Back to the Future – the Impacts of the Corporate Social Credit System on SMEs and its Implications in Times of COVID-19

EU SME Centre and European Union Chamber of Commerce in China

Inter-Chamber SME Working Group and SME Forum

Back to the Future – the Impacts of the Corporate Social Credit System on SMEs and its Implications in Times of COVID-19.

Tuesday, 24th March 2020, 15:30-17:30 (Beijing time)

Location: Online (Zoom – only confirmed via email will receive the link)

The Corporate Social Credit System (SCS) is quietly changing the working of the Chinese economy. While the worldwide outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has impacted many areas of the business community operating in China, in particular SMEs, the CSCS is still working and expanding its areas of influence. The difficulties in the resumption of work and failure the consecutive failure to provide as promised could post unknown consequences in the business SCS record. In this regard, the SCS could be an ally or a threat for SMEs, depending on the correct understanding of this influential tool.

The EU SME Centre and the European Chamber are thus pleased to invite you to our webinar where we will address pressing questions on how and what to do to overcome the impacts of COVID-19 for SMEs from a corporate social credit system view. Ms. Cara Meng, Senior Associate at Taylor Wessing andMs. Kendra Schaefer, Partner at Trivium China, will both discuss the usage, understanding and also benefits and dangers that the SCS could pose to SMEs. The conversation will be moderated by the South China Local Chair Candidate to the SME Forum, Mr. Marco Förster.

If you would like to attend, please register with Ms. Cindi Yu at cindi.yu@eusmecentre.org.cn before Monday, 23rd March COB (Beijing time).

Please mind that Chatham House rules are applied in this meeting.

Agenda

15:30-15:40 Opening remarks and Self Introduction by South China SME Forum Chair Candidate Marco Förster

15:40-16:15 Presentation by Ms. Cara Meng

16:15-16:50 Presentation by Ms. Kendra Schaefer

16:50-17:10 Discussion and Q&A

Speakers

Cara Meng

Cara Meng is a Senior Associate at Taylor Wessing based in Shanghai Office. Cara specializes in advising on compliance matters. Throughout the last 5 years Cara has advised various MNC’s and SME’s from different industries on compliance related matters. This covers both investigation work on complex internal investigations but also setting-up and maintaining compliance management systems for the China operations of foreign invested enterprises.

Kendra Schaefer

Kendra is Partner at Trivium China, and works there as Head of Digital Research. She leads two of Trivium’s initiatives: Trivium User Behavior, which explores user experience trends in China’s emerging markets, and Trivium Social Credit, which is tracking the development of China’s social credit system.

Kendra has been in China since 2002. She began her career as a pixel-pusher, building cross-cultural interfaces for foreign firms entering the China market, and moved into consulting on Chinese interface usability and user behavior. She has consulted on over 150 digital projects for both SMEs and multinationals.

Marco Förster

Marco Förster is Dezan Shira & Associates’ Shenzhen-based International Business Advisory Associate. Growing up in Berlin and Hanoi, and by gaining on-the-ground China experience since 2014, Marco feels comfortable in projects involving multiple jurisdictions. He mainly advises corporate investors in setting up and growing their businesses in China and ASEAN. These services can range from pre-entry assessments to “China Plus One” strategies, and ongoing support in conjunction with DSA’s legal, tax, accounting, HR and payroll teams. Within the German Desk, Marco looks after the firm’s German, Austrian and Swiss accounts, oversees publications and business partnerships.

Marco speaks fluent German, English, Mandarin, and Vietnamese, and studied economics and Chinese in Hangzhou and Beijing respectively. In 2018, he has joined the firm in Beijing and prior to that, he has gained consulting experience at other consultancies throughout Germany, China and Vietnam.