South China Chair Meets MOFCOM Deputy Commissioner for Guangdong Province
2021-05-13 | South China
On 13th May, Klaus Zenkel, vice president (VP) and South China Chapter chair, together with George Lau, Chapter vice chair, met with Xie Ying, deputy commissioner of the Special Commissioner's Office at the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) in Guangzhou.
VP Zenkel gave a brief introduction on the European Chamber and its members, advocacy efforts, publications and events. Mr Xie introduced his office, emphasising their function of providing export/import permits to companies in the region as well as conducting research and providing recommendations to MOFCOM, primarily on regional investment. He stressed that, if it hadn’t been for the pandemic, there would have been no limits to the development of the Greater Bay Area (GBA).
In response to Mr Xie’s question on how the European Chamber would like the government to support European businesses, VP Zenkel provided the following recommendations: reconsider the cancellation of the individual income tax preferential policies for foreigners, provide more coverage on GBA subsidies, make information on the GBA more widely available, and boost the attractiveness of Guangdong to talent. The meeting concluded with the Chamber delegation presenting the Business Confidence Survey 2020 and the most recent South China Position Paper to Mr Xie.