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13th CIFIT Press Release |
The four-day 13th China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) concluded on the afternoon of September 11, 2009 in Xiamen, Fujian, China.
This year’s CIFIT received strong support from the leadership of the State Council. State Councilor and State Council Secretary-General Ma Kai activated the “golden key” to open the 13th CIFIT, toured the exhibition, and delivered the keynote speech at the International Investment Forum 2009. Wu Yi, a former member of the CPC Central Committee and former Chinese Premier, attended the CIFIT for the eighth time. Yan Junqi, Vice Chairman of the National People’s Congress, and Li Wuwei, Vice Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, also attended the CIFIT and took part in related events.
A total of 93 officials at or above the vice ministerial rank attended the CIFIT, including Edmund Ho, Chief Executive of Macao Special Administrative Region; Lu Zhangong, Secretary of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee; Chen Deming, Minister of Commerce; Huang Xiaojing, Governor of Fujian; Wang Yong, Director of the General Administration of Quality Inspection, Supervision and Quarantine; Bi Jingquan, Vice Secretary-General of the State Council; and Shao Qiwei, Director of the National Tourism Administration.
The 13th CIFIT coincided with the 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China and took place at a time when the relations across the Taiwan Straits were improving and the development of the economic zone on the western coast of the Taiwan Straits has been declared a part of the nation’s development strategy. Thanks to the concerted efforts of all related parties, this year’s CIFIT had a greater scale, richer contents, more events, stronger specialization, sharper focus upon internationality, more prominent Taiwan-oriented features, more substantial results, and increased influence. It featured six highlights:
I. Extensive Participation and Improved International Investment Functions
The 13th CIFIT grabbed worldwide attention as it took place in the midst of the global financial crisis and at a time when governments around the world were giving higher priority to investment cooperation. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown sent a congratulatory message to the CIFIT, wishing it a great success and stating that “the CIFIT is fully indicative of China’s status as one of the world’s largest investors and traders.” He sang high praises of the CIFIT.
As the world’s largest international investment promotion event, this year’s CIFIT drew a record number of high-level overseas participants. More than 330 high-ranking foreign government officials, principals of international organizations and chambers of commerce, and presidents and vice presidents of multinational governments, attended the fair, including Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz, Vice President of Cuba’s Council of Ministers; Vladimir Bocevski, Deputy Prime Minister of Macedonia; Rama Sithanen, Deputy Primer Minister of Mauritius; Misa Telefoni Retzlaff, Deputy Prime Minister Samoa; Catherine Ashton, European Commissioner for Trade; Sun Chanthol, Senior Minister and Vice Chairman of Council for the Development of Cambodia; Maria van der Hoeven, Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs; and Shoichiro Toyoda, Chairman of Japan-China Investment Promotion Organization. More>>
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