Meeting with China Centre for Promotion of SME Development (ProSME) and China International Cooperation Association of SMEs (CICASME)

On 14 October 2022, EU SME Centre and European Chamber representatives met with a delegation led by DG Shan Lipo from the China Centre for the Promotion of SME Development (ProSME) and China International Cooperation Association of SMEs (CICASME); and Frank Schmiedel, First Counsellor at the Delegation of the European Union to China.

Jens Eskelund, Vice President of the European Chamber, presented the Inter-Chamber SME Position Paper 2022-23 and expressed key concerns faced by EU SMEs operating in China, such as access to financing, administrative barriers, reduction of financial burden and IPR protection. Liam Jia, Team Lead of the EU SME Centre, introduced phase IV of the Centre. Both sides talked about the successful cooperation that has so far taken place – which includes joint events on the interpretation of relevant SME policies, as well as the participation of Chamber and Centre representatives in major conferences organised by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and ProSME. It was then proposed to explore new areas and modes of cooperation.