On the evening of January 24, ten days before the Lunar New Year, more than 120 Chinese and foreign dignitaries boarded the "South Sea God" Ship for a cruise along the Pearl River to celebrate the imminent arrival of the Chinese Lunar New Year.
The foreign dignitaries included officials from the consulate-general of seven nations in Guangzhou, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, Sweden, and Austria; representatives from 10 chambers of commerce in the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Japan, Republic of Korea, Italy, Canada, Singapore, the European Union, and Hong Kong; and presidents of 17 foreign-funded banks and representatives from various renowned foreign-funded enterprises.
The event was co-hosted by the Guangzhou International Finance Center and the Guangzhou International Investment Promotion Center. It was one of the largest events for foreign-invested enterprises in Guangzhou in the wake of the Asian Games.
The positive effects of the Asian Games on Guangzhou have continued to materialize. According to Li Yue, deputy director of the Guangzhou Municipal Bureau for Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, Guangzhou attracted foreign capital of nearly 4 billion USD last year, up 5% year-on-year, and a number of internationally renowned enterprises have approached the municipal government to explore the possibility of utilizing the Asian Games venues in the post-games era.
According to officials from the Guangzhou International Investment Promotion Center, the unification of tax rates for domestic and foreign enterprises signifies that Guangzhou places a stronger emphasis on the quality of foreign investment projects and on the improvement of the overall investment climate. "At this special juncture, the Asian Games economy is particularly important to Guangzhou's foreign trade and economic cooperation."
(Translated by Guangzhou Association of Foreign Affairs Translators)
