Asia-Invest program has benefited more than 250 projects in a range of sectors, involving approximately 1,000 organizations in China, said an EU official on the ongoing Asia-Interprise EU-China Automotive Industry Meeting in Chongqing.

Marisa Wyganowski, project officer of the delegation of the European Commission under EU, said the program has five main objectives when applied to China, namely to increase awareness of business potential between Europe and China; facilitate opportunities for partnerships; reinforce institutional capacity and the networking of business intermediaries; enhance Chinese private sector development; and promote the integration of China into the Information Society.

She also acknowledged that the program has a number of instruments employed to achieve these aims, such as Asia Venture, Asia Venture Forum, Asia Interprise and Asia Partenariat, of which Asia Interprise focuses specifically on the organization of multi-sector or sector specific matchmaking meetings for Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises.

EU poured 32 million euros into the program between 1997-2001 and had planned to spend 35 million euros on the program during the second phase from 2003 to 2007.

Launched in 1997, that Asia-Invest program aims to support Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises in Europe and Asia to internationalize and reach out to global market.

More than 100 automotive companies from EU and across China attended the two-day Asia-Interprise EU-China Automotive Industry Meeting, which kicked off on September 21 at the joint sponsorship of China Chamber of Commerce for Imports and Exports of Machinery and Electronic Products and IHK Trade Development and Management Consulting Ltd.

Source: Xinhua