The 19th Europe-China Business & Technology Cooperation Fair opens in Chengdu

Image source: China Daily

The 19th China-EU Investment, Trade and Technology Cooperation Fair opened in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan province, on Oct. 22, bringing together representatives of nearly 700 companies and institutions from more than 20 countries to explore business opportunities and deepen cooperation.

Held from Oct. 21 to 23 at the Centre for China-Europe Cooperation in Chengdu, the event is themed "Dialogue and Cooperation for Shared Benefits and Prosperity." It features thematic discussions, business matchmaking and visits to industrial parks, with a focus on new energy and environmental protection, biomedicine, agri-food, intelligent robotics, frontier technologies, vocational education, and commercial and legal services.

Liu Jiannan, vice chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and the China Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC), said the fair had become both a practical platform for connecting Chinese and European businesses and a reflection of mutually beneficial China-EU economic and trade cooperation.

The CCPIT and CCOIC would continue to serve as bridges between government and businesses, facilitate domestic and international exchanges, and connect supply with demand, Liu said. They would also work to expand the fair's reach and impact, promote steady and sustained progress in practical China-EU economic and trade cooperation, and contribute to China's high-standard opening up and the development of an open world economy.

Chen Zhiyong, vice mayor of Chengdu, said the city had actively participated in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, fostering increasingly close exchanges with the European Union in trade, culture and tourism, and science and technology.

Chengdu would take the fair as an opportunity to strengthen ties with European partners and deepen practical cooperation, Chen said. He also encouraged Chinese and foreign businesses to continue exploring investment opportunities in the city and share in its development.

Cai Run, head of the Mission of China to the European Union,said in a video address that 2026 marks the beginning of China's 15th Five-Year Plan for economic and social development. China's high-quality development and high-standard opening up would create further policy dividends and new opportunities for China-EU cooperation, he said.

Tang Yadong, secretary general of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, said European companies believed that investing in China meant investing in the future. He expressed hope that businesses would use the fair as a platform for dialogue and exchange to achieve tangible results and seize new opportunities.

Cándido Creis Estrada,Spanish consul general in Chengdu, said he hoped European companies, including those from Spain, would leverage the event to explore opportunities for collaboration with Chinese businesses in renewable energy, digital transformation, innovation and industrial upgrading, among other areas.

Following the opening ceremony, a plenary session brought together representatives from China and Europe to discuss prospects for cooperation under a new mechanism for China-EU economic and trade consultations, as well as collaboration in green development and digital innovation. Participants also learned about industrial development and the business environment in Chengdu Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone.

The fair features 11 thematic exchanges, industrial park visits and related activities, along with two business-to-business matchmaking sessions. Around 200 Chinese and European companies held nearly 400 one-on-one business meetings.

Initiated by the European Commission in 2002, the fair has been held in Chengdu since 2006. It has attracted more than 14,000 Chinese and European companies over the years and facilitated more than 3,000 preliminary cooperation agreements.

Source：China.org.cn