Trade leaders meet to discuss a big year in the Chinese market

Leading figures from across the business, government financial sectors gathered in Beijing to debate the current state of Chinese exports at the 4th Annual China Trade & Commodity Finance Conference, held on November 4-5 at the Kempinski Beijing Lufthansa Center.

The event, supported by leading global institutions such as National Australia Bank, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Agricultural Bank of China and CCOIC, brought together just under 200 delegates, with strong focus being placed on the need for greater engagement between exporting and importing companies and those tasked with financing them.

Among the topics discussed by heads from the likes of Duferco, China Minmetals, China CITIC Bank, HSBC, SWIFT, BAFT and Cotecna was the Qingdao province port fraud investigation, with questions being directed at the collateral management community in attendance. Other hot topics included the current regulatory environment as banks and corporates seek to ensure greater levels of compliance, challenges for trading houses, supply chain innovation, the role of insurance, RMB growth and south-south trade flows.

“2014 has been a momentous year in the Chinese economy, with trade and export growth one of the key talking points. Concerns over the sustainability of China’s flows, events in Qingdao and wider global geopolitical concerns have all provided much food for thought for those doing business in the country,” said Jeff Ando, Head of Conference Production at GTR. “There are however many more positive developments to consider also, including the rise of RMB as a trade currency, innovation in the financial supply chain and increased digitisation of trade, as well as initiatives such as the Shanghai Free Trade Zone and what they mean for China easing regulatory restrictions and hurdles.”

With several sanctions being handed to Russia by the US and Europe following the Ukraine crisis, discussions also centred on Russia’s strengthening ties with China, as well as the ‘Chinese slowdown’ and speculation on the end of the ‘Supercycle’.

“Events such as these provide a key role in bringing both the local and international community together to discuss such themes and continue the dialogue, both onstage and through the various informal networking sessions. We look forward to many similar successful gatherings in the future,” Ando adds.