Liverpool delegation signs major trade links deal in China

LIVERPOOL City Region leaders have signed a major agreement to grow business links in China.

The deal struck in Kuming, which has a population of 7 million, will result in Liverpool being a major presence at one of the biggest gatherings of Asian businesses ever held.

The city region will host a pavilion at the China-South Asia Expo 2017, being held in June next year, after signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Expo’s host city, Kunming, in south west China.

The expo, now in its fourth year, attracts thousands of businesses from more than 30 countries and represents as a major platform for promoting Liverpool City Region investment opportunities.

The new MoU with Kunming also includes the potential for the Chinese city to design and install a special garden as part of Liverpool’s plans to redevelop the city’s Garden Festival site on the banks of the Mersey.

The signing of the MoU came at the start of a two-week trade delegation to China, being organised by inward investment agency Invest Liverpool on behalf of the city region.

Companies from the marketing, property and technology sectors, as well as representatives from academia and Chambers of Commerce, are taking part in the visit, which is being jointly led by Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson and Wirral Council leader Cllr Phil Davies.

The MoU will see Liverpool City Region and Kunming – a city of more than 7 million people – work together to improve business and cultural links in order to drive job creation and growth.

Both Liverpool and Wirral have strong existing connections with China; Wirral being twinned with Taicang and Liverpool with Shanghai.

Cllr Davies, who is the lead on economic development for the city region’s Combined Authority, said: “The new memorandum with Kunming will see emerging opportunities for Wirral and city region businesses to connect with a flourishing region of China and we have already seen significant interest in Wirral’s strengths in such sectors as advanced manufacturing.
 
“This is the first time the City Region has come together in this way and it’s a clear example of how we can offer a more compelling proposition as a combined region.”

Mayor Anderson said: “There are clear opportunities for Liverpool City Region companies to win investment and contracts by engaging with this fast-growing area of China and the Expo next year will be a great platform for businesses which want to connect with new markets in south east Asia.”

Cheng Lianyuan, Party Secretary and most senior government official in Kunming, said: “We are developing a special relationship with Liverpool City Region which I believe will benefit both cities for many years to come.”

The Kunming agreement came at the start of a trip which will see the 20-strong delegation visiting six regions of China over a two week period, taking in Chonqing, also in South West China, Tianjin, Beijing, Qingdao and Shanghai. In total, delegates will travel 15,547 miles.

Relations with Kunming were strengthened when businesses and government officials from the city sent a delegation to Liverpool during the International Festival for Business 2016, staging an exhibition of Yunnan culture in Liverpool ONE.

That delegation was one of a number from China, including Hong Kong and Chengdu, which attended the festival.

The trip is being coordinated by Invest Liverpool and offers businesses the chance to explore and develop business and investment opportunities and promote Liverpool City Region as a viable location for Chinese investment.

Delegates have presented investment and opportunities to a range of major Chinese businesses and government bodies and have also met with the Yunnan Investment Bureau as part of the first leg of their trip.

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