Euromoney CEO: City with prime connections

Editor's note:Sponsored by the Shenyang city government and Euromoney magazine, the Shenyang International Finance Executive Summit was held in May in the capital city of Liaoning province, focusing on the latest economic moves in China and Shenyang.

During the summit, Neil Osborn, CEO of Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC, shared his thoughts on Shenyang's international competitiveness with China Daily reporter Liu Ce.

Why did Euromoney choose Shenyang to hold the summit?

It is important to know China as one of the most attractive global markets. At the same time, the investment focused in China is moving towards the northeastern part of the country. We see great potential in Northeast China and Shenyang is the gateway.

Geographically, the location of Shenyang endows it with strong connections to Liaoning, to Northeast China, and even as far as Russia, North Korea, Inner Mongolia and other regions with great need for development. These conditions are very favorable for investors.

In your opinion, what is Shenyang's most attractive factor for global investors?

It is difficult to pick out a particular factor, but we mentioned many in the summit such as competent and welcoming government, preferential tax policies, abundant resources and highly skilled workforce. All of these are critical factors.

So is there something that Shenyang still needs to improve to attract more investors from abroad?

There are always things that can be improved. I think the big job is to educate the world about Shenyang because many senior executives outside China simply don't know where the city is. So I hope the local governments can create more opportunities for better understanding so that more investors can get to know Shenyang.

Does Euromoney have more plans for cooperation with Shenyang?

A: I believe the summit is just a start. Certainly we will continue our friendship with Shenyang and promote more exchanges. We are confident about the city.

Contact the writer through liuce@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 08/29/2014 page18)