CHANGSHA - The Inter-American Development Bank will launch a new digital social networking platform to promote international trade and investment, in China.

Titled ConnectAmericas, the business-oriented social network will be unveiled during the 8th China-LAC (Latin American and Caribbean countries) Business Summit which will be held on Friday and Saturday in Central China's Hunan province, Fabrizio Opertti, chief of the IDB's Commerce and Investment unit, told Xinhua.

He hopes the platform can link Chinese companies with its counterparts in Latin American and Caribbean countries in the future.

ConnectAmericas went live in March in the Americas and has attracted nearly 60,000 registered users and 11,000 registered companies, Opertti said.

He said the platform will offer small and medium enterprises (SMEs) access to potential global clients, suppliers, partners and investors throughout the Americas and around the world.

ConnectAmericas will also provide a large database of information on commodity quotation and trade regulations, and a series of free online courses to help companies acquire knowledge about export, and consultations for its users to get financial support from banks or investors.

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