The 2024 Understanding China Conference convened in Brussels and online on 29 & 30 October, bringing together policymakers, economists, industry professionals, representatives from European BSOs, TPOs, and SMEs with business operations in China. This new edition of the EU SME Centre’s annual flagship conference served as a forum for exploring EU-China trade relations, economic and policy outlooks, issues in focus such as green technologies, cybersecurity, IPR protection, with strategic insights aimed at empowering European SMEs in the Chinese market.
Organised since 2011 by the EU SME Centre, the Understanding China Conference informs stakeholders of recent developments and trends observed in China that are likely to impact European small and medium-sized enterprises. The Conference has been developed for intermediary organisations in Europe, such as government agencies, industry associations, business support organisations (BSOs), trade promotion organisations (TPOs), chambers of commerce, and clusters.
The first day of the Conference invited participants to gain a better understanding of the country’s economic outlook, the evolution of trade relations between the European Union and China, the policy environment and business confidence for European SMEs in China, as well as the latest developments pertaining to green tech. The second day addressed the evolving regulatory framework on data security and cybersecurity, intellectual property, while taking stock of the current landscape of free-trade zones, high-tech zones, and industrial clusters in China.
The conference opened with remarks from Bonifacio García Porras, Head of Unit at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW), and Igor Kalinic, Head of Sector at the European Commission’s European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency – EISMEA.
Attendees then gained insights into China’s economic outlook with keynote presentations by renowned economists Dan Wang, Jacob Gunter, and Alicia García-Herrero. The session, moderated by EU SME Centre Team Leader Liam Jia, provided participants with crucial data points and analysis on China’s evolving economic landscape.
Eva Valle Lagares, Head of Unit Far East at the European Commission’s DG Trade, discussed EU-China trade relations, explaining in a keynote presentation the impact of China’s industrial policies on trade and investment relations, as well as the critical importance of strengthening the EU’s resilience and competitiveness.
The afternoon programme began with a discussion with the consortium implementing the EU SME Centre Phase IV (2022–2025). Representatives from the two consortium partners based in China, the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce (CICC) and the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China (EUCCC), and from the two consortium partners based in Europe, the Italy-China Council Foundation (ICCF) and Sociedade Portuguesa de Inovação (SPI), presented their different roles in bringing the Centre’s first-line services to European SMEs at various stages of their internationalisation to the Chinese market.
CICC Chairman Lorenzo Riccardi and EUCCC Vice President Massimo Bagnasco gave an overview of the activities led by their organisations for the EU SME Centre in China. ICCF Head of Research Alessandro Zadro and SPI Board Member Sara Medina detailed the Centre’s activities in Europe, including the partnerships signed with BSOs and TPOs in EU Member States and countries participating in the Single Market Programme (SMP). Flavie Guérin, Secretary General of Trade Promotion Europe (TPE), and Gwenn Sonck, Executive Director of the EU-China Business Association (EUCBA), presented their organisations’ roles as associated partners of the EU SME Centre Phase IV.
Next, a session devoted to the policy environment brought a range of European perspectives on business confidence regarding China with presentations delivered by Luisa Santos, Deputy Director General of BusinessEurope, and Andrzej Juchniewicz, Head of the Foreign Trade Office in Shanghai of PAIH, the Polish Trade and Investment Agency. Ester Cañada Amela, Advocacy Manager at the EU SME Centre, presented key topics of concern for SMEs in China and the main takeaways of the recently published 2024 edition of the annual Policy Environment Report.
The day concluded with a discussion on the rapid emergence of green technologies as a key industry in China, featuring presentations by Massimo Bagnasco, Vice President at the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, and Wanyuan Song, Section Editor (China) at Carbon Brief. Lukas Jasiunas, CEO of ecorbio, and André Godinho Luz, CEO of Infinite Foundry, who took part in the SME Business Mission to China focusing on green industries and organised by the EU SME Centre in September 2024, also took the floor to share their takeaways from the Mission.
The second day focused on delivering practical insights for SMEs already operating in or aiming to enter the Chinese market. Experts and business leaders presented on pressing issues in connectivity and cybersecurity, led by Tom Nunlist, Associate Director at Trivium China. Simone Ciampi, General Manager at Exprivia Asia, shared his expertise as a service provider specialised in IT solutions for European clients in the Chinese market. The conference further addressed best practices to protect SMEs’ intellectual property rights (IPR), with Simon Cheetham, Team Leader at the China IP SME Helpdesk, guiding participants through recent IPR advancements.
The closing session on industrial dynamics in China, with insights from Alessio Petino, Business Advisor at the EU SME Centre, and Mirko Turrina, General Manager of Goglio (Tianjin) Packaging Co. Ltd., explored the role played by regional clusters, free-trade zones and high-tech-zones, offering SMEs key considerations when selecting the most relevant operational base for their needs and goals in the Chinese market.
Stay informed of the EU SME Centre’s activities, publications and events at www.eusmecentre.org.cn.
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