Delegates from around the world spoke highly of the recently held Western China International Fair, as well as its host, Sichuan province.

Rainer Becker, chief executive officer of car2go China Co Ltd and head of business development Asia-Pacific for car2go Group GmbH, wholly-owned subsidiaries of Daimler AG, said the fair offered him a great opportunity to meet business partners from all over the world.

"The event is very well organized," he said. "It focuses on so many fields, such as mobility, new energy, emergency equipment and aviation, enabling participants to communicate with different people and on different topics."

Sam Guo, chief operating officer of car2go China, said the company is planning to expand its business in the country, with Chengdu among the targeted destinations.

Christian Hartel, a director of Wacker Chemie AG, a chemical company, said the fair is an important platform for international companies to develop cooperation in western China.

He said he came to the fair to showcase his company's latest products and technologies because the region has great market potential with its fast economic development and the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Farkas Balazs Hadady, Hungarian commercial counselor in Chongqing, said he is positive about future cooperation between Hungary and Sichuan.

"China's Belt and Road Initiative is in accord with Hungary's global opening-up policy," he said. "We expect increasing cooperation with Sichuan as the province lies at a key spot on the Belt and Road."

The fair provides Hungarian companies with a perfect chance to find business partners in Sichuan and western China, he said. More than 20 Hungarian companies attended the fair, the largest Hungarian delegation in the event's history.

Mariella Lo Bello, vice-president of the Sicilian region in Italy, led a delegation of 30 businesspeople and officials from the region. She said Sichuan is one of Sicily's most important partners .

"China and Italy have established strong ties as two important countries on the east and west sides of the Silk Road," she said. "Sicily has included cooperation with China, especially with Sichuan, in its international development planning."

Lo Bello said she hopes the two countries will have more cooperative projects in fields such as nanotechnology and biological medicine to promote innovation-driven development.

Robin Niethammer, chairman of the southwest branch of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, said Chengdu's advanced transportation network, including the Chengdu-Europe Express Rail that links western China with Europe, strengthens Sino-European ties and makes it more convenient for international companies to invest in Sichuan.

"The huge market in western China and the local government's preferential policies also attract a great number of investors," he said.

Niethammer said more than 300 companies in the European Union have a presence in Chengdu, including Volvo AB, Siemens AG and Peugeot SA.

(China Daily 11/17/2016 page6)