03.22.10
Seychelles’ offshore investment potential appreciated by China
On March 10, a seminar on Seychelles’ offshore investment potential was held in Beijing. The theme of the seminar was: “Seychelles offshore planning for China companies in 2010 – how to maximize your company value through offshore practices”.
Around 120 Chinese professionals from the offshore sector along with several high-level officials were attracted by the event. Henry Liu, executive director of the Eastern Africa Investment Department, China-Africa Development Fund, was one of them.
The seminar was jointly organised by Seychelles’ embassy in China and the Seychelles International Business Authority (SIBA).
Conrad Benoiton, managing director of Appleby Corporate Services, chaired the meeting. Other speakers included Laurence Lipsher, a US expert on Chinese taxation; Jennifer Sullivan, head of financial services supervision and economist Hilda Palconit, both from the Central Bank of Seychelles; and Anuj Sharma, director of Abacus Seychelles. Barclays Bank was represented by its commercial director John Esther. Also, many Seychellois offshore services providers took part in the seminar.
With the help of a delegation from SIBA, headed by chief executive and managing director Steve Fanny, all the participants had a chance to meet representatives of Chinese companies showing interest in Seychelles’ offshore opportunities. As a result, all Seychellois and Chinese delegates were optimistic about the potential of the event to make Seychelles more distinctly noticeable as a very competitive offshore jurisdiction.