On March 24, 2022, 7:00pm – 8:30pm EDT, the Canada China Business Council (CCBC) hosted the second event in the “Navigating China’s 14th FYP by Sector” series, in partnership with the Economist Intelligence Corporate Network. This event targeted the Financial Services sector and is part of a five-part series designed to strengthen the ability of Canadian businesses to assess risks and opportunities with regards to China’s 14^th Five Year Plan (FYP) to improve Canadian competitiveness in the China market.

The link to the video presentation is available upon request. Please contact your regional Chapter Director to request access:

• Atlantic: Edward Dai
• Quebec: Philippe Jeanneau
• Ontario: Jeff Zhang
• Prairies/Nunavut/NWT: Philippe Jeanneau
• BC/Yukon: Philippe Jeanneau
• Beijing: Noah Fraser
• Shanghai: Edward Dai

Dr. Guoxiong ZHANG, Shanghai Director of the Economist Intelligence Corporate Network, provided an overview of China’s development priorities, plus a look at trends impacting the Chinese business landscape and opportunities in the sector.

With China currently outperforming other major economies and reporting strong economic metrics, the country’s long term economic forecast is positive. It is poised to become the world’s largest economy by 2031/32 and evidence shows that it will remain a top investment priority and/or destination for business leaders. This reality is undergirded by China’s national FYP and associated local, ministerial, sectoral, and special FYPs, which provide a blueprint into what China is doing to achieve its development priorities.

Within the context of the current 14^th Five Year Plan, opportunities do exist for foreign companies within the Chinese financial sector. China’s banking sector – for example – is steadily expanding but remains dominated by large/state-owned banks. There is growth potential for foreign firms, especially in new areas such as Green Finance. The insurance sector remains a booming industry comprised of both domestic and JV/foreign funded companies. The real estate sector, however, is worrying for investors and is increasingly facing tight regulation.

Registration was $25+HST for CCBC members, $50+HST for non-members. Simultaneous French interpretation was available for each session.

CCBC thanks CanExport Associations for partial funding support for this program.

Financial Services Sponsors:

About the speaker:

Dr. Guoxiong ZHANG
Shanghai Director
Economist Intelligence Corporate Network

Dr. Zhang is the Network Director of the Economist Intelligence Corporate Network at Shanghai. He is also leading the Economist Intelligence Corporate Network’s economic and business research in China.

Before joining The Economist Group, Dr. Zhang was an Assistant Professor of Economics at Antai College of Economics and Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He was also a Visiting Scholar at Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. Dr. Zhang has extensive research experience in the Chinese economy, particularly China’s monetary and fiscal policies, from both academic and policy perspectives. His research journey on the Chinese economy started at the Asian Development Bank in 2011. As a faculty member at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Dr. Zhang leads two state-funded research projects as the principal investigator. Dr. Zhang’s research has been presented at numerous international academic conferences and published in several prominent academic journals. At Shanghai Jiao Tong University, he taught macroeconomics and finance.

Dr. Zhang graduated from the University of California, Irvine, with a Ph.D. in Economics and an MS in Statistics. He also holds a BA in Economics from Zhejiang University.