Friday, December 8, 2017

Guangdong companies eye ASEAN market thru Belt & Road

By Jelly Musico 

ZHUHAI CITY -- An official of Yuren Agricultural Aviation showed to the visiting foreign journalists how their agricultural drones are being used to spray fertilizer and to monitor crops.

Yuren was just one of the many big companies that took opportunity to promote their products during the recently-concluded 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Forum on international communication and Guangdong companies going global in Zhuhai City.

Jeff Yi, overseas sales director of the company, said the Belt and Road Initiative is a grand platform to expand business abroad particularly in countries covered by the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) bloc.

In the Philippines, Yi said one client from Davao bought agricultural drones from them to spray banana plantation.

“We are hoping to expand our business in the Philippines and other Southeast Asia countries,” Yi said.

He said a company in Thailand bought 200 units of agricultural drones while Selangor Fruit and Vegetable Trade Union in Malaysia is expected to buy 300 units from Yuren next year.

Guangdong, located in the southernmost part of mainland China, has irreplaceable geographical advantage as China’s Belt and Road maritime gateway to Southeast Asia and other parts of the world.

“Taking the forum as a platform, Guangdong will make better use of its advantages as a hub in the Belt and Road Initiative to facilitate exchanges and promote development with countries along the maritime silk road,” Zheng Yanxiong, executive deputy director of publicity department of Guangdong province said.

Guangdong ranked first among all China provinces in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) for the last 28 years with GDP hitting RMB7.95 trillion in 2016.

 According to Ministry of Commerce data, Guangdong’s actual investment in the Belt and Road countries reached USD4 trillion in 2016 or a 65.3 percent increase from previous year.

Foreign journalists, mostly from South Asia and Southeast Asia, visited some of Guangdong's big companies like Gree Electric Appliances Inc., Ninestar Corporation, BY-HEALTH and Jinwan Smart Manufacturing Corporation.

Journalists also visited Pearl River Piano Co., and Baiyunshan Chenliji, a pharmaceutical company which holds Guinness World Record as the oldest operating pharmaceutical company with 417 years history, in Guangzhou.
Pearl River Piano vice manager said they have sold over two million pianos since 2001, including 135,000 in 2001.

“We are confident that our market in Southeast Asia will improve under Belt and Road. It’s a great platform that would help local companies to reach foreign market,” Karen Chen, vice manager of Pear River Piano, said.

Local and foreign delegates have also visited Hengqin Island, which is being developed as national area and pilot-free trade zone, and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.

Once completed, the bridge will become the longest cross-sea bridge in the world with 55 kilometers length, including the six-kilometer tunnel that crosses the Linging West and Tonggu channels.

During the forum, Guangdong companies have been encouraged to study and learn the laws and policies as well as cultures of countries along the Belt and Road to assure hassle-free trades.

On the other hand, media delegates have called for more collaboration to make sure that people along the Belt and Road countries will be informed properly and in transparent manner.

Belt and Road is an ambitious economic integration platform initiated by President Xi Jinping in 2013 with five conceptual pillars – policy coordination, connectivity of facilities, unimpeded trade, financial integration, and strengthened people-to-people ties.


Last May, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte attended the first Belt and Road Forum for Internatio

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