ACOLINK hosts delegation from China’s principal government agency to Ministry of Commerce; visits three Northern Powerhouse cities; holds forum on e-administration co-organised with Manchester City Council.
This November, ACOLINK organised for delegates of the China International Electronic Commerce Centre (CIECC), a government agency falling under Ministry of Commerce of P. R. China (MOFCOM) to visit key cities of the Northern Powerhouse, in an alliance that’s set to stimulate and accelerate business relationships between the UK and China.
The Delegation
It was a delegation jointly organised by ACOLINK and CIECC, with invaluable support from Manchester City Council and Manchester China Forum. The delegation also had interesting discussions in the forums hosted by ThoughtWorks and Centre for Health Informatics at the University of Manchester.
During the four-day trip, the delegates were invited to visit three cities: Manchester, Liverpool, and York. This trip was key in helping CIECC understand the support that’s already available to Chinese businesses in the UK. And it also highlighted the additional support the Chinese Government could offer to these businesses.
While this was a very important part of the visit, the delegation’s main focus was enhancing the two-way trade link between the UK and China. In light of that, CIECC is already in talks with ACOLINK to prepare a visit in 2018, to explore potential investment opportunities with UK companies, shortlisted by ACOLINK, who are committed to exporting to China.
E-Gov Forum
Together, we also organised the first E-Government & Open Data G2G Forum on 7 November, 2017. Hosted across three stellar locations in Manchester — the Town Hall, Thoughtworks’ office, and The University of Manchester — the forum had the objective of establishing an initial government-to-government dialogue.
It was an invitation-only event covering a number of topics relevant to modern business, from an overview of e-government initiatives, to e-citizen gateways, business support services, and data management in government operations.
This successful delegation was the springboard for our partnership with the CIECC. Now, we’re linked to an essential government body that will allow us to enrich your knowledge of the Chinese market, and also to make trading with China much simpler and easier.