First foreign top sponsor

When it signed on as the chief strategic partner of the seventh China-ASEAN Expo, Singapore's Hong Leong Asia Ltd became the first foreign company to be top sponsor of the event.

During a signing ceremony on Oct 13 in Nanning, the firm announced it will provide the expo 8 million yuan in sponsorship.

"The partnership will provide more investment opportunities and help the company expand in China and Southeast Asian markets," said Zhang Donggui, Hong Leong chairman.

The subsidiary of Hong Leong Group began investing in China in the 1990s and is now one of the largest players in many fields in China and Southeast Asia.

It is one of the largest manufacturers and suppliers of construction materials in Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Its market leadership and wide business coverage in construction materials in these countries enable it to provide one-stop services to its customers.

Hong Leong Group's businesses include real estate, hotel management, financial services, manufacturing and marketing.

Hong Leong Asia has been focusing on manufacturing and marketing and has invested in Henan Xinfei Electric Co Ltd, Guangxi Yuchai Machinery Co Ltd and Tianjin REX Packaging Co Ltd.

The group company also owns Millennium & Copthorne group, which was listed in London in 1996 and now manages more than 120 hotels in 18 countries and regions.

The five-star Grand Millennium Beijing and Millennium Harbourview Hotel Xiamen are owned by the Millennium & Copthorne group.

Hong Leong Group has also invested Beijing villa projects and has the largest private residential land reserves back in its homeland Singapore.

The group has been named Singapore's No 1 real estate developer of residential buildings and No 1 commercial property developer in the island's central business district.

The group tapped into the financial services market in the 1960s.

Its financial services arm of the Hong Leong Finance Ltd is now Singapore's largest financial company, with a network of 28 branches.

As China speeds up development of Guangxi's Pan-Beibu Gulf Economic Zone and the Nanning-Singapore business passage, Hong Leong Asia and some 40 other companies have established partnerships with the expo.

(China Daily 10/19/2010 page12)