Wuhan Vice Mayor Yue Yong attended the ceremony, as did Mr. Liu Xinquan, the Vice Chairman of Wuhan Iron and Steel Group (WISCO), and other dignitaries, clients, friends and business partners.

Howard Balloch, President and Founding Partner of TBG, said the partnership established with WISCO is just the tip of the iceberg for TBG’s potential in Wuhan. “Our business in Wuhan will focus on assisting Wuhan companies to raise capital from overseas sources to meet their future growth needs. We have relationships with a large number of funds and potential investors. Each of these investors has a keen interest in the China market and look to us for sound investment opportunities. We see many such opportunities in Wuhan.”

In 2006, TBG helped formulate a successful joint venture between Wuhan Iron and Steel Group’s subsidiary Jiangbei Company and the Wire Corporation of America (WRCA). The cooperation between the two parties will build the most modern wire production facility in the world, with a total investment of over US$100 million. TBG is also Jiangbei’s, financial advisor, assisting the company to prepare for an overseas listing.

Also joining the celebration was Brian Shaw, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CIBC World Markets. CIBC, Canada’s largest investment bank, has been TBG’s partner for over five years. Mr. Shaw expressed great confidence in both TBG and the city of Wuhan. “CIBC has a very close relationship with The Balloch Group. I have no doubt that our combined knowledge and capability will bring enormous benefit to Wuhan enterprises looking to expand overseas and gain access to foreign capital markets.”

The Balloch Group is an investment advisory firm headquartered in Beijing with offices or partner firms in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Ulaanbaatar, Berlin, Toronto, New York, and now Wuhan. It is composed of over 40 full-time professionals specialized across various industrial sectors. TBG have served over 40 companies from Europe, North America, and Asia. With its partner CIBC World Markets, it has been involved with investment of over US$2 billion since 2002.

Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province and one of the birthplaces of China's modern industry. Wuhan’s main economic sectors are automobile, iron and steel, and hi-tech.