The American Chamber of Commerce in South China (AmCham South China) launched the "U.S.A. Pavilion" on the website of the China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) this April. The online pavilion, which is intended as a companion to the real-life version which has appeared at the past two CIFIT events in Xiamen, is expected to host virtual exhibition booths for thousands of American companies looking to initiate and expand business operations in the P.R.C. Furthermore, both 'exhibitors' and visitors to the online pavilion will have a selection of social networking and search tools at their disposal to facilitate deal selection, communication and - it is hoped -investment.

"This is an exciting first step toward our goal of offering every American company that wants to do business in China the perfect platform to begin their efforts without even leaving America," said AmCham South China President Harley Seyedin. "At the same time, we believe that this platform has a lot to offer even companies who have been here for 20 years or more. It's impossible to overestimate the benefits of having so many potential customers and partners in one place, ready to talk at any time."

Since 2009, AmCham South China has collaborated with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Consulate General in Guangzhou at CIFIT on the physical "U.S.A. Pavilion” and on a series of seminars and meetings aimed at both helping American companies penetrate the Mainland market as well as offering guidance to their increasingly-savvy Chinese counterparts looking to invest in America.

The CIFIT Online website, billed as "a never-ending investment promotion fair," hosts an investment project database and a comprehensive collection of relevant government policies in addition to the "U.S.A Pavilion."