The Belt & Road General Chamber of Commerce (BRGCC), a globally renowned international commercial organization, officially announced today at its Hong Kong headquarters the appointment of Ms. Vivian Chen, Chairman of Gallery Five Group, as the inaugural President of the BRGCC Middle East Chapter for a five-year term, effective April 1, 2026.The establishment of the Middle East Chapter and the appointment of its first President mark a landmark milestone in BRGCC’s global strategic expansion and the deepening of its regional presence. This strategic move signifies the comprehensive introduction of the Chamber’s powerful international commercial resources and transnational networks into the Gulf region.Visionary Leadership Backed by National-Level Strategic AlignmentAs a driving force behind the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative, BRGCC is headquartered in Hong Kong, Asia’s premier international financial hub. Founded jointly by Founder Chairman Dr. Peter Lam Kin-ngok, Founder President Ms. Cheng Cheung-ling, Founder Chairman of the Supervisory Board Mr. Yan Bin, and several heavyweight industrial and commercial leaders, BRGCC has consistently served as a “Super Connector” linking governments, top-tier enterprises, and international capital. The Chamber brings together global industry giants, companies, professional financial institutions, and multinational business leaders, commanding exceptional political and commercial influence as well as international resource mobilization capabilities.Upholding the core philosophy of "Extensive Consultation, Joint Contribution, and Shared Benefits," and under the strategic guidance of Dr. Lam and President Cheng, BRGCC has long been deeply engaged in core sectors including infrastructure, technological innovation, digital economy, financial services, green development, and cross-border industrial synergy. Backed by an extensive global business network and rigorous professional think-tank support, the Chamber has successfully facilitated numerous milestone cross-border investments and industrial deployments, cementing its position as a highly prestigious and credible platform for international commercial cooperation.The GCC countries are currently experiencing a golden era of economic diversification, with rapid advancements in emerging industries such as artificial intelligence, digital tech, smart cities, and renewable energy. Recognizing the Middle East as a vital hub for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, BRGCC has strategically established its Middle East Chapter. This initiative aims to project the Chamber's vast global industrial ecosystem and capital network deep into the six GCC nations, building a high-level mechanism for China-Arab investment, trade, and economic dialogue.A Powerful Synergy: Global Network Meets Decades of Local ExpertiseTo ensure the Middle East Chapter seamlessly connects with top-tier regional resources, the Chamber has appointed Ms. Vivian Chen—a dual-market leader with deep business roots and an extensive political and commercial network in the Gulf—as its inaugural President.As the Chairman of Gallery Five Group, Ms. Chen has deeply engaged in Qatar and the wider Gulf region for over 17 years. She has achieved remarkable success in interior architectural fit-outs, digital supply chain integration, and cross-border industrial investment. Furthermore, through her innovative "Space + Content" dual-wheel drive business model, she has successfully driven the deep integration of China’s leading supply chain resources with core Middle Eastern market demands. The robust, long-standing local networks she has cultivated will generate a powerful magnetic effect when combined with the global strength and top-level institutional backing of BRGCC's Hong Kong headquarters.Commenting on her appointment, Ms. Vivian Chen stated:"I am profoundly honored to be entrusted by Founder Dr. Peter Lam Kin-ngok, President Ms. Cheng Cheung-ling, and the board of this prestigious international platform to serve as the first President of the Middle East Chapter. BRGCC possesses unparalleled global commercial networks, financial strength, and high-level public-private dialogue channels.The Middle East Chapter will fully harness the powerful capabilities of the Chamber, serving as a 'Super Platform' for resource aggregation. Our mission is not only to empower leading Chinese enterprises to establish a high-level presence in the Gulf, but also to facilitate the reverse flow of Gulf capital and premium industries into the Chinese market, achieving multi-dimensional, high-quality, and mutually beneficial growth." Charted Course: Seven Core Strategic InitiativesLeveraging the extensive capabilities of the Chamber and aligning with the national economic visions of the Gulf nations (such as the Qatar National Vision 2030), the Middle East Chapter will focus on the following core initiatives:• High-Level Economic & Trade Matchmaking: Facilitating elite public-private dialogues and large-scale capital investment matchmaking between China and Middle Eastern nations.• Building a Transnational Network: Cultivating a strategic cooperation matrix comprising top-tier enterprises, mainstream financial institutions, and core business associations across the six GCC countries.• End-to-End Empowerment for Chinese Enterprises: Providing policy interpretation, local regulatory compliance, and core resource introductions for leading Chinese enterprises and high-growth tech firms expanding into the Middle East.• Frontier Industrial Synergy: Driving joint R&D and industrial localization in technology, AI, next-generation digital economy, and green, low-carbon solutions.• Fostering Cultural and People-to-People Ties: Utilizing BRGCC’s rich cultural and tourism resources to create internationally impactful programs for China-Arab cultural creativity, youth leadership development, and educational exchange.• High-Profile Commercial Events: Organizing international economic forums, cross-border business delegations, and exclusive, closed-door investment promotion events.• Serving Regional Sustainable Development: Supporting long-term regional economic integration under the Belt and Road framework to create sustainable social and economic value.BRGCC remains confident that under the full support of its global network and the outstanding leadership of Ms. Vivian Chen, the Middle East Chapter will rapidly evolve into one of the most influential international commercial forces in the region, collectively driving the Belt & Road Initiative into a new era of high-standard, sustainable, and impactful growth.

First quarter GDP contracts 0.1% on an annualised basis; Q1 decline follows 1% contraction in Q4 on annual basis; GDP was flat in Q1 on a quarterly basis, StatsCan said; advance estimate showed growth in April likely at 0.4% Canada's economy posted a surprise contraction ​in the first quarter ‌versus the year before, making it two straight quarters of annualised decline - which some ‌economists call a ⁠technical recession - as ‌the country struggles with US tariff uncertainty.Gross ‌domestic product declined at an annualised rate of 0.1% in the first quarter, Statistics Canada ⁠said on Friday, compared with a downwardly revised contraction of 1% in the fourth quarter of last year.Analysts polled by Reuters and the Bank of Canada had predicted first-quarter growth of a robust 1.5%. On a quarterly basis, first-quarter GDP was unchanged against a decline in the fourth quarter of last year.Canada's economy has largely withstood trade uncertainty and tariff impacts for more than a year, but the knock-on effects of tariffs have sapped ​investments, hiring and expenditure, and driven up prices.The upcoming review of the North American free trade deal and the crude price shock due to the Middle East war ‌have added more layers of uncertainty.The last ⁠two times Canada ​was in a technical recession were during the start of the pandemic in ​2020 and during the oil shock in the beginning of 2015.At that time there were two consecutive quarters of decline, both on an annualized basis and quarterly basis, StatsCan said. Economists were divided on whether Canada is in a recession or not."The trade-induced contraction in GDP last quarter meant the economy tipped into a technical recession at the start of the year," said a note from Capital Economics, though rising oil and gas activity mean the economy likely rebounded in April.Randall Bartlett, deputy chief economist with Desjardins Group, said the group is not prepared to call the data a recession ‌as the weakness in the Canadian ‌economy was not widespread.The BoC has said growth this year is likely ⁠to be at 1.2%, down from 1.7% ⁠last year. It will update its projections in July.The first-quarter GDP was negatively impacted by a high level of imports into the country, but that was largely offset by a high accumulation of inventories, the statistics agency said.Household spending grew, especially in financial services and food, but this was again mostly canceled out by a decline in business and government investments.Business capital investment fell ​0.7%, its fifth consecutive quarterly decline, StatsCan said.On a monthly basis, GDP in March declined by 0.1%, against an estimate of flat growth.An advance estimate from StatsCan showed that growth in April was likely to be 0.4%, highlighting a strong start to the second quarter.Money markets are pricing in a rate hike of 25 basis points in December, even as most economists have called for no change in interest rates all through the year.The Canadian dollar weakened after the GDP data and was trading down 0.28% to C$1.3819 to the US ‌dollar, or 72.36 US cents. ​Yields on the two-year government bonds slipped further and were down 7.7 basis points at 2.430%