Following an application prepared by the Foundation for Economic Development and Vocational Training (SEQUA), the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has approved funding for the second phase of the DIHT-ACFIC Partnership Project today. Accordingly, the second phase will start on March 1, 2000 and end on February 28, 2003. The SEQUA application documents were prepared on the basis of a project progress report of April 1999 and the results of a joint planning workshop in November 1999.

Due to significantly reduced government spending in Germany, project funding in the second phase will also be considerably lower than before. Available funds for China are further influenced by the unfavorable exchange rate between DM and RMB as compared with the beginning of the project's first phase. Despite these reductions, the partners are confident to jointly reach the goals previously agreed upon.

Reflecting both the reduction in funds and the progress of the cooperation, application and approval documents require an even more profound and more practical approach to the cooperation than for the initial phase. While continuing the cooperation with ACFIC in suitable project segments, the cooperation with provincial and especially with prefectural (city) chambers must be increased. To advance the visibility of the project and to support the development of pilot chambers, the number of regional partner chambers has been reduced to ten. These chambers are the provincial chambers of Liaoning, Hebei, Shandong, Yunnan, and the city chambers of Shenyang, Anshan, Handan, Hengshui, Qingdao, Kunming. Direct cooperation with these regional chambers is specifically required in all activities organized for the direct benefit of enterprises.