Exclusive Roundtable with Shanghai Vice Mayor Hua Yuan

2024-07-04 | Shanghai

On 4th July, the European Chamber participated in an exclusive roundtable with Mr Hua Yuan, Member of the CPC Shanghai Standing Committee and Vice Mayor of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government.

European Chamber Vice President and Shanghai Chapter Chair Carlo D’Andrea led a delegation comprising eleven Advisory Council members from various sectors including chemicals, environmental services, food and beverage, logistics, industrial manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and inspection, testing and certification services.

In addition to expressing appreciation for Shanghai’s efforts to optimise the business environment, D’Andrea called for more and better policies that can improve liveability for foreign nationals and attract more European young talent to live and work in Shanghai. He also proposed collaboration between the Chamber and the Shanghai Government on the development of SMEs and strengthening intellectual property rights protection for biopharmaceutical R&D. On behalf of the automotive industry, D’Andrea put forward recommendations to develop the Chinese market for vintage cars and motorcycles.

The two sides also exchanged views on other important topics for European companies in Shanghai, including equipment renewal, policies for both regional headquarters and R&D centres,  freight transportation, participation in the city’s decarbonisation plans, and increasing cultural and sports exchanges.

Vice Mayor Hua recognised the importance of the European business community and proposed deepening collaboration with the European Chamber in various areas. He responded to all of the comments made by the Chamber delegation, and called on his government colleagues to take appropriate follow-up actions.

The roundtable was moderated by Mr Liu Ping, Deputy Secretary General of Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, and was joined by representatives from the Municipal Commission of Commerce, the Commission of Economy and Informatisation, the Commission of Science and Technology, the Commission of Transportation, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the Administration of Sports, and the Healthcare Security Bureau.