19/04/2014 06:43 AST
The Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) has begun its roadshow in Beijing with a series of intensive B2B meetings with investment authorities and representatives of the business community in China.
The roadshow, which began on April 14, with the participation of Sharjah Environment Company (Bee’ah), aims to highlight Sharjah’s business potential and its investment and tourist offerings as well as to explore ways to develop investment partnerships between Sharjah and China. The Roadshow will continue until April 22.
Shurooq is represented by a delegation led by Marwan Bin Jassim Al Sarkal, CEO of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), and includes Elie Armaly Director of Business Development of Shurooq, Yonghui MA, Investment Promotion Executive at Shurooq, and Fahd Shehail, Managing Director — Waste Collection at Bee’ah,
Speaking about the roadshow, Marwan Bin Jassim Al Sarkal, CEO of Shurooq, said: “Sharjah is an ideal hub for investment in the Middle East thanks to its unrivalled strategic location, its direct access to the Arabian Gulf and the Indian Ocean, its state-of-the art facilities and sophisticated logistics infrastructure, and its incentive and flexible legislative structure, as well as its investor friendly environment.”
“We made the best use of the meetings we held with our Chinese counterparts to highlight Sharjah’s business and investment offerings to facilitate the creation of new partnerships in various investment sectors,” he added.
Al Sarkal also said: “We seek through this tour to explore new avenues of co-operation between the emirate of Sharjah and China. Apart from being the world’s second largest economy, Chinese foreign investments have reached record levels, making the Asian giant the third largest investor in the world and one of the most influential countries in global economy and its rapidly changing trends.”
Al Sarkal revealed that there are many Chinese investment bodies and companies that have demonstrated their interest in boosting cooperation in various sectors, such as renewable energy and tourism as well as in entering into economic and investment partnerships with the emirate’s public sector.
Shurooq delegation commenced its visit to China with an official meeting with Ahmad Ibrahim Al Saadi, the second assistant to the UAE Ambassador in China. The delegation outlined its mission in China and Shurooq’s drive to introduce the emirate’s business potential, investment opportunities and tourist offerings that would help boost its economy and achieve further economic and tourism growth. The delegation also discussed possible ways of cooperation that would help the Authority achieve its short and long-term goals with the members of the Emirati diplomatic mission.
The delegation also held a meeting with Leon Wang, Secretary General of China International Tourism Investment Association, in the presence of a number of its members. During the meeting, the delegation showcased Sharjah’s premier tourist attractions and the investment opportunities available in the tourism sector, as well as the various projects already carried out by Shurooq and a host of other projects that are currently being developed.
The emirate’s tourism sector is one of the vital sectors that has been witnessing rapid annual growth. Sharjah received 1.9 million visitors last year, compared to 1.7 million in 2012. In the light of expectations that Chinese tourists travelling abroad will increase from 20 million visitors per year in the first decade of this century up to 100 million by 2020, Sharjah is seeking to draw more Chinese tourists by focusing on developing more tourist destinations.
The Gulf Today
Please wait...
