Press Release – Benelux Roadshow 2018
Press Release – Benelux Roadshow 2018
From June 12 to June 15, the Benelux Chamber of Commerce in China (Chapter Beijing) in cooperation with the EU SME Centre held its annual roadshow in the Benelux. On behalf of BenCham, Frederic Derbaudrenghien, Vice President of BenCham Beijing and CEO of EU Sino, Brecht Timmermans, General Manager of BenCham Beijing and Michiel Vos, Manager Corporate Services at Moore Stephens were present.
June 12 – June 14: Export Fair Flanders Investment and Trade
From June 12 to June 14, BenCham participated at the export fair organized by the Flanders Investment and Trade (FIT) and could be found at the group stand organized by the Federation of Belgian Chambers of Commerce (BLCCA). During a period of three days over 30 B2B matchmakings took place in which Frederic Derbaudrenghien, Michiel Vos and Brecht Timmermans provided Flemish SMEs practical advice and guidance on the Chinese market.
On the first day, a seminar was also organized in cooperation with the Belgian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce (BCECC), and the EU SME Centre on the topic “Be prepared for China: From Theory to Practice”. Michiel Vos, Manager Corporate Services at Moore Stephens presented the business climate in China and results of the Sino Benelux Business Survey. Mr. Bernard Dewit, Chairman at BCECC gave practical information about the Chinese market and presented an update on the current legislation. Lastly, Felim Meade, Co-Founder at Emerald Green Consulting, learnt the participants on how to build, operate and profit from a cross-border WeChat Shop in China.
June 14: Business Climate in China
On June 14, in cooperation with Guanxi, BenCham organized an event in The Hague on the Business Climate in China. Michiel Vos, Manager Corporate Services at Moore Stephens presented the findings of the Sino Benelux Business Survey. Afterwards, Daphne Tuijn, Managing Partner at WebshopinChina, presented the e-commerce market in China and shared her experiences on how Dutch companies can use WeChat to generate brand recognition and sell products (cross-border) to the Chinese consumer. Following the presentations, a panel discussion took place in which Frederic Derbaudrenghien, Vice President of BenCham Beijing and CEO of EU Sino, participated as well.
The overall conclusion on the business climate in China is that companies are still very positive about the Chinese market, they have had satisfactory results in 2017 and they are expecting to grow even better compared to last year in China. However, they do still take existing challenges into account which they have indicated to have a negative impact, whereas salary costs, restrictiveness and unlevelled playing field remain key concerns for Benelux businesses within China.
June 15: Business Climate Confidence in China
On June 15, in cooperation with the Benelux Union, BCECC, China-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, and the EU SME Centre, BenCham organized an important stakeholder event in Brussels. The participants were officially welcomed by Mr. Jan Molema, Director at the Benelux Union. After the opening remarks, Michiel Vos, Manager Corporate Services at Moore Stephens answered the following questions:
How have Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) companies active in China performed in 2017 and what their expectations for 2018? Are Benelux companies more impacted by new rules and regulations in China and have Benelux companies experienced any business opportunities due to governmental policies such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)? What do companies consider about the current business climate in China? Does China remain still an important market for Benelux businesses?
Secondly, Valentin de le Court, expert at the IPR SME Helpdesk, introduced the audience to the main trends in Chinese intellectual property and innovation policies and to what it means for Benelux companies doing business in China. And lastly, Frederic Derbaudrenghien, Vice President of BenCham Beijing and CEO of EU Sino, gave a presentation on the new reality in economic development zones in China, China’s factory migration and opportunities for Benelux companies. Frederic also explained how zones adapt to economic trends how companies can make use of supporting policies.
BenCham, the Benelux Chamber of Commerce in China
BENCHAM is a member driven organization, providing the best business network to facilitate doing business between Benelux and China. Based in China, BENCHAM has three chapters in Beijing, Shanghai and PRD, providing its members with high quality connections and shares knowledge and best practices to help improve their business in different areas in China. In 2005, the Beijing chapter was created with the support from a Board of Directors and an Advisory Board, all highly valued business people in the Benelux community in China.