GAC's representative office in Shanghai has been awarded the A-Class forwarding license by China's Ministry of Commerce, and will now operate as a wholly-owned foreign enterprise (WOFE) under the company name GAC Forwarding & Shipping (Shanghai) Ltd.

Christer Sj'doff, GAC's Regional Director for Asia Pacific & Indian Subcontinent, welcomed this new status, which came into effect on 1 January 2007, adding that it brings obvious benefits to GAC, its partner agents and customers.

'With this license in place, we will be able to market our extended range of logistics services directly to customers and trade in the Renminbi currency,' he says. 'The Shanghai office will also serve as a key communication and coordination centre for all GAC business operations throughout Northern and Central China.'

Backed by a team of highly-skilled professionals as well as solid legal and administrative platform, GAC Forwarding & Shipping (Shanghai) has streamlined its processes to ensure that a high level of customer service is offered around the clock to our customers.

This latest development is in line with GAC's globalisation strategy, in which China is identified as one of the most important growth markets for the Group.

Reinforcing GAC's commitment to China, Sj'doff reveals that three more offices in Xiamen, Beijing and Shenzhen will be established within the next month.