The China Chamber of Commerce to the EU (CCCEU) held a closed-door meeting with high-level experts on China, the European Union (EU) and Sino-European relations on June 10, 2020. Due to the restrictions adopted by the Belgian authorities to limit the spread of COVID-19, the meeting took place online.

Ms Zhou Lihong, CCCEU Chairperson, chaired the debate with five leading experts: David Gosset, founder of Europe-China Forum; Dennis Pamlin, senior adviser at the Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE); Bernard Dewit, chairman of the Belgian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce (BCECC); Shada Islam, international commentator and head of New Horizons Project; and Haiyan Zhang, professor at the Paris-based NEOMA Business School. 

The CCCEU and the experts discussed the main developments in Sino-European relations and the speakers dwelled on the future of the economic partnership between China and the EU, with particular attention to the role of Chinese enterprises. Thanks to their extensive experience, the experts provided vital insights on the latest trends and made suggestions on how to address the most relevant topics in the Annual Report. 

In particular, they highlighted the uniqueness of the report, which in their opinion is a valuable tool for European policymakers: not only does it bring in the perspective of Chinese businesses with regard to the EU business environment, but also proposes solutions for increased cooperation, which ultimately benefit both partners.

Alongside the experts, the international consultancy Roland Berger attended the videoconference. Following the achievements of last year, Roland Berger will provide support for the redaction of the 2020 CCCEU Annual Report and its representatives joined the talks to understand how to best structure the Annual Report and make it fit for purpose.