China's Chongqing offers 'doorstep services' to US businesses

SAN FRANCISCO - An area in the western Chinese city of Chongqing wants to provide "doorstep services" to US enterprises to better help their strategies for investment and development, a business official said Friday.

Li Shun, deputy director general of the Chongqing Liangjiang New Area Administration Committee (CLNAAC), is leading a group of Chongqing entrepreneurs on a trip to Silicon Valley. He told Xinhua that his city hopes to deepen cooperation with US businesses by playing the role of troubleshooter.

Li said he visited a factory of US glass and ceramics maker Corning Incorporated to get the first-hand information about what the US company needs to further expand their business in Chongqing.

US-based Corning has invested billions of yuan in the Liangjiang New Area since 2015, and it launched its G8.5 LCD glass substrate production line at the Liangjiang Shuitu High-tech Industrial Park in February 2017.

"Our purpose here this time is to seek feedback from American companies like Corning and automaker Ford Motor Co on what assistance they hope to get from us, such as their further cooperation with locals in Chongqing, possible policy changes, market access, land use policy and their corporate plans," Li said.

"We would like to set up a bridge for those foreign companies to connect with Chinese entrepreneurs in order to grow their business in China," he added.

"We encourage both American enterprises to invest in the new area and Chinese businesses to seek opportunities in the United States, including Silicon Valley. Actually, dozens of Chinese enterprises from the new area have already launched projects in the United States," Li said.

The CLNAAC signed a cooperation agreement with US-based Verakin Education Inc Friday to help steer US enterprises toward investment projects in Chongqing.