Bank of China has organized 23 cross-border " matchmaking " events for more than 8,000 small and medium-sized enterprises , or SMEs , from 56 countries and regions since 2014.

One such event was held in Milan, Italy in 2015 where Wang Da'an, chairman of a clothing company in Zhejiang, was invited. But Wang's initial reaction was to turn down the BOC invitation for Chinese-Italian SMEs' interaction, because he didn't expect much from the investment and trade negotiations.

He was proved wrong, he said, after attending the event.

His company held talks with eight Italian counterparts, including some famous ones, and settled on a men's garment maker. Taking the talks forward, the two companies discussed issues such as purchase of raw materials, sales channels and bank finance, and eventually signed a cooperation agreement.

Wang said his company, founded in 2003, had tried several times to tie up with global brands before the 2015 Milan event but drawn a blank, because foreign companies were reluctant to have a deal with his company for its "weak" brand.

"I sincerely thank Bank of China!" Wang said on May 13 at the opening ceremony of the Shaanxi SME Cross-border Investment and Trade Cooperation Conference, co-hosted by the Shaanxi provincial government in Northwest China and BOC. As a representative of Chinese entrepreneurs, he also said the bank's mediation efforts have changed many companies' fates.