13 February 2014

PRESS RELEASE  – Two trade commissioners from the Embassy of Canada to China visited Sherbrooke Innopole February 12^th to meet with Sherbrooke entrepreneurs interested in the Chinese market.

Seven businesses, along with professionals from CQI and Sherbrooke Innopole, were given an opportunity to learn about the available resources and services offered through the Embassy of Canada to China. The participants were then informed of business prospects and challenges during a luncheon address. The goal of the visit by Annick Goulet, Senior Trade Commissioner in Beijing, and Angela Veitch, Client Service Group Team Leader, was to demystify the Chinese market and make businesspeople more aware of its commercial realities.

With 185 cities with over one million residents and 15 of them with a population higher than that of all of Québec, China presents numerous business opportunities, along with plenty of challenges. “The Chinese market is very different from ours, in terms of both business practices and legislation, as I well know, from having worked in it myself,” noted Josée Fortin, Director General of Sherbrooke Innopole. “China has enormous commercial potential for our businesses – let’s not forget that this is the world’s second largest economy – but companies must approach it in the right way and have assistance in the process.”

The afternoon was devoted to individual meetings between the entrepreneurs and Embassy representatives to answer specific questions. “We have no immediate plans involving China,” noted Jean-Pierre Lavallée, one of the meeting participants and Business Development Manager at Ledtech, an LED lighting company. “But it’s a market with a world of possibilities, especially in green building. So, we are taking an interest, exploring, and seeking information.”

The tour by Ms. Goulet and Ms. Veitch had planned to stop in the cities of Québec, Montréal, Halifax, Moncton, and Gatineau; initially, Sherbrooke was not on the list. “Our newsletter, Flash Innov, conveyed Sherbrooke’s dynamic economy to people from the Embassy and convinced them to add us to their itinerary,” explained Ms. Fortin. “The international version, which we send every quarter to our contacts in various Canadian embassies and Québec delegations, reports on the projects, innovations, and news of our businesses as well as major scientific news from the Sherbrooke University Pole. This is the beauty of the Internet, which enables our businesses to reach out without the constraints of distance and borders.”