The Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry held a meeting with trade and economic delegation from the Shandong Province (PRC).
On behalf of the MCCI, the Chinese guests were welcomed by Ms.Anna Bessmertnaya, the Chairperson of the Commission for Foreign Economic Cooperation with Partners from China. "I have been heading this public structure of the Chamber for some time, and recently, due to the changed political climate, we have witnessed a dramatic increase in the volume of our work," she reported. The Speaker said that the Commission has been working with several companies from the Shandong Province and is aware that it is one of the most advanced agricultural and industrial Provinces. "We want to listen to your proposals today in order to select partners and establish mutual contacts," Ms. Bessmertnaya emphasized.
The Head of the delegation - the Minister of International Relations of the China Committee for the Promotion of International Trade, Mr. Yu Yanchun, said that Shandong Province ranks third in China in terms of GDP, the region accounts for 20% of agricultural exports. The population of Shandong, according to the speaker, is comparable to the population of Russia. Yu Yanchun said the "Dialogue with Shandong" project has been developing since 2020, and ties have been established with Japan, Germany and South Korea. The speaker expressed hope that this experience could be extended to Russia.
Then the floor was offered to Chinese entrepreneurs, who described their companies and showed presentational videos. The delegation included representatives of companies engaged in grain processing, making outdoor clothes , automobile (including truck) equipment, and environmentally friendly materials for cosmetics production.
At the meeting, Russian business was represented by entrepreneurs actively involved with the work of the Chamber. Mr. Yuri Katsnelson, the Chairman of the MCCI Committee for Support and Development of Baking, President of the Russian Guild of Bakers and Confectioners, spoke about the largest international exhibition "Grain. Feed. Veterinary", which will be held for the 29th time in June 2024, and invited Chinese entrepreneurs to take part in it. "Next year, Russia will chair BRICS and we will hold the BRICS Baking Cup in Moscow on May 20-26, 2024. We hope that a Chinese team will come to us and participate in the competition,” Mr.Katsnelson said.
Mr. Artyom Karapetyan, the General Director of ARTICO LLC, said that his company already cooperates with Shandong’s enterprises. "We provide garlic, asparagus, dried vegetables from China to the Russian market. Now we are planning to develop agribusiness in Russia, so proposals for supplying agricultural machinery used in planting, including tractors, are relevant for us.”
At the end of the official part of the meeting, there were B2B negotiations between entrepreneurs from the both sides and exchange of business cards. "We hope that the meeting was useful and we will continue to establish contacts through the Chambers of Commerce of Moscow and Shandong, as this is the most direct and effective way,” - said Ms.Bessmertnaya, summarising the meeting.