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CCPIT & CCOIC Newsletter

NO. 114, Issue 2018-12-13

Gao Yan elected as chairperson of CCOIC Source: CCPIT & CCOIC | 2018-12-13

Chairperson of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Gao Yan was

elected as the President of China Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC) on Dec. 10 at

the 2018 CCOIC Council Meeting in Beijing.

Gao also took the position as the president of the China National Committee of the Interna-

tional Chamber of Commerce (ICC). The meeting deliberated the CCOIC 2018 work report

and announced the new candidates of the CCOIC council. A total of 15 companies were elect-

ed as the council deputy members, 41 as standing council members and 22 as council mem-

bers.

Gao Yan said that CCOIC has seen a progressive development in recent years. CCOIC will

undergo system reform and innovation to professionalize its services and marketize its opera-

tion. Meanwhile, CCOIC will shoulder more responsibilities to better serve member compa-

nies and build itself to be the world’s top-class chamber of commerce.

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CCPIT chairperson meets with governor of Guayas Province of Ecuador Source: CCPIT | 2018-12-106

Chairperson of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Gao Yan met with

governor of Guayas Province of Ecuador Juanita Vallejo Klaere in Guayaquil on Nov. 30.

Gao Yan said, Ecuador is China's comprehen-

sive strategic partner and important coopera-

tion partner in Latin America. Guayas Prov-

ince is an important economic zone of Ecua-

dor and is also a gateway to Sino-Ecuador eco-

nomic and trade cooperation. Guayas Province

and Guangdong Province are sister provinces.

Juanita said, Guayas Province attaches great

importance to the cooperation with China. The province is willing to make full use of its loca-

tion advantage to integrate into the Belt and Road international cooperation. Juanita expected

to see more quality products from Guayas Province to have market access to China, and wel-

come more Chinese investments and tourists.

The city of Guayaquil and Shanghai are sister cities. CCPIT is willing to cooperate with

Guayas Province to seek more common interest and cooperation potentials. CCPIT hopes

that Guayas Province can promote cooperation and exchanges with China's provinces for

match-making by favor of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation and

the 13th China-LAC Business Summit.

BRI a 'game changer' for trade: South African diplomat Source: China Daily | 2018-12-11

China's Belt and Road Initiative is a "game

changer" and "has increased the efficiency of

global trade", according to a senior South African

diplomat in an exclusive interview with China

Daily.

By developing all its infrastructure corridors, the

initiative "has really opened a new market. The

economic contribution of the BRI, I think is truly

phenomenal," said Charles Manuel, the minister counselor of economics at the South African

Embassy to China.

A pivotal moment of cooperation between Beijing and Johannesburg came in 2014 when

Transnet, South Africa's national freight and logistics group, placed a $4.7 billion order for

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1,064 new locomotives with four international manufacturers, including two from China. The

Chinese companies later merged to become CRRC Corp, a State-owned railway behemoth

and bullet-train maker. According to the tender, China will provide 232 diesel locomotives

and 359 electric locomotives.

The first two six-axle diesel locomotives for Transnet rolled off the production line at CRRC's

Dalian plant in March 2016 and, after two months at sea, they were delivered to the South Af-

rican coastal city of Durban and put into use.

But that was just the start, as in line with South Africa's commitment to boosting its own man-

ufacturing capacity, most of the ordered locomotives will be built at local plants in Pretoria

and Durban that are operated by Transnet itself. As of July last year, 305 locally assembled

locomotives had already been delivered, Xinhua reported.

"The Chinese, within a short space of time, have done what the European Union and the Unit-

ed States failed to do over years, in terms of skills transfer and some of the things we never

dreamed we would have," said Thamsanqa Jiyane, who works at Transnet's chief advanced

manufacturing office. "The Chinese have brought a new kind of partnership where they im-

part skills for our future use on our own."

He said the relationship with the Chinese has been very cordial, while hailing the mutual

learning between Transnet and CRRC, both State-owned enterprises.

To further promote rail technology transfer and cultivate international talents between the two

countries, earlier this month, CRRC launched an Overseas Joint Development Center in Jo-

hannesburg, in cooperation with South Africa's Wits University.

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This year marks the 20th anniversary of China and South Africa's diplomatic relationship. For

the past nine years, China has been South Africa's largest trading partner, with bilateral trade

jumping 11.7 percent to 39.17 billion yuan ($5.67 billion) in 2017.

China's investments in South Africa cover a wide range of diversified fields, like energy, man-

ufacturing and telecommunication, all prioritizing local procurement whenever possible, in

support of the local economy and industrial development.

For instance, China Mobile established a branch in Johannesburg this September and will co-

operate with South Africa's largest telecommunication operator MTN Group in advanced in-

formation technology, such as the construction of 5G internet.

A large-scale wind power plant built by China's Longyuan Power started operation in the

Northern Cape's De Aar in November last year, and will produce 600 million kilowatt hours

of green power for South Africa each year, enough to meet the electricity demands of 85,000

local residents, according to the local government.

At the embassy in Beijing, Manuel was excited to talk about the wind power plant. "Because

80 percent of our energy currently is from coal, this will help us reduce our dependence on

coal," he said. "Also it will help us reduce our emissions." It has really brought a lot of bene-

fits to the communities, he said.

"It has also injected economic revitalization into those areas. They have really revitalized that

part of the world. So we're really pleased with this investment," he said.

By the end of 2017, China had invested more than $25 billion in South Africa and created

hundreds of thousands of jobs for local people, Chinese Ambassador to South Africa Lin

Songtian told Xinhua. The ambassador noted that Johannesburg is championing the develop-

ment of special economic zones, and has encouraged Chinese companies to invest more in

South Africa.

During his interview with China Daily, Manuel said he was glad that "Africa has been brought

into this Belt and Road Initiative, because as South Africans, we can see the benefits for our-

selves as a result of this. I think Africa has been a major beneficiary of the BRI program.

"And we really hope that we will see more progress and faster progress with regards to the

BRI, as it connects countries and nations around the world and makes trade and investment

more efficient for the benefit of everyone."