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Doing Business in UK
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中国企业如何进入英国市场
Doing Business in
Merseyside and Liverpool
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英格兰西北部专页
Doing Business in North
West of England
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| Userful
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| A true Capital recognised in the global cityscape
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| --- A ChinaLink response to Liverpool
winning European Capital of Culture 2008 |
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| "Liverpool is today proudly
named as the European Capital of Culture 2008. Those who work in ChinaLink
do feel a sense of excitement. It is a great city where ChinaLink
originated and is based and it is from Liverpool we provide our China
specialist services to our clients across the UK and do joint events
with our partners in the public sectors. In our view, the vibrant
UK-China trade and investment will benefit from a city that is on
the rise and so will our services." |
| Email dated 4th June 2003 from
Dr. Kegang Wu |
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| 4th June 2003, a day many in Liverpool will not forget
and will vividly remember where they were and what they did hearing
the sweet news of Liverpool winning. While my email inbox was filled
with new messages of congratulation I sent out more than 2000 email
messages to ChinaLink's international contacts globally, selected
from our 6000+ database, as soon as I got to the office first thing
in the morning. |
| One reply from Bill Bishop, a ChinaLink client based
in London, said "I can sense the excitement and sense of pride in
your email, and everyone in Liverpool should feel proud". |
| It was more than a moment of excitement and pride. As
one of those who have been promoting Liverpool overseas and in the
international community, I had faced a fair share of sticks about
Liverpool from both colleagues and partners working with ChinaLink
as well as from media and strangers. In 1999 when I was arranging
the twinning between Liverpool and Shanghai and after the twinning
signing, the question asked most to me publicly and privately was
"Why Liverpool". In some cases the question was asked as a way of
expressing their underlined "Will it work". Shanghai has supported
our bid the same way the City of Liverpool has supported Shanghai's
successful bid to host World Expo 2010. To those who chose not to
believe in the answers given then, my email message was like a statement
of "Why not Liverpool"! |
| Today the Liverpool - Shanghai sister city relationship
has been hailed by both UK government and Chinese government as the
most successful and active twinning arrangement. ChinaLink is a leading
national agency in promoting and servicing civic, culture, trade and
investment between the UK and China and is working with the City Council,
the Chamber and the Mersey Partnership and many others to make Liverpool
a prime destination for Chinese investors. The winning news is another
vote of confidence for those promoting Liverpool to the outside world.
Sir Robin Saxby, Chairman of ARM Ltd based in Cambridgeshire, wrote
to me saying, "I was very delighted to hear of this achievement �
I'm sure your group's contribution has helped win this award." David
Henshaw, Chief Executive of the City Council, emailed to say "many,
many thanks for all your support for Liverpool's bid and we look forward
to working with you in the lead up to 2008". I am just plainly delighted
that our international work in trade & investment services, our sister
city programme and assistance to the development of local Chinese
culture and community has added value to Liverpool's international
fame and culture diversity. |
| I still remember a moment in May in Shanghai, I was
sharing with the 250 crew of HMS Liverpool and 110 Shanghai government
and business leaders on board the Navy destroyer my anticipation that
Liverpool would win. The Navy vessel, berthed at the Bond -- the waterfront
of Shanghai, was our 'Floating Ambassador' on which we hosted a number
of events in the name of the City. Every one was excited with anticipation.
Two months on after 6th June, similar to many in Liverpool, I am still
in a celebrating mood. In the grand presentation of Shanghai's blueprint
for the development of one square kilometre British Town, I made no
attempt to resist temptation in comparing the significance of Shanghai's
World Expo 2010 and Liverpool's European Capital of Culture 2008 and
the British Town project in Shanghai to our plan of a Shanghai Centre
in Liverpool. |
| In the eve of the City-wide celebrations on 20.08 (20
Aug), a sense of profound responsibility has started to kick in while
the fantastic feeling of joy and excitement begins to subside. By
wining the bid, the City has collectively put itself in the spotlight
of the global cityscape. What we will do and achieve in the lead up
to 2008 and beyond will not only be judged by the future generations
of Liverpool but also by the international community Sir Bob Scott
put it preciously that wining is the beginning of real hard work.
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| European Capital of Culture should be the catalyst of
business thriving and regeneration of the City, as expressed by the
Chamber Chairman, Ian Meadows OBE, "The opportunity which Capital
of Culture offers us all to prove that Liverpool is the most business
friendly city is one which we should all grasp". If Liverpool can
realise its ambition to become 'the most business friendly city' in
the course of celebrating the European Capital of Culture it would
be a marvellous achievement for the city and the people. To this end,
it is my believing that the importance of international promotion
for Liverpool cannot be over emphasised. In the reshaping of global
economic landscape and cityscape, we have a golden opportunity to
re-position Liverpool internationally. |
| Given Liverpool's twinning arrangement with Shanghai
that is the economic engine of Chinese economic that are predicted
to overtake USA to become the largest economy in the world, I am confident
on continuing to promote the City in China and on ensuring the Shanghai-Liverpool
'marriage' continues to reflect their prime global city status. There
is a lot of work to be done. ChinaLink is keen to work with all -
just as stated in an email from Jan Schraibman of the British Council
"I am sure that this will be a marvellous opportunity to further promote
business opportunities between the region and China. The British Council
BOND team will be delighted to be associated with any events you may
be planning during the year, and hope that we may continue to work
with the growing China market." |
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