At this year’s annual Human Capital Conference, the European Chamber is delighted to invite chief executive officers (CEOs) and human resources (HR) leaders from top-tier companies to debate key strategies for adapting to the shifting business dynamics in China. Speakers will explore how to cultivate a culture of talent engagement and retention, while also examining which cutting-edge tools and technologies can help elevate the employee experience and drive organisational transformation.

This event aims to provide a platform for industry leaders and HR professionals to share ideas and gain valuable insights to enhance HR practices and improve the working lives of employees.

• 2024-05-15 | 13:00 - 17:30
• Beijing Ballroom, 3F, Four Seasons Hotel

The annual Central Economic Work Conference was held in Beijing on December 12, 2023. The conference comprehensively reviewed the economic work of 2023 and noted that China's economy has achieved a recovery, with solid progress made in high-quality development during the year.

However, the meeting also highlighted the challenges that China still faces, including lack of effective demand, overcapacity in some sectors, lackluster social expectations, certain risks and hidden problems, bottlenecks in the domestic circulation, as well as rising complexity, severity, and uncertainty of the external environment. It emphasized the importance of being mindful of potential dangers and effectively responding to and solving these problems.

• 2024-01-16 | 15:00 - 16:40
• Teams / European Chamber Office Beijing, 4th Floor, Room C405

To Facilitate Collaboration between Educational Institutions and Businesses to Foster the Green Skills
弥合校企间的供需鸿沟，加强人才的绿色技能发展

• 2023-12-13 | 10:00 - 11:30
• European Chamber Office Beijing, 4th Floor, Room C405 / Online via Teams

The second edition of the European Chamber's European Tour in 2023 took place on the week of 23rd October.

The tour aims to present the European Chamber's key messaging and recent reports to European authorities such as the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council, as well as industry and business associations.

During the five-day tour, the delegation had 58 meetings/events in total, of which 25 were with high-level officials. After the trip, President Eskelund travelled to Paris, Berlin and Copenhagen and met with government, industry and think tank representatives there.

• 2023-12-12 | 10:00 - 11:00
• Zoom online

The normalisation of life in China after COVID management controls were lifted 12 months ago led many to think that a robust and swift economic recovery would follow. However, while it looks like the government’s official 2023 target of achieving around a five per cent growth rate will be met, a combination of economic challenges and policy developments have cast a shadow over the potential for a stronger economy in 2024 and beyond.

In China, consumer demand remains muted, the property market is still in the process of stabilising, and overall business confidence remains low. An increasing number of Chamber member companies are looking to alternative investment destinations to diversify and avoid excessive dependence on a single location; others are separating parts of their China operations from their global ones, to remain compliant with legislation in China and the rest of the world, as well as to guard against risks arising from geopolitical tensions. Some companies take a different approach, doubling down on their presence in China in view of the importance of their China activities to their global portfolio.

• 2023-12-12 | 14:00 - 18:10
• Signature Ballroom, Hilton Beijing

As one of the major annual events of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, the Cybersecurity Conference has been held for six consecutive years since 2016, becoming a well-recognised industry event on cybersecurity and data compliance for foreign companies operating in Chinese market, due to its focus on legislative developments and interpretation of relevant regulations.

A number of cybersecurity-related regulations have been published and implemented over the past year, including the Measures for Cross-border Data Transfer Security Assessments, Measures for the Standard Contract for the Outbound Transfer of Personal Information, the Personal Information Protection Certification Regime and the Interim Measures on the Administration of Generative Artificial Intelligence Services. Of particular note, in August 2023, the State Council released its Opinions on Further Optimising the Foreign Investment Environment and Increasing Efforts to Attract Foreign Investment, and in September, the Cyberspace Administration of China issued a draft Provisions on Regulating and Promoting Cross-border Data Transfers, which aims to adjust the current regulatory framework for outbound data flow, sending positive signals on encouraging foreign investment and promoting cross-border data transfer in a safe and orderly manner.

• 2023-11-30 | 14:00 - 17:30
• Zoom/ European Chamber Office Beijing

Faced with an increasingly unstable geopolitical and economic environment, industrial policy has been inserted as a core component in the agendas of the world’s largest three economies – the United States (US), China, and the European Union (EU). These strategies and regulations on renewable and low-carbon solutions, raw materials and technologies of the future are likely to result in profound implications on the global supply and value chains while reshaping entire industries.

What is the global geopolitical and trade outlook look like amid this global industrial strategy race? What are the implications of the varying policy measures on the strategies of multinational companies? As the world is seemingly moving away from globalisation, how will the elevation of industrial strategies impact the liberalisation of global trade?

Faced with the above and further related questions, the European Chamber launched an event series—Battling it out - Decoding the Global Industrial Strategy Race—to bring members a comprehensive understanding on the industrial strategies adopted by the world’s top three superpowers and their implications on both state and industry players.

• 2023-11-10 | 12:30 - 14:00
• Wang Fu Ballroom II

On 13th August, China’s State Council released the Opinions of the State Council on Further Optimising the Foreign Investment Environment and Increasing Efforts to Attract Foreign Investment (Opinions). The European Chamber has stated that the 24 points contained in the Opinions could go a long way towards improving business confidence if they are implemented in a timely, coordinated and consistent manner. The publication of detailed implementation guidelines will be an extremely important part of this process.

• 2023-10-12 | 15:00 - 16:30
• Signature Ballroom B, Hilton Beijing

International Equal Pay Day, celebrated on 18th September, aims to promote the achievement of equal pay for work of equal value. It further builds on the United Nations' commitment to human rights and against all forms of discrimination, including discrimination against women and girls.
Attaining equal pay stands as a significant milestone for both human rights and gender equality. The journey requires collective efforts from the global community—including businesses, workers' and employers' organisations—to champion pay parity for commensurate work. Nonetheless, there's more work ahead to further advance the economic empowerment of women.

• 2023-09-25 | 14:30 - 16:00
• Zoom/ European Chamber Office Beijing, 4th Floor, Room C405

The reform of Chinese state assets and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) has long remained the core element of China’s economic reform process. In 2015 the Guiding Opinions on Deepening the Reform of State-owned Enterprises (Guiding Opinions) was released as the key framework document to further modernize and improve the overall competence of SOEs. Successively, in 2020, the Three-year Action Program of SOE Reform (2020-2022) (Three-year Action Program) was issued and elaborated on the goals, timeline and future road map of the reform, which proves Chinese government’s ambition for the SOE system to make real changes.

国资国企改革长期以来是中国经济体制改革的重心。2015年，《关于深化国有企业改革的指导意见》（《指导意见》）出台，成为现阶段国企改革的框架性纲领文件，对进一步提高国企现代化和综合能力作出指示。2020年，《国企改革三年行动方案（2020－2022年）》等各项方案正式出台，国企改革的目标、时间表、路线图得到明确，展现了中国政府对深化国资国企改革的决心。

• 2023-09-21 | 14:30 - 16:30
• Signature Ballroom B, Hilton Beijing