Sichuan Economy and Trade Trends

Monthly, August 2016

Published by CCPIT Sichuan Council

Contents

Macro Economy

Total Tourism Revenues of the First Half of 2016 Reached RMB 384 Billion

The total tourism revenues of the first half of 2016 were RMB 384.013 billion, growing by 25.1% year on year.

Statistics shows that, there were 1.2086 million inbound tourists to Sichuan in the first half of 2016, climbing by 13.3% year on year and this brought with foreign exchange earnings of USD 515.3017. The “Double Hundred Million” tourism investment and financing project is being carried out in steady steps, attracting the world’s attention with a multitude of international tourism marketing activities. Among the 21 cities and prefectures of Sichuan Province, Leshan and Aba ranked the 2^nd and 3^rd whilst Chengdu’s domestic tourism income and foreign exchange earnings are in first place. (July 29^th, Sichuan Daily/Yan Xiaolu and Feng Chaoying)

Sichuan E-Commerce Ascended the First Echelon in China

Sichuan e-commerce achieved a growth of 26.13% in the first half of 2016, with a turnover of RMB 962.954 billion, of which RMB 108.913 billion was from Internet retailing, approximately 15% of the total retailing volume of social consumption in the corresponding period.

Sichuan e-commerce generated a sum of RMB one trillion in 2014, and achieved this again in half the amount of time in 2016.

In the first half of 2016, the online sales volume of Sichuan Province expanded by 28.8%, 17.3% higher than the growth of total retail sales of consumer goods, contributing 32% to the provincial growth; while the online retail sales of physical commodities in Sichuan amounted to RMB 63.644 billion, an increase of 21.5% year on year, accounting for 3.73% of the national total. (August 2^nd, Sichuan Daily/Zeng Xiaoqing)

An Added Value Increase of 7.8% of Industries above Designated Size in Sichuan during the First Seven Months

The added value of industries above designated size in Sichuan has increased by 7.8% in year-on-year growth during the first seven months, 1.8% higher than national average.

From monthly data, the growth rate of the added value of industries above designated size in July maintained the rate as June, rising by 0.9% in comparison with May and 2.3% higher than the national average. In terms of cities and prefectures, statistics from Sichuan Provincial Economic and Information Commission shows that the industrial growth of 17 cities or prefectures exceeded 8%, among which, Ganzi, Luzhou, Bazhong and Meishan have achieved a growth of more than 10%.

From the aspect of industries, 36 out of 41 major industries achieved growth in added value increment. For example, the oil and gas exploration industry has augmented by 20.6%; the wine, beverages and refined tea processing industry has grown by 10.3%; the automobile manufacturing industry has climbed by 10.4%; the computer, communication and other electronic equipment manufacturing industries have expanded by 10.9%.

As for investment, the total investment in fixed assets was RMB 1,671.52 billion, a gain of 11.3% year on year. Fixed-asset investment has climbed by 11.7% year on year, which is a growth of 3.6% higher than the national average. The investment growth of the primary industry is the fastest, at 34.2%.

Sichuan has totaled RMB 857.98 billion in retail sales of consumer goods with a year-on-year growth of 11.5%, 1.2% higher than the national average.

Aside from this, the real estate development achieved an investment of RMB 303.3 billion from January to July, a growth of 9.5% year on year. The completed area of commercial buildings was 38.198 million square kilometers, which was increased by 83.0%; while that of residence was 25.173 square kilometers, a rise of 73.0%. The saleable area of commercial buildings was 44.805 square kilometers, an increase of 14.2%. (August 21^st, Sichuan Daily/Dong Shimei and Wang Meiling)

Foreign Trade

316 of Fortune Global 500 Have Settled in Sichuan

By the end of June, the number of Fortune Global 500 settled in Sichuan (according to the latest list of 2016) had increased to 316 from 299 at the end of 2015, among which, 227 are foreign companies, ranking top in Central and Western China. 90% of Chinese companies on the list (including those headquartered in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) have settled in Sichuan.

The enterprise scale of Fortune Global 500 settled in Sichuan has expanded. The speed of settlement is accelerating and the investment structure is experiencing continuous optimization.

As of the first half of 2016, 89 companies out of the 227 foreign Fortune Global 500 companies have invested in Sichuan directly and founded 190 foreign-invested companies, with a total investment over USD 15.6 billion and contractual foreign investment of USD 5.3 billion; 107 of them have set up branches (including financial institutions). In terms of origin, 37.4% of these companies are from Europe, 33.5% are from the Americas, and 74% are from the US, Japan, France, Germany and the UK. From 2013, 69 new Fortune 500 companies have settled in Sichuan, 39 of which are foreign companies, while the rest are Chinese companies. The annual average increase is over 20, 8 more compared to the annual settlement of the previous 15 years.

Up to now, there are 101 manufacturing companies in Sichuan founded by foreign Fortune 500 companies, 70 of which are service companies. The 2015 joint annual report of foreign-invested companies provided by Sichuan Provincial Department of Commerce shows that the proportion of operation revenues, total amount of tax and employment of foreign Fortune 500 companies are all above one third among all foreign companies in Sichuan. (July 28^th, Sichuan Daily/Zeng Xiaoqing)

Chengdu-Europe Entrepreneurship Park Officially Opened

On July 30^th, the Chengdu-Europe Entrepreneurship Park was officially opened in downtown Qingbaijiang District. Covering an area of one hectare (10,000 m²), its functional zones include the Chengdu-Europe Innovation and Entrepreneurship Exhibition and Reception Center, the New Product Experience and Exhibition Center, the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Service Center, the Chengdu-Europe Maker Center, the Cross-border E-commerce Maker Center, the Meeting Center, the Maker Space and the Maker Coffee. It is aimed at providing complete incubation services for innovation and entrepreneurship projects in cross-border e-commerce, modern bonded logistics, intelligent hardware and manufacturing.

In order to harness idle resources to the greatest extent, the park was renovated on the basis of the 8,600 m² office areas of the Qingbaijiang District Education Bureau and the Qingbaijiang District Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital. Currently, it has attracted 21 companies and platforms such as Cybernaut, Xinyuhuan Creation Alliance (Center), Yike Cross-border E-commerce Incubation Park, Qingdianhui Smart Chengdu Cross-border E-commerce Industrial Park, Guangcai International E-commerce Co., Ltd. and WGYP.com. (August 8^th, Sichuan Daily/Chen Bihong)

Direct Flights from Chengdu to Prague Increased to Twice a Week

From August 12^th, Sichuan Airlines officially opened direct flights from Chengdu to Prague, flying twice a week on Tuesday and Friday, with a one-way flight time of approximately 10 hours.

Prague, the capital of Czech Republic, is situated in central Europe. From February of 2016, direct charter flights from Chengdu to Prague have been operating. The change from charter to regular flights has made the journey to Prague more convenient departing from Chengdu.

Deputy Consul-General of the Czech Republic in Chengdu Petr Dolezal mentioned that handling Czech visas would be easier in Chengdu from now on. They can be applied for at the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Chengdu or the Czech Visa Application Center in Chengdu. With complete formalities, applications at the Consulate General can be completed in a minimum of five working days, and a minimum of seven working days at the Application Center. (August 12^th, Sichuan Daily/Huang Dahai and Wang Meiling)

More Enterprises Going Abroad, 3,000 New Sichuan Companies in Foreign Trade from January to July

Driven by the “Enterprise Going Abroad” activity, nearly 3,000 enterprises in Sichuan were granted a foreign trade license from January to July 2016. Of these, 2,770 were granted in the first half of 2016, a gain of 71.2% year on year and higher than the annual average of 2014. By the end of June 2016, the number of registered foreign trade operators in Sichuan had exceeded 21,000, compared to 20,000 at the end of 2015.

Awareness of “Going Abroad” has been raised. In the first half of 2016, the “Enterprise Going Abroad” activity had attracted more than 2,300 enterprises, surging by 36.2% year on year.

Orders come along. In the first half of 2016, the general intended turnover of the “Enterprise Going Abroad” activity was USD 960 million and 105 cooperation agreements were signed. (August 23^rd, Sichuan Daily/Zeng Xiaoqing)

Key Projects

39 Lines in the Long-term Plan of the Urban Rail Transit in Chengdu, Connecting Jianyang, Ziyang and Meishan

On August 17^th, Chengdu Planning and Management Bureau published a public notification of Chengdu Urban Rail Transit Network Planning (Revision) and solicited opinions from the public. According to “urban development led by rail transit” demands, the planning will be gradually completed in both a future phase (until 2030) including 29 lines, and a long-term phase including 39 lines. The revisions made focused on reinforcement of the network to the surrounding satellite cities of Tianfu New Area and Chengdu, and will also include Jianyang, Ziyang and Meishan in the network.

Chengdu is now advancing the planning and construction of the national central city, and putting efforts into the construction of a metropolitan development pattern featuring netted city groups of “Two Centers and Many Cities in One Metropolis”. Based on a new development stage, Chengdu aims at “Accelerating and Intensifying Network in Central Districts, Core Network in Tianfu New Area, Strengthening Interaction between Both Centers, Forming a Radiative Framework and Basically Covering All Parts of Chengdu” and has formed an urban rail transit network plan in future and long-term phases on the foundation of the planning for existing rail transit.

According to the plan, there are 29 lines in the future phase, including 14 ordinary lines, ten expressways, three city railways, a control line within the city (Jianyang line) and a 13-1 line outside the city (Ziyang line), totaling 1,709 kilometers. There are 39 lines in the long-term phase, including 22 ordinary lines, 11 expressways, three city railways, a control line within the city (Jianyang line), two 13-1 lines outside the city (Ziyang lines) and the Meishan extension line, totaling 2,392 kilometers.

Among them, the Jianyang line is a control line within the city connecting Jianyang and the surrounding areas of Chengdu Tianfu International Airport under construction, from which passengers can transfer to Line 18 and is also linked with Chengdu by expressways. Line 13-1 (Ziyang line) is a line outside the city connecting Ziyang and the surrounding areas of Chengdu Tianfu International Airport under construction, which will be linked with Chengdu by expressways. Meishan extension line is also a line outside the city connecting Pengshan, Meishan and Renshou, which will be linked with Chengdu through the Meishan line. (August 19^th, Sichuan Daily/Chen Bihong)

Industries

Chengdu Silicon Valley Incubator Opened, Forging Vertical VR Industrial Chain with Integrated International Resources

The incubator in Jingrong Start-up Hub, has attracted more than 20 projects which cover VR, mobile games, big data, the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) and intelligent hardware, of which, more than 30% are VR projects. In comparison to other incubators in Sichuan, Chengdu Silicon Valley Incubator mainly focuses on “International” and “Vertical”. The next step for the incubator is to make real-time synchronous exchanges of experiences and information with Silicon Valley and South Korea. This will push the Chengdu team into the global Internet innovation front and make it a window for Western China to undertake global high-end innovation projects. In the meantime, the incubator will also work on the combination of VR with other related industries and make vertical and further integration in terms of original contents, copyright resources, content distribution and project financing. (August 6^th, Sichuan Daily/Zhang Lan)

China’s First Flexible Display Panel Production Line to be Put into Operation in Chengdu Next Year

On August 19^th, Senior Vice President Zhang Yu of BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. announced in Chengdu that the BOE Chengdu 6^th AMOLED production line for flexible display will be put into operation in 2017.

The flexible AMOLED panel has many advantages such as quick reactions, wide visual angle, ultra-thin, ultra-light and flexible enough to fold or bend. It is the most advanced display technology in the globe and possesses wide prospects for application in the fields of high-end mobiles and a new generation of wearable display devices. Authoritative data has estimated that by 2020, the compound annual growth average of AMOLED panel would reach 52.3%. In February this year, the BOE Chengdu 6^th Project Phase II was signed. BOE increased its RMB 24.5 billion investment on the basis of the RMB 22 billion investment during its Phase I. The main products in Phase II were small and medium sized AMOLED flexible panels. The production line will be the first one in China. On July 22^nd, its main building in Chengdu Hi-tech Zone completed roof-topping.

In the first half of 2016, BOE maintained its global top position in the market shares of LCDs for mobiles and tablet PCs. With the commissioning of Chengdu 6^th AMOLED production line in 2017, BOE will become the second company succeeding Samsung to Ｍaster flexible display technology and able to achieve mass production. (August 20^th, Sichuan Daily/Zhang Lan)

Convention & Exhibition Economy

The 2^nd China (Sichuan) International Tourism Investment Conference Held in Chengdu

The 2^nd China (Sichuan) International Tourism Investment Conference, sponsored by Sichuan Provincial People’s Government and the Investment Association of China, was held in Chengdu on August 5^th. Vice Secretary of CPC Sichuan Committee and Sichuan Provincial Governor Yin Li, Deputy Director of China National Tourism Administration Li Shihong and Director of the Investment Association of China Zhang Hanya attended and gave speeches on the conference.

Governor Yin Li welcomed the guests on behalf of CPC Sichuan Committee and Sichuan Provincial People’s Government. In his words, Sichuan is richly endowed with tourism resources. Infrastructure offered for tourism is getting closer to reaching perfection. The investment projects are in rich reserves. And there were also a series of taxation, finance and land supporting policies have been released which advance the settlement of tourism projects. Sichuan people welcome investors to take on its express for tourism development, actively plan and invest Sichuan, and create a promising future of pragmatic cooperation and mutual benefit. Sichuan will make more efforts to accelerate management reforms in the tourism industry, creating an open and transparent admittance criteria and operation regulations, so as to create a better institutional environment. With higher standards, Sichuan will further promote governing tourism by law, regularize tourism law enforcement and promote the development of smart tourism, so as to create an environment for the tourism sector to flourish. With detailed measures, Sichuan will streamline administration and institute decentralization, optimize governmental services and create a good commercial environment, so as to build a pragmatic platform for investing in Sichuan and promoting the tourism development.

Tourism has become an important driving force for promoting the sustainable growth of tourism economy, contributing to investment recovery in Sichuan. From January to June, 2016, the total revenues of Sichuan tourism were RMB 384.013 billion, a gain of 25.1% year on year, making it one of the most dynamic economic growth points in Sichuan. Tourism investment continues to be progressive and there is steady growth in the investment scale. The tourism projects under construction in Sichuan totalled 913, and investments totaled RMB 51.2 billion, surging by 33% year on year.

Sichuan Provincial People’s Government signed strategic tourism cooperation agreements with China Everbright (Group) Co., Ltd., China CYTS Tours Holding Co., Ltd. and China Nuclear E&C Group (CNEC). Sichuan Tourism Development Committee, Leshan, Ya’an and Ganzi signed agreements with Sichuan Railway Investment Group Co., Ltd., China Everbright Real Estate Co., Ltd. and other enterprises. Chengdu, Zigong, Guangyuan and other 12 cities and prefectures signed 19 on-site agreements with investment companies with contract amounts of RMB 55.595 billion. (August 6^th, Sichuan Daily/Hu Yanshu and Yang Fan)

The 5^th Global Travel E-commerce Conference Opened in Dujiangyan

On August 10^th, the 5^th Global Travel E-commerce Conference opened in Dujiangyan. Well-known tourism companies at home and abroad, especially the world’s top ten and China’s famous OTAs (on line tourism agents), gathered here to discuss how to promote the in-depth combination of “Internet Plus Tourism” and other hot topics, shaping the directions of tourism industry’s future development.

The conference is among the most influential tourism Internent conferences in China. It was sponsored by Chengdu Government and Sichuan Tourism Development Committee, organized by Dujiangyan Government, Chengdu Municipal Tourism Administration and Sichuan Tourism Media Center, with Sichuan Daily Newspaper Industry Group in charge of the overall planning and implementation. Following the theme of “Internet Plus Tourism, Taoism on Mount Qingcheng”, the conference closely follows national strategies such as “Belt and Road” Initiatives, “Internet Plus” and “Region-based Tourism”, and held frontier sharings of industrial leaders, “one-to-one” investment negotiations and Dujiangyan tourism culture promotion.

Prominent figures in the tourism industry gathered at the conference. These included TripAdvisor, Ctrip, tuniu.com, tujia, www.lvmama.com, www.ly.com, www.wanzhoumo.com and Microsoft…nearly 300 people in charge of these world-renowned tourism companies and e-enterprises, together with wholesalers and OTA buyer groups from over 10 countries and regions including the US, Russia, the UK, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Czech Republic, India, Poland and Singapore gathered in Dujiangyan. The conference also introduced world-leading VR, AR, AI technologies and “online celebrity” live-broadcasting platforms, reaching the peak of smart tourism experience and display. There were also sessions on “Sharing How to Achieve Success of Tourism Venture and Investment”, “Sharing and Actions” and other “Asking for Tao” activities. (August 11^th, Sichuan Daily/Zhang Yuxi)

Chinasoft 2016 Opened in Chengdu

Chinasoft 2016 opened in Chengdu on August 18^th. It focused on the implementation of Made in Chengdu 2025 Planning and the development task of forging a “World Software City”. It also explored the development and upgrading of software services under the new normal of economic development with industrial leaders, elites and established companies at home and abroad.

Following the theme of “‘Pioneering Era’ Defined by Software”, Chinasoft 2016 had five major modules including the main forum, seminars, communication and exchanges, exhibition and displays, and investment visits. IDG’s iWorld Chengdu 2016 and “CSTQB International Software Testing Forum 2016”, which was the first time held in China, were also held during Chinasoft 2016.

“Ten major Events of China’s Software and Information Service Industry 2016”, “China’s Ten Innovative Software Companies 2016”and “China’s Ten Innovative Software Products 2016” were also released at the main forum. “Chengdu · China’s Software City” Special Hall for Display and Interactive Experiences of iWorld Chengdu 2016 was in New International Convention & Exhibition Center, Chengdu Central City. Dozens of local leading software companies in the fields of Internet manufacturing, smart city, Internet security and mobile Internet displayed their products and solutions, attracting thousands of professional audiences. (August 19^th, Sichuan Daily/Shao Mingliang and Zhang Yuxi)

CCPIT Sichuan Council

2016 China (Chengdu) Smart Industry International Expo Kicked off and “Intelligent Manufacturing in Sichuan” Made a Collective Debut

On August 3^rd, the 2016 China (Chengdu) Smart Industry International Expo (the Expo) kicked off in the New International Convention & Exposition Center, Chengdu Century City. Lasting until the 6^th, the Expo was specially supported by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Chinese Institute of Electronics, and CCID Consulting, and co-organized by Sichuan Provincial Advancing Office of Information Security Industry Development and CCPIT Sichuan Council.

　　The Expo focused on “Internet Plus” action and the “Made in China 2025” strategy, grasped the trends of a new round information reform, and took “Developing Smart Industry, Leading a Smart life” as its theme. In order to promote the exhibition and exhibition interaction, at the expo there was an exhibition, three important meetings, three forums, and a competition. Many important people attended the Expo, including Member of CPC Leading Group and Chairman of General Office of Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Mo Wei; academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Li Deyi, Li Peigen, Fang Binxing, Shen Changxiang, and Wu Jiangxing; elites, leading experts, and senior Ｅxecutives of established companies in the fields of information security and intelligent manufacturing at home and abroad. They joined together to discuss the new trends, achievements, and applications, and share their experience of “Internet Plus AI” and Internet information security. Vice General Secretary of Sichuan Provincial People’s Government, Zhao Weiping, attended the IFIP World CIO Forum 2016 and China Internet and Information Security Conference 2016.

　　The Expo is aimed at accelerating the convergence of national and international smart industry resources, promoting the development of the intelligent manufacturing and information security industries in Sichuan, and forging Sichuan into a national industrial highland of information security and a province featuring manufacturing in Western China, so as to benefit the people with the achievements of the smart industry.

　　As a manufacturing province, Sichuan is preliminarily equipped with the industrial foundations and development conditions for further development of the manufacturing industry. In 2016, Sichuan is sparing no efforts in carrying out the Made in China 2025 Sichuan Action Plan. The stress is laid on the construction of digital production lines and smart factories (workshops) for a batch of key enterprises in the fields of electronic information; automobile and high-end equipment manufacturing; the cultivation of intelligent manufacturing equipment; and consolidation of infrastructure. This is to take the lead in building a strong province of manufacturing and a highland of “Made in China” in Western China.

　　The Expo actively responded to the action plan, and organized all kinds of resources to forge an “Intelligent Manufacturing in Sichuan” exhibition area for intelligent manufacturing, sensor application systems, 3D printing, new materials, and new generational IT. It attracted 31 leading Sichuan manufacturing companies including Siemens, Huawei, Changhong, Jezetek, and Huati Lighting for the collective debut, among which, Changhong brought its newest smart city solutions and products.

　　The Expo covered an exhibition area of 20,000 m², attracted 141 companies as exhibitors in six parts, including “Intelligent Manufacturing”, “Smart City”, “Intelligent Security Control”, “Digital Entertainment”, “Smart Home”, and “IT”.

　　The “Intelligent Manufacturing in Sichuan” area, led by Sichuan Provincial Economic and Information Commission, collected new and high-tech products and systems representing new technologies and trends of indigenous innovation and startup, such as intelligent manufacturing, 3D printing, sensor application systems, new materials, and new generational IT. They were openly displayed to visitors at the exhibition, including Tianrun UAV for agricultural use with high precision GPS positioning, Push Ningjiang intelligent flexible manufacturing system (FMS), Siemens Chengdu Factory integrating virtual factory with real factory, Changhong intelligent refrigerator with intelligent recommendation functions of reasonable diets, XGIMI screen free TV that can match Hollywood image quality, and Huawei Desktop Cloud solutions that best satisfy individual customer needs.

　　As for the city (prefecture) exhibition areas, the smart city display from Yibin showed Kaide’er Technology, Sichuan’s first production base for intelligent robots and double FID online VOC monitoring station of Meishan, Dongzhongtong satellite communications vehicles, high trajectory accuracy OTC robots, and intelligent household product expo of Guangyuan. Cities and prefectures such as Deyang, Zigong, Leshan, Ya’an, and Liangshan also displayed their featured products and technologies in intelligent manufacturing and smart city.

　　IFIP World CIO Forum 2016, China Internet and Information Security Conference 2016, China (Sichuan) Intelligent Manufacturing Innovation Cooperation Forum 2016, and three other high-end meetings were also held during the Expo.

　　IFIP World CIO Forum 2016 is a national brand meeting with high specification for promoting information technology, and was also a main event at the Expo. It was co-held by the Chinese Institute of Electronics, China Chief Information Officer Union, and China Industrial Big Data Innovation and Development Alliance, and its theme was “Intelligent Manufacturing Reinforces China and Enriches Life”. The “Guest Speeches” and “Summit Dialogues” were centered on “Internet Plus AI, Promoting an Intelligent Manufacturing Great Power” and “Questions from CIOs in the Changing Situation of Manufacturing Industrial Innovation”.

　　In addition, there were three forums held on the 4^th and the 5^th of August. They were the 2016 Western China Rural Summit Forum co-held by the Association for Promotion of West China Research and Development and China Mobile Communications Association, 2016 Smart City International Forum held by Tsinghua University Confederation of Big Data Industry, and 2016 Intelligent Open Video Technology Application and Innovation Forum held by Messe Frankfurt New Era Business Media Ltd. Experts and scholars in the industry were invited to share the newest technologies and ideas.

　　Another highlight in terms of digital entertainment was the CCPIT Sichuan Council and Tencent Games co-hosted G.L.A E-sports Golden League (Wildcard Games), which is an effective platform to show the fast development of the game industry. G.L.A Golden League is a diverse pan entertainment comprehensive competition platform providing player groups with professional, entertaining, industrialized, and ecological games. Famous teams, contestants, anchors, and players in Sichuan gathered at the exhibition. The games included LOL, CF, and mainstream games of mobile e-sports. The Golden League became the focus of everyone’s attention.

　　In addition, there were on-site ministation experiences for the Tencent intelligent hardware, Beyond the Game, and new sports, bringing gamers pleasure and firsthand experience by putting them into the game scenes.

　　The Expo 2016 integrated the conference with the exhibition and showed Sichuan’s achievements and development potential in the smart industry, especially in the fields of intelligent manufacturing, information security, digital entertainment, and smart life. It converged well-known smart institutes and companies at home and abroad, and promoted the construction of the advanced manufacturing province of Sichuan, the national information security industrial highland, and the national digital entertainment industrial base, becoming a milestone in the development process of Sichuan’s smart industry.

Inspector Su Hongyi Meets a Group Led by Business Consul Messaoud of the Consulate General of the Islamic Pepublic of Pakistan in Chengdu

On the afternoon of August 9^th, 2016, Inspector Su Hongyi of CCPIT Sichuan Council received a group led by Business Consul Messaoud of Consulate General of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in Chengdu.

Mr. Su Hongyi extended welcome to Messaoud for his first visit to the CCPIT Sichuan Council after he assumed the post of business counsel. Mr. Su said there was large room for Sichuan and Pakistan to cooperate in agriculture and infrastructure construction. The friendship between China and Pakistan went back to ancient times. CCPIT Sichuan Council had always maintained a long-standing and close partnership with the Consulate General of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in Chengdu and the Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce & Industries. Meanwhile, Inspector Su Hongyi invited all the staffs of the Pakistani Consulate General to participate in the of the 7^th South Asia- China (Sichuan) Business Promotion Round-Table Conference in early November, hoping to enhance bilateral cooperation and communication.

Mr. Messaoud expressed his gratitude for the consistent support of Mr. Su Hongyi and the CCPIT Sichuan Council, and was willing to consolidate and unremittingly expand the friendly collaborative relationship with Sichuan. He hoped that, with joint efforts of both sides, more Pakistani products could enter the Sichuan market, which in turn, would encourage more companies in Sichuan to invest in Pakistan.

Both sides had exchanged their own opinions on import-export trade, logistics transportation, and other topics.

President Li Gang Meets Consul-General Mrs. Amna Baloch and Others from Consulate General of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in Chengdu

On the morning of August 17^th, 2016, President Li Gang of CCPIT Sichuan Council met Consul-General Mrs. Amna Baloch, Vice Consul-General Bouhali, and Business Consul Messaoud of Consulate General of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in Chengdu.

Mr. Li Gang briefly introduced the prepartions and schedule of the 7^th South Asia- China (Sichuan) Business Promotion Round-Table Conference, and then he thanked Pakistan for its support in the previous round-table conferences. President Li Gang pointed out that the meeting not only served as a platform for business heads and assocation leaders of South Asian countries to exchange opinions, but most importantly, it hoped to produce actual effects in offering opportunities for companies from Sichuan province and South Asian countries to discuss with each other face-to-face, eventually creating a cooperative platform for “going out” and “bringing in.”

Mrs. Amna said that the Consulate General of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in Chengdu would always support the round-table conference. She also hoped to add the special investment and trade promotion meeting of Pakistan's Punjab province to the parallel session of the round-table conference, and that Punjab in turn should provide specific promotion contents for the special meeting as soon as possible in order to invite the Sichuan’s companies to attend the meeting.

CCPIT Sichuan Council and the Consulate General of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in Chengdu each appointed a person to take charge of the investment and trade promotion meeting during the round-table conference and form a working team to make the meeting a great success.

President Li Gang Meets the Newly-Appointed Consul-General Pantipa and Others from the Royal Thai Consulate General in Chengdu

On the morning of August 17^th, 2016, President Li Gang of CCPIT Sichuan Council met the new Consul-General Mrs. Pantipa and the new Consul Zhutapeng of the Royal Thai Consulate General in Chengdu.

Mr. Li Gang welcomed Mrs. Pantipa who visited CCPIT Sichuan Council for the first time, and extended his thanks to the Royal Thai Consulate General in Chengdu for its support in the work of the Council. He pointed out that, the two sides had maintained all along a close relationship of cooperation. So, he hoped that both could start out small to further work with each other in economy and trades.

Mrs. Pantipa thanked Mr. Li Gang and CCPIT Sichuan Council for their consistent support. She was willing to reinforce and constantly develop the relations of friendship and cooperation with Sichuan, and hoped that the Council could organize a delegation to visit Thailand next year. Meantime, she encouraged more companies in Sichuan to invest in Thailand.

Both sides exchanged views on the industrial parks, tourism, food, and infrastructure construction along the border of China and Thailand.

The Preparation Conference of 2017 Automobile Parts Exhibition Held in Chengdu

On August 18^th, 2016, the Preperation Conference of 2017 International Automobile Parts & After-Sales Service Exhibition (“Chengdu Autoparts Exhibition”) was held in Chengdu. More than 20 persons were in attendance, including Board Chairman of Messe Frankfurt Shanghai Cao Jiansheng, Vice President of Messe Frankfurt Hong Kong Zhou Shaolan, Director of the Automobile Industry Branch of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, and Vice Chairman of the CCPIT Sichuan Council Lv Furong.

The Frankfurt project team first comparatively analyzed the information about the exhibitors and participating audiences of the 2016 Automobile Parts Exhibition. According to the results, the sponsors unanimously agreed that the automboile part markets in southwest China had a great potential for development. The Chengdu Autoparts Exhibition should further seamlessly combine the local peculiarity of the automobile industries in Sichuan with the market demands of Sichuan and southwest China, further adjust the positioning and developmental direction of the Chengdu Autoparts Exhibition, and highlight such functions as trading, investment, and exchange.

Mr. Cao Jiansheng said that 2017 would be a crucial year for the Chengdu Autoparts Exhibition. The fair would set up a supply-chain procurement and distribution zone, a show zone for Sichuan’s companies, a new energy zone, a quick service & vulnerable parts zone, and an automobile supplies pavilion, to better match the needs of both the exhibitors and the professional visitors.

Mr. Lv Furong clearly pointed out that the “trading and investment” functions of the exhibition as a platform should be emphasized. CCPIT Sichuan Council would further work with Sichuan Provincial Investment Promotion Burea and Sichuan Provincial Economic and Information Commission to fully use the governmental resources, and meantime co-held the Chengdu Autoparts Exhibition with Messe Frankfurt Shanghai and the Automobile Industry Branch of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.