China Club offers new business, leisure platform

To meet the growing interest in China, especially the Chinese market and its growing tourism industry, China Daily European Weekly, the European operation of China's biggest English-language newspaper group, is launching a virtual platform, China Club, in collaboration with a new travel social media network talkholiday.

Powered by China Daily and hosted by talkholiday, the target audience of the club will be UK and EU businesses as well as travelers to the country. The aim is to facilitate better understanding of the Chinese economy and its market of 1.3 billion people through news, events and networking.

As founding partners, China Daily and talkholiday have been the drivers of this project. Other key partners include China Mobile UK, the European branch of China's largest telecommunications company, CTS Horizon, a leading travel group focusing on the Chinese and European market; The Dorsett Hotel Group, one of Asian's fastest-growing hotel groups, with a growing portfolio of hotels in key cities around the Asia region and the UK, and many more.

Ji Tao, managing director and editor of China Daily Europe, is delighted with the collaboration, saying, "This will be a very unique method to improve access to China for European businesses and individuals."

China Daily has been publishing its European edition since the end of 2010. Over the last five years, the weekly has been serving a growing readership, including business and culture communities, who are fascinated by both the fast growth of the Chinese economy and its diversified culture.

"The virtual platform will enable us to play a better role in gathering news related to business and culture exchanges between China and the EU, as well as China and the UK, as we are expecting all the movers and shakers to become China Club's business partners," Ji said.

"China Daily sees great potential in the platform to promote business relations and investment. We think China Club will soon be seen as the main one-step platform to communicate with China. By bringing all the partners together we have a similar goal - show China from a new perspective and promote the destination as something that is one of a kind," he said.

To become a business partner of China Club, a company has to offer tailor-made services and products to members of the club, with free admission to all who are interested in China and China related news and services.

Chris Newlands, CEO of talkholiday, said, "This is an exciting opportunity to show our support for China as they look to promote their country and culture from a tourism and trade perspective."

The China Club launch event will be held at Bank of China's London headquarters on July 28. Guests will include British Business Secretary Sajid Javid, Lord Wei of Shoreditch, and Jin Xu, Minister Counselor of the Economic and Commercial office of the Chinese embassy in Britain.

wangmingjie@mail.chinadailyuk.com

(China Daily European Weekly 07/24/2015 page28)