On 21-22 October, the EU SME Centre (the Centre), and EUROCHAMBRES hosted the annual EU SME Centre flagship event, the Understanding China Training Programme. Due to the pandemic, the programme was held, for the first time in an all virtual format to allow participants from all over Europe to join. The conference was opened by Mr. Igor Kalinic, Head of Sector of Competitiveness and Internationalisation, European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA), Mr. Ben Butters, CEO of EUROCHAMBRES and Mr. Renzo Isler, Director of the EU SME Centre. The 2-days session, moderated by the EU SME Centre Partnership Coordinator, Laura Velasco, comprised ten formal sessions covering various up-to-date topics.
DAY 1: WHAT HAS HAPPENED AND WHERE WE STAND TODAY
Presentation 1: China Policy Environment and EU SMEs Business Confidence in China – Ester Cañada Amela, Advocacy Manager, EU SME Centre The first presentation of day one of the conference was done by Ester Cañada Amela, Advocacy Manager of the EU SME Centre who presented the China Policy Environment and EU SMEs Business Confidence in China. Ester explained that European companies are doing well in China but there is room for improvement in their performance.
Presentation 2: The impact of Covid-19 on the mobility of personnel between China and Europe – Rosanna Terminio, Managing Partner, AsecorpChina Business Consulting Co. Ltd
The next segment focused on the impact of Covid-19 on the mobility of personnel between China and Europe, which was presented by Rosanna Terminio, Managing Partner of Asecorp China Business Consulting Co. Ltd. Rosanna who explained how businesses are coping with the restrictions and the long-term impact of this situation on the global mobility phenomenon and the international expats assignments.
Presentation 3: Partners’ corner: Supporting EU companies during the Covid
The next two presentations were made by Petra Van Bouwelen, International Business Development Manager of Voka Mechelen-Kempen and Ilaria Perla, Export Adviser at Enterprise Estonia, who provided their experience organising virtual B2B matchmakings and trade missions to China during the pandemic.
Presentation 4: Sharing the road – Tips to direct and protect your SMEs before entering China – Alessio Petino, Knowledge Coordinator, EU SME Centre – Jim Stoopman, China IP SME Helpdesk The last two presentations of the first day of the conference were made by Alessio Petino, Knowledge Coordinator of the EU SME Centre and Jim Stoopman from the China IP SME Helpdesk, who provided the participants with their insights on typical challenges encountered by SMEs when entering the Chinese market as well as shared some tips on how to SMEs can protect their company IP rights before entering China.
DAY 2: WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN? A GLIMPSE INTO TOMORROW – THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES
Presentation 1: China Economic Outlook 2022 and latest macroeconomic trends – Renzo Isler, Director, EU SME Centre The second day of the conference was opened by the EU SME Centre’s Director, Renzo Isler, who presented the economic outlook for China in 2022 and the latest macroeconomic trends.
Presentation 2: Digitalisation of European SMEs: Solutions Provided to Industry-shaping Trends in China – Liam Jia, Operations Manager, EU SME Centre The following presentation was made by Liam Jia, Operations Manager of the EU SME Centre who focused on the digitalization of EU SMEs and how essential it is for SMEs to keep up and adjust their business plans to fit into the evolving digital ecosystem in China.
Presentation 3: China’s Walled Garden: Opening, closing and the resulting business opportunities – Gabor Holch, Founder, Campanile Management Consulting
The next segment was followed by Gabor Holch, Founder of Campanile Management Consulting who made a presentation on China’s Walled Garden focusing on the opening and closing phenomena that China is currently experiencing and the resulting business opportunities for European SMEs in the market.
Presentation 4: Managing your supply chain in China – Lessons learned from the pandemic – Pierre Gargatte, Client Services Manager The following presentation focused on how to manage supply chains in China, which was made by Pierre Gargatte from Fiducia Management Consultants, who explained how European businesses operating in China can identify and minimize vulnerabilities to make their supply chains more resilient and compliant.
Presentation 5: The Future of EU-China Economic Relations – Ester Cañada Amela, Advocacy Manager, EU SME Centre
The final and last presentation of the conference was made by Ester Cañada Amela, Advocacy Manager of the EU SME Centre who shared her vision on the status of the EU-China relations.
You can also find all the speakers presentations [ here ].
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