Chinese companies seek win-win cooperation in Europe

Chinese companies seek win-win results while developing businesses in Europe rather than zero-sum competition with local companies, said three Chinese entrepreneurs in a TV show aired by China Global Television Network (CGTN).

Yin Tongyue, chairman of Chery Automobile Company, stressed the importance of long-term view for Chinese companies in Europe, advising them to follow local rules and share the cake with local competitors.

"Going to a market, it won't do to just turn out Chinese products there. It is a must to follow local laws and regulations and local usage habits. Another thing is we must not take all the cream to ourselves without sharing it with others. We must be a fertilizer rather than a plunderer who goes to other people's home to loot their markets and talents. We also have some local competitors, but we try our best to avoid troubles with them and stay away from their markets," Yin said.

Jia Shaoqian, chairman of Hisense Group, a home appliances and electronics manufacturer that has five factories, six innovation centers, over 20 sales centers and more than 10,000 employees in Europe, said Chinese companies have been not only providing high-quality products and services for European consumers, but also playing an active role in promoting the development of local economies.

"When Hisense went to Europe, we also began with product export and gradually turned to brand building, and later to this globalization model of localized production. In 2018, Hisense acquired Gorenje, which had been losing money for 12 years. After our acquisition, it took just one year and a half to turn this company into profit making. In the city where Gorenje is located, around one third of the residents work in this company. So its turnaround suddenly made them feel Chinese companies are able to do things that European companies fail in management," Jia said.

Gao Jifan, chairman and president of Trina Solar, a leading provider of photovoltaic modules and smart energy solutions and a world leader in solar energy innovation, lauded Europe's healthy business environment for Chinese companies and particularly its efforts to protect innovation.

"For example, the talent environment, innovation environment and high transparency of laws and regulations in Europe are very desirable, So I like Europe very much. Especially, I think Europe has done a brilliant job in protecting intellectual property rights, as it's a key to high-quality development. Only when intellectual property rights are well protected, can innovation be protected," Gao said.

Chinese companies seek win-win cooperation in Europe

The bustling Xiushui Business Street (Silk Street) in Beijing is experiencing a significant surge in visits paid by international tourists, thanks to the country's implementation of visa-free policy.

The business street, known for its array of shops selling a wide range of souvenirs and gifts and a vibrant shopping atmosphere, is among the top destinations for visitors from abroad.

Since earlier this year, China has implemented a visa-free policy that exempts many European ordinary passport holders from the time-consuming and costly obligation, encouraging travelers from nearly a dozen European countries to explore this Asian country. It allows ordinary passport holders of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Malaysia, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg, to enter and stay in China visa-free for up to 15 days for business, tourism, transit, as well as visiting relatives and friends .

Against such a backdrop, the business street, with a spike in international tourist arrivals, has offered popular options with distinctive Beijing features to foreign visitors.

"From January to April this year, the combined number of overseas tourists we received was expected to increase by nearly 20 times from the previous year. We've selected a batch of souvenirs that can represent Beijing for our customers, so as to make each and every of them happy," said Dong Qing, an employee of the business street.

Ibeku hailing from Nigeria was on a business trip to Beijing. She came to the business street to tailor a suit of Nigerian traditional costume with Chinese silk.

"First of all, I love fashion. So if we have Chinese silk [and] Nigerian style [together], that's like a mix of cultures, and that's what we are all hoping to get this day," she said.

Taking into account the tight schedule of foreign customers, many merchants reduce the time it takes to craft bespoke garments from the traditional four to five days down to an impressive 18 hours.

Furthermore, they also provide global mailing services for international customers who express concern about limited luggage space or tight travel schedules.

According to data released by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, the capital city received 469,000 inbound tourist arrivals in the first quarter of this year, up by 3.1 times year on year, and the foreign exchange income of tourism is 650 million U.S. dollars, a year-on-year growth of 225.8 percent.

Xiushui Business Street thrives with influx of foreign tourists under visa-free policy