Center in Hengqin wants to connect China with Portuguese and Spanish speaking countries

The CECPS is aimed at Chinese companies wishing to expand into Portuguese and Spanish-speaking countries, as well as companies from these countries seeking to enter China. The operational structure of CECPS is distinguished by the model of “government guidance and market operation”.

Ng In Cheong, deputy director of Cooperation Zone Legal Affairs Services and one of those responsible for the center, explains that under the government context, CECPS resources can be used to contact governments in Mainland China and abroad, as well as trade associations and consulates.

Through a network that integrates more than 50 professional institutions, the center offers legal, accounting, tax and human resources consultancy, as well as translation and interpretation services. This support “package” aims to drastically reduce entry costs and risks for companies from China that wish to invest in the markets of Portuguese and Spanish-speaking countries, as well as for companies from these nations that wish to expand to Chinese soil.

Capital and talent bridges

One of the strategic pillars of CECPS’s work is the construction of a database of qualified human resources, which already has the contacts of more than 600 professionals bilingual in Chinese and Portuguese or Spanish. This year, the center intends to continue focusing on practical staff training, through partnerships with universities in Macau and Mainland China.

In addition to human capital, CECPS has a powerful business financing engine: the Investment Fund for the Development of Economic and Commercial Industries between China and Portuguese/Spanish Speaking Countries, with an initial allocation of one billion renminbi. This fund is intended to support projects in strategic sectors such as healthcare and advanced industrial production.

Simplification of formalities

For Tian Bin, executive director of IEST Group and certified accountant in Brazil, IEST Group’s partnership with the center brings benefits to the Brazilian consultancy. “The partnership with CECPS gives us more credibility; when companies see that we are partners with the center, they feel that we are trustworthy.”