Tremendous opportunities exist for trade exchange between Nelson Mandela Bay and its sister city in China, Ningbo.

This was the view expressed yesterday by the mayor of the enormous south-eastern China port city while addressing the business community at the Percci head office in Greenacres.

Mayor Mao Guang Lie is in Port Elizabeth with a high-level delegation to strengthen ties that were established three years ago when the sister-city agreement was signed.

Mao cautioned, however, that formal trade, and certainly investment would first require the establishment of some form of trade between enterprises to build trust and respect between the regions.

One step in this direction could be the establishment of relations at a business chamber level, he suggested.

“I think we can develop co- operation between the chambers and investment and trade councils,” he said.

“I sincerely hope that under the leadership of the two presidents (of Percci and Nafcoc) that we can develop exchange and co-operate very effectively. It is very important to keep close contact between business people and associations,” Mao said, referring to the strong sector-specific chambers that exist in Ningbo.

Wang Renzhou, director-general of the Ningbo Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Bureau, elaborated on existing trade relations between South Africa and Ningbo, saying that $660-million (R4,7-billion) worth of trade was conducted last year. Of this, $360-million (R2, 6-billion) was exports from Ningbo.

The city imported mostly iron ore, steel, wool and diamonds, while exporting mostly textiles and garments, including shoes.

So far, five companies from Ningbo had invested in South Africa, although these were all in Gauteng. He singled out the automotive components industry as one area of interest.

He said the city boasted 1 800 private companies in this sector, including a number of joint ventures with foreign companies.

The volume of automotive components produced last year in Ningbo amounted to $10-billion (R71-billion), he said.
Mao said Ningbo was the fastest-growing city in the Yangtze River valley for the past 20 years, with average annual economic growth of 13%.

He believed many opportunities existed for future trade between Mandela Bay and his home town.

Local and national government were open to attracting investment and had the willpower to facilitating such overtures, he said.

The fact that his delegation includes directors-general and deputies in the departments of customs, finance, foreign affairs and trade certainly bear testimony to this.