On April 2, the round table "Business with China: Key Opportunities for Cooperation with Chinese Counter-parties. The Canton Fair as a promising platform for cooperation"»
The event was moderated by Ms. Anna Bessmertnaya, the Chairman of the MCCI’s Commission for Foreign Economic Cooperation with Partners in China. In her welcoming speech, she noted that the MCCI is becoming a platform for "very significant, important events in the Russian-Chinese relationship.” Ms. Bessmertnaya said that due to changes in the political climate in recent years and the strengthening of trade and economic ties with China, many Russian entrepreneurs "have been oriented towards cooperation with Eastern countries, particularly with China".
The problem is that many entrepreneurs try to impose their experience of interacting with Western business to conducting business with our Chinese partners, maintaining the same format and structure. "Unfortunately, this path is not effective. It is absolutely not applicable in relations with our Chinese partners. There exists a lack of comprehension of traditional and cultural values - our entrepreneurs sometimes lack basic knowledge of how to do business with China. There are often difficulties at this stage of searching for potential partners and suppliers," complained Ms.Bessmertnaya.
In essence, the effective way of finding new suppliers is to attend trade fairs in the country, where one needs to find partners. The Canton Fair is one of the largest fairs in China. It is a showcase of Chinese industry. "I am very pleased that on the platform of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry we have the opportunity to hold an official presentation of the Canton Fair for Russian business", - emphasized Ms. Bessmertnaya. The main goal of the event is not only to become familiar with the opportunities, presented by the fair, but also to make its visit for Russian entrepreneurs as productive as possible.
The moderator then offered the floor to the official representative of the Canton Fair, Mr.Wu Xinyang, The Head of the VIP Services Department of the China Foreign Trade Center. He spoke in detail about the Canton Fair as a promising platform for interaction with Chinese suppliers and partners, where specialists can describe the best practices of attracting attention to their business. The fair is organized by the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, the People's Government of Guangdong Province and the China Foreign Trade Center. The upcoming 135th Canton Fair will be another milestone in its long and distinguished history. It has been successfully held for 134 sessions with exhibitors from more than 229 countries and regions around the world.
Mr. Alexey Fedotov, the Vice-President of the Russian-Asian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RASPP), Head of the RASPP representative office in Guangzhou (PRC), spoke in detail about successful cases of doing business with Chinese counter-parties and peculiarities of foreign trade contracts. "The main mission of the Canton Fair is to serve as a platform for the export of Chinese products. And our Chamber, as a representative and partner of the Canton Fair in Russia, invites you to see for yourself the largest trade exhibition of China", - said Mr. Fedotov. He also emphasized that the unique mentality and cultural traditions are strongly embedded in China and should be taken into serious consideration. The fair gives an opportunity to get acquainted and establish friendly relations with a potential partner, visit production facilities and discuss business details.
Mr. Vladimir Platonov, the President of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry, made a closing speech. He noted that the trade turnover between Russia and China has increased in recent years: "I remind you that since 2022, the sanctions’ pressure on our country has increased significantly. And China has confirmed its friendly intentions not in words, but in deeds". Mr.Platonov invited everyone to cooperate with the MCCI, reminding that the Chamber was once created by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs as an optimal platform for solving problems.The participants of the event were given the opportunity to familiarize themselves with successful cases of working with Chinese partners, as well as to discuss opportunities for the development of their business in this direction.