Chinese businesses form own association

Chinese businesses in P.E.I. are forming their own association.

Lannia MacAleer chairs  the steering committee for the Island Chinese Business Association. She said  business owners from China are looking for a way to help each other.

"We hear all the time from the Chinese business community that they want to have a business association so they can have somewhere to get together to exchange their experiences and talk about their barriers and challenges," said MacAleer. She  is also a liaison between the local chamber of commerce and the P.E.I. Connectors Program, a networking program for the local immigrant business community.

The committee said it's also encouraging the local Chinese business community to join  the Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce, but hopes to hold meetings of their own soon.   So far the group has translated basic information for businesses into Chinese.