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Beijing 4 - 5 and Shanghai 7 - 9 April 2005
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UNIDO Investment Technology Promotion Office (ITPO) Athens and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Thessaloniki led a business mission to China with 28 Greek companies between 4 - 9 April 2005. Organizing partners in China for the mission were ITPO Beijing and ITPO Shanghai along with the Commercial section of the Greek Embassy in Beijing.
More than 170 one-to-one meetings between Greek and Chinese companies took place during the mission. In addition to the prearranged formal meetings, Deputy Head of ITPO Athens, Elias Antonakakis made contact with Greek businessmen in Tianjin city, two hours from Beijing and in Fengxian district, one hour from Shanghai.
In Tianjin, an industrial centre and the third largest city in China, the Secretary General of the Chamber of Thessaloniki and representatives of two Greek companies were received by the Deputy Mayor and the Director of the Tianjin Agency for Investments. ITPO Beijing is was well known to the Tianjin Administration and will play an important role in ongoing cooperation.
Meetings in the Fengxian district were prepared by Mrs. You-Lu Zhang, who had spent some time at Athens ITPO in 2003, under its Delegate Programme. The outcome of the meetings was positive and the Greek companies plan to visit Fengxian again in June 2005 for more advanced discussions.
During the Beijing visit a memorandum of understanding was signed between Chamber of Thessaloniki (President Mr. Dimitrios Bakatselos) and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT). The Greek Delegation attended a reception at the Greek Embassy in Beijing hosted by Ambassador Mr. Charalambos Rocanas.
Meetings were also held with the Head of ITPO Beijing Mr. Hu Yuandong, and Head of ITPO Shanghai, Mr. Dong Tao to discuss ways to enhance cooperation between the Greek and Chinese ITPOs.
UNIDO ITPOs are, in the main, located in developed countries and sponsored by the host country to promote industrial partnerships between small- and medium-scale companies throughout the world. At the same time the ITPOs strengthen the capacities of developing country counterpart institutions. ITPOs lie at the hub of the UNIDO Investment and Technology Promotion Network (ITPN) which brings together UNIDO field offices, development finance institutions, investment promotion agencies, technology centres, subcontracting exchanges and other partners via the UNIDO website.
ITPOs are one-stop shops for four services crucial to investment promotion and technology transfer: dissemination of investment information; identification and promotion of investment opportunities; provision of training in promotional techniques; and matching project sponsors with potential foreign investors. ITPO staff maintains active links with the business community and development agencies in the host country as well as extensive databanks of companies interested in industrial partnerships in developing and transition economies. At the same time, ITPOs are playing an increasingly important role in developing and carrying out UNIDO's integrated country programmes. The UNIDO ITPO Delegate Programme is a mechanism by which staff of developing country institutions involved in investment promotion get hands-on experience at one of UNIDO's ITPOs.
Other parts of the UNIDO Investment and Technology Promotion Network are the Investment Promotion Units, located in the developing countries and UNIDO Exchange. UNIDO Exchange Programme (www.unido.org/exchange) has just seen the launching TICADExchange, www.TICADExchange.org a major tool for extending trade and investment relations between Africa and Asia (see UNIDOScope 15 - 21 May 2005).
UNIDO ITPO Athens Deputy Head, Elias Antonakakis, Tel: (+301) 3248319/367, Email: itpo.athens@unido.orgcoming events
Send your comments to the editor: K.Timmins@unido.org</font