News

In this Newsletter, we will introduce Mr. René Branders, since many years actively engaged in China-Belgium cooperation and export business with China.

Since the beginning of June, Beijing and Shanghai businesses have reopened and residents have been released after a very long and strict lockdown. These lockdowns have contributed to the difficult circumstances which already affected global supply chains since the year before.

When planning to enter China, many Belgian companies wonder whether it is possible to get any incentives or subsidies in China. Recently, the EU SME Centre published an extensive report about this topic. In this article we present a summary, but more details can be found in the EU SME Centre’s report.

From June 15 to June 24, the China IP SME Helpdesk is organising the “Meet the IP Business Advisor Weeks” initiative. This is your chance to get free 1:1 online consultation session to help you develop your IP strategy for the Chinese market!

The concept of ‘dual circulation’ has been propagated by the Chinese government since 2020. Many China observers explain this concept as a policy of self-reliance and decoupling from global markets. But is this true?

In this article, we interviewed Mrs. Cathy Berx – Governor of the Province of Antwerp. Read her reflections on China’s relations with the Province of Antwerp and her views of China in general.

The ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge will from now on continue their growth trajectory under one name: Port of Antwerp-Bruges. At the extraordinary general meeting of 22 April 2022, the two port companies signed the shareholders’ agreement of the unified port company.

On the 31st of March 2022, the Belgian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce (BCECC) organized a webinar together with tax and legal experts from BDO Belgium. During the webinar, China’s new Personal Information Protection Law (PILP) was introduced, including the difference with the European GDPR and what this new legal framework means for your business in China.

The current geopolitical situation is giving us all quite a bit of a headache. As if the pandemic had not caused enough chaos, the conflict in Ukraine surfaced as well, followed by the new Covid-19 outbreak and subsequent lockdown in Shanghai.

China is fighting the biggest surge in coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic, with millions under lockdown and the healthcare system under pressure. One of the last countries sticking to a zero-Covid strategy, China aims to stamp out every infection with strict lockdowns and by sending all cases to secure facilities. 

11 March, China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) was held in Beijing, also called ‘Two Sessions’. Same as last year, due to the national pandemic prevention and control requirements, the event only lasted seven days instead of the usual 10 days.

In this newsletter, we interviewed Peter Tanghe from the Flander Investment & Trade in Guangzhou to better understand China’s tech industry and its opportunities for foreign companies. Read our BCECC newsletter to find out more!

Watch CCTV’s summary video on the EU-China Summit, including an interview with the BCECC’s Chairman.

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit, Flanders’ exports reached a record level in 2021 with EUR 390.5 billion worth of goods, being the region that grew faster than the EU average. What are the trends? And how did Flanders manage achieving a record figure?

As the past year has seen unprecedent challenges in terms of import and export, will global supply chain persist in 2022? Read the BCECC newsletter to find out more!

How popular are winter sports in China? Which business opportunities are there for Belgian companies? Read our latest BCECC newsletter!

Chairman of the Belgian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce (BCECC), Mr. Bernard Dewit, wrote an article about Belgian-Chinese relations and how our countries remain invested in mutual cooperation and win-win benefits.

2021 was a momentous year in China, with landmark regulations marking pivotal changes to key industries and areas of society, therefore China’s economic outlook has been the subject of major discussion. Read our newsletter to discover what China’s economic outlook for 2022 may look like.

We are interested in hearing about your company’s experience with travel bans and its influence on your business with China. Click here for our mini survey!

In 2021, Flanders – the northern region of Belgium – once again saw a solid influx of foreign direct investment. These record-setting results are due to a sharp increase in the number of mergers & acquisitions and a hefty rise in the number of R&D jobs. In total, foreign companies channeled EUR 2.86 billion into their activities on Flanders’ soil.

A new year has started, but unfortunately, about two years after the first Covid-19 outbreak, we are not yet able to report to you the good news that you will be able to travel to China again soon. However, in this article we provide you with a depiction of the current travel restrictions and a practical guideline for when you are travelling to China.

2022 – Let’s move forward together! The BCECC team wishes you all the best for the new year.

When Chinese students plan to study abroad, they often dream of the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom, but Belgium, located in the heart of Europe, can be seen more as the hidden champion for Chinese students.