One of the main conclusions of the Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute Shavit Program is that to increase exports to China and India, Israel must focus on areas such as water technologies in which it has a competitive advantage. To assist Israeli companies to enter China's fast growing water technologies market, the Export Institute and Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor hired international business consultants APCO Worldwide.
Yesterday a major delegation of senior executives led by APCO Worldwide associate director and chief representative of the Guangzhou office Ouyang Jun visited Israel to meet with water technology companies eager to enter the Chinese market. At an event held at the Export Institute in Tel Aviv, Israeli companies heard about the opportunities in the sector in China due to pollution of groundwater and regional droughts.
Among the companies present were: Granite Hacarmel Investments Ltd. (TASE: GRNT) unit Global Environmental Solutions Ltd.; Kardan NV (TASE: KRNV;AEX:KARD) unit Tahal Group International NV and Bermad Control Valves Ltd. alongside start-ups such as Whitewater Technology Group portfolio companies Watershire and CheckLight Ltd. as well as Aqwise Wise Water Technologies Ltd.
Jun has previously served in senior positions in the Chinese government, and has since worked as a business advisor leveraging his contacts in government. He said that the services APCO will provide Israeli companies includes analyzing and mapping the Chinese market, creating connections with Chinese partners, identifying projects with potential for Israeli companies and a range of partnering services.
He observed that China has only 6% of the world's water resources and 20% of the global population, while agriculture is in desperate need of a better water infrastructure.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on April 12, 2010
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