European Chamber Chairman visits the Shanghai Administration of Industry and Commerce Go back »

2007-10-15 | Shanghai

On the 29th of October 2007, representatives of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, Mr. KK Ho, Chairman of the Shanghai Liaison Office, Mr. Piter de Jong, Board Member, and David Martin, Government Relations Manager visited the Shanghai Administration of Industry and Commerce (Shanghai AIC). The delegation was received by Mr. Chen Xuejun, Deputy Director of Shanghai AIC, Mr. Xing Dongsheng, Director of Trademark Supervision & Administration, and Mr. Chen Yanfeng, Director of the Foreign Investment Enterprise Registration Division. The goal of the meeting was to continue the recent trend of increasing the profile of the chamber with important government bodies in the municipality.

Mr. Ho introduced the organisation and responsibilities of the European Chamber, while also praising the achievements of China in international trade. He stated that the Chamber acknowledges the various efforts of the municipality in enhancing bilateral trade with the EU. In order to bring further understanding, the board members presented the European Business in China Position Paper 2007/2008 to the AIC by stressing three issues of great concern to European companies. Firstly, bilateral trade may be booming, however, a balanced development strategy is needed particularly with regard to the increasing trade imbalance. Secondly, sufficient time to should be granted between the promulgation and the effectives date of laws and regulations. This was in particular reference to the June changes in the VAT rebate scheme. Finally, further enhancing IPR protection is essential for sustaining the current boom in trade.

Director Chen from Shanghai AIC acknowledged that existing problems do create tensions in Sino-EU trade relations. He explained AIC's current position in a number of areas, highlighting some recent developments, particularly in the area of IPR. One of the biggest difficulties, according to Director Chen is to balance the needs of so many interested parties, be they local or international. Another difficulty that causes misunderstandin is that legal counsels in international companies sometimes lack a comprehensive understanding of administrative laws in China. He also pointed out how European companies could do more to solve particular IPR problems, suggesting that companies should be more proactive in reporting abuses. According to AIC, less than 5% of cases are reported by companies, with more than 90% discovered by AIC's own monitoring process. 

The whole meeting was carried out in a relaxed and positive atmosphere. Both sides saw the clear benefit of more dialogue and cooperation in the near future through legal assistance and advice of Chamber members to AIC, as well as the organizing of relevant seminars and conferences. The European Chamber of Commerce highly appreciates the openness and willingness of AIC to engage our members. As the independent voice of European Business in China, together with the support of the Shanghai Municipal Government, the Chamber is confident of making further steps in bringing about a fair, open, and healthy business environment for European companies.

Mr. KK Ho (left), the Chairman of European Chamber in Shanghai, Mr. Xuejun Chen, Deputy Director, Shanghai Administration of Industry and Commerce

(from left to right) Ms. Sophie Zhou, Senior Manager of Government Relation at Philips, Mr. David Martin, Government Relation Manager at European Chamber in Shanghai, Mr. KK Ho, Chairman of European Chamber in Shanghai, Mr. Xuejun Chen, Deputy Director of Shanghai Administration of Industry and Commerce, Mr. Piter de Jong, Vice Chairman of European Chamber in Shanghai, Mr. Dongsheng Xing, Director of Trademark Supervision & Administration Dept. of Shanghai AIC, Mr. Yanfeng Chen, Director of Foreign Investment Enterprise Registration Division of Shanghai AIC, Ms. Fengya Gao, Assistant Investigator of Shanghai AIC.