European Chamber at the EU Pavilion and Exclusive Dinner with EU Trade Commissioner Go back »

2010-07-29 | All chapters

"Trade Days", initiated by the European Commission, is part of the EU's extensive participation in the Shanghai World Expo and an event that European Chamber members have had the opportunity to attend. EU Trade Commissioner, Mr Karel De Gucht, and PRC Vice-Minister of Commerce, Mr Gao Hucheng, opened the event.

With the principal aim of this two-day event to display the importance of developing trade and investment between the EU and China, prominent business leaders and an array of academics came together to exchange their insights on EU-China trade relations. European Chamber Vice-President and Shanghai Board Chair Mr Piter de Jong was among those invited to speak to this gathering of esteemed business leaders and scholars.

Addressing 'China as an Engine for Growth: Current Trends and Future Prospects', Mr. de Jong presented the recently published European Business Confidence Survey, the Chamber's yearly barometer of the feelings of European companies doing business in China.

Following the European Union's "Trade Days", EU Trade Commissioner De Gucht hosted a private dinner with representatives of 10 of the EUCCC's Advisory Council companies on the evening of 22 July in Shanghai. The Commissioner  was briefed on pertinent issues such as IPR, standards and compulsory certification. Discussions covered various industry sectors and Commissioner De Gucht took note of the concerns voiced by each industry. He will raise these issues in future meetings with his Chinese counterparts.