Press Release 02.July.2014

Guangdong Economic and Trade Office is setup to represent the Guangdong Province in the UK and to promote, encourage and support the economic and trade exchange and cooperation between Guangdong and the UK. It will proactively support Guangdong companies doing business in the UK & Europe and British companies doing business in Guangdong and China.

Guangdong, or Canton, is the economic centre of Southern China. With its population at 104 million and GDP of $1 trillion, Guangdong leads Chinese regions in both market size and economic scale. It has been the largest province in successive decades.

In 2013 Guangdong reached a significant milestone: $1 trillion in GDP which makes up one-ninth of China’s total and $1 trillion in import and export, which accounts for one in four pounds of Chinese. Guangdong is the undisputed gateway of trading with China with its export amount to one in four pounds of Chinese export. A quarter of current British trade with China goes through Guangdong.

More and more Chinese companies from Guangdong are investing in the UK market. Leading technology companies like Huawei, ZTE, TPLink and Hytera have made Thames Valley and the areas around Heathrow — the Silicon Valley of Europe – home for their European HQ.

Establishment of official representation of Guangdong Province in the UK is to boost the ever expansion of trade and investment between the UK and Guangdong and South China. Guangdong is the economic driving force of Greater Pearl River Delta Region, which include Hong Kong and Macao.

In June 2014, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang led a large business delegation visiting the UK and signed a historic £18 billion worth of agreements.

Days after the visit of Li Keqiang, the Guangdong Economic and Trade Office was unveiled in Europe by Vice-governor of Guangdong People’s Government, Madam Zhao Yufang and a senior delegation from the Guangdong Government The announcement was made on 27^th June 2014 by Vice Governor of Guangdong Government Ms Yifang Zhao at a seminar participated by more than 200 Guangdong and European businesses

Kegang Wu, Executive Director of BCC LinkToChina, will head up the Guangdong Office.