Lunch-time conversation with Jens Eskelund

On Monday, March 2, from 12:00-13:00 CET, MERICS held a lunch-time conversation with Jens Eskelund, President of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China (EUCCC).

Jens Eskelund discussed the latest trends shaping the business environment for European companies in China. The Chamber has been pushing for a rebalancing of China’s development model in the 15th Five-year Plan, which will officially be launched in March. In particular, the EUCCC has called on China’s leadership to “fix the root causes of involution; provide a bigger role for the market to boost efficiency and eliminate waste; make trade make sense for its key partners; capitalise on its strength in green leadership; and ensure an open and inclusive digital transition”. Eskelund mapped out the risks and opportunities for European companies in China as the conditions for collaboration and competition continuously change.

MERICS experts Esther Goreichy and Jacob Gunter added insights from their recent work on China's industrial overcapacities and Beijing’s efforts to use its economic security toolkit to maintain access to key foreign technologies and export markets.

This hybrid meeting was confidential and by personal invitation only: exclusively for MERICS Members and partners.