Chongqing- Joerg Wuttek, President of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China (EUCCC), was invited to participate at the 2022 CCI-ILSTC International Cooperation Forum via video in the fourth Western International Conference Fair for Investment and Trade (WCIFIT) passed a few days ago.

Member enterprises such as Sodexo from France, Sika from Switzerland, Guanda Century Cruises from Chongqing, and the European IPSIDE Intellectual Property Institute were also involved in the exhibition in the International Pavilion. 

"We have about 200 members in Chengdu, Chongqing, and in the Southwest of China," said Wuttek. "I'm very happy that the WCIFIT brings more attention to this incredibly rich and innovative region."

The Southwest Branch of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China was founded in 2005, which set up its first office in Chengdu and the Chongqing Office in 2012. It currently possesses 198 member enterprises and is still growing, which covers many industries, ranging from Fortune 500 multinational companies to small and medium-sized enterprises. It has also established contacts with foreign-funded enterprises in other southwestern provinces such as Shaanxi, Yunnan, and Guizhou.

As a significant platform, the Southwest Branch actively provides opportunities for member enterprises to hold meetings and conduct constructive dialogues with local high-level and essential departments. It has also established good relations with the consulates, business groups, and media of EU member states in Chengdu and Chongqing.

The Southwest Branch regularly holds business activities for member enterprises, including roundtable meetings with local governments, inviting experts to make speeches at seminars, carrying out breakfast and dinner discussions with key opinion leaders on Central European affairs or other areas of concern, and conducting socializing activities and factory visits. It also holds various activities jointly with other chambers of commerce.

Founded by 51 member enterprises in Beijing in October 2000, the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China represents the common voice of European Union (EU) enterprises in China. It is an independent non-profit organization working under the guidance of its members, and its core structure is more than 35 working groups and forums representing European enterprises in China.

The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China has more than 1,800 member enterprises, with seven branches in nine cities, including Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai, Shenyang, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Chongqing, and Tianjin. Each unit is managed by the local board of directors and reports directly to the Executive Committee.

The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China has been recognized by the European Commission and Chinese government agencies as the official platform for EU enterprises in China and recognized by the Ministry of Civil Affairs as a foreign chamber of commerce. It is one of the growing European business organizations, which combines European business groups with chambers of commerce from 37 non-EU countries worldwide.

(Ge Rongchen, as an intern, also contributed to this report.)