European SME Networking Lunch: Policy Updates and Outlook in the Greater Bay Area

Liam Jia is a versatile professional with the past 8 years advising European businesses on market access and business strategies to China. He has a solid working experience in project and operations management, financial and risk control in the EU context.

Liam is an experienced speaker and author of publications on a range of topics, including the environmental sector, SME digitalisation and F&B distribution. Great team player, generating positive influence on teammates.

Fabian Blake is a Belgian national who presently serves as the Managing Director of AMS Assembly Foshan, a Dutch-owned company that has been operating in the Pearl River Delta, providing manufacturing services in South China since 2003.

Having resided and worked in China since 2008, Fabian has accumulated 15 years of experience exclusively in South China. During this time, he has played a pivotal role in the operational development of major corporations like the ETEX Group. Additionally, he has successfully managed smaller Chinese business units specialising in engineering services, offering value-added solutions to European clientele.

AMS Group, under Fabian’s leadership, currently boasts a workforce of 90 employees, with 80 of them based in our facilities located in Foshan and Shenzhen. The company is actively involved in the development, manufacturing, and assembly of hardware devices, primarily serving customers situated in Europe.

Furthermore, Fabian has also served as a Member of the Board of the Benelux Chamber of Commerce from 2013 to 2016. His extensive experience and dedication to the industry make him a valuable asset to both AMS Assembly Foshan and the broader business community.

Ms. Danica Mai is Executive Director of Dan Young Business Consultancy in Guangzhou. In the past ten years, she is responsible for bookkeeping, financial reporting and tax filling for more than three hundred small-and-medium size enterprises in South China. Danica’s daily routine is to undertake client delegation, align with Chinese General Accepted Accounting Principles, in accordance with Chinese Tax Law, Contract Law, Corporation Law, and Labour Law, etc., accomplish bookkeeping and financial statement generation, meet the deadline of tax reporting. She seeks the best solution with the lower total cost, effectively and efficiently, at the same time, within China legal and accounting framework.

Danica leads a team of accountants, in the year 2023-2024, accomplished booking and tax filling for turnover 20 million from all of the clients. Danica’s team is ranking Top 2% in China, ranking 5A in Guangzhou Bookkeeping Industry Association, and ranking TSC 5 in China Tax Office’s Credit System. Most of the clients are foreign invested small-and-medium size enterprises setup in South China, such as Germany, Finland, Denmark, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Hungary, Poland and Sweden. Apart from accountancy service, Danica also provides other business consultancy services, such as Chinese Work Visa application, VAT Tax Refund application, acquisition and merger evaluation, and trademark registration application.

Danica is a China Certified Semi-Senior accountant, graduated from the University of Birmingham, majoring in International Accounting and Finance, and lived in Portland, Oregon of USA as an exchange student. She could fully stand in owners’/investors’ shoes to advice and voice.

Danica has been serving as Vice Chair of SME Forum of the European Chamber South China Chapter since March 2023.

Daisy Yang has been elected as the Chair of the European Chamber SME Forum for the South China Chapter for the year 2023/2024. She is a Senior Associate at D’Andrea & Partners Legal Counsel and is responsible for overseeing the firm’s operations in the Greater Bay Area. With her extensive international exposure and experience, she collaborates closely with her colleagues in Vietnam and the UAE. Over the years, she has accumulated a wealth of knowledge in various fields, including corporate law, labour law, outbound and inbound investments, and more. Her expertise has been instrumental in assisting numerous companies in expanding their operations in both China and overseas markets, fostering growth in local markets as well.

Throughout her career, Daisy Yang has acquired valuable experience in both the manufacturing sector and the professional consulting industry. This unique blend of backgrounds enables her to comprehend the intricacies of both domains, making her exceptionally effective in providing valuable guidance and support to her clients.

Jeremy’s keen interest in China began many decades ago when he was fortunate to be one of the first overseas tourists to Guangzhou in 1978, shortly after China began to open up to the outside world.  In 1990, Jeremy graduated from Leeds University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Chinese.

A decade later, Jeremy returned to Guangzhou as a newly-qualified lawyer to assist a major London-based international law firm open its first office in Mainland China.  Jeremy was instrumental in building up the firm’s China practice, assisting clients from across the world with many of the legal aspects of establishing and operating business in China.

In 2007, Jeremy founded his own legal consulting practice, JSA, which continues to assist a wide range of foreign investors with many of the legal issues encountered when establishing and operating business in China, including in relation to pre-investment structuring, due diligence, business incorporation, leasing, employment and regulatory issues.

Alongside working as a lawyer, in 2009, Jeremy opened his first bar, The Happy Monk, near the Garden Hotel in Guangzhou. Over the years, The Happy Monk has grown to become an award-winning brand in the hospitality industry in Guangzhou. The Happy Monk now has a team of almost 200 full-time employees and operates five busy downtown Guangzhou locations and one new location in Haikou.

Jeremy is passionate about the development of his team and is a firm believer in the value of coaching and mentorship. Jeremy advocates on-going learning and has just completed an Executive MBA under a joint programme offered by Columbia University Business School, London Business School and Hong Kong University Business School.

Jeremy actively participates in business and community affairs. He has served as the Chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce in Guangdong and as the Honorary Legal Advisor to the British Consulate General in Guangzhou.

Jeremy has been recognized for his work in China.  In 2011 Jeremy was awarded an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II in recognition to his services on behalf of British businesses and legal services in China.

When not working or studying, Jeremy enjoys travel, history, nature, hiking, sports, debating and the company of friends.