The launching ceremony of the Lebanese-Chinese Business Association
The launching ceremony of the Lebanese-Chinese Business Association under the patronage of the Minister of Industry, Dr. Hussein Hajj Hassan & Minister of Economy and Trade Dr. Alain Hakim, the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China in Lebanon Mr. Jiang Jiang, the President of the Economic Authorities Minister Adnan Kassar and the President of the Federation of the Chamber Commerce and Industry in Lebanon Mr. Mohamed Choucair.
The launching ceremony of the “Lebanese-Chinese Business Association” was held at the headquarters of the General Union of Chambers of Commerce, Agriculture and Industry of the Arab Countries in Beirut.
The ceremony was sponsored and attended by Minister of Industry Dr. Hussein Haj Hassan, Minister of Economy and Trade Dr. Alain Hakim, former Minister and Honorary President of the General Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of the Arab Countries Adnan Al-Qassar, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Lebanon Jiang Jiang, President of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Lebanon Mohammed Choucair, President of the Lebanese Chinese Business Association Ali Mahmoud El-Abdallah, President of Lebanese Industrialists Association Fadi Gemayel, MP Ali Osseiran, President of IDAL Engineer Nabil Itani, President of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
After the Lebanese and Chinese national anthems, Ali Mahmoud El-Abdallah, President of the Lebanese-Chinese Business Association, delivered a speech in which he summarized the history of bilateral relations between Lebanon and China, which “has been characterized by cooperation on all political, economic, social and cultural levels. Through its policy towards Lebanon, the People's Republic of China has expressed a constant concern for all that is good for the Lebanese people.” “Sincere efforts have been made to establish and strengthen Lebanese-Chinese relations, with President Adnan Al-Qassar, who signed the first Lebanese-Chinese cooperation agreements in the 1950s, at the forefront of the builders of these relations. Now that China has already entered the advanced stages of building what it calls “the great renaissance of the Chinese nation”, we as businessmen must make efforts to keep pace with the development of Lebanese-Chinese relations, as we must work to develop our businesses, enhance our expertise and develop our capabilities to be able to play a role in highly competitive international markets. As an association, we will work to support joint projects between Lebanon and China in all fields, especially since we have great faith in the ability of the Lebanese businessman in this context, as he has already reached the highest international positions and achieved great achievements.” “We rely heavily on the efforts and support of the Ministers of Economy and Industry Hussein Hajj Hassan and Alain Hakim, as well as the President of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture Mohammed Choucair,” he added.
El Abdallah showed a short movie about the activities of the China-Arab States Expo, noting that “Lebanon will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the signing of the trade exchange agreement with China next May, in which official Chinese delegations from the public and private sectors will participate, in addition to a delegation from the General Union of Arab Chambers, a delegation from the Federation of Chinese Chambers, and another representing the Arab-Chinese Businessmen's Forum.”
Mohammed Choucair, President of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Lebanon, said: “The Lebanese aspiration knows that strengthening economic relations with China goes beyond material profit to cultural and social openness, deepening the spirit of initiative and cooperation, as well as acquiring the experiences of living nations, given the similarity of values and aspirations between the Lebanese and Chinese personalities.” “By launching the Lebanese-Chinese Business Association, you are establishing an organizational framework that adds a new pillar in the edifice of bilateral economic relations between Lebanon and China. In addition, you are activating the role of Lebanese Chinese business association , and seeking more cooperation, organization and trust.”
Former Minister and Honorary President of the General Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of the Arab Countries Adnan Al-Qassar congratulated the Lebanese Chinese business Association , expressing his full readiness to provide all support and backing to the organization. “I myself know the importance of China and the importance of weaving the best relations with it, not only on the economic level, but also on the human and social level to build lasting ties of friendship. When I visited China, my interest was not limited to seizing opportunities to develop my own business, but I sought to open the doors wide to establish the best economic relations between China and Lebanon, to become its first bridge to the Arab markets. I got what I wanted in 1955 when, thanks to the cooperation and insightful vision of the Lebanese political leaders at the time, a trade cooperation agreement was signed between Lebanon and China, making Lebanon the second Arab country to sign such an agreement. I believe that there are many promising opportunities in front of us to develop relations at all economic levels, with the support and backing of official actors.”
The Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Lebanon Jiang Jiang also welcomed the initiative to open the Lebanese-Chinese Businessmen and Businesswomen's Association, considering that “the relations between Lebanon and China are long-standing historical relations, as the silk exchange line connected the two countries, until the cooperation developed into a diplomatic exchange, which established effective economic and social cooperation. In 2002, China emerged as the first commercial leader in Lebanon, and we still maintain this position today. We hope that it will also evolve to include technological and cultural fields.” “In accordance with the Chinese proverb 'When we drink from the well, we must not forget who dug it', we must thank all those responsible for activating the Sino-Lebanese trade cooperation, as there were many obstacles to trade between the two countries, until the cooperation agreement was signed in 1955. For our part, at the trade meeting to develop relations with Arab countries, held last year, we discussed the bases for the development of exchanges between us, especially in terms of building a platform to promote exchanges between the two sides.”
For his part, Minister of Economy and Trade Alain Hakim said, “This gathering comes to emphasize the importance of the Lebanese-Chinese economic partnership, despite the difficult circumstances that Lebanon is going through. This initiative is of great importance that will deepen relations between the two countries, stimulate the economic wheel and promote growth. The volume of trade between Lebanon and China has increased significantly since 2001, with total trade rising from about $413 million in 2001 to about $2,300 million in 2013. In fact, China has become one of Lebanon's main sources of goods. The launch of this grouping is in line with the vision of the Ministry of Economy and Trade to stimulate economic diplomacy and promote the entry of Lebanese products to foreign markets through effective gatherings and motivated businessmen and women who believe in the seriousness of trade relations.” “The cultural exchange between two ancient civilizations enriches these relations and gives them a distinctive dimension that makes sharing and exchanging experiences complementary and supportive at all levels. Therefore, the Lebanese University has also started teaching the Chinese language to enhance the understanding of Chinese culture and to facilitate and urge the Lebanese to take advantage of the huge investment potential in this huge market, which will lead to an increase in the level of mutual investments.”
Minister of Industry Hussein Hajj Hassan said, “The gathering is a needed and useful step in the field of business given the historical and economic relations with China. However, now that China has occupied an advanced position in Lebanon and is the first commercial leader in our country, so we ask in which position is Lebanon. We don't want China to put us in the first place, but we hope that Lebanon will have preferential treatment and its goods exported to China will have a commercial advantage.” “The main dilemma facing the Lebanese-Chinese Business Association, through which it can make a change and evaluate its performance, is to examine the needs of the Lebanese market in China, and the issues that industrial and agricultural exporters suffer from. There are many examples. If a Lebanese trader wants to export olive oil to China, he is faced with a 40% tax on his goods. The EU enjoys tax exemptions on olive oil exported to China. All we really want is reciprocity and for Lebanon to be treated in the same way that China is treated in Lebanon. The assembly should take the initiative to help Lebanese traders in this regard, as this will contribute to the development of Lebanese-Chinese relations and put them on the right track commercially.”
Launching Video Link : https://lcba-association.org/_details_news.php?news_id=13
