POSTPONED !!!
Baltimore City China Trip and Seminar
POSTPONED !!!

In commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Baltimore-Xiamen sister cities relationship, the Baltimore-Xiamen Sister City Committee, the Mayor's Office of International Affairs, the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts, and the Maryland-China Business Council are pleased to sponsor a trade and culture mission to China September 3 - 13, 2005, with an optional extension to Hong Kong through September 16. Businesses will have an opportunity to attend the Ninth Annual Xiamen China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT), September 8 through 11. The schedule also includes Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, for those not attending the Trade Fair, as well as Hong Kong.

In preparation for the September trip, a seminar on doing business in China will be held Thursday, May 5, from 9 AM to 3 PM at Baltimore's City Hall, 100 N. Holliday Street, in the Curran Room, 4th Floor.

The seminar will include presentations by the Maryland State Department of Business and Economic Development; the US Department of Commerce, China Office; M&T Bank; the law firm of Hogan and Hartson; the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office; Legg Mason, and the Chinese Embassy. RTKL also has been invited to share its many years of success doing business in China.

Representatives from the Embassy will discuss specifics of the trade fair, which is sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China and co-sponsored by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA). Organized by Fujian Provincial Government and Xiamen Municipal Government, the trade fair is held annually during September 8-11 in Xiamen. CIFIT is the sole nation-wide international investment promotion event focusing on foreign direct investment (FDI.)

With "Introducing FDI and Going Global" as its theme, CIFIT is unique in combining investment and trade; exhibition with project negotiation, project promotion with policy consultation, and policy seminar with information release, thus furnishing participants with comprehensive services and further making CIFIT the premier event for emphasizing bilateral and diversified investment and cooperation. The "International Investment Forum", "World Investment Report by UNCTAD", "China FDI Report" and the series of seminars on hot investment issues held during CIFIT provide unparalleled insights into the trends of world capital flow, as well as the latest investment policies and investment environments in and beyond China. Further information may be found at http://www.chinafair.org.cn/en/index.asp

COST

May 5 Trade Seminar, including lunch - $50
China Trip September 3 - 13 - $3,200
Hong Kong extension through September 16 - Cost TBD

For more information on the May 5 Trade Seminar, the September trip, the Baltimore-Xiamen Sister Cities Committee, or activities surrounding the 20th anniversary celebration please contact:

Judy Orlinsky
Director, Mayor's Office of International Affairs
250 City Hall
100 N. Holliday Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
Tel: 410-396-3190
Fax: 410- 625-1046
E-mail: judy.orlinsky@baltimorecity.gov