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The business delegation from the Chamber of Commerce came back to China for the first time since 2019.
The Official Trade Mission to China took place on 23-30 November 2024 in 3 cities: Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou and was headed by Mr. Xavier Bettel, Vice Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Mr. Lex Delles, Minister of the Economy, SME, Energy and Tourism, and Mr. Fernand Ernster, President of the Chamber of Commerce. This mission aimed to showcase new opportunities for collaboration, especially, in the identified sectors of Logistics, Automotive, and CleanTech. The trade delegation was composed of 36 Luxembourg companies with over 60 participants, reflecting the strong interest of the Luxembourg business community in the Chinese market.
The programme of the mission included various agenda points. In Beijing, the business delegation visited the China International Supply Chain Expo, where the company IEE was exhibiting. The Luxembourg-Chinese Business Forum hold in the framework of this Expo featured opening remarks of Mr. Lex Delles, Mr. Fernand Ernster and Mr. Zhang Shaogang, Vice Chairman CCPIT China, as well as engaging discussions centered on Logistics and Supply Chain – key areas for both, Luxembourg and China. Mr. Ernster noted in his opening remarks that “the main sectors identified for this mission (Logistics and Supply Chain, Automotive and CleanTech) perfectly reflect the agenda of the Expo, which is more than just a platform for discussions, but a place for innovative solutions“. CargoLux and POST provided their testimonials on the cooperation opportunities in China.
Upon the arrival of Luxembourg’s official and business delegations in Shanghai, the second Luxembourg-China Business Forum kicked off on Wednesday with opening remarks from Minister Bettel, Minister Delles, and Mr. Ernster. President Ernster referred to the enhancement of our trade relations following the World Expo Shanghai in 2010, which served as a springboard for deepening economic ties. Back then, the Luxembourg pavilion welcomed over 7 million visitors, offering them a glimpse into Luxembourg's openness, dynamism, and reliability.
The programme of the day included the Signing Ceremony of Memorandums of Understanding between Luxembourg and Chinese companies in the 3 identified sectors, a seminar on Automotive and CleanTech, and pre-organised B2B meetings. This busy day concluded with the Official reception which brought together over 200 participants from both the Luxembourg and Chinese business communities.
Overall, this one-week programme for the business delegation included a wide range of company visits in Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou, where Luxembourg companies could explore partnerships and new cooperation opportunities. The visits to Chinese companies like Huawei and Alibaba, and to industry leaders like iflyteck and PingPong, provided firsthand insights into China’s cutting-edge sectors. The delegation visited the Shanghai International Automotive City, exploring the avenues of cooperation in the automotive sector, which included the visit of Shanghai AutoMuseum, autonomous driving and the visit of homologation laboratory.
The mission concluded with a farewell dinner at the former Luxembourg pavilion of the World Expo Shanghai 2010, which was a symbolic moment to share with the delegation.
China, the world's second largest economy by nominal GDP and the largest economy by purchasing power parity (PPP), remains Luxembourg's 17th most important trade partner worldwide (and second in Asia), despite the geographical distance. This Official Trade mission aimed to offer a platform for Luxembourg and Chinese companies for exploring and strengthening partnerships.
This Official Mission to China involved many co-organisers from Luxembourg Trade and Invest, such as the Embassy of Luxembourg in Beijing, the LTIO office (General Consulate) in Shanghai, the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, the Luxembourg Ministry of the Economy, as well as Luxinnovation. Through this mission, the Chamber of Commerce has reinforced its partnership with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) that was launched back in 2019. CCPIT, also known as the China Chamber of International Commerce, is a national agency dedicated to promoting foreign trade and investment.
谢谢 China!
