Asia, Africa and Middle East CommitteeIncoming Visitors

The Asia and Africa Committee held its Committee meeting on 15 March. Pang Chun Yu, Chairman of the China Committee and newly joined member of the Committee, briefed members on the work of the China Committee. He presented a list of Chinese cities the Committee visited in the past year and told members that they would be visiting Ningxia and Guizhou in the coming year. Nigel Collett, Vice Chairman of the Asia and Africa Committee, reported on the successful Kansai mission. For the upcoming mission, the secretariat introduced each of the potential destinations: Djibouti, Ethiopia, Morocco, and Tunisia. The Committee voted for Morocco and Tunisia as destinations for the next mission.

Tan Yew Ying, President of the Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce (MCCC), and his wife Teh Siew Lan, Group CEO of Rafflesia Education Group, visited the Chamber on 9 March where they were received by Behzad Mirzaei, Chairman of the Asia & Africa Committee, and members. Tan introduced the MCCC, which was founded in 1990. Its aims include nurturing young Malaysian entrepreneurs, for example through its annual Young Entrepreneur Conference which alternately takes place in Malaysia and China.

Tan also said that the MCCC helps Malaysian businesspeople to establish networks in Mainland China, and encourages them to use Hong Kong as a stepping stone to enter the Mainland market due to the benefits arising from the CEPA trade agreement.

Hiroyuki Yamada from International Affairs Division, Planning Department from Wakayama Prefectural Government visited the Chamber on 30 January, where he was received by Asia & Africa Committee Chairman Behzad Mirzaei and Committee Secretaries. Yamada shared that Wakayama government has been working hard to expand the markets for their local seafood, agricultural produce and machinery industry in overseas, and encouraged Hong Kong visitors consider to spend a vacation in Wakayama which is a fantastic destination for tourist.