Gopee-Scoon: China-TT co-operation very important

Trade and Industry Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon said the 16th China-Latin America and Caribbean business summit is an ideal forum to discuss trade and economic co-operation.

She made this known during the keynote address on day two of the ongoing summit being held in Beijing, China.

A press release from the ministry said she acknowledged the strong and growing relationship between China, Latin American countries and the Caribbean while speaking at the Think Tanks Co-operation Dialogue session.

Gopee-Scoon underscored the robust connection between TT and China outlining the advances of key projects such as the Phoenix Park Industrial Estate (PPIE) and the new Special Economic Zones (SEZ) regime.

She described the event as “an opportunity to discuss trade and economic co-operation,” but also one “in which we can mobilise the necessary resources and ultimately action them.”

Gopee-Scoon later met with the senior management of Beijing Construction Engineering Group, the contractor for the PPIE and the largest construction firm in Beijing.

She also paid a courtesy visit to the TT eebassy in Beijing and held meetings with the executive of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), Beijing Sub-Council, which is controlled by the Ministry of Commerce and helps develop business cooperation and exchanges with foreign countries.

Representatives of ExporTT and InvesTT also participated in a business matchmaking session, which was followed by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between invesTT and the CCPIT for strengthening trade and economic co-operation.

When the business summit ends, Gopee-Scoon and the TT delegation will participate at the 6th China International Import-Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai and then a promotional Iinvestment tour of Jiangsu province, China.

The CIIE is one of the largest expo platforms for promoting products, establishing linkages in trade and securing investment opportunities, between countries of the world and China.

Members of TT’s business community have seized the opportunity to be present at the expo and as such, products from Angostura, Chief Brand Products, RHS Limited, Trinidad and Tobago’s Fine Cocoa, TOM TOM’s, Tobago Preserve Craving and Joefield Enterprise will be exhibited.

The final undertaking during the minister’s visit to China will be a promotional investment Ttour of the Jiangsu Province in China.

During the tour, Minister Gopee-Scoon will highlight, among other things, tenancy opportunities at the Phoenix Park Industrial Estate (PPIE) to Chinese businesses engaged in manufacturing, logistics and distribution, warehousing as well as emerging technologies.

The delegation includes TT ambassador Analisa Low, Irfan Hosein, senior investment specialist, Investment Directorate of the ministry, Adrian Thomas, first secretary at the TT embassy, Sekou Alleyne, president of invesTT; Dhanraj Harrypersad, GM of exporTT; Nishal Nagassar, acting vice president of investments, invesTT; and Roger Roach, president of the TT Manufacturers’ Association.