(Yicai Global) Dec. 8 -- Several Chinese regions, including Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Sichuan provinces, are organizing charter flights for local merchants to go to Europe or Southeast Asia to attract more orders amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Eastern China's Zhejiang, a major region for foreign trade, plans to have nearly 10,000 business leaders go overseas, financial media outlet the 21st Century Business Herald reported recently. On Dec. 4, the province arranged a six-day trip to Germany and France to help vendors participate in trade exhibitions.

Regional governments arrange charter flights but also subsidize participation to stimulate growth amid the pandemic. Shenzhen said on Oct. 31 that firms in the Guangdong provincial tour or the municipal tour can cover 30 or 80 percent of flight fare covered respectively via subsidies.Meanwhile, the city of Haining in Zhejiang covers up to 50 percent of the flight charge or a maximum of CNY500,000 (USD71,700) per company. 

On Dec. 5, southwestern China's Sichuan sent 40 people from 31 foreign trade enterprises, including sellers of food, medicine, automobiles, and furniture, to go to Europe for nine days for an economic and trade event.

Even cities, including Wuxi, Suzhou, Nanjing, and Hefei, are becoming trip organizers. Ningbo, a major industrial hub in Zhejiang, intends to send 100 groups from more than 1,000 firms abroad in six months, striving to gain USD10 billion of new orders.

Local governments are boosting their efforts to attract investments. The southern economic powerhouse of Guangdong has been holding a global investment promotion conference since November. It plans to organize 22 related promotional events within three months in 17 countries including Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and the United Arab Emirates.

Finally, southern China's holiday destination Hainan province, which is building a free trade port, intends to hold investment events in the three Japanese cities of Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka.

Editor: Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi