A delegation led by Tom Hottkit, vice president of the Building Products Division of Belgium’s Bekaert Group, paid a visit to Shenyang to negotiate further investments there on Jan 13, according to city officials.

Bekaert Group was founded in 1880 and is headquartered in Belgium. It is a world market and technology leader in steel wire transformation and coating technologies. 

Its customer-oriented environmental-protection and innovative products are widely used in many fields such as the automotive industry, as well as in energy, construction, agriculture, consumer goods, machinery and equipment, basic materials.

In 1998, Bekaert Group invested $61.5 million in Shenyang Economic and Technology Zone to establish Bekaert Shenyang Steel Cord Co. The joint venture was one of the earliest manufacturing bases funded by Behaert Group in China.

Jiang Youwei, mayor of Shenyang, conveyed his warm welcome to the delegates at a meeting between the Shenyang government and the delegation.

Jiang also expressed his gratitude to Bekaert Group for its contributions to the economic and social development of Shenyang. 

Jiang said that the Shenyang government attached great importance to its relations with Bekaert Group. He urged the group to further expand its investment and optimize its operations in Shenyang.

Bekaert Group’s Hottkit echoed mayor Jiang’s proposals and expressed his confidence in the development of Shenyang.

Hottkit said his company had plans to expand production and set up a research facility in Shenyang in the future.