Dongguan Manufacturing Explores New Overseas Avenues

　　 Core Message

　　During his inspection visit to Vancouver, Liu Zhi Geng, Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee and Director of the Standing Committee of the Municipal People's Congress, visited overseas Chinese and Dongguan entrepreneurs and overseas Chinese organizations in Vancouver on July 6th (local time). He held an exchange meeting with some elites and attended a welcome luncheon hosted by the Dongguan (Americas) General Chamber of Commerce in Canada. To support the development of the chamber of commerce, the municipal government allocated a special fund of 200,000 yuan.

　　Li Wenci, Deputy Consul General of the Chinese Consulate General in Vancouver, delivered a welcome speech, warmly welcoming Liu Zhi Geng's visit to Vancouver. Liang Yingnian, Senior Advisor to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Canada, on behalf of Member of Parliament Huang Chen Xiaoping, and Guan Huizhen, Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, on behalf of Premier Gordon Campbell, sent congratulatory messages to Liu Zhi Geng.

　　Ye Jianlun, President of the Dongguan (Americas) General Chamber of Commerce in Canada, along with members of the chamber of commerce and about 30 Chinese leaders and social elites in Vancouver, attended the luncheon. After completing all his inspection trips, Liu Zhi Geng led the delegation back to Dongguan.

　 　Introducing Dongguan's Transformation to New and Old Friends

　　“As the saying goes, ‘No matter how far, home is where the heart is.’ At the welcome luncheon, Liu Zhi Geng delivered an enthusiastic speech, expressing his care and concern while introducing the new Dongguan to his new and old friends.

　　Liu Zhi Geng said that in just 30 years, Dongguan has become a vivid and exciting epitome of China's reform and opening up. The rapid economic and urban development of Dongguan is inseparable from the strong support of overseas Chinese. Over the years, overseas Chinese have always maintained a deep love for their homeland and have done their best to introduce domestic development changes, promote the domestic investment environment, actively promote exchanges and cooperation, and investment in China, making tremendous contributions to the prosperity and development of many cities in China, including Dongguan.

　　Currently, Dongguan's economic and social development has entered a new stage of transformation. Dongguan is committed to shifting from competition based on land and labor resources to competition based on talent and technological innovation, striving to promote industrial restructuring and upgrading.

　　Liu Zhi Geng hopes that various overseas Chinese organizations will play a bridging role while further increasing economic and trade cooperation with Dongguan, sharing hometown feelings, seeking common development, and creating common prosperity.

　　 200,000 Yuan Special Fund to Support Chamber of Commerce Construction

　　For a long time, overseas Chinese organizations and associations have served as a link between Dongguan and overseas economic and trade cooperation. In Vancouver, Canada, as a newly established overseas Chinese organization less than two years old, the General Chamber of Commerce has played an increasingly important role in economic and trade cooperation between Dongguan and the Americas.

　　In recent years, in order to allow the fruits of reform and opening up to benefit overseas compatriots and better support the construction of overseas associations, the municipal Party committee and government have allocated more than 1.5 million yuan annually for support. This time, to support the development of the Dongguan (Americas) General Chamber of Commerce in Canada, the municipal government decided to allocate a special fund of 200,000 yuan to support its operations.

　　Liu Zhi Geng, on behalf of the municipal Party committee and government, personally handed the 200,000 yuan check to Ye Jianlun. Ye Jianlun presented Liu Zhi Geng with a commemorative gift inscribed with the words “Dongshan’s Glory, Guan Shui’s Might.”

　　Liu Zhi Geng hopes that overseas Chinese will use this new platform of the General Chamber of Commerce to better promote exchanges and cooperation between Dongguan and various sectors in Canada, to further promote economic and trade cooperation between overseas Chinese and Dongguan, help Dongguan products enter the American market, and promote the development of overseas Chinese businesses and the transformation and upgrading of Dongguan's economy and society.

　　New Platform for Dongguan to Connect with the American Market

　　It is noteworthy that the Dongguan (Americas) General Chamber of Commerce in Canada is different from the traditional overseas Chinese organization development model. On the one hand, it operates as a joint-stock company; on the other hand, it pays more attention to attracting new generations of Chinese and new overseas Chinese. More importantly, it has added a new channel for "Dongguan manufacturing" to enter overseas markets.

　　Ye Jianlun said that the uniqueness of the General Chamber of Commerce lies in: firstly, it serves as an important window for Dongguan's business contacts in the Americas, assisting Dongguan's government departments in external publicity, promoting the city's image, and expanding Dongguan's international influence; secondly, it serves as an important platform for Dongguan's private enterprises to "go global"; thirdly, it creates a broad marketing and procurement network for Dongguan enterprises, promoting Dongguan enterprise products through multiple channels, reducing the number of intermediaries overseas, and increasing foreign trade profits; fourthly, it serves as an important institution for protecting the legitimate rights and interests of overseas Chinese businesses; and fifthly, it facilitates market access between Dongguan and the Americas, attracting investment and conducting economic and cultural exchanges.

　　Itinerary Overview

　　Liu Zhi Geng Accepted Interviews from Multiple Mainstream Media Outlets in Vancouver Regarding the Purpose of His Visit

　　Making New Friends, Promoting New Dongguan, Seeking New Cooperation

　　After attending the welcome luncheon hosted by the Dongguan (Americas) General Chamber of Commerce in Canada, Liu Zhi Geng accepted interviews from multiple mainstream media outlets, including Xin Shi Dai Television, the largest Chinese-language television station in the area, and discussed his inspection tour of the US and Canada. He summarized his trip using three "news": making new friends, promoting new Dongguan, and seeking new cooperation.

　　When asked by reporters about the purpose of his trip to the US and Canada, Liu Zhi Geng replied that firstly, it was to make new friends. Many business organizations in the area are familiar with Dongguan, and he hoped to make more new friends through them; secondly, it was to promote the new Dongguan. Many people are not very familiar with Dongguan, so in-depth promotion is an important purpose of this trip; thirdly, it was to seek new cooperation. Dongguan's economic development is rapid and its foundation is solid. In the next step, it needs to transform and upgrade, adjust its structure, and further increase investment attraction, talent introduction, and high-tech introduction.

　　In addition to Xin Shi Dai Television, Liu Zhi Geng's visit also attracted the attention of many other mainstream media outlets in the area, such as Sing Tao Daily, Ming Pao, Ta Kung Pao, and Global Chinese News, which all interviewed Liu Zhi Geng. Sing Tao Daily and Ming Pao also published extensive reports on July 7 (local time). (Reporter Xiao Longfu)