CCI Organizational Structure

First Workshop with New Chamber Leaders

The entire newly elected leadership of Anhui General Chamber of Commerce (AHGCC) actively participated in a workshop on the organizational structure of chambers of commerce which was carried out in the city of Ningguo from October 25 to 27, 2007 with 68 participants from all over the province. GTZ and SEQUA supported the event. Li Weihua, new president of the provincial chamber, explained in his opening speech the organizational and political milestones the new presidium intends to discuss with the prefectural and county chambers as well as the governments on all levels. According to Li, a suitable legal framework needs to be created for the work of the chambers.

Opening Speeches

Opening Speeches

First Vice President Cao Jianhua and Vice President Yan Anyun pointed out the growing acknowledgement of the importance of chambers of commerce in representing private sector interests. This role had just been reconfirmed by the recent party congress in Beijing. To master the new tasks, the Anhui Chamber wants to adjust organizational and process structures according to international standards and scientific methods.

Participants

Participants

Statistics: A Key Task of Chambers

Provincial Meeting on Chambers’ Statistics Work

Anhui General Chamber of Commerce organized a workshop with regional chamber statistics specialists on August 15 and 16, 2007 in the provincial capital of Hefei. Chamber president Wang Heling, who is also Vice-Chairman of the Anhui People’s Political Consultative Conference, opened the event on Wednesday, stressing the importance of statistics as one of the core tasks of chamber work. He asked the 46 participants to increase efficiency and reliability in their work by using more consistent and scientific methods.

Dr. Yan Chen

Dr. Yan Chen

Dr. Yan Chen, leader of the Anhui Provincial Economic Commission, held a keynote speech on the latest developments of the private sector in Anhui and its role in the new industrialization strategy of the provincial government. Section leader Gao Bozhou of the Anhui Provincial Statistics Office explained the calculation of private sector data within the GDP, pointed out some definition traps, and gave hints on how to avoid them. Project expert Helmut Schoenleber encouraged the participants to complete and update their membership database as a main source of statistical data about the private sector. The workshop aimed at improving the statistical work of prefectural and county chambers, and was supported by SEQUA and GTZ within the German-Chinese SME Promotion Program.

IT Workshop in Anhui

Chambers’ Web Services for SMEs

IT and website development specialists of the prefecture and county chambers in the Chinese province of Anhui met for a two-day workshop on strategies to improve online services for small and medium-sized enterprises and on the organization of chambers’ IT work in general. The workshop on August 13 and 14, 2007 in the city of Chaohu was organized by the Anhui General Chamber of Commerce with support of SEQUA and GTZ.

Strategies of IT development being discussed.

Strategies of IT development being discussed.

The IT expert of the national chamber ACFIC, Li Shanhai, presented the latest plans and procedural recommendations from Beijing. Internet services of the provincial chamber and plans for their improvement were presented by Zhang Zhihui, head of the IT department. Wang Wei, technical manager of Anhui Anlian Science & Technology Co., Ltd. explained the development of the web-based economy in Anhui province, and project expert Helmut Schönleber informed the 45 participants about organization and quality standards of chamber IT work in Germany as well as international models of BMO support services provided by leading chambers for their institutional member chambers in the regions.

First SME Cluster Symposium in Anhui

China Develops Industry Clusters

In cooperation with the German development agency GTZ, the Anhui Provincial Economic Commission carried out the First International Symposium on Industry Clusters from August 8 through 10, 2007. The event was opened by Vice-Governor Huang Haisong and GTZ Program Executive Dr. Juergen Steiger.

Around 240 Chinese cluster specialists discussed cluster theories, development strategies, sucessful examples, and cluster management with the German experts Godehard Neumann, Bernd Hackler and Helmut Schönleber. The Wuhu Automotive Cluster, home of China’s leading car exporter Chery, was explored as a model candidate for cluster formation in the country.

President of the Anhui People's Congress, Zhu Xianfa, and Meng Xunzhi

President of the Anhui People’s Congress, Zhu Xianfa, and Meng Xunzhi

More than 200 officials attended the symposium.

More than 200 officials attended the symposium.

Hefei City Experts Hearing

Hefei to Expand Community Based Service System

The municipal government of eastern China’s city of 4 million, Hefei, capital of Anhui province, wants to improve the service system for small and medium-sized enterprises. On March 26, 2007, German GTZ organized a half-day expert hearing for leaders of the city’s economic commission and the municipal SME service center. Meng Xunzhi, director of GTZ Anhui office, and SEQUA-Expert Helmut Schoenleber participated and introduced SME service systems in western developed countries, which are largely based on the private business community and its membership organizations.

CSR and Private Enterprise Development Strategies

Anhui Private Sector Symposium

Symposium

Symposium

What are successful development strategies for private small and medium-sized enterprises in China? What should they learn from similar enterprises of developed countries? How important is a good strategy on corporate social responsibility (CSR) for private enterprise development? These and many more questions were discussed during a symposium from May 21 to 23, 2006 in Hefei. Over 100 well-known entrepreneurs from all over the province participated in the event, which was jointly organized by Anhui General Chamber of Commerce, the Anhui Association on Private Economy Research, the Government of Baohe District, and the Sino-German SME Promotion Project.

© Foto: Han Xiaohong

Chamber of Women Entrepreneurs

A Women’s Chamber of Commerce has been founded in Mengcheng, a county in Anhui province, on December 16, 2005. Anhui Federation of Industry and Commerce has supported establishing the new local chamber for women entrepreneurs which was registered through the county’s Department of Civil Affairs.