Source: London Stock Exchange
The British Prime Minister, The Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, Mr. Yao Gang, Assistant to the Chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission(CSRC), The Rt Hon John Hutton MP, Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and Clara Furse, Chief Executive of the London Stock Exchange, today formally opened the Exchange's representative office in Beijing.
The establishment of a permanent presence in Beijing will enable the London Stock Exchange to build on its position as the international market of choice for Chinese companies and underlines the Exchange's ongoing commitment to one of its key overseas markets.
The Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP is currently on his first official visit to China as Prime Minister, aiming to build strong Sino-British relations and promote trade between the two countries.
Speaking in Beijing, Clara Furse said: "We are delighted that the The Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, Mr. Yao, and The Rt Hon John Hutton were able to join us as guests of honour for the Grand Opening of our Beijing Representative office. The presence of the British Prime Minister underlines our government's strong support for our strategic relationships in China. We feel sure that having a permanent presence in Beijing, the capital of one of the world's fastest growing economies, will ensure we remain the world's most successful major exchange for capital raising by international companies. We are particularly pleased to play a role in supporting China's global companies and industrial development goals."
There are currently more Chinese companies on the Exchange's market than on any other major international exchange. The London Stock Exchange has attracted 68 Chinese companies to London. Of these companies, which operate in around 20 different sectors, six are listed on the Exchange's Main Market while 62 are quoted on AIM. With its Beijing office, the Exchange will assist more Chinese companies to be global leaders.
The Beijing office is headed by Nancy Jiang, the Exchange's Chief Representative in China. Nancy joins the Exchange with extensive industry experience and will be the Exchange's principal point of contact with Chinese government bodies, regulators and market participants.
The Exchange's new office is located in the Winland International Finance Centre, in the heart of Beijing's financial district. Thehe new office is the Exchange's second in Asia-Pacific, after Hong Kong.