Hundreds of business executives and government officials from China and Latin America and the Caribbean expected at trade and investment event
Executives of more than 250 Latin American firms and around 380 Chinese companies have registered for the Sixth China-LAC Business Summit, which this year is being held in Hangzhou, China.
The event is jointly organized by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Chinese Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), the People’s Bank of China and the municipal government of Hangzhou. The Business Forum seeks to strengthen and expand commercial ties between the two regions by helping businesses identify opportunities for investment and trade.
On the first day of the meeting, business executives and top-level government officials from both regions will participate in discussion panels to examine ways to add value to trade and investment between China and Latin America; properly manage natural resources for sustainable economic growth; adopt “smart” infrastructure for sustainable urban development; expand into global services; promote linkages between small and medium companies and international supply chains; and develop well-functioning financial systems. There will also be a panel on new equity investment platforms in Latin America that will be moderated by BID President Luis Alberto Moreno.
On the second day of the Summit, trade promotion agencies from China and LAC will meet for joint training, and business delegates from both regions will engage in day-long “matchmaking” sessions arranged by the IDB. Participants in those sessions have an opportunity to interview potential strategic trade and investment partners.
A new IDB study, “Pathways to China: The story of Latin American Firms in the Chinese Market,” will also be launched at the event. The study examines the cases of 85 Latin American companies that have invested in China to see what strategies they utilized to tap the country’s vast potential.
The Summit is organized by the Integration and Trade Sector and the Office of Outreach and Partnerships of the Inter-American Development Bank.
China in 2009 became a non-borrowing shareholder in the IDB, which is the leading source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).
Established in 1959, the IDB supports efforts by Latin America and the Caribbean countries to reduce poverty and inequality while promoting sustainable, climate-friendly investment and development. In addition to providing loans to 26 member countries in the region, the IDB also provides grants, technical assistance, and research.