Suzhou business representatives charter flight to Europe for trade purposes

(ECNS) -- A business delegation from Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, will start its trip to Germany and France via charter flight on Friday to explore the overseas market.

In addition to face-to-face communication with overseas customers, the delegation with over 300 members is also tasked with attracting investments as well as maintaining relations with clients and winning orders.

Face-to-face communication will bring Chinese enterprises and their European customers closer in consolidating business relations and help further explain changes in international market demand and the development of new products and technologies, which is significant to expand business and attract new projects, said the Suzhou Bureau of Commerce.

Data shows that last year, Suzhou's total trade with Germany was $14.81 billion, a year-on-year increase of 33.9 percent, accounting for more than 6 percent of the total national trade with the country.

Meanwhile, Suzhou is also an important destination for German investment. The city now has roughly 660 German-funded enterprises, with the actual use of German capital reaching $2.99 billion.

Last year, Suzhou's total trade with France was $4.42 billion, or over 5 percent of the total national trade with the country, increasing by 22.1 percent year-on-year. From January to October this year, the city's trade with France totaled $3.78 billion, a year-on-year increase of 3.5 percent.

Currently, there are more than 130 French-funded enterprises in Suzhou including L'Oreal, BioMérieux, and Decathlon, with the actual use of French capital having reached $1.04 billion.

Previously, Suzhou had sent a business delegation to Japan by chartered plane between Nov. 17 and 23.