A successful first e-trade mission to China

International Affairs

To further explore the Chinese market and its business opportunities, the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, in association with the Luxembourg Trade and Invest Office in Shanghai and the China Construction Bank, organized Luxembourg’s first e-Trade Mission to China from 23 to 26 November 2020.

Thanks to the collective effort of all partners and panelists involved, and in view of the current health crisis, the entirety of the trade mission was held online.

With more than 170 participants from China and Luxembourg registered, this e-mission put an emphasis on innovative new technologies, digital services, R&D, fintech, resiliency, retail, logistics as well as the creative industries. Alongside the webinars aimed at promoting the economic assets of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the People’s Republic of China. Interested Luxembourgish companies had the opportunity to engage in tailor-made business-to-business meetings with prospects based in mainland China, with the help of the China Construction Bank and their CCB+ online matchmaking platform. All the videos of this digital economic mission can be viewed by following the links below.

The virtual programme was spread over four half-days:

Opening Webinar (23.11.2020)

The e-Mission to China was officially kicked off by the Chairman of the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Luc Frieden, the newly appointed Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, H.E. Mrs Yang Xiaorong, the Consul General of Luxembourg in Shanghai and the Head Office of the China Construction Bank in Beijing. Luxembourg based company CTI Systems presented their 15-year-long success story in China and the Chinese fintech company Ping Pong shared their journey when setting up business in Luxembourg. Watch the full webinar here if you missed it:

e-Mission to China : Official Opening from Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce on Vimeo.

Understanding Digital China (24.11.2020)

On day two of the e-Mission to China, Vincent Hieff, Executive Director of the Luxembourg Trade and Invest Office in Shanghai,  introduced an expert discussion on understanding digital China: representatives from ShanghaiTech, Microsoft for Startups, Moore – MS Advisory, and the Tongji School of Design and Innovation gave an overview of how digitalization changed the daily life and the ways to do business in China. Watch the full webinar if you missed it:

e-Mission to China : Understanding Digital China from Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce on Vimeo.

Digital Economy (25.11.2020)

David Foy, Head of International Business Development - Digital Economy at Luxinnovation, took the digital floor and moderated a panel of Chinese as well as Luxembourgish academics and companies to share their experiences on how the pandemic boosted data driven economies: representatives of White Caviar, the University of Luxembourg, Huawei, Warrigal Innovation Studio, Halian and Whale Cloud debated on the opportunity of digitalization that followed the Covid-19 outbreak. Watch the full webinar if you missed it:

e-Mission to China : Digital Economy from Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce on Vimeo.

e-Commerce & Future Outlook (26.11.2020)

On the final day of the e-Mission: 11 speakers including 2 experts from Alibaba Group sharedd their knowledge and insights on e-commerce and future outlooks when doing business with China. Following a presentation by Alibaba Cloud, the Benelux Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai moderated a panel in which representatives of  EY, Fireworks, JL Pay and Tmall Global shared their insight into current trends in Chinese online marketplaces. The Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the China Construction Bank shared ways to utilize existing cross-border matchmaking platforms before Mr. Carlo Thelen, CEO and Director General of the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce wrapped up the first fully digital trade mission to China with a message of hope for the future: the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce will be leading a trade mission to China as soon as the sanitary situation allows it! Watch the full webinar if you missed it:

e-Mission to China : e-Commerce & Future Outlook from Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce on Vimeo.

105 participants from Luxembourg and 73 participants from China took this opportunity to prospect a faraway market, meet key decision makers and make contacts with leading business representatives from the safety of their office or home.

The pandemic clearly did not spell the end of internationalization, quite the contrary. Digital trade missions like this one are more than ever a key factor in the health of Luxembourg businesses in the context of uncertainty and instability. 

The first e-mission to China clearly showed that the People’s Republic of China and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg are strong trading partners and have much in common as pioneers of innovation and leaders in the high-tech and digital arenas. Both countries are excellent platforms for companies that are seeking to establish or intensify their business activities in Europe and Asia, respectively.

The International Affairs of the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce are at your entire disposal for any additional information or individual assistance in regards to China (contact persons: Ms Shi Na / Mr Steven Koener; e-mail: China(at)cc.lu; tel: +352 42 39 39 – 364 / 379).