Injecting positive energy into China-EU economic and trade relations

The 40-member China Entrepreneur Club Delegation paid a visit to Belgium and EU headquarters on June 23 and 24. The delegation was composed of well-known Chinese private entrepreneurs and scholars. The arrival of this delegation captured the attention of local political and business circles and also local media.

Rising international influence

Set up in 2006, China Entrepreneur Club is a non-profit organization. It has attracted 46 heads of excellent private enterprises in their respective industries and seven consultants from the economic and diplomatic circles. Liu Chuanzhi, Chairman of the Board of Legend Holdings Limited, is the director of this organization, and also the head of the delegation.

On the night of June 23, Belgian Prime Minister Elio di Rupo held a banquet for the delegation. He expressed his admiration for Chinese private enterprise leadership in several areas and their contribution to China's reform and opening up as well as its development and progress. On June 24, the delegation was received by Jose Manuel Barros, Chairman of the European Union Commission. At their next stop, French President Francois Hollande received the delegation.

Wu Jianmin, consultant to the China Entrepreneur Club and Vice Director of China Institute for Innovation and Development Strategy, told People's Daily, the going global strategy of the Chinese private entrepreneurs will attract attention from the world. The high-profile reception by local governments in Belgium and France shows emphasis on these personnel in the Chinese business community. Liao Liqiang, Ambassador of China to Belgium, said, "We have felt the international influence exerted by today's China and its entrepreneurs."

Delivering the true voice from the Chinese business circle

According to Liu, the trip to Europe aims to learn from good business traditions in these countries, display a good image of Chinese private entrepreneurs and deliver the true voice from the Chinese business circle to the rest of the world, and discover new business cooperation opportunities.

During the short one and a half days in Belgium, entrepreneurs from China and Belgium conducted comprehensive talks, focusing on the exploration of new cooperation opportunities in each other's industries. Before this European trip, 10 companies in the club, of investment and financial nature, held a joint conference, hoping to join hands with investors in Belgium and France on analysis of certain industries and connect relevant enterprises. The 10 companies' investment scale reaches 100 billion yuan ($15.9 billion).

"The visit is only the beginning," said Liu. After this, entrepreneurs will come back to France and Belgium to put into practice investment and cooperation initiatives.

When asked what advantages Chinese private enterprises possess, Liu told a personal story during a press conference. He said when his company Legend purchased the IBM personal computer business, the latter was suffering serious losses, but returned to huge profits after being merged.

There is no lack of successful Chinese private entrepreneurs in Europe. China's Geely Automobile purchased Volvo, which revived the latter. Bernard Dewit, Chairman of the Belgian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, told People's Daily, it's not easy for Chinese enterprises to enter the European market, mainly because Chinese enterprises need to adapt to the laws in Europe. With the development of the single EU market, and the integration of relevant laws and regulations, these problems will be gradually solved.

Cooperation reduces negative energy

Coming to Europe, these entrepreneurs thus got the opportunity to communicate directly with local political and economic personnel and to inform them of the fundamental differences between China's private and state-owned businesses as well as the important role played by privately owned enterprises in the Chinese economy.

When asked what questions would be raised to Jose Manuel Barros, Liu said they have a lot of concerns, stressing that increasing communication between Chinese entrepreneurs and various circles in the European Union will help remove misunderstanding. He added, "China-EU economic and trade relations are very important. Only cooperation will help produce positive energy."

Wu said, Chinese entrepreneurs came to tell Chinese stories, showcase the good image of China and to promote public diplomacy. Zhu Xinli, Chairman of the Board of China Huiyuan Juice Group Limited, said since its establishment, the company has imported 3 billion euros worth of equipment and materials from Europe. There is great potential for China-EU cooperation.

As the chairman of the Board of Legend Holdings Limited, Liu won the "Entrepreneur of the World Prize" in France in 2010. He believes China's private enterprises are able to "go global" successfully, to realize consistency of strategic execution and consistency of corporate culture initiative. When asked what Chinese enterprises possess, his answer was "not only money, but also concepts."