The China-Europe CEO Roundtable was held in Beijing on Thursday, bringing together around 60 major companies, highlighting the strong complementarities between the two sides’ industries.
Leaders of the firms, including French state-owned electric utility EDF and the Netherlands-based global tech company Philips, alongside Chinese counterparts like the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) and Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), emphasized China’s importance as a key market.
"Europe as a whole is very strong in basic research and development, and China is a world leader in digitalization and artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, China has a uniquely large market and a lot of innovative talents," said Xu Baoping, chairman of the Board of Directors at German brake maker Knorr-Bremse's Asia Pacific arm.
Many expressed confidence in China’s economic development path and optimism about future collaboration opportunities.
"We must work together to ensure our partnership becomes both a stabilizer and a source of innovation in global governance. EU energy industry, as well as Eni, stands ready to serve as a bridge between Europe and China, and to contribute to a new chapter of cooperation, with energy decarbonization as a unifying bond," said Gianni Di Giovanni, chairman of Italian energy group Eni’s China division.
Data show that over the 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the European Union (EU), bilateral trade has increased by more than 300 times.
At the event, many guests expressed hope that China and the EU would continue to deepen and expand their cooperation.
"China and Europe, as the world's second- and third-largest economies, have highly complementary economies and closely intertwined interests. Only by working together and coexisting in harmony can we jointly cope with challenges and inject more stability into global development," said Liao Lin, chairman of the China-Europe Business Council (CEBC) and chairman of ICBC.
"For the last, you know, 50 years of diplomatic relations, we’ve seen an increase in opportunities for EU and Chinese businesses to work together. And they’ve done so through many joint ventures, and an incredible amount of tech transfer, talent transfer, and product adoption, both here in China. I think there’s a great opportunity for us to work together there -- in Europe, in China, and elsewhere around the world, too. I really hope it can happen," said Adam Dunnett, secretary general of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China.
Chinese, European business leaders discuss cooperation at roundtable in Beijing
Chinese, European business leaders discuss cooperation at roundtable in Beijing
Chinese, European business leaders discuss cooperation at roundtable in Beijing
