Businesses urged to prep up for inbound trade missions

CEBU, Philippines – The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry is encouraging local businessmen to be always prepared to showcase their respective companies as more foreign trade missions are now coming to Cebu.

Ma. Teresa B. Chan encouraged Cebuano businesses to open themselves for linkages, market access deals, among others, as more and more businessmen and investors from all over the world are looking at Cebu, as their strategic entry to the ASEAN market.

This coming October 24, the chamber will host the arrival of a 12-men trade mission from Sri Lanka, to establish good partnership with Cebuano businesses.

These Sri Lankan businessmen expressed interest to meet potential business partners interested to undertake projects in Sri Lanka on real estate and development, agriculture, newsprint, wood-free writing paper manufacturing, LED street light systems and inbound travel agents/operators among others. The business matching activities will be held at the Cebu Provincial Capitol.

Likewise, on the 28th of this month, the “5th Philippine-German Energy Forum” will be conducted at Radisson Blu Hotel. This event will discuss about “renewables” and it will be attended by a group of global technology leaders from Germany offering their broad range of technical solutions especially in the field of PV Hybrid in Off Grid and Mini Grid Solutions.  A business matching will be conducted to initiate business partnerships between companies from both countries.

Over the last months, Chan said Cebu hosted different international trade missions from Singapore, South Africa, Turkey, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Israel, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Spain, among others.

"More are coming, so we have to be well prepared," she said.

Although the chamber will continue to hold outbound trade missions to expose Cebuano entrepreneurs to foreign markets, Chan said, at this moment Cebu is busier in accommodating inbound trade missions.

Earlier, Chan announced that CCCI is going to institutionalize its partnership with the Cebu City and Cebu provincial governments to effectively host growing number of international inbound trade missions.

Chan said that the chamber will also allocate a small budget and a team for trade missions hosting, considering that "the entire world is now looking at the Philippines, including Cebu."

"If there was no need for this focus before, now we have to join hands with the government [city and province] because international trade missions with serious intent to explore Cebu is growing," said Chan. (FREEMAN)