01/09/2010 - West Flanders: a Tradition of Innovation

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From 15 to 17 September, West Flanders will hold a series of seminars at the Belgian-EU Pavilion, focusing on the main thrusts of the West Flemish economy. At the same time, an economic mission to Zhejiang is being organised from 12 to 15 September to celebrate a long tradition of friendship between the provinces of Zhejiang and West Flanders.

On Wednesday 15 September, the Port of Zeebrugge will invite its Chinese clients and contacts to a seminar which will focus on Zeebrugge's key assets and on the official opening of the brand new representative office in Shanghai.
The next day, the Flanders-China Chamber of Commerce is holding a seminar on the ICT and Telecom sector. In the afternoon, a seminar on Space and Investment Climate in West Flanders will take place to inform Chinese investors about the investment opportunities which exist in Belgium, and particularly in West Flanders. The two West Flemish Intermunicipal Associations (WVI and Leiedal) will outline their business park offers for foreign investors.
Alongside this, a joint reception by POM and Voka West Flanders will be held for participants in the Belgian-EU Pavilion. Around 140 entrepreneurs and officials from West Flanders will be in Shanghai for the event.

On the final West Flanders Day (17 September), two further seminars will be held. In the morning, four West Flemish companies (Vyncke Energietechniek, Proviron, IG Watteeuw Int. and Greenbridge Incubator) will outline their business activities in the field of energy and technology. To round off the programme in the Belgian-EU Pavilion, a press conference will be held about the Chinese Labour Corps. From 1917 to 1918, around 140,000 Chinese labourers were brought to Northern Europe following the First World War to rebuild the ravaged continent. Since many of them are buried in the Westhoek, the people of Belgium (and West Flanders in particular) want to commemorate this event and thank the Chinese people for their efforts and sacrifices.

Economic mission to Zhejiang

The province of West Flanders has a long tradition of friendship with China. It has had close ties with the province of Zhejiang, to the south of Shanghai, since 2000. Zhejiang has a lot of similarities with West Flanders: both are coastal provinces and have an economy based on small and medium-sized companies. However, they differ considerably in size. This co-operation focuses on two fields, namely sustainable economy and education.

In order to strengthen these close ties, the West Flanders Development Agency (POM) is organising an economic mission to Zhejiang together with its partners APZI and FCCC. The mission is being headed by Paul Breyne, the Governor of West Flanders, who will be joined by a number of West Flemish companies (both multisectoral and port companies from Zeebrugge). The visit, which will include several business meetings in Zhejiang, will celebrate 10 years of friendship between the two provinces and further strengthen relations between them.

Bron: Newsletter Belgian EU Pavilion

More info?

www.investinwestflanders.org