Member Article

Tyneside-based Fast Track China to open second centre to promote UK trade

Tyneside-based Fast Track China (UK) Ltd, specialists in supporting export sales to China, has signed a memorandum of understanding with provincial officials in Hunan to open a second exhibition centre for the promotion of UK trade.

The development of the Changsha centre follow closely on the official opening of Fast Track’s first exhibition centre in Zhengzhou in October.

The agreement to develop the purpose-built centre in Changsha is expected to be followed with up to two more centres in key Chinese cities.

In 2014, Tyneside-based Fast Track China worked with the provincial government in Zhengzhou City to open its first centre, which aims to support two-way trade between businesses in the UK and Europe and China.

Fast Track China, which has teams of British and Chinese nationals working in both countries, has already held its first outbound trip to Zhengzhou, with British and European businesses participating in the mission with contracts expected to be signed as a result.

A second outbound mission is in the process of being organised for mid April, as well as an inbound visit of Chinese businesses looking to trade with the UK, visiting the North East in June.

Chief executive of Fast Track China, Richard Sice, said: “The second exhibition centre in Changsha will be a major development for us, as we continue to strengthen our ability to support British and European businesses wishing to export to China.

“China has a population of 1.3 billion people and there is a strong demand for products from the UK, so the development of a network of exhibition centres has massive potential to support the efforts to grow trade links between our two countries.

“Trade between UK and China was $70 billion in 2013 and the Chinese Premier Li has called for this to reach $100 billion by the end of 2015, and we are proud to be at the heart of efforts to meet that target.”

Fast Track China is a unique service, designed to help new and experienced exporters successfully access and win new business in China.

The company works with clients to assess the market potential of their offering, provide specialist intellectual property rights protection advice, design strategies and action plans, translate product literature, provide e-commerce services, tax-free bonded storage, secure payments in guaranteed and hard currency, and guaranteed exhibition space.