Welsh firms targeting China offered helping hand

Companies in Wales are being encouraged to tap into the potentially huge market of 1.3 billion people in China.

A new partnership has been set up which will offer firms a helping hand on winning new business there.

The China-Britain Business Council (CBBC) will be able to use chamber of commerce offices in places such as Cardiff, Newport, Swansea and Newtown to help firms do business in China.

Recent figures showed exports from Wales were up more than 11%.

Graham Morgan, director of both south and mid Wales' chambers of commerce, said: "I think the view we've had is that it [the Chinese market] is probably not being exploited to the degree it could be.

"It's a big country and, as a business in Wales, you have to work out how your product shapes up with what's available locally there.

"You've got a developing market where there are affluent individuals who are after foreign brands and commodities."

He said the CBBC had 13 offices around China and it was important to "tap into" the expertise available.

Wales currently exports most to the United States, followed by Ireland, the United Arab Emirates, Germany and Holland.