.

As a major Chinese commercial bank that offers services to clients in 39 countries around the world, as well as in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, Bank of China has held matchmaking fairs for Chinese enterprises and their counterparts from Italy, France and Germany to cater to their strong demand for cooperation.

The bank also offers free consultations to enterprises with economic difficulties and adopts preferential policies for the enterprises in such services as financing, cash management and cross-border renminbi settlement.

The bank said it will seize the opportunities brought by the initiative of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, help with Chinese enterprises' overseas expansion strategy and seek cooperation between Chinese and foreign enterprises.

dongjidong@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 06/29/2015 page12)