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2009-09-12 | All chapters
EU Commissioner Ashton supports European Chamber’s call for a level playing field in China, Meets Chamber Members, Visits IPR Helpdesk
European Chamber, 11th September 2009
(PHOTO: Commissioner Ashton and the IPR Helpdesk Team)
At a press conference yesterday at the EU Delegation office in Beijing, European Union Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton gave her full support to European businesses’ call for a level playing field in China, and echoed the key recommendations of the recently published European Business in China Position Paper 2009/2010.
Commissioner Ashton emphasized that foreign companies operating in China did not expect “red carpet treatment” but “we need to make sure they don't get the rug pulled from under their feet at the same time.”
Commissioner Ashton also noted that she had been given assurances by senior government officials during her first visit to China that European businesses operating here "would be regarded as Chinese businesses".
On 8th September, Commissioner Ashton met with President of the European Chamber Joerg Wuttke and members of the European Chamber’s Advisory Council, and listened to their concerns in their operations as well as recommendations on the current business environment. The Chamber delegation also presented Commissioner Ashton the newly launched European Business in China Position Paper 2009/2010, and briefed her of the key issues.
The following day, the Commissioner and her team paid a visit to the IPR Helpdesk, a program hosted at the European Chamber’s office in Beijing. The initiative is funded by the EC Directorate –General for Enterprise and Industry and run by a consortium including the European Chamber and Development Solutions. With representation across the Chamber’s network of offices, the IPR Helpdesk provides advice and practical help on IPR issues to European SMEs.
"There are some important opportunities in China for small and medium sized enterprises to develop their businesses," Ashton noted during her visit to the IPR Helpdesk. "The importance of finding out as much information as possible before going to China cannot be overstated. The Helpdesk is here to provide you with advice and support ….their expertise is second to none."
About the European Business in China Position Paper 2009/2010
As the European Chamber’s primary annual lobbying document, the European Business in China Position Paper 2009/2010 draws on the industry knowledge and expertise of the European Chamber’s over 1,400 member companies, and presents Chinese and European policy-makers with more than 500 recommendations in 32 individual papers.
Later this month, a European Chamber delegation will travel to Brussels to present the Position Paper 2009/2010 to senior officials at the European Commission.
To purchase a copy of the European Business in China Position Paper 2009/2010, please click here. For more information about this Position Paper, please click here.
About the IPR Helpdesk
The China IPR SME Helpdesk introduces European SMEs to the knowledge and business tools required to develop the value of their intellectual property rights and to manage related risks. The Helpdesk provides free information, first-line advice and training support to European SMEs to protect and enforce their IPR in China. The Helpdesk´s services are free and are offered in its offices by appointment, through telephone and online enquiry points; there will also be a range of practical training tools available in web-based forms and through training workshops in Europe and China.
For more information visit the IPR Helpdesk website (http://www.china-iprhelpdesk.eu/) or contact Jaspal Channa at jchanna@euccc.com.cn
(PHOTO: Commissioner Ashton leaving a message on the China IPR Helpdesk)