BCS Meeting with the Deputy Director General of the Guangdong Department of Commerce

2020-07-24 | South China

BCS Meeting with the Deputy Director General of the Guangdong Department of Commerce

On the afternoon of 24 July, the South China Chapter represented by South China Board Chair, George Lau, South China General Manager, Francine Hadjisotiriou, and South China Business & Government Affairs Manager, Peter Drucker, met the Guangdong Department of Commerce Deputy Director General, Chen Yuehua, to discuss the BCS, GBA development, and the status of European Chamber members, both domestic and abroad.

After exchanging pleasantries, George Lau started the meeting by explaining the key findings of the BCS with enthusiastic attention given by the Department of Commerce. Francine Hadjisotiriou followed that up explaining how eager our member companies are to be in Guangdong and that they don't want to just develop themselves but also develop the country. Problems and obstacles shared by our members, especially SMEs, were also expressed with earnest.

Chen Yuehua appreciated the results of the BCS and understood the European Chamber's perspective and the members' situation. He mentioned that although most resources are still used towards the pandemic, services will still be provided to companies, including SMEs. There were four main points to act on following this meeting:

    • The Department of Commerce has requested lists of market access barriers per Working Group. They want obstacles clearly defined by our members so they can act on them.
    • There will be more cooperation on the GBA. Presently, the government is working to create a website focused on GBA opportunities for companies in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. This will be available for all companies, both Chinese and foreign.
    • The Department of Commerce would like the opportunity to have a personal, online conversation with European Chamber member companies. This will be in an effort to engage our members more directly to understand first-hand how the epidemic and provincial policies affect our companies, whether they are MNCs or SMEs.
    • Fast Track requests can be submitted directly to the Department of Commerce. Any company who has a request or a requirement can submit an application to Ms Zhang Ping, Director of the Foreign Investment Promotion Division.