Outsourcing summit comes to Zhuhai, sets records

Six hundred and fifty representatives from 370 enterprises and institutions worldwide took part in the 2018 Global Service Outsourcing Summit (GSOS) that opened at the Zhuhai International Convention & Exhibition Center in Shizimen Business District on June 9.

Themed "Opening Collaboration & Interconnected Sharing," the summit set new records in terms of both the number of attendees and countries represented.

Seven agreements worth a total of 300 million yuan ($47 million) were signed at the opening ceremony. They involve chip R&D, financial and technological innovation, administrative big data construction, business process outsourcing, business information exchanges, and more.

Xiangzhou District-based Goldpac, the first company of its kind in China offering outsourced fiscard payment solutions, signed agreements with Tangshan-based leading electronic components manufacturer Unigroup Guoxin Microelectronics and Beijing-based CEC Huada Electronic Design, a renowned smart card chips designer and developer.

Relying on Goldpac Tech Park in Qianshan, the parties will team up in industrial innovation resources, smart mobile payment, and Internet of Things (IoT). They will also expand global financial outsourcing and create an internationally competitive center for innovative and financial technological exchanges.

Also signed were strategic partnership contracts between Tangjiawan-based Guangdong Toone Technology and Beijing Govmade Information Consulting, Zhuhai Association of Service Trade (Outsourcing) Industry, Russian National Association of Strategic Outsourcing (ASTRA), and Beijing Zhongguancun-based China Information Technology & Service Alliance (CITSA).

Among attendees were senior executives from Fortune Global 500 companies IBM, General Electric (GE), and Cargolux Airlines International firms that have actively explored outsourcing services. Such leading domestic enterprises as Pactera Technology and Kingsoft Software, both headquartered in Beijing, also took part, showcasing ability to quickly undertake one-off projects sent in from all over the world.

Following the signing ceremony were forums on internet plus, innovation, development of service outsourcing, and business networking. 

Zhuhai's service outsourcing industry, comprised of 174 related enterprises, has had annual growth of 30 percent over the past five years. It has also been a Guangdong Service Outsourcing Demonstration City. Outsourcing companies executed contracts worth $268 million last year, a year-on-year increase of 47.9 percent. Eighty-seven of them target booming offshoring markets, such as Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as foreign companies such as Dell, Citi Group, MTR Corp, and Kowloon Motor Bus Co.

Notably, Zhuhai Service Outsourcing Industry Exchange Center opened at Southern Software Park in Zhuhai Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone of Tanagjiawan in 2016 -- Guangdong's first comprehensive facility in the field.

The event was organized by the Chinese Academy of International Trade & Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Commerce, Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province, and Zhuhai Municipal People's Government. It was the first time for the city to host the summit.