LONDON, May 24 (Xinhua) -- A roadshow of the second China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) was held here on Friday, attended by more than 150 representatives from British and Chinese business associations, enterprises and media organizations.
The second CISCE will be held in Beijing from Nov. 26 to 30 this year. Nearly 400 Chinese and foreign companies have signed up so far, according to Ren Hongbin, chairman of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.
Addressing the roadshow, Chinese Ambassador to Britain Zheng Zeguang said: "stable and smooth international industrial and supply chains is an important guarantee for the steady recovery of the world economy and for people of all countries to share the fruits of development."
China is not only a participant and beneficiary of such cooperation, but also a staunch defender and contributor, said the ambassador, calling on the British business community to actively participate in the expo to share China's development opportunities.
Sherard Cowper-Coles, chair of the China-Britain Business Council, led a British delegation to the first CISCE last year. He called on roadshow participants to go to China and join the expo for its "warm welcome and productive exchanges."
According to Ren, in the first expo last year, 515 enterprises and organizations from 55 countries and regions participated and over 200 cooperation deals and tentative deals worth more than 20 billion U.S. dollars were signed.
"Rio Tinto, AstraZeneca, HSBC, Standard Chartered, Ernst & Young, and other British exhibitors joined the expo with their cooperation partners in supply chains, and all gained good results," said Ren.
The supply chain is the lifeblood of the global economy which ensures that goods and services float smoothly across the globe, and the relationship between Britain and China is a vital artery in the global economic body, said Jack Perry, chairman of the 48 Group Club, a British trade organization that provides policy interpretation, information consultancy, legal assistance and other services for both British and Chinese companies.
