Situated on the southeast coast of China, Xiamen is an island city with a population of slightly over 2.5 million (2009). Known as the "Most Agreeable City in China," this scenic island boasts temperate weather, beautiful gardens, white sand beaches and a thriving inner harbor similar to Baltimore's. The Port of Xiamen ranks among China's top ten. The city also has a modern airport that is one of China's major aviation hubs.

The history of Xiamen dates to ancient times when the island was settled about 282 A.D. The city proper was established in the 1300s during the Ming Dynasty.

In 1980 the Chinese government designated Xiamen as one of its original four "Special Economic Zones" with liberal rules for foreign trade and investment. This has created one of the most dynamic local economies in China. U.S. investors in Xiamen include GE, Kodak, Dell, Boeing, United Technologies, Coca-Cola and Walmart.

Every September the city hosts the China International Fair for Investment & Trade (CIFIT), which has become one of China's largest economic events, attracting companies from all over the country and thousands of foreign participants.

For more information, please visit:

Xiamen Municipal Government:
http://english.xm.gov.cn/

America in Xiamen (U.S. State Department-managed website):
http://xiamen.usvpp.gov/

What's On Xiamen (Xiamen and Fujian portal site):
http://www.whatsonxiamen.com

Common Talk Weekly (bilingual newspaper):
http://www.common-talk.com/cms/

China International Fair for Investment & Trade (CIFIT):
http://www.chinafair.org.cn/china/index/index.aspx

Fujian International (Fujian Provincial Department of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation website):
http://www.infj.cn/index.aspx

Hong Kong Trade Development Council 2008 Market Profile on Fujian:
http://info.hktdc.com/mktprof/china/mpfuj.htm