Sharjah Chamber of Commerce signs Memorandum of Cooperation with China Foreign Trade Centre

The signing ceremony took place during a meeting held recently between H.E. Ahmed Mohammed Al Midfa, Chairman of SCCI, and Zhang Ting, Chairman of CFTC. Other SCCI officials present during the event were Saeed Obaid Al Jarwan, Second Vice Chairman, Mohammed Ali Al Serkal, Honorary Treasurer, Hussein Mohammed Al Mahmoudi, Director General, and Fasahat Khan, Advisor of Sharjah Expo Centre.

The participants reviewed the mutual benefits of strengthening ties between Sharjah and China in general and between the SCCI and CFTC particularly. They then explored strategies to enhance cooperation in order to create new opportunities and investment areas for businessmen.

The importance of exchanging information to assist economic activities and encourage participation in events organised in Sharjah as well as in Chinese cities was discussed during the assembly. H.E. Al Midfa commended the vital role played by the permanent Chinese Centre in Sharjah in developing cooperation between the emirate and China. He explained that the Centre served as an excellent platform to showcase Chinese products and industries and identify investment opportunities available to the private sector.

Under the terms of the Memorandum of Cooperation, both parties will jointly study current business conditions and take the necessary steps to enhance cooperation between their businesses communities. The Memorandum encourages business visits and trade fairs and exhibitions to promote and protect common interests and support enhanced bilateral economic and trade relations. All of these will be in accordance with the principle of integration, progressive development and long-term cooperation, which are necessary to achieving mutual goals and objectives.

Commenting on the meeting, Al Midfa said: "This agreement reflects our focus on the growth of Sharjah's private sector, as it is a key element within our vision of promoting overall local development. We encourage the holding of exhibitions in cooperation with CFTC in Sharjah, including the Canton Fair which is renowned for its comprehensive exhibits. We shall provide full support for private businesses, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises, by highlighting investment opportunities available in both countries and introducing potential partners as well as new products that can help further expand their businesses. We also intend to leverage China's experience in establishing and developing various commercial projects."

"The SCCI's approach is to increasingly attract foreign investments in order to support the development of Sharjah in various areas, especially its economy, and thus attain sustainable growth. In this context, we reaffirm our full commitment to cooperating with leading players in the economic field, so that we can support our initiatives and help our members overcome challenges and meet their respective objectives,"

added Al Midfa.

The two parties concluded the meeting by emphasising the joint work to be done to implement the provisions of the memorandum. Among the issues discussed were cooperation in organising seminars and presentations, invitations to main events organised in Sharjah and China, and arrangements for receiving key speakers. Participants also agreed to extend maximum assistance to buyers and exhibitors, offer free promotional materials and advertisement services for internal publications and provide direct links between the official websites of both parties.