LICC marks 3rd anniversary ahead of APEC Leaders' Meeting

The Shenzhen Longhua International Cooperation Center (LICC), located near Shenzhen North Railway Station, serves as a hub for international business cooperation and services for foreign residents. Photos courtesy of LICC

Three years after it opened near Shenzhen North Railway Station in Longhua District, one of southern China’s busiest rail hubs, the Shenzhen Longhua International Cooperation Center (LICC) says it has helped local companies secure more than 80 billion yuan (US$11 billion) in purchase orders and preliminary cooperation agreements, while serving as a one-stop service center for international residents in the district.

As Shenzhen gears up for the 33rd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting in November, the center has become Longhua’s main window to the Asia-Pacific region. According to the center, it has helped the district build working relationships with 20 APEC economies, including Malaysia and Australia.

The center said its network now extends to partners in more than 150 countries and regions, including more than 500 overseas institutions, trade associations and international organizations. About 250 exchange events are held at the center each year.

International visitors receive assistance at the service counter of the LICC.

Helping companies go abroad

The center operates a showroom with six themed zones, displaying more than 200 products from nearly 200 Shenzhen companies. More than 700 delegations of foreign officials, journalists and business representatives from over 150 countries and regions have visited. Since the start of this year, the center said, showroom visits and follow-up business matchmaking activities have generated more than 50 billion yuan in orders and preliminary cooperation agreements.

Members of a Russian MBA delegation explore innovative products on display at the LICC showroom during a visit to Longhua on Oct. 21.

It has also organized nearly 300 investment and industry events, which it said drew nearly 200,000 participants both online and in person. LICC’s official WeChat account “Intl Services Longhua” and miniprogram “LICC” list more than 300 overseas projects and have provided information to more than 10,000 companies.

Delegations led by the district government visit more than 20 countries and regions each year to help local companies explore overseas markets. During trips to Malaysia, Australia and other APEC economies this year, the delegations secured about 17 billion yuan in potential orders across the semiconductor, digital economy, smart manufacturing, new energy and life sciences sectors, according to the center.

Delegates attend the China (Shenzhen·Longhua)–Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) Economic and Trade Cooperation Exchange Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Longhua has also signed five international friendship and cooperation agreements with overseas regions since 2024, most recently with Malaysia’s Kedah state this year. The others are with Alenquer and Covilhã in Portugal, Ras Al Khaimah’s economic zone in the United Arab Emirates, and Spain’s Navarra region.

Representatives from Longhua District and Covilhã, Portugal, pose for a group photo at a signing ceremony establishing friendly exchange and cooperation ties between the two sides at LICC in April 2025.

In 2024, a sustainable development innovation lab run by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) opened in Longhua. The center said it has used that partnership to help local companies explore U.N. procurement opportunities. Several small- and medium-sized businesses have since become U.N. suppliers after completing training programs, it said.

“This exhibition gave us a platform to show our strength,” said Chen Hua, general manager of Shenzhen Longhua Drainage Co., which showcased its digital water management technology at the World Urban Forum in November 2024. He said the company was seeking partners for broader international cooperation.

Participants attend the Capacity Building Training on ESG and MSMEs’ Engagement in Global Markets.

The center also processes applications for the APEC Business Travel Card, which facilitates visa-free business travel to participating APEC economies for eligible cardholders, with cards valid for up to five years. Four employees of Dyu Intelligent Mobility Technology Company, a leading Shenzhen e-bike maker whose products are sold in more than 60 countries, received cards in July. “The process was very smooth,” a company executive said. “Our travel efficiency has improved a lot.”

A representative from Dyu Intelligent Mobility Technology Company inquires about the APEC Business Travel Card at the LICC service counter.

A front desk for international residents

For international residents, the center offers more than 500 services, including assistance with work and residence permits, temporary residence registration, tax inquiries and notarization. It offers simultaneous interpretation in 43 languages. Registration can be completed by scanning a QR code or at the counter, with the same legal effect.

The center said it has handled 16,000 cases involving foreign nationals from more than 70 countries and regions. Lawyers and notaries offer free weekly consultations. A Costa Rican employee who attended the 29th legal consultation day to seek advice on the labor rights of foreign women working in China said she had gained a better understanding of her rights. “I’m very grateful,” she said.

A volunteer team of more than 100 people from over 70 countries and regions assists with translation and events. The center said it has held more than 160 cultural events that drew more than 15,000 participants from 100 countries.

LICC volunteers provide interpretation services during an international exchange event, helping facilitate communication between participants.

Rita Giménez, a Spanish resident, first visited the center to handle paperwork. She later became a volunteer and helped forge a friendship partnership between Longhua and her home region, Navarra, in November 2025.

Musonda Mwaba, an international entrepreneur who arrived in Longhua in 2018, founded a trading company in 2024 and brought his family to live in the district. At an event organized by the center, he met a Zambian copper trader, an encounter that led to a new business partnership.

“Here I realized my dream and settled my family well,” Mwaba said.

Preparing for APEC

The center has trained frontline staff in international affairs and conducted foreign-language workshops. It said more than 18,000 incorrect or non-standard English signs have been corrected across the district.

A guest speaker delivers a lecture on international affairs as part of the Longhua International Lecture program at LICC.

In September, the center hosted the Seminar on APEC Technologies Empower Low Carbon Action (TELCA): Roadmaps, Accessibility, and Partnership, a key event of China’s APEC host year that focuses on technology-enabled low-carbon action. Policymakers, experts and company representatives from 18 APEC member economies attended, and organizers launched a platform for low-carbon technology demonstrations.

In July, the 2026 Asia-Pacific Digital & Intelligent Economy Sustainable Development Innovation Week co-organized by LICC drew nearly 200 guests from about 30 countries and regions.

Participants pose for a group photo at the Seminar on APEC Technologies Empower Low Carbon Action (TELCA): Roadmaps, Accessibility, and Partnership, held in Longhua in September.

Delegates attend the opening ceremony of the 2026 Asia-Pacific Digital & Intelligent Economy Sustainable Development Innovation Week, co-organized by LICC in July.

The center said it plans to maintain the cooperation mechanisms established through these events after the APEC meetings end.

“Conferences have a schedule, but cooperation does not,” the center said in its account of the APEC preparations. Its goal is to translate the opportunities created by the meetings into lasting international partnerships.