Zhang, on behalf of Guangzhou Municipal Committee of the CPC and municipal government, extended warm welcome to Takanobu Ito and his party and expressed sincere thanks to Honda for its strong support of Guangqi Honda and the auto industry in Guangzhou as well as congratulations on the new capacity expansion project launched by Guangqi Honda.
Zhang said that Guangqi Honda, a joint venture of Honda and Guangzhou Auto, was the first auto enterprise in Guangzhou, and its development laid a solid foundation for shaping and promoting the local auto industry. At present, the auto industry, as one of the three pillar industries in Guangzhou, has been on a healthy development path with numerous investors, diversified products, and scale production capacity.
Guangzhou has already built itself into an important auto manufacturing base in China. Despite severe challenges of the global financial crisis last year, Guangzhou still witnessed a GDP growth rate of 11.5%, 1.5% higher the expected level. The success was largely contributed by Guangzhou auto industry, including Guangqi Honda, which has become an important economic growth point and played an indispensable role in the development of Guangzhou economy.
Takanobu Ito expressed his great thanks for the meeting with Zhang and the strong support of Guangzhou Municipal Committee of the CPC and municipal government for the development of Honda in Guangzhou and China. He said China has a huge auto market with great potential and promising prospects, so Honda is full of confidence in its development in China.
It will further strengthen the cooperation with Guangzhou and go all out to support and accelerate the development of Guangqi Honda and new energy-saving automobiles in Guangzhou with a view to making greater contribution to the economic and social development of Guangzhou.
