On 21 November 2024, Massimo Bagnasco, European Chamber Vice President, and Ms. Sally Huang, European Chamber Southwest China General Manager, had a VIP meeting with Wu Guiying, Secretary of the Changsha Municipal Party Committee to discuss the current state of European businesses in China and to explore opportunities for future cooperation between the European Chamber and Changsha.
During the meeting, Mr. Bagnasco stated that European companies operating in China have expressed a strong desire to broaden their operational scope and deepen their investment, contingent upon the principles of fairness, equal treatment, and market openness. This sentiment is echoed by a resurgence of interest from European entities in tapping into the vast opportunities presented by the Chinese market. In a recent demonstration of this positive trend, the EU SME Centre organised in September 2024 an SME Business Mission to China, with a specific focus on green technologies. This initiative not only underscores the commitment of European businesses to sustainable development but also highlights the growing appetite for collaboration within the Chinese market.
Mr. Bagnasco also expressed optimism about the future development of Changsha and is willing to fully leverage the resource advantages of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China to deepen practical cooperation with Changsha, strengthen exchanges between enterprises, promote open development, and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results.
Ms. Sally Huang provided an overview introduction of the European Chamber Southwest China Chapter and its member companies’ investment landscape in Changsha, highlighted the impressive figure of over 12.4 billion euros in mutual investment between Changsha and Europe. She expressed enthusiasm for the prospective collaboration with Changsha in the future.
The European Chamber Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Forum comprises European SMEs operating in various industries in China who strive for improved operating conditions and exchange on practical business issues to foster their success in China. Advocacy actions for SMEs organised by the European Chamber and the EU SME Centre include regular working group meetings and policy meetings covering issues of specific relevance for European small and medium-sized businesses in China. Find out more on our Advocacy page.
Among the activities of the Forum, the annual publication of the Inter-Chamber SME Working Group Position Paper is the product of extensive feedback gathering from European SMEs in China conducted through the Inter-Chamber SME Working Group. The Position Paper is the main vehicle of the European Chamber and EU SME Centre for SME advocacy, as it contains the key concerns and recommendations from European SMEs on a given year. Read the 2023/2024 SME Position Paper here.
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