Vice President of European Chamber Addresses GBA Roundtable Discussion Conference

2024-08-15 | South China

Vice President of European Chamber Addresses GBA Roundtable Discussion Conference

On August 14th, Mr Klaus Zenkel, Vice President of the European Chamber and Chairman of the European Chamber South China Board, addressed the GBA Development Business Conference. 

In his speech, Mr Zenkel stressed the need to enhance the GBA plan's effectiveness for European businesses. Drawing on critical insights from the Business Confidence Survey 2024, he noted a slight decline in national business confidence but highlighted an optimistic outlook within the GBA, particularly in South China, where 61% of respondents found it easier to do business compared to the previous year, and 73% expressed intentions to expand their operations. However, he also pointed out that while the GBA plan is positively influencing regional development, its direct benefits to European companies, particularly SMEs, remain limited. Mr. Zenkel presented several recommendations from European businesses to optimize the GBA plan, including clarifying opportunities for both Chinese and foreign companies, increasing bilingual information, and fostering public discussions to boost engagement and awareness.

Mr Chen Xiaofeng, President of Guangdong CCPIT, also addressed the conference. He emphasized the importance of leveraging China’s large market and enhancing international cooperation to build a higher level of an open economy system. Mr Chen underscored the need for deeper cooperation within the GBA area, particularly in aligning rules and mechanisms to support regional integration. He also stressed the significance of promoting the integrated development of industrial and innovation chains and facilitating the smooth exchange of talent across the GBA. These initiatives are essential for accelerating the quality improvement and upgrading of traditional industries in the region.

At the end of the conference, Mr Zenkel met with Mr Chen and Mr Xing Wenju, Standing Committee Member and Vice Mayor of Dongguan City, and shared with them the printed version of the Business Confidence Survey 2024, along with some key insights from the report.