The World Trade Center Association is optimistic about the Chinese investment environment over the next few years, said Eric Dahl, its chief executive officer.

He made the speech during the ongoing China International Fair for Investment and Trade in Xiamen in East China's Fujian province.

"There is going to be an explosion of demand in China in the coming years. What we see from foreign investors is their growing interest in getting involved in China's domestic market," said Dahl.

He also noted the association has lots of members who intend to do more business in the country and want to have a share in the huge Chinese market.

The association's chairman Ghazi Abu Nahl said China has a good environment for making it easy for foreigners to invest and it is a wise decision for the Chinese government to continue to encourage overseas investment in China.

He said the ties between international investors and China are "actually complementary" because overseas investors can benefit from China's good market, rich human resources as well as high-quality working skills and the intelligence of the workforce. Furthermore, China's economy is also boosted by foreign investments.

Recently, a free trade zone was approved by the State Council in Shanghai, which will serve as "another gate for encouraging investment", said the association chairman.

Annie S. C. Wu, chairwoman of WTCA Hong Kong, said the free trade zone will attract more foreign products to come directly to China. She hopes to have some cooperation with it in the future.

The world is now witnessing an increasing number of Chinese companies locating projects in foreign countries.

Chinese companies moving toward globalization are encouraged to establish a stable relationship with local professional suppliers and make more efforts to get accepted by mainstream societies, particularly in developed countries such as the US, according to Wang Xun, vice-president of the Asia-Pacific division of the association.

Ghazi said China has played an important role in satisfying world demand with competitive products and this trend will continue for years, especially in emerging markets in less-developed countries.

"Our association facilitates about 330 world trade centers around the world. I'm sure that more activities of Chinese investors in overseas countries will enhance the international economy, including the Chinese economy," the association chairman said.

The association's CEO Dahl said he believed China, with a very dynamic market, is the "number one objective for investors in the coming years".

The association established a new office this summer in Beijing, hoping to expand its footprint in China and respond to demand for its services, according to the CEO.

The association has some 70 members in the Asia-Pacific region, among which the number of trade centers on the Chinese mainland has witnessed the fastest growth.

The global association also provides training services to help companies acquire more talented people.

Wang said the Taipei World Trade Center, for instance, is noted for its talent-training courses, which have higher requirements in enrollments than some business schools in local prestigious colleges.

lixiang@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 09/09/2013 page17)