A South African customer talks with Wenzhou businesspeople online. [Photo/66wz.com]
Though Wenzhou entrepreneurs were not present at the 2nd China (South Africa) Trade Expo in November, they managed 8,826 online negotiations with their African counterparts and reached initial deals worth $33.47 million.
The result would not have been possible without Meorient, a Zhejiang-based service provider who has participated in trade conventions for years and helped Chinese customers select and train competent salespeople in the destination country.
Such a scene is common at the African expo, as when a customer shows interest in commodities, the well-trained local salesperson will introduce them to the booth and invite them to sit down and talk with their Chinese bosses in Wenzhou via video calls.
More and more service providers like Meorient are serving the globalization of Wenzhou enterprises.
As early as 2013, the Wenzhou government joined Meorient to launch the first China (India) Trade Expo, which has greatly facilitated trade, economic and cultural exchanges between the two sides. Six years on, the expo has also helped India rise from the ninth largest to the third largest export destination of Wenzhou.
"Enterprises are no longer content with attending an overseas exhibition only once a year, they want to attend twice or even thrice yearly," said Wei Shaofeng, a manager at Meorient.
