Senator the Honourable Paula Gopee-Scoon, Minister of Trade and Industry met with the Mr. Ye Liu, Vice President of the China Building Material Market Association (CBMMA), a membership organisation with approximately 1,800 Chinese companies, representing a range of building materials, products and services.
The courtesy call on the Minister, which also included representatives from First Caribbean Marketing Company, the Asia-Caribbean Group (Antigua), and Apex, occurred at the Ministry’s headquarters in Port of Spain on Thursday.
In welcoming the group, Minister Gopee-Scoon shared on the history of Trinidad and Tobago’s non-energy manufacturing sector, which began with Government’s thrust toward diversification in the 1980s.
The emphasis, the Minister said, has been in the food and beverage sector, printing and packaging, and construction materials, which the country exports to 120 countries around the world. The Minister also highlighted the country’s attractive Special Economic Zones investment framework, access to regional markets, and other advantages for foreign investors.
Mr. Liu revealed that the CBMMA has been in discussions with the Ministry’s agency, InvestTT, toward exploring business and investment opportunities in Trinidad and Tobago. The vice president said the organisation has interests in developing low-income housing, sharing its new and patented technologies, and setting up a distribution centre or factories in the region.
The meeting comes on the heels of the official opening of the state-of-the-art eTecK Phoenix Park Industrial Estate, which was held in January of this year. The Park was built in collaboration with the People’s Republic of China under its Belt and Road Initiative.
