European Chamber Podcasts

2024 has been an extraordinary year of elections. Two of the world’s largest economies, the European Union and the United States, voted for their new leadership. Due to the strong economic ties between China, the EU and the US, the ramifications of both elections could be enormous for European companies operating in China.

In this episode, our host Gao Rui, senior marketing manager at the European Chamber, is joined by Stefan Bernhart, vice president of the European Chamber, and Ester Cañada Amela, head of European Affairs at the European Chamber. They will focus on the results of the EU elections and its policy direction in relation to China, and also touch on the implications of Trump’s second term as the US President.

What to Listen For

01:01 Introduction of the general process of EU elections and the its latest update

03:35 The roles of the European Parliament and the main differences this time around compared with the last Parliament.

09:09 The roles of the European Commission and its policy continuities and expected changes.

18:28 Introduction of the Council of the EU and the European Council.Changes to the internal dynamics of the Council in 2024.

22:32 Member states’ and industries’ reactions to the Commission guidelines.

25:50 How have the engagements between individual member states and Chinese leaders impacted the EU’s overall approach to China?

27:10 The impact of Trump’s re-election on the EU’s overall foreign policy as well as its relations with China.

29:08 What could China do to improve the EU-China bilateral relationship?

30:00 Key asks from European companies in China to the new EU leadership.

Contact:

We’d love to hear your feedback. Contact us at [email protected].

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In the past year, the Chinese government has been promoting visa-free policies to boost inbound travel. During this summer, news about the big boom of China’s inbound tourists is all over the Chinese media. Foreign vloggers posted tons of travelling in China videos and some of them went viral on Chinese social media.

In this episode, our host Gao Rui, senior marketing manager at the European Chamber, is joined by Remi Paul, chair of Aviation and Aerospace Working Group and Austin Bliss, policy and communications coordinator at the European Chamber. They look at two aspects of inbound travel, the resumption of international flights and China’s visa-free policies.

What to listen for:

01:14 Current situation of air traffic recovery to and from China

03:57 Differences between the recovery of foreign and domestic carriers

09:57 Estimation for the full resumption of international flights

11:32 Influence of visa-free policies on inbound air traffic

14:35 To what extent did visa-free policies boost inbound travel

17:08 Introduction of different visa-free schemes related to business travel

24:34 Common mistakes of using visa-free schemes leading to denials of entry

32:18 Recommendations for improving current visa-free policies

34:39 Other possible policy improvements to boost inbound travel

Contact:

We’d love to hear your feedback. Contact us at [email protected].

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The European Chamber published its annual Business Confidence Survey in early May. Respondents reported that alongside economic and geopolitical challenges, competition is also a key hurdle for their business in China.

In this episode, our host Gao Rui, senior marketing manager at the European Chamber, is joined by Jens Eskelund, president of the European Chamber, and Amy Niu, vice chair of Energy Working Group. They look at some of the survey’s findings related to competition and discuss challenges for European companies competing with Chinese counterparts, causes for increasingly fierce competition in China, as well as provide suggestions for companies.

What to listen for:

1:20 Competition environment in the Chinese market

4:15 Major challenges for European companies competing with Chinese companies

9:12 Demand situation in energy sector

12:35 Proposed measures to boost demand

15:43 Examples of the industries that are experiencing overcapacity

20:04 Effect of overcapacity on European companies operating in China, the Chinese economy and other countries

23:47 Outlook of competitive pressure facing European companies in China and suggestions for companies in China and considering entering the Chinese market

Contact:

We’d love to hear your feedback. Contact us at [email protected].

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The European Chamber published its annual Business Confidence Survey in early May. It shows a significant improvement in perceptions about market opening: 19% of respondents report significant market opening in their industry, which is the highest level recorded in the past decade; and 26% of respondents report some opening, the same proportion as last year.

In this episode, our host Gao Rui, senior marketing manager at the European Chamber, is joined by two industry experts, Mario Huang, Chair of Banking and Securities Sub-working Group, and Johannes Weilharter, Chair of Construction Working Group. They look at some of the survey’s findings related to market access and discuss opportunities and challenges facing European banking and construction industries and their willingness to invest in China.

What to listen for:

1:43 Market openings in banking industry in the past year

3:25 Foreign players in banking still face challenges due to market conditions

5:40 New opportunities for foreign construction companies

7:27 Challenges for foreign construction companies in local market

8:29 Market closing in banking industry and its impacts

10:13 The key challenges that resulted in missing business opportunities in 2023

14:19 Reasons for reduced willingness to investment in China

18:21 Expectations of potential market openings and opportunities

22:36 Examples of difficulties in advocating for change

25:39 Areas of potential market openings and opportunities

Contact:

We’d love to hear your feedback. Contact us at [email protected].

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The European Chamber published its annual Business Confidence Survey in early May. One section of the survey is on carbon neutrality. It is a key policy priority for the Chinese Government, which targets peaking carbon emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. It is also a key goal of European businesses in China, who not only need to live up to their global corporate sustainability pledges, but also comply with strict EU regulations.

In today’s episode, our host Gao Rui, senior marketing manager at the European Chamber, is joined by Christoph Schrempp, Chair of the European Chamber’s Tianjin Chapter, and Xu Zhonghua, Chair of Carbon Market Working Group. They look at some of the survey’s findings on carbon neutrality and discuss companies’ decarbonisation progress, strategies, challenges and areas of cooperation with China.

What to listen for:

2:15 General picture of access to renewable energy in China

3:49 Access to renewables situation in Tianjin

8:45 Examples of companies’ actions to increase energy efficiency

11:13 Policy or financial incentives for companies in China to increase energy efficiency

11:58 How carbon credits work

12:25 Carbon trading is a necessary strategy in the long run

14:27 Uncertainties over China’s national carbon-trading market

15:41 Difficulties for European companies to participate in the current carbon trading market in China

18:41 Lack of low-carbon culture and its impact on companies’ decarbonisation progress

22:16 What European businesses in China can offer to help China achieve its 30/60 goals

24:40 What the European Chamber’s working groups and chapters can do to help members deliver on their decarbonisation pledges

Contact:

We’d love to hear your feedback. Contact us at [email protected].

Follow the European Chamber on LinkedIn, Twitter, WeChat (europeanchamber), and sign up for our newsletter here, to get notified on new episodes.