Fajon opens business forum in Shanghai
Shanghai, 19 April - Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon opened a business forum in Shanghai, which was attended by a 71-member Slovenian business delegation and representatives of more than a hundred Chinese companies. Fajon held talks with Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng and opened an exhibition on Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik as part of her visit to China.
Brussels, Belgium
Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon.
Photo: Thierry Monasse/STA
File photo
According to Fajon, Slovenian companies see opportunities for boosting exports on the extremely big Chinese market, which would reduce the deficit in trade between Slovenia and China, the ministry said in a press release on Friday.
"There is a natural symbiosis between diplomacy and business and I am glad that we are helping Slovenian companies to open new doors to enter the Chinese market," the minister said at the opening of the business forum.
Slobodan Šešum, director general of the directorate for economic and public diplomacy at the Foreign Ministry, presented Slovenia as a green, creative and smart investment destination, which is also a hub for innovation, science and technology.
The business forum, organised in cooperation with the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, offered an opportunity for business executives from both countries to network and conduct business meetings.
The Slovenian delegation comprises of representatives of 54 companies from the energy sector, logistics, IT, automotive industry, e-commerce, tourism, pharmaceuticals, wine making and agriculture.
In the presence of Fajon and the Chinese deputy international trade representative, contracts were signed between the postal companies of Slovenia and China, companies Cosylab and New Journey Proton Medica Technology, Dormeo and Healthcare, and Mikropis and Shanghai Homing Swallow Health Tech Group.
During talks with the mayor of Shanghai Fajon stressed the importance of the Koper port. "As China's largest financial centre and the world's largest port, Shanghai represents a great potential for Slovenian exporters. The port of Koper has a strong interest in remaining an important entry point for Chinese products in Europe," she said.
She also presented the opportunities of Slovenian tourism, which she said is focused on green and boutique destinations to attract more Chinese tourists.
She is concluding her visit to Shanghai with the opening of the exhibition Plečnik's Ljubljana, which presents Plečnik's architectural heritage in the Slovenian capital. Plečnik (1872-1957) is considered Slovenia's greatest architect.