OREANDA-NEWS. February 17, 2016. Representatives of the People's Government of the Municipality of Beijing (PRC) took part in the inaugural session of the bilateral working group on cooperation between St. Petersburg and Beijing, which took place at the Import-Substitution and Localisation Centre, Lenexpo.

According to the Deputy Chairman of the Beijing Commerce Committee – Shen Tszinshen, these sorts of meetings are of tremendous importance to the fostering of business relations and cultural ties between the two countries: “For us, it’s an opportunity to discuss different avenues of international cooperation with St. Petersburg-based industrialists while showcasing the huge potential of the Chinese market.”

With this aim in mind, the Chinese delegation featured not just members of the Beijing Municipal Government but representatives of the capital city’s leading companies as well. These included: Shoufa Investment Holding (which owns a controlling stake in seven leading transport companies), the Beijing Company for Basic Infrastructure Investments in Rail-Transport Development, Beijing Uni-Construction Group Co., Ltd. (specialising in the construction of infrastructure, residential and office properties), and China National Electric Import-Export Corporation.

The First Deputy of the St. Petersburg Committee for the Development of Entrepreneurship and the Consumer Market – Alexander German, presented session participants with a number of the city’s high-priority areas for the promotion of Russian-Chinese cooperation: “St. Petersburg has ramped-up the work of state structures designed to assist entrepreneurs in growing their business – up to and including the possibility of entering the foreign markets. These include the First Municipal Business Incubator – a universal startup platform for the launch and development of private businesses, and the Centre for the Development and Promotion of Entrepreneurship – engaged not only in consulting but also in subcontracting with foreign companies,” noted the speaker.

The session also included business negotiations, at which the Russian side was represented by some of St. Petersburg’s largest industrial enterprises: Atomproekt JSC, Energo-Star JSC, Transas Group, Diakont CJSC, Power Machines OJSC, Avangard OJSC, Zvezda OJSC, Penoplex LLC, and more than 40 other St. Petersburg-based companies.