President Eskelund Speaks at 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS)

2024-09-13 | All chapters

On 13^th September, European Chamber President Jens Eskelund spoke at the Forum on Development of Trade in Services, which was held as part of the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS). Eskelund stressed the importance of a healthy European Union (EU)-China trade relationship and the potential business opportunities in bilateral trade in services, as China is currently the destination for just five per cent of the EU’s service exports. He highlighted the significant challenges that European companies are facing in public procurement, cross-border data transfer, sustainable aviation fuel and access to the airline computer reservation system in the Chinese market, which are reflected in the European Chamber’s Position Paper 2024/2025. Eskelund called on the Chinese Government to act on the Position Paper’s more than 1,000 recommendations,  and expressed the European Chamber’s willingness to engage with Chinese stakeholders at all levels to identify ways to collaborate to restore business confidence.

The moderator of the Forum praised Eskelund for being candid about the current challenges and barriers faced by European business as well as the efforts that the Chinese Government needs to make