Minority Enterprises East Midlands (MEEM) and Corby Borough Council jointly hosted an organized trade mission event for three business investors from China who have formed a consortium to set up a Chinese Cultural and Trading Village (CCTV) in the East Midlands to facilitate trade and cultural links between the UK and China.

The investors have identified Corby as possible site, and the Council hosted the visit, led by Cllr John O’Neill, Mayor of Corby, Cllr Pat Fawcett, Leader of the Council, and Chris Mallender, Chief Executive. The visit was organised by Nizam Chowdhury, Chief Executive, Minority Enterprises East Midlands, Charles Karuga, Director, MEEM, and Jimmy Ho, Director, MEEM and also Development Agent for the CCTV project in the UK. The investors also met with Len O’Hagan, Chairman of Rockingham Motor Speedway. 

The Chinese investors are

• Mr Peter Dang, a businessman trading between the UK and China, with his major business including property development and catering.
• Mr Jian Gong Feng, a businessman based in Taiyuan City, capital city of Shanxi Province, China. His main business covers hotels, catering and property development.
• Mr Wei Xiang Dong, a businessman based in Taiyuan City, capital city of Shanxi Province, China. He owns hotels, aluminium manufacturing factories, mines and is also involved property development.

There are another four investors in China who are involved in the project, and they will be making their decision on the location of the CCTV in June. 

Cllr Pat Fawcett said, “We were delighted to host this visit. It would be a major economic coup for the area if Corby were chosen as the site for the Chinese Village.” 

The UK has a large number of Chinese communities who contribute a significant amount to the UK economy. According to the 2001 census, 220,000 Chinese people live in England, an increase of around 28% compared to 1991 census, with around 15,000 living in the East Midlands. According to MEEM’s minority business database there are more than 4,000 Chinese businesses trading in East Midlands. 

China is becoming a financial superpower in the world economy, and it is predicted that China could become the number one economic superpower in the next 25-30 years. It is clear that many Chinese companies are becoming major players on the world business stage and MEEM believes that the East Midlands has many advantages for UK and Chinese businesses to trade with each other. The Chinese Village could play an important role in facilitating trade and cultural links between the two countries, and could be used as an excellent base for marketing into the EU. More and more leading Chinese companies are looking to build on the foundations of their success in winning Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM) contracts and develop their own technologies and also their own product’s design and branding.  

Notes editor

Shanxi Province of China occupies an area of 156,000 square kilometers (about 60,000 square miles) and has a population of over 32 million, including its minority ethnic population. Its capital is Taiyuan City. 

Taiyuan City is a city bounded on three sides by mountains within 4 hours drive south west of Beijing, the capital city of China. It has a long history and in ancient times was an important military town. At present, Taiyuan is one of China's heavy industrial cities and account for more than half the national coal mining output. 

Taiyuan benefits from convenient public transport systems as the city is the provincial transportation hub. Accommodation facilities have become more and more advanced over recent years and range from 5-star hotels to a selection of comfortable guest houses. Shanxi noodles are highly reputed all over China, as well as the local vinegar. 

More information from:  

Madelyn McAlpine, Communications OfficerTel: 01536 464020 Mobile: 07901 512702; E-mail: madelyn.mcalpine@corby.gov.uk

Nizam Chowdhury, MEEM;Tel: 0115 950 8253;