The company plans to bring its technology, new products and business experience from East China to the vast west in the next five years, company officials said.

Local entrepreneurs are encouraged to join Kodak, by opening Kodak Express stores (KEX) and photo shops in western areas, said Daniel A Carp, the president and chief executive officer of Kodak.

By shifting its headquarters from Shanghai to Chongqing, the only municipality directly under the central government in the west, the company is giving rising priority to the western market in its business development, Carp said.

The Chinese imaging market, especially in western markets, has great potential, he added.

In Chongqing, one out of 200,000 residents in the city owns a KEX, while one out of every 10,000 people owns one in Hong Kong.

The company is now implementing two programmes to expand its business in the west. One plan is to open photo shops in remote areas in the west, and the other is to cultivate potential users of Kodak cameras.

"Our company's expanding in the West is also a response to the Chinese Government's 'go west' policy," said Carp.

Kodak donated US$150,000 in education funds to the Chongqing municipal government to support the city's construction, as well as to promote its brand.

It also donated 3,000 traditional cameras to students in Chongqing.

"There are few families having cameras in western China, our goal is to make more people enjoy the pleasure of photographing," said Henry Petit, chairman and president of Kodak's Asia-Pacific Region.

(China Daily June 17, 2002)